about the sex. It
was about living forever, and dealing with living forever. What does one do
when one lives forever?”
“He drinks port?”
She smiled, glad he wasn’t taking her seriously. It didn’t hurt her feelings
in the slightest. “I keep wondering what sex would be like after having a
thousand years of it. Maybe the temples were built, the religion of the divine
coupling was created, to fill the needs of a bored society. Maybe some of them
didn’t want to live forever, and that was a problem for them.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I think they lost their immortality. On purpose. Chose to be
mortal. That’s why they and most of the evidence of their civilization
disappeared.”
Chapter 13
Paolo had never been curious about the origins of his species, which was
odd, since he loved mysteries. Perhaps he was unsure what he’d find if he dug
too deeply. He assumed vampires, both dark and golden, had always co-existed
with the human population. But many of his kin had lived centuries, longer than
his three hundred years, and could see changes occurring in their vampiric DNA.
New children were born with special powers. Certainly there were breeding
oddities forming when a dark and a golden vampire mated. Exceptions were
occurring at an alarming rate.
He searched what he had been taught. He’d been a gentleman scholar, in
the classical sense, almost three hundred years ago, growing up in Tuscany. But
what fascinated him for most of his life was human nature. Paolo knew he wanted to be mortal—be and live life
as a human—even with its brevity. It was these mortals he befriended, drawn
like a moth to the flame. Once he had accepted the turning, he never could
really be human again, even though he
walked amongst them as much as was possible.
To idle the time away, he focused on amassing wealth, something he did
very successfully, and tried to live as “normal” a life as possible. He guarded
the secret of his vampire genes,
and was a dedicated husband to his mortal wives. In the end, though he tried
very hard, he failed miserably.
Could someone have discovered the
apex? When their immortality began? He also wondered if these early
vampires were dark or golden.
Or was there a difference at the
beginning?
He was fascinated.
“Where have you gone?” she asked him, and he realized he’d been
daydreaming.
“I’m enchanted with your story, Cara. I’ve never heard it before.” It was
the truth.
“Well, at this point that is all it is, a good story. But I just feel
like there’s something to it. My classes are the way I pay my bills. But what
I’d rather do is research full time. I haunt libraries like some haunt bars.”
They both laughed. It felt good to see her smile. It seemed to bring out
the sun in the room.
“So this is what you do with your free time?” he asked.
“Pretty much. I have to force myself to get out and do something
decadent, like going to that costume ball.”
“Where you meet a mysterious gentlemen dressed as the creature you
study.”
“Exactly. Like it was fated.”
She was smiling, shaking her head from side to side and looking down at
the table. Paolo wanted to take her in his arms and cover her body with kisses.
He consciously toned down the glamour, releasing her reluctantly. But then he
couldn’t help it. His soul needed warming.
Come to me, Carabella. Show me you
have interest and I will fulfill your wildest fantasies.
She was making figure eights with her forefinger in the water spot from
her iced tea. The design was flowing, sensual. Curved, and that point she
seemed to linger on where the two rings touched and crossed over one another.
Unexpectedly, she looked up into his face and he felt her need. It wasn’t a glamoured
attraction. It was coming purely from her.
“Tell me about yourself, Paolo.”
He sat up straight and laid his forearms on the wooden table, sliding
them over so that his palms rested on her fingers. “Gladly,”
was about living forever, and dealing with living forever. What does one do
when one lives forever?”
“He drinks port?”
She smiled, glad he wasn’t taking her seriously. It didn’t hurt her feelings
in the slightest. “I keep wondering what sex would be like after having a
thousand years of it. Maybe the temples were built, the religion of the divine
coupling was created, to fill the needs of a bored society. Maybe some of them
didn’t want to live forever, and that was a problem for them.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I think they lost their immortality. On purpose. Chose to be
mortal. That’s why they and most of the evidence of their civilization
disappeared.”
Chapter 13
Paolo had never been curious about the origins of his species, which was
odd, since he loved mysteries. Perhaps he was unsure what he’d find if he dug
too deeply. He assumed vampires, both dark and golden, had always co-existed
with the human population. But many of his kin had lived centuries, longer than
his three hundred years, and could see changes occurring in their vampiric DNA.
New children were born with special powers. Certainly there were breeding
oddities forming when a dark and a golden vampire mated. Exceptions were
occurring at an alarming rate.
He searched what he had been taught. He’d been a gentleman scholar, in
the classical sense, almost three hundred years ago, growing up in Tuscany. But
what fascinated him for most of his life was human nature. Paolo knew he wanted to be mortal—be and live life
as a human—even with its brevity. It was these mortals he befriended, drawn
like a moth to the flame. Once he had accepted the turning, he never could
really be human again, even though he
walked amongst them as much as was possible.
To idle the time away, he focused on amassing wealth, something he did
very successfully, and tried to live as “normal” a life as possible. He guarded
the secret of his vampire genes,
and was a dedicated husband to his mortal wives. In the end, though he tried
very hard, he failed miserably.
Could someone have discovered the
apex? When their immortality began? He also wondered if these early
vampires were dark or golden.
Or was there a difference at the
beginning?
He was fascinated.
“Where have you gone?” she asked him, and he realized he’d been
daydreaming.
“I’m enchanted with your story, Cara. I’ve never heard it before.” It was
the truth.
“Well, at this point that is all it is, a good story. But I just feel
like there’s something to it. My classes are the way I pay my bills. But what
I’d rather do is research full time. I haunt libraries like some haunt bars.”
They both laughed. It felt good to see her smile. It seemed to bring out
the sun in the room.
“So this is what you do with your free time?” he asked.
“Pretty much. I have to force myself to get out and do something
decadent, like going to that costume ball.”
“Where you meet a mysterious gentlemen dressed as the creature you
study.”
“Exactly. Like it was fated.”
She was smiling, shaking her head from side to side and looking down at
the table. Paolo wanted to take her in his arms and cover her body with kisses.
He consciously toned down the glamour, releasing her reluctantly. But then he
couldn’t help it. His soul needed warming.
Come to me, Carabella. Show me you
have interest and I will fulfill your wildest fantasies.
She was making figure eights with her forefinger in the water spot from
her iced tea. The design was flowing, sensual. Curved, and that point she
seemed to linger on where the two rings touched and crossed over one another.
Unexpectedly, she looked up into his face and he felt her need. It wasn’t a glamoured
attraction. It was coming purely from her.
“Tell me about yourself, Paolo.”
He sat up straight and laid his forearms on the wooden table, sliding
them over so that his palms rested on her fingers. “Gladly,”
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