Audrina
I eyed him from my couch. “You can eat dairy.” It came out sounding like an accusation.
He either laughed or coughed, I wasn’t sure. “Yes.”
“So vampires…can eat normal food?” It had occurred to me that since we’d left Hawthorne Hall, the only thing I’d seen him consume was alcohol. And the ice cream cone.
“A vampire’s diet is blood-based. But yes, when the mood strikes us, we can eat human food. I don’t care for most of it.” flicker of distaste passed over his features.
“So y-you drink blood.” I swallowed hard. “Is that what was in your goblet last night?”
“That was wine, Audrina. I fed when I was alone when I was at the club.”
I shuddered and he quickly elaborated, “My diet consists solely of donated blood. I haven’t fed directly from a human in decades.” His gaze flicked over me, then away.
“Why not?”
He raked a hand through his hair. “ Because first of all, it’s easier that way. More convenient. But my underlying motivation is that I desire to only drink from humans who have willingly given their blood to me. And I’m not inclined to initiate a personal relationship to get what I need.”
“Where do you find them-your donors?” I asked, fascinated despite myself.
“We have a global corporation that employs thousands. We pay people to stay healthy. We monitor their diet and exercise, offer classes, and provide state-of-the-art gyms. Our employees understand that their blood is being harvested by a private company; it’s of their own free will. They are quite well compensated.”
“But do they know their bosses are vampires?”
He shook his head. “That wouldn’t be safe for them. But in our contract, there’s a disclosure that indicates we designate their blood for consumption. They might think we’re running some giant research lab for leeches and ticks, but we are being honest, at least technically.”
I processed that for a moment, then asked, “What about your brothers? And Bianca and the others who were at the party last night. Do they all drink donated blood?”
“As the basis for their diet, yes. That is one practice I have instituted since becoming king.” Gabriel clasped his hands together. “But most of my kind also continue to drink straight from humans.”
I swallowed hard. “W-Willing humans?”
He nodded. “There are many humans who are more than willing. Some of them live in the Underworld. Most of them work at our clubs. Others are paid consorts, employed directly by one specific vampire, sometimes even residing with them.”
I felt like my brain was being scrambled. “So humans live in the Underworld.”
He held my gaze. “Yes. Some humans.”
“But how? Why would they choose that? I don’t understand.”
“As you have seen, we can travel quite easily between the Underworld and the world above ground-the human realm. For as long as we’ve existed, my kind has seduced and bitten your kind,” he said, matter-of-factly. “And there have always been countless humans who are willing to participate. With the advent of technology, we’ve found it easier to seek out those humans who might have a predilection for consorting with vampires. We even started an app.”
I blinked at him. “An app.”
“Yes-like a matchmaking platform.” He waved his hand as if to dismiss the topic. “Vampires often begin a relationship with a human while they still reside above ground. If it suits, the vampire will offer the human a position of employment. Many humans are grateful for the opportunity.”
“But why?”
Gabriel held my gaze. “I explained to you that being bitten by a vampire is pleasurable. The humans who’ve chosen to live among us enjoy it. Plus, they are paid handsomely. Anyone who wants to leave can do so, pursuant of course to an airtight non-disclosure agreement.”
“You guys must keep your lawyers busy.”
He laughed. “We do. Contracts are a big thing in the Underworld.”
I nodded. “So the humans who work underground…what exactly do they do? What exactly is their relationship to the vampires?”
“It depends.” His brow furrowed. “We pay the ones who work at our clubs a salary. They also might have vampires who are clients on the side.”
“Clients?”
“Yes, Audrina. Vampires who pay them to bite them, and often, to have sex with them.”
“Like…what you wanted to do with me?” My cheeks felt hot.
“Not exactly.” He sat back against the couch, and I was forced to confront his effortless grace, his large, powerful body, and the outline of his hulking shoulders. Claiming a virgin is different, in that it’s a monogamous relationship. It also offers human protection.”
He watched me carefully. “Biting a human and having sex with them is simply that. Once the human, even a virgin, has been intimate with a vampire in such a way without a proposal and a consummation-we can never claim them.”
“But w-what about the humans who work for one vampire? Are they monogamous?” I asked.
“The humans might be. But the vampires most certainly are not.”
I nodded. “I’m getting the sense that there’s a lot of biting and sex going on with the humans.”
“Vampires enjoy pleasure.” Gabriel shrugged. “They also enjoy pleasuring others. As I explained last night, we are direct about our desires. Biting and physical intimacy with humans is one of the greatest satisfactions of our kind.”
“But you can also have relationships with other vampires, right? Like Bianca and Iulian.” I decided it was best to not mention his previous relationship with Leonora.
“Yes.” He hesitated. “But my brother and Bianca will still have human consorts. Neither of them has dedicated themselves to a strict diet of donated blood. So they will have humans as they agree and see fit. They will drink from them, bed them, perhaps share them…”
“And that’s not considered cheating?”
“Not at all. They will be bound to each other by the marriage contract. But if they are both in agreement, they will have as many humans as they like. It increases their pleasure. Again, we do not deny our nature in the Underworld. If you enjoy it and each party consents, it’s fair game. We do not judge each other for our more carnal tastes.”
I nodded because I couldn’t think of anything to say to that.
After a minute I asked, “But you don’t do those things? You said you hadn’t been intimate with anyone for a long time.”
“It’s true.” He nodded. “I take running my kingdom seriously. I do not care to be distracted, which is why I strictly drink donated blood and have not had a woman for some time.”
“How much time?” I asked. This was a baby step toward my real question, one that fascinated but scared me.
“Decades.”
“How many decades?”
He arched an eyebrow. “I’m afraid I’ve lost count.”
“Gabriel…” I took a deep breath. “How old are you?”
“Old enough to know that the answer would confound you, so I will not divulge it. But it’s in the hundreds, Audrina.”
I stared at him, trying to wrap my brain around an existence that had lasted for hundreds of years. “So are you immortal?”
“Immortal is a bit of a misnomer,” he said gently. “But my experience here on earth will not end unless someone drives a stake through my heart.”
“Otherwise, you would live forever.” My mouth went dry.
“That’s correct.”
I raised my gaze to meet his. “And when you asked me about…about being claimed, what was your intention? Would you keep me until I died, or…?”
“I don’t think it’s wise to talk about this now. I might have had intentions, but I’m not obligated to reveal them to you. In any event, they don’t matter unless you accept my proposal.” He was suddenly all business. He sat up, straightening his jacket.
“But I think it does matter,” I said. “I want-I want to know what you were thinking.”
“And I would like to know what you’ve decided. Will you stay and honor our contract, or will you go?”
We stared at each other for a beat.
I once again felt like Alice, who’d traveled down the rabbit hole to a place filled with danger but also, with possibility, with mystery. I knew I needed to go home. But Hawthorne Hall would no longer belong to my sister and me if I left now. And then there were Vivian’s threats about taking Winnie away from me. My problems would still be my problems, unsolved, my life unraveling.
I remembered what Gabriel had said. Before you say goodbye, you might want to consider why you’re here in the first place. I’d already accepted the role as his date. I’d assumed the risk. But my situation was far more dangerous than I’d ever imagined-as was Gabriel himself.
And yet, I wasn’t ready to let him go.
I sat there, my future hanging in the balance. But the answer was already in my gut. I knew what I would decide; what surprised me was the why.
I decided not to think of it further.
“I will stay with you for the remainder of the two weeks,” I finally said. “We made a deal, and since you’ve sworn to protect me, I will see it through. I owe that much to my sister-I know she’s being taken care of, and she’s happy with Mrs. Finn.”
I lifted my chin. “Once we take ownership of Hawthorne Hall and receive the money you so generously offered, I will be able to take care of her. I’ll be able to give her the life she’s always deserved.”
His shoulders loosened a bit, and the muscle in his jaw seem to relax. “And what about my other offer?”
I crossed my arms against my chest. “I can’t accept your offer to claim me. I can’t leave my sister, Gabriel. She’s only sixteen. And an underworld filled with vampires and their human consorts is no place for Winnie. I’m sure you understand.”
He nodded. For a brief second, I thought I saw a flash of hurt or disappointment in his eyes, but it was gone so quickly, I might’ve imagined it.
Gabriel’s expression turned into a mask-even, utterly composed. “Of course I understand. Thank you for staying, Audrina.”
He stood, then swept into a bow. “I will make sure you won’t regret it.”