Vengeance in Blood (Book 2): Tribulations by Thomas A. Watson Page A

free will of her own.”
    “Hold on,” Kenneth said. “You mean the vampire had no free will?”
    Tiffany looked over at him. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you; when they take your mind, you don’t get it back. That is why they were the rulers.”
    “Shit,” Kenneth said, turning around and throwing up his hands. “Are there any other wild myths out there?”
    “Several,” Tiffany said.
    Shaking his head, Kenneth walked back to his stool and sat down, picking up his pen. “Please continue,” he said as he started writing.
    “Well, since I wasn’t asleep and wasn’t tired, I marched inside the house. I had lost him very easily, so I wasn’t that worried, plus I could do things with my mind,” she admitted. Kenneth nodded.
    “I did surprise him and told him I knew what he was, and this made him rather mad,” Tiffany said with a small grin. “He finally calmed, and we talked for several days. I found out he was over three thousand years old then and one of the rulers on the island. I studied him closely, and it’s remarkable how much they look and smell like a human.”
    “How do you kill them?” Kenneth asked.
    “Chop off the head, burn the body, and scatter the ashes,” Tiffany answered.
    “What if a vampire or werewolf tried to feed off of one?” he asked.
    “We can’t,” she said. “If we drink from them, we will die.”
    “You’re sure?” Kenneth almost pleaded.
    “Very. He told me after I asked and made the female with him do it,” Tiffany said, closing her eyes. “She didn’t drink much and withered away for hours till she died.”
    “He let her die just to prove you couldn’t feed off him?” Kenneth asked, amazed. “That goes way beyond arrogant.”
    “Now you understand,” Tiffany said, looking down at the dogs. “He wanted me and thought I would stay close when I left, but I was out of the area in one night.”
    “They can smell vampires and werewolves?”
    “Yes but not from very far away,” Tiffany admitted.
    “Besseta told me some vampires like you and her have abilities . Do werewolves, succubi, and incubi?”
    “I only know from what I’ve gathered over the years in writings. Werewolves can have some abilities. I’ve met very few werewolves, and none of them talked to me, and the incubus had the ability to control. They are all born with that,” Tiffany explained.
    “Did you notice before you became a vampire that you had telekinesis?” he asked.
    “No.” She smiled. “I remember when I would get mad stuff would fall around me.”
    Nodding, Kenneth kept writing. Tiffany turned to Besseta, who was putting food on the counter. “You’re right; when he gets going, his mind is moving a thousand miles an hour,” Tiffany said.
    “Yep.” Besseta smiled as Kenneth kept writing.
    Kenneth paused to ask, “You have any idea how many of the ruling class is left?”
    “I’m only guessing, but it’s based off the writings,” Tiffany said, nodding to Besseta and smiling. “It would be no more than a few dozen of each sex. They don’t get along well together and will fight each other at the drop of a hat.”
    As she spoke, Kenneth’s pen flew across the page. “And the only way they can reproduce is with another ruler?”
    “Yes,” Tiffany said. “They take them in combat.”
    Looking up, he asked, “You mean they beat down another one, tie them up, rape them to make more?”
    Tiffany nodded. “Basically.”
    “They let them go afterwards?” he asked.
    “Oh yes, just so they will know they were beaten and the other has the offspring,” she answered.
    Kenneth shook his head. “That’s some evil shit,” he mumbled and continued writing.
    “Okay,” Besseta said, clapping her hands. “Enough for tonight. Let’s eat.” They all sat at the bar, the two girls nibbling as Kenneth ate.
    After supper, Besseta showed Tiffany her room and asked her to let the dogs stay with her, which Tiffany was only too happy about. When Kenneth followed Besseta