by Amanda Perry
“I know you have a lot of questions, so let us start at the beginning,” Abe suggests, waiting for my nod of approval before continuing on. “My family and I are descended from the very first demon shifters. There are legends of how the first shifters came to be and I’m sure you have heard a few of the fairytales growing up.
“Most humans confuse our kind with vampires, but that’s not quite what we are. Vampires are unable to shift between their human and inhuman forms. They cannot go into the sun; they cannot eat human food. There are quite a few differences between us, actually. However, right now that’s not important.
“No one, including us, knows the full truth of how the first demon shifters were created. Though we believe that we have been around since the start of the world. What we can tell you is that there were originally four families.
“The Ashford family, the Irvington family, the Abram family, and our family, the Black family. For a long time, the world was split into four Clans. Our kind largely outnumbered the human population. After a while, however, humans began to procreate like rabbits and soon they outnumbered us. The four families gathered together when the world population exploded. The families needed to ensure our people remained safe and that demon shifters did not try to enslave humans. Contrary to our name, we are generally a peaceful race. The four original families decided to divide the world into the four territories, each family taking their own to oversee.
“Since then, the Blacks have ruled over North and South America. The Irvington clan chose to rule all of Europe and Africa. The Abram clan were always an odd bunch and they wished to rule over Antarctica and all of the oceans, ships and such included. The Ashford clan chose Asia and Australia.
“As you could probably guess, the Abram clan did not last long. Their family died out about four hundred years ago. The Ashford clan stepped in and took over their territories. We did not fight them on this because neither us nor the Irvington clan wanted the territory.
“Then, the Irvington clan died out about fifty years ago, and Europe and Africa were up for grabs. Our hope at the time was to divide the territory evenly between the Black clan and Ashford clan. Unfortunately, the Ashford’s did not share the same vision for the future. They thought they were the only ones entitled to the Irvington’s territories.
“They had always been a very violent clan. We never agreed with their ways, but we remained civil with them because they more or less adhered to the established rules of keeping our kind secret and leaving humans alone.
“This started a war between clans that has been going on for the last fifty years. Each clan is simply waiting for the other to make a move on the royal families. If their royals are eliminated, then the clan falls and only one will remain, automatically taking over the other’s territory. The remaining subjects of the falling clan must pledge loyalty to the remaining clan, or else forfeit their lives.”
Holding my hand up to stop Abe, I give him a sheepish smile when he gestures for me to ask whatever it’s I wish to ask. “Who are the royal families?”
Glances are exchanged around the room, before everyone’s focus come to rest on me. Leviathan takes my hand and gives it a squeeze, before speaking. “Love, my mother and father are the leaders of our clan. They are both full-blooded demons.”
“Full-blooded?” I ask, scrunching my brows in confusion. “You mean full of blood, like just, uh, ate or whatever?”
The room explodes in laughter. Blushing, I wait for everyone to calm down but the laughter continues, making me squirm in my seat, wondering why what I said was so funny. Finally, Leviathan seems to notice my frustration because he clears his throat and gently runs a hand down my cheek.
“No, love, I mean my parents were born, not made. All of my siblings and myself were born as well. Full-blooded demon shifters can have children, shifter children.” He watches my reactions carefully. I have no idea how I feel about all of this, so I keep my face completely blank. “We stop aging when we’re fully matured. When we reach maturity, we require blood for survival. We don’t shift for the first time until we reach the age of five. Until then, we are able to pass as normal children.”
I didn’t mean to snort, it sort of just happened, but as soon as the noise was out of me I could feel my face flame and my eyes widen. “I’m sorry! I don’t mean to be rude. It’s just, you all are far from normal.”
“It’s all right, Pipsqueak,” Remus chuckles from his seat. “We’re an oddity to humans. It’s why we keep to ourselves as much as possible. We don’t like to stand out.”
“So,” I say with a nod, turning my attention back to Abe and Mary. “I understand everything you’ve told me so far. What I don’t understand is how that pertains to you all killing humans, or if Leviathan is correct, how it pertains to you all not killing humans.”
“When the four families broke off, some decided to lead their clans in different ways,” Abe explains, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. He steeples his fingers and continues on. “The Black clan is the only one that decided to stop feeding directly on humans. We survive on donations alone.”
“Donations?” I ask, looking around and shifting nervously in my seat. “What do you mean by donations?”
“There are those of our kind who have access to donated blood and supply us with blood bags. Sometimes humans, those who know of our existence, willingly give us their blood straight from the vein,” Brecken clarifies, his voice surprisingly soft.
“Why in the world would anyone want to do something like that?” I ask, eyes wide. “No offense or anything, but wouldn’t that kill someone?”
“No! Julianne, not at all,” Izzy assures me, hopping off of Brecken’s lap to sit on the couch beside me. “It’s like an aphrodisiac and a drug all in one for humans when a demon bites them.”
“W-what?” I stutter, a dark blush painting my cheeks.
Izzy smirks knowingly. “It can hurt if we let it. But in general, a donor will go to a shifter for a fix. It’s like getting high almost, but not addicting. The humans who become donors to the members of the Black clan, are there by choice. The donations are completely consensual.”
“Is that how your family gets blood?” I ask quietly, not sure I’m ready for the answer. “Do you all use donors?”
Izzy smiles kindly and shakes her head. “We generally use donated bags of blood. It’s a personal choice for everyone, but the Blacks do not tolerate our clan biting people without permission. It’s punishable by banishment.”
“Banishment to where?” I tilt my head to the side and rub my temple. All of this is giving me a headache.
“They have two choices,” Brecken cuts in, motioning for Izzy to come back to his lap. She happily obliges as he speaks. “They can join the Ashford clan or they can go rogue. Rogues are killed if found on our land. They are generally the most vicious and volatile of demons and they are the reason for all of the horror stories about our kind.”
“Wait, back up a second. Your clan is only allowed to use donations and bags?” I reiterate.
Levi squirms in his seat beside me. “There’s one other way some of our kind get blood.”
“What is it?” I’m hesitant to ask, but my curiosity is far greater than my hesitation.
Levi hesitates and I raise a brow to show my impatience. “Blood sharing between bonded mates is common for demon shifters. It’s supposed to be a very powerful and intimate experience.”
Now it’s my turn to squirm. “Oh.” My response isn’t the most brilliant, but at the moment it’s a miracle I can form a single coherent thought.
Nodding my understanding, I lean back and close my eyes. My head started to pound right after dinner and now it’s worsening. I find myself wishing some medication and caffeine would magically appear alongside the magical beings in the room. If demon shifters are real, then it isn’t a far-fetched wish, I wouldn’t think. Sadly, my wish doesn’t come true. I end up leaning my head against the back of the couch and closing my eyes to
ease the throb.
“Julianne?” Leviathan murmurs close to my ear. “What’s the matter?”
Opening my eyes, I see him staring at me with such concern it warms my heart. He really does care for me; how strange. Though I guess it shouldn’t surprise me so much after everything I have heard and experienced today. I barely know the man and all I want to do is lean into him. Somehow, I know the closer I am to him the better I’ll feel.
“Just the start of a migraine,” I assure him, trying to smile. “Do you happen to have any medicine for headaches?”
Leviathan shoots a look to Remus who hops up quickly and disappears into the kitchen. Leviathan looks back to me and gently pushes a stray piece of hair behind my ear.
“Remus has some in his medical supplies, I’m sure,” he says softly. “Just close your eyes and rest for a while. We will finish this conversation later.”
Nodding my head slowly, I close my eyes again and rest my head on the back of the couch. Leviathan takes my hand in his and I squeeze it gratefully. “I’m sorry to be a pain. These stupid things never show up at a convenient time.”
“You are not a pain, love.” Leviathan runs his hand through my hair and I give a contented sigh. His touch eases the pain minutely and I never want him to stop the motion. “You’re in pain and I want to do everything I can to take it away from you. What can I do?”
I roll my head to the side and squint my eyes against the light in the room to look at Levi. “Not much helps the pain. Though, having you near me seems to make it a little bit better.” My admission comes with a rush of heat to my cheeks, but Levi appears happy about it. He slides closer to me and wraps an arm around the back of the couch, behind my head. He runs his hand through my hair again and I almost moan at the slight relief. Anything to take the edge off the stabbing pain.
Thankfully, Remus comes back with the medication and a bottle of water, ending yet another embarrassing moment. I notice the room is still full, but completely silent. Everyone is staring at me and it’s making me feel self-conscious.
With Leviathan’s urging, I take the tablets and drink the whole glass of water. Closing my eyes again, I can’t stop focusing on the stares I can still feel. When it gets to be too much, I snap my eyes open and stare back at them.
“Is there something wrong?” I ask, trying to sound annoyed, but my voice comes out soft and timid. I don’t like being stared at like an alien.
Looks are once again exchanged before Vivian speaks up for the first time, reminding me of her and Joseph’s presence. “What does a headache feel like?”
I almost smile, thinking she is joking with me, but her serious face tells me she truly wants to know. Blinking a few times to try and clear my head, I think over my answer.
“Well, I get migraines not just headaches. They feel like...” I pause, trying to figure out the best way to describe it. “I guess like my head is about to burst, like someone hit me with a bat right on my skull, and like someone is hammering nails into my brain all at the same time.”
“Christ,” Brecken breathes, shaking his head. “I’m glad I’m not human. That shit sounds horrid.”
“Don’t you all get sick or hurt?” I ask, trying to push the pain in my head away.
“We can, but it’s different,” Remus tells me. “When we get hurt, I suppose that is much like when a human gets hurt, however, it takes a lot more to harm us. Getting sick for us would come from magic of some sort, not a virus or a toothache.”
“Lucky,” I mumble, dropping my head back and fighting off the nausea that is threatening to take over.
“From what I have studied, these migraines can get rather severe, correct?” Remus asks, sounding like a medical student.
I made a noise in the affirmative, but don’t lift my head.
“How do you treat yours?” he asks, not catching on to the whole I don’t want to talk anymore thing.
“Dark room, zero noise, not moving, and pray I don’t throw up or die,” I mutter quietly and hear a sharp intake of breath to my left.
Leviathan did not like that answer, but I have no idea why.
“I’m taking her upstairs,” I hear him whisper, then suddenly I’m lifted into strong arms.
I know it’s Leviathan, so I simply wrap my arms around his neck and cuddle closer to him, allowing him to take me wherever he wants. I should be worried what he is up to, but my head hurts too much for me to give a darn right now.
Leviathan puts me down on a soft bed. The sheets feel different from the ones from the prior night, so either someone changed them or I’m in a different bed. Either way, I don’t really care right now. I gingerly position myself on the bed so that I can lie flat and not move but still be comfortable.
Covers are placed over me and the other side of the bed dips down. Leviathan places a soft kiss on my forehead and runs a gentle hand through my hair repeatedly. The gesture is soothing and I find myself relaxing and drifting off to sleep.
15
Leviathan’s Pov
Julianne fell asleep a few hours ago, her face scrunched up in pain even as she slept. I kept running my hand through her hair long after she had fallen asleep because it seemed to sooth her. Her facial expression and body are just now starting to relax. I’m hoping that means she isn’t in pain anymore.
Earlier in the living room when we sat talking with my family, I was so proud of the way she was taking all of the information we were throwing at her. When she started to act different, closing her eyes and wincing at louder voices, I wondered what was the matter. Her description of the pain she was in had my whole-body stiffening and my instinct to fight off a threat kicking in. The only problem? The threat was invisible and one I couldn’t help her fight against. I had never felt so helpless when I realized this.
Realistically, I know calling Remus and asking his medical opinion would be the easiest way to know how serious this is. However, Julianne had said noise hurts her so I have not made a sound. She also mentioned light hurt her eyes so I do not want to risk using my phone to text him just in case the light from it is too bright for her. It doesn’t matter that she’s sleeping, I worry it will wake her if I try.
I almost lost it when she said she just hoped the pain didn’t kill her. I have no idea if she was being serious, but I have refused to leave her side since bringing her to my room. I’m tuned into every beat of her heart, every breath of air she takes in and releases, and every noise or small movement she makes. The idea of something so normal to a human as a headache having the ability to take her away from me has me seeing red. I cannot let it happen, so I will continue to lie right here and watch her, making sure she is safe.
JULIANNE’S POV
The first thing I notice when I start to wake is the lack of pain in my head. Smiling slightly at this, I blink open my eyes and look around the room. This is not the room I slept in the night before. I push up onto my elbows and blink rapidly trying to figure out where I am.
The walls are a medium grey color. The decor in various shades of greys and reds. There is a very masculine feel to the room and I’m assuming, and hoping, it belongs to Levi. My assumptions are confirmed when I look to my right and see him fast asleep in the bed next to me.
Warm tingles race through my body when I realize we were asleep together in the same bed. I’ve never slept in the same bed as a man before. Heck, I’ve never even had a boyfriend, unless you count Jimmy Kowalski in first grade. I broke up with him because he gave Rachel Schwartz his purple gel pen instead of me.
This situation is completely different. For one, Leviathan and I are not technically dating, at least I don’t think we are. Who knows what this mate thing is. I also don’t think Leviathan would have cool gel pens, though I could be wrong. The idea of the big bad vampire having a secret stash of pastel and neon pens causes a giggle to escape me before I can stop it.
Leviathan’s eyes pop open at the small sound and his gaze goes straight to mine. They glow brightly for a few seconds, then turn
back to his normal dark chocolate eyes. He sits up so fast I don’t have any time to react. His eyes roam over my body. It’s odd that he doesn’t seem the least bit sleepy. He looks like he has been awake and alert for hours. I wonder idly if that’s a shifter thing or if he’s just lucky not to look like the walking dead when he first wakes. I’m not so lucky and I’m sure that I have a rat nest on my head and sleep in my eyes.
“How are you feeling, love?” he whispers, almost too softly for me to hear.
I smile softly at him as I feel the blush rising to my cheeks. “Much better, thank you.”
A loud exhale assails my ears. It sounds like Levi lets out a breath he had been holding as he looks me over, double checking for any signs I’m fibbing. Once satisfied, he nods his head slightly and smiles warmly at me.
“Are you rested?” he asks while tucking my hair behind my ear. “More sleep will help you recover. I know humans need far more sleep than my kind. Especially when you are ill.”
Curiosity gets the better of me. “How much sleep does a demon shifter need?”
Levi props his head on his hand. “We only need a few hours every couple of days. The small nap I had now will keep me going for the rest of the week.”
“Are you ever tired?” My fingers fiddle with the blanket, inching toward his hand. I want badly to take it in my own, but I don’t have the guts.
Leviathan nods his head. “Rarely, but we can. I suppose it would be much the same as you when you’re ready for sleep, but not nearly as often.”
“So, you don’t need as much sleep as humans, but you need more food than us?” I remember the unbelievable amount of food they all consumed. It was both disconcerting and impressive.
