The Lasaran (Aldebarian Alliance #1) - Dianne Duvall Page 0,51
vampires did to make a mortal one of them. “What happened to the first facility that held her?” Taelon might have already told her, but she couldn’t remember.
“It burned to the ground.”
“How? What caused the fire?”
“We couldn’t uncover that information.”
“Maybe the vampires did it. Maybe that place took some of their own captive as well and the vampires came across Amiriska while rescuing them.”
“If that’s true, then I have needlessly placed you in danger.”
She frowned. “How do you figure that?”
“If they accepted Amiriska and offered her shelter, they might have done the same for us and I squandered an opportunity to find you safe harbor.”
You, he said. Find you safe harbor. “Don’t you mean find us safe harbor?”
“Your safety will always come before mine.”
Warmth unfurled in her chest. Damn. It would be so easy to fall for him. He was such an honorable guy. She couldn’t repay that by being less so. “We don’t know yet that they accepted her,” she said gently. “I know you said she looked well, but… maybe they made her their Renfield.”
His brows drew down. “What’s a Renfield?”
She recalled the many Dracula movies she had seen over the years, as well as the vampire novels she’d read. Some of the Renfields, or human assistants, in them had been horrific. Inhuman. Catching and eating live insects and rodents. Their bodies changing in grotesque ways. And some of those who weren’t like that either descended into insanity or lost all concept of right and wrong.
“Lisa,” he prompted when she didn’t respond, “what’s a Renfield?”
She studied him helplessly. “You have to understand, Taelon, that everything I know about vampires is based on fictional stories, so I don’t know what is truth and what isn’t.”
“What’s a Renfield?” he asked again. “It’s something bad, isn’t it? You wouldn’t hesitate to tell me if it weren’t.”
She sighed. “In fictional tales, vampires often have human or mortal servants. People sometimes call them Renfields because of a character in the first vampire novel that was written over a century ago.” She frowned. “At least I think it was the first vampire novel written. Folklore predates that.”
“What do these servants do?”
“Vampires drink blood,” she told him. “They need it to survive. In the movies I’ve seen, they don’t eat food to gain nourishment. They subsist entirely on the blood of others.”
His brows drew down.
“They’re different from regular humans, or Earthlings as you call us. They’re a lot stronger, faster, and—depending on the author of the story—may have special abilities, too.” She motioned to the door. “Clearly some of that is actually true. Roland can teleport and has telekinetic abilities.”
“My people cannot teleport, but some are born with telekinetic abilities,” he murmured. “And these vampires take servants?”
“Yes, although some would consider them more slave than servant. Sometimes they have no choice in whom they serve or how they serve them.”
His expression darkened. “How do they serve them?”
“By bringing the vampires victims they can drain or feed from. Or by being blood donors themselves.”
“These vampires might be holding Amiriska against her will? They might be forcing her to let them drink her blood?” His growing anger practically vibrated through her.
“Mmmmmaybe.”
“Do these vampires have a weakness?”
“They’re extremely photosensitive and can’t bear exposure to sunlight.”
“What happens when sunlight touches them?”
She shrugged. “In some stories they instantly burst into flames. In others they dissolve into ashes. And in yet others they blister and burn and will die if they don’t seek shelter. It just takes longer.”
“Then all one need do to defeat them is expose them to sunlight?”
“Possibly.”
He tightened his hold on her. “I have to find her. I have to save Amiriska.”
She rested a small hand on his face and stroked his jaw. “Remember, these are just stories. I don’t know how much of that is true. The vampires in movies are usually heartless monsters. That didn’t appear to be the case with Roland and Marcus. They were talking about one of them getting married and expressed concern about children. I just wanted to…”
“To prepare me so I would not be taken aback if the worst ends up being true.”
“Yes.”
Dipping his head, he brushed his lips against hers in a light kiss. “Thank you.”
Her heartbeat picked up. “Thank you for protecting me,” she whispered. If he hadn’t been so intent on keeping her safe, he likely would’ve taken a chance and shown himself to the vampires and might’ve learned where his sister was.
“I would protect you with the last breath left in my body, Lisa.”