something?” I demanded as I plopped into my chair.
Solomon’s gaze swept over my face. “We try to prevent vampire turnings—and Were-animal infections, too—whenever possible. We place our soldiers on the same battlefields the Daemoni target, and Martin’s intelligence group tracks those vamps who have a history of turnings. We also maintain a heavy presence where Daemoni vamps prefer to gather.”
“Such as Key West?”
“Key West has not had a turning in more than a decade because of our presence,” he confirmed with a nod. “The vamps favor tourist havens, because their victims are often drunk, making them easy prey. The older ones, those with more control, can drink from the sources without draining them, and the Normans have no recollection the next morning. They remember—what is the modern saying?—a one-night stand.”
I thought of the vampires in my books and how they could not only feed off fear, but also off lust. Biting and blood during sex provided the greatest satisfaction to both parties. The magic in the vampire’s saliva entered the victim’s bloodstream through the bite, creating a sense of euphoria. I had thought, at one time, I had taken that idea from when Tristan had helped me heal the deep gash on my leg, the night I learned who he really was. His mouth on my leg had nearly brought me to my first real orgasm. Now, I realized, Tristan’s ability to do that—both heal me and excite me in such a strange way—came from the vampire DNA embedded in his genes. I suddenly wondered if Solomon and Rina . . . I blushed. No way could I ask him that.
“Do you drink only mages’ blood?” I asked instead. “I mean . . . have you ever drank Rina’s?”
Solomon’s brows arched, creating several horizontal lines across his forehead. “Blood from an Amadis daughter is very precious. Very powerful, but very precious. I’ve only had her blood once, when I was dying, and only because she forced me.”
An idea occurred to me. “Did you absorb any of her Amadis powers, such as telepathy? I mean, the same way you absorb mages’ magic?”
“I did not drink enough. I do not know if it is possible, and it is best not to find out.”
“Well, how much magic can you gain from a mage? Can you become as powerful as them?”
Solomon seemed to consider the question, rubbing his chin.
“I have never heard of a vamp gaining that much magic,” he finally said. “Perhaps if they fed off a powerful warlock for an extended period of time or from a sorcerer . . . but we cannot risk our most powerful, and I doubt a sorcerer would allow a vamp within arm’s length of their blood.” He made a sound that almost sounded like a snort. “Thank goodness, too! We do not need a vampire loose with that much power.”
Hmm. Could perhaps a vampire, such as Julia, block Rina’s powers if they’d had the right kind or amount of blood? A possibility, although Solomon didn’t seem to think so.
“So what would make you so weak for Rina to give her blood to you? How can you die? Tristan and Char say it’s nearly impossible to kill a vampire.”
“Vampires and enchanted silver,” he said. “Another vampire can greatly weaken us without killing. Silver hurts all Daemoni, but if it has been enchanted, the metal can kill vamps. We need blood to regain our strength. Without blood, we continue to grow weaker until we eventually dry up into corpses . . . until blood regenerates us.”
“Only vamps and enchanted silver blades can kill you? There’s no other way? A stake to the heart?”
Solomon chuckled. “A stake can put us down temporarily, but not kill us. Vampires started that legend, as well as allergies to garlic and the need to be invited into a home. These stories give the Normans a false sense of security, and vampires embrace it. They pretend to be frightened away, only to return later for the unsuspected attack. Vampires enjoy playing with their food.”
And it was such statements, along with the wide, white grin on Solomon’s face, that made him so frightening.
I swallowed, pushing down the unnecessary fear. “And the myth of not being able to come out during the day?”
“Started by the Amadis. The idea was to make Normans more fearful of being out at night, alone in the dark when vampires prefer to hunt.”