Michael joined in, “You want me to tell about the others?”
“Thank you. That’s what I wanted all along. Zane keeps topic hopping,” I teased, hoping
to deflate the tension. It worked. In unison, the two older men inhaled and relaxed.
“If Zane doesn’t mind,” Mack said, head inclined, acknowledging his lesser status
in the pack.
“Michael, feel free. Just don’t scare her,” Zane warned, refusing to meet my gaze.
“It’s not his fault if I’m scared. He’s not responsible for my reactions.” I tried
to keep my voice steady. Zane’s overbearing manner was getting on my nerves.
“Michael’s storytelling skills are renowned,” said Zane.
“He’s trying to say I exaggerate,” Michael agreed sheepishly. “Anyway, first, let
me ask you something.” He glanced at Zane for what I guessed was approval. Zane nodded. “What
do you think exists?”
Surprised by the question, I thought back to several scary movies I’d seen, without
my parents’ permission of course. “Vampires, witches, goblins …”
“You’re doing great,” Michael grinned. “Go on.”
“Since there are werewolves and mutants, I’m guessing there might be other creatures,
oh, what are they called?” I tried to remember the creatures that I’d read about in
my study of Indian legends. “Shape shifters!” I yelled out as if we were playing monster
charades.
“Real,” Zane confirmed, at last relaxing.
“What about angels and demons?” I wondered, hoping my biblical training wasn’t based
on myth.
“The Bible is real. Remember, there are a number of additional books the Bible either
references or alludes to, like the Book of Jasher and the Book of Enoch . If uncovered by humans, these ancient texts would expose the supernatural communities.
In fact, the Bible talks about fallen angels, or sons of God and human woman creating
a new race of giants. Many of us are offspring of those ancient races.”
Still confused, I felt more relieved knowing the Bible was true. There just happened
to be additional information that was dispersed on a need-to-know basis.
“You doing okay?” Zane asked, looking apprehensive.
“Of course,” I fibbed, unwilling to halt the discussion because of Zane’s over protectiveness
and my increasing squirminess. “Tell me about vampires,” I insisted.
“Let’s stick with vampire basics.” Michael glanced at Zane, who again nodded.
I was starting to see just how serious the werewolf hierarchy thing was. Zane held
a powerful position in his pack. I assumed that Logan alone outranked him. Though,
according to family history, Zane should be the alpha male. His grandfather, then
his father had held those positions. Why not Zane? I understood those questions would
have to wait until we were alone.
Noticing my companions’ stares, I agreed. “I’m ready for vampire 101.” All three werewolves
chuckled. I wished my own species found me so amusing.
“The first vampires resulted from fallen angels copulating with human women. As I
mentioned, they were just one of the many offspring from these illicit unions, often
referred to as the Nephilim. For whatever reason, this finicky family line had no
desire for traditional food sources. They craved blood. Human blood. This desire made
them pretty unpopular with the others …”
“Short version,” Mack interrupted.
“I’m just trying to give a little background. Anyway, these blood drinkers formed
their own clan and became nomads traveling from place to place in order to avoid detection.
They hunted solely at night and stayed hidden during daylight hours. This pattern
caused them to become what legends often refer to as children of the night.
Like most creatures, though, there are exceptions to the rule. Some vampires can survive
during the day. They have to wear sunglasses to cover their light-sensitive eyes,
but nowadays, they blend in. Sure, they’re paler than the normal
“Thank you. That’s what I wanted all along. Zane keeps topic hopping,” I teased, hoping
to deflate the tension. It worked. In unison, the two older men inhaled and relaxed.
“If Zane doesn’t mind,” Mack said, head inclined, acknowledging his lesser status
in the pack.
“Michael, feel free. Just don’t scare her,” Zane warned, refusing to meet my gaze.
“It’s not his fault if I’m scared. He’s not responsible for my reactions.” I tried
to keep my voice steady. Zane’s overbearing manner was getting on my nerves.
“Michael’s storytelling skills are renowned,” said Zane.
“He’s trying to say I exaggerate,” Michael agreed sheepishly. “Anyway, first, let
me ask you something.” He glanced at Zane for what I guessed was approval. Zane nodded. “What
do you think exists?”
Surprised by the question, I thought back to several scary movies I’d seen, without
my parents’ permission of course. “Vampires, witches, goblins …”
“You’re doing great,” Michael grinned. “Go on.”
“Since there are werewolves and mutants, I’m guessing there might be other creatures,
oh, what are they called?” I tried to remember the creatures that I’d read about in
my study of Indian legends. “Shape shifters!” I yelled out as if we were playing monster
charades.
“Real,” Zane confirmed, at last relaxing.
“What about angels and demons?” I wondered, hoping my biblical training wasn’t based
on myth.
“The Bible is real. Remember, there are a number of additional books the Bible either
references or alludes to, like the Book of Jasher and the Book of Enoch . If uncovered by humans, these ancient texts would expose the supernatural communities.
In fact, the Bible talks about fallen angels, or sons of God and human woman creating
a new race of giants. Many of us are offspring of those ancient races.”
Still confused, I felt more relieved knowing the Bible was true. There just happened
to be additional information that was dispersed on a need-to-know basis.
“You doing okay?” Zane asked, looking apprehensive.
“Of course,” I fibbed, unwilling to halt the discussion because of Zane’s over protectiveness
and my increasing squirminess. “Tell me about vampires,” I insisted.
“Let’s stick with vampire basics.” Michael glanced at Zane, who again nodded.
I was starting to see just how serious the werewolf hierarchy thing was. Zane held
a powerful position in his pack. I assumed that Logan alone outranked him. Though,
according to family history, Zane should be the alpha male. His grandfather, then
his father had held those positions. Why not Zane? I understood those questions would
have to wait until we were alone.
Noticing my companions’ stares, I agreed. “I’m ready for vampire 101.” All three werewolves
chuckled. I wished my own species found me so amusing.
“The first vampires resulted from fallen angels copulating with human women. As I
mentioned, they were just one of the many offspring from these illicit unions, often
referred to as the Nephilim. For whatever reason, this finicky family line had no
desire for traditional food sources. They craved blood. Human blood. This desire made
them pretty unpopular with the others …”
“Short version,” Mack interrupted.
“I’m just trying to give a little background. Anyway, these blood drinkers formed
their own clan and became nomads traveling from place to place in order to avoid detection.
They hunted solely at night and stayed hidden during daylight hours. This pattern
caused them to become what legends often refer to as children of the night.
Like most creatures, though, there are exceptions to the rule. Some vampires can survive
during the day. They have to wear sunglasses to cover their light-sensitive eyes,
but nowadays, they blend in. Sure, they’re paler than the normal
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