Page 43 of The Vampire's Guide to Wooing a Scholar
Winifred entered, looking as pale as the afternoon her family had left. She met his gaze and pressed her lips together, but before she could say anything, she glanced at Cordon and straightened.
“Good evening,” Cordon said. “Do not let me interrupt.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and walked around Winifred. When he left, she furrowed her brow. “He’s a vampire too, isn’t he?” She shook her head. “I feel as though I’ve taken leave of my senses.”
“You haven’t.”
She gave him a penetrating stare, then rushed forward and put her face close to his.
“W-What are you doing?” he asked.
She narrowed her eyes. “Turn them blue.”
“Pardon?”
She put her index fingers and thumbs on his forehead and cheeks, then pulled his eyelids open. “Make your irises glow. You did it when you bit Smith. I want to see it for myself and confirm it’s not a trick.”
He clenched his fingers on the leather arms of his chair so hard, he feared he would have to send it for repair after this interlude. But he would do whatever she asked against the slim chance she chose to stay. He focused on her neck, on the faint vein beneath the surface.
His fangs descended.
“Fascinating,” Winifred said. She released her grip on his face, then lifted his upper lip with her thumb. He obligingly opened his mouth so she could inspect his teeth. She slid the pad of her index finger down a fang and was about to move it over the sharp tip when he grasped her handand jerked it away.
She leaned back. “Why did you do that?”
“You would have cut yourself and I-I do not want to taste your blood.”
“I see.” She walked over to sit in the chair opposite him and perched on it. “So, that much is true. You consume blood. Interesting. How often do you need it? Does it have to be human?”
So, it was to be an interrogation. That, at least, was easier than restraining himself while she poked at his face. Her reaction was much more rational than he’d expected. Perhaps her hunter family had taught her something, after all. He could have told her he knew about her lineage, but it would be more revealing to see how—if—she brought up the subject herself.
“Several times a day,” he finally said. “Animal blood is my usual fare, as you might have guessed from the number of livestock the estate maintains.”
Her fingers twitched. She patted her sides, then twisted her lips. “I wish I could take notes.”
He could not help but laugh. “There is no need. If you want to know more about my kind, I can tell you anything you wish. There are also many more texts you could read.” His lips quirked. “Although you would not find them in the library.”
“Books,” she repeated. “Like the ones you left me to read. That’s why you didn’t tell me. You wanted me to figure it out myself.”
“Yes. Then you saw me with Smith and even though you didn’t remember, I knew you would eventually.”
She curled her arms around her knees. “What really happened with Smith? Was he one of your victims?”
He winced. His nest siblings preferred “donor” to “victim,” but they usually drank from their lovers. Marcus, stuck in his castle, had not had that option before now. “No. Smith is the first human I’ve bitten in centuries. Mrs. Gillanders, Gillanders, and Smith are the only members of my staff who know what I am.”
She furrowed her brow. “Then why…?”
This was the part of the explanation he hadn’t been looking forward to. “Smith volunteered.” When she didn’t respond, he reluctantly continued. “He knew of my weakened state and did not want me to assault a servant. Inadvertently.” He held up his hands. “I would never intentionally harm an innocent, but I was not entirely in control of myself.”
She paled. “What do you mean?”
“I had gone too long without human blood.” He covered his face with his hands. “God, Winifred. I am a monster.”
“I would not say that.”
He peered through his fingers. “You wouldn’t?”
“I think what you did was quite considerate.”
He lowered his hands. “Considerate” was not a word he had applied to himself in a very long time. Callous, careless, complacent, but notconsiderate. She continued to surprise him.
