The Vampire & the Rebel (Completed)

Part 1: Chapter 27

It was a very good question. If only I had an equally good answer.

"Everything," I said. Everything was my game.

It was obvious my simple response annoyed him. I smiled at him beatifically, although inside my thoughts were in turmoil.

Why did I continually tell him more than what was wise? It was not as if I did not have humans who were my confidants, but they were those who were loyal to me.

Jamie had no allegiance to me. Maybe it was simply that he still yearned to leave. Although it was impossible for him to escape my home, if he did somehow get free I wanted him to survive his quest for vengeance. If I could not have him, I at least did not want him lost before his time.

Or maybe something else I could not fathom.

Either way, I was hardly going to tell him any of that.

The best thing, of course, was to distract him.

"Do you want to know the true weakness of vampires?"

He looked suspicious, but also surprised and it was obvious my diversion had worked.

"What?"

I smiled. "Well, I should say, most vampires. I do not believe it is my own." I paused to build his anticipation. He frowned at me for drawing it out. He was so handsome when he was vexed.

Then, I gave him what he wanted. "Vampires fear death above all."

"Death." He did not look impressed and clearly thought I was lying.

But I was not, at least not this time.

"Vampires run from it for so long that it looms ever bigger in the shadows. We avoid it. We sacrifice humans on the altar of death to keep it at bay just one more day. We pretend that we are no longer what we once were so that we do not have to face the fact that one day the end will come for us, too."

"The sooner the better."

"Well, if it gives you comfort, vampires will only outlive humanity by a few months at most.

"I'd prefer it if it were the other way around."

"Me, too. Blood starvation would be a terrible way to go. I'd rather be burned alive at the hands of an angry mob in the midday sun." I smiled at him.

"I think death is your weakness in the opposite way. You have a twisted fascination with it."

"You say that as if it is a bad thing."

He merely looked at me with disbelief.

"Well, I am rather familiar with natural decay as an outside observer. Almost every person I've ever known and cared for is gone, vampire or human." I kept my voice most factual, as if I had not seen things that might have downed a lesser being.

Fortunately, I could handle it. My dark games were my shield.

He seemed indecisive about how to respond and I rather regretted my confession. I certainly did not want his pity of all things, but I could take care of that.

"Of course, I probably sucked the life out of half of them so I suppose I can't complain."

He frowned, but he did not look as disgusted as I had anticipated. "I don't know if you mean that you sucked out their blood or their will to live."

I grinned. "Good question. Likely both."

I noticed that even though he was scowling he again did not look nearly as upset at my words as he usually did. Maybe he was becoming desensitized to my teasing. This would never do. What was I going to do if he stopped attacking me for my provocations?