trying to pull myself back together, my dress suddenly too tight. I fought against the urge to take it all off and walk straight into the ocean to cool myself down. “I was a child again. Not remembering moments, but living them, once again.”
“How can this be?” Derek murmured. “I’ve never…”
“You’ve never felt something like that, huh?” Acheron chuckled. “I know! It’s in their blood, Derek. We’re not sure what it is, exactly, but drinking it allows us to commune with ourselves on a deeper level. It’s incredibly relaxing.”
“All Rimians have blood like this?” Sofia asked, red roses bursting in her cheeks. Out of all of us, she’d been the most ethical about consuming non-animal blood, yet she was ravished by the effects of Rimian blood. “This life force that just fills you up?”
The Aeternae nodded. “It’s what makes them special,” Danika said. “Rimia gives us fine raw materials, but it also gives us the best blood we’ve ever tasted. The older the Rimians, the more delicious the blood, too.”
I was already in awe of it all, and I’d only tried one of the many blood specialties they’d prepared for us. One could only wonder what the others would be like. What sensations they’d send through my body, how they would amplify my mind for the briefest of moments. I’d thought I’d gotten used to living in the darkness forever as a vampire, but my soul was suddenly twisted and turned inside out, as I’d just relished the warmth of the sun on my skin through a Rimian’s blood.
Maybe I wanted the day-walking cure as badly as my brother, after all, but I just hadn’t known… until now.
Tristan
If before I’d had my doubts about why the Aeternae had insisted upon feeding on Rimian and Nalorean blood despite the risk of Black Fever emerging, they were all gone the moment I’d come down from the ample tasting offered by the Lord and Lady Supreme. This wasn’t just about feeding, though I could certainly feel my strength grow, my muscles twitching slightly, delighted by the nourishment I’d just provided.
It was about the intense experience that came with drinking someone else’s life force. It was like peering deep into my own soul, reliving my own memories, and it was incredible. Beautiful, disturbing, and impossible to reproduce with human or animal blood. At least they weren’t drinking the Rimians and the Naloreans dry. That would’ve raised some troubling red flags.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying this,” Acheron said after a long pause, still very much amused by our collective reaction to the blood. Amal and Nethissis had their eyes on us at all times, and they, too, were astonished. They’d probably never seen vampires soften so quickly under the influence of foreign blood. “Perhaps now you have a better understanding as to why we’re so keen to maintain the balance we’ve fought so hard to achieve.”
“We most certainly do,” Derek replied, briefly staring at the empty crystal cup in front of him. “You’ll have to forgive our reactions. This is all very new to us.”
Danika smirked. “That’s perfectly normal, Derek. At least we know you’ll enjoy your dinner tonight.”
“I’m curious, and you did say you’d tell us more about it,” Kalon interjected, watching Derek like a hawk. “How come you’re the day-walker among your vampire people?”
Sofia gave Derek a nervous glance. In return, he gently squeezed her hand, reassuring her in his own way. It was time to pull the cat out of the bag, as carefully as possible, laying out the case for the day-walking protein. We’d gotten to know these people well enough for them not to be taken aback by the core of our mission to Visio.
“About two years ago, we stumbled upon a planet called Strava, very far from here,” Derek said, circumspect in his choice of words. “There was a mad scientist ruling that world, and he’d made a habit of genetically engineering creatures he considered superior to other species. Ironically, he’d used genetic material from those same species in order to build his hybrids.”
“The first batch were my people, whom he referred to as Faulties,” Amal added, prompting a slight nod from Danika, who was still visually displeased with the term. “He experimented some more, until he designed the Perfects and, later on, the Arch-Perfects.”
“How is that possible?” Valaine asked, her brow furrowed.
“Artificial wombs,” Amal explained. “We were conceived and developed in his laboratory, without the nurturing of a mother and a father. He made sure we came out as