were?” he queries.
“He never told me that. I found out at my reading after Talon arranged for me to be found by my uncle.”
Siah’s eyes narrow, and he shakes his head with obvious repugnance. It’s funny because the reality of what Talon kept from me pisses me off, but seeing someone else judging him for it makes me feel defensive of Talon and the decisions he made.
“I guess I’ll start with lamia 101, then,” Siah grumbles. “I’m sure you’ve heard our race being compared to that of mythological vampires. We are where that legend finds roots, and there are some truths to the lore, but there are also extreme exaggerations.”
I nod in understanding and quickly run through every stereotypical vampire ability I can think of.
“We feed off other creatures, but probably not in the way that you think. We feed on their magic. We need it to survive and replenish our stores when they get low. If we lose too much magic, we can die; if too much magic is forced into us at one time, we can die. And then there’s the good ol’ tried and true decapitation.”
I think back to the way I killed my first handful of lamia. I must have overloaded them with magic, and that’s what saved me. I didn’t know at the time how it all worked, but it makes sense.
“Blood is the quickest way for us to access another being’s magic, hence the fangs.” Siah gives me a cold smile, and I can just make out the hint of sharp canines amongst his straight, white teeth. “We’re one of the few supernatural creatures that are made, not born.”
“How does that work?” I ask, curiosity winning out over not wanting to be rude.
“We’re drained of all of our natural magic, and then fed the magic of our sire. Their magic either kills us outright or changes us.”
“They can do this to anyone?” I ask, alarm in my tone.
“I suppose in theory it’s possible, but it’s technically very complicated. Humans have the highest success rates when it comes to being blooded. All creatures have some form of magic in them, and humans are really no exception. For the most part, their magic is so dormant and diluted, many of them are barely worth the feeding, but some have more than others. Sires are typically older lamia, ones who have built up greater magic stores within themselves over time. When they make another lamia, they need to pull all the magic from the being they’re draining but not overload themselves so that it will kill them. They then need to force their magic into the drained but not deplete their stores so much that it results in death too.”
Siah looks over at me, and I can tell he’s trying to gauge if I understand what he’s explaining. I give him a nod as my eyes tell him to keep going.
“It’s a complicated process, and successful sires have it down to almost an exact science. Creatures outside of the non classification are harder to drain and change. It’s not impossible, but it’s incredibly risky and therefore not attempted often.”
I look out the window into the shadows that flash past us as we drive, and mull over everything he’s just said.
“As I was saying, Sorik and I were blooded not far apart from each other. We were both new to this world and leaned on each other in an effort to survive it. Our sire, Payter, was a trusted member of Adriel’s commanders. Because of that, we were trusted with tasks and responsibilities that were sensitive and important to Adriel. Which is how Sorik and I met Grier, your mother.”
My breath hitches when he speaks my mother’s name, but he either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care about the reaction I have to hearing him talk about her.
“We were part of a group of guards that Grier always had assigned to her. The rest I think you know, based on what Sorik explained the last time you both saw one another.”
I nod, putting the pieces together. They were with my mother all of the time. It makes sense that Sorik, just like Talon, grew attached to her.
“But Sorik didn’t tell you that he and my mother…” I trail off.
“I knew they were close. I watched out for Sorik many times so that he and Grier could have time together, but I didn’t know until he asked for help with you about how deep the connection between Grier and Sorik