Primal Impulse (COMPLETED!)

23 old habits

I know I wasn't expected, and that there was a small chance neither of my parents were home.  Not calling and making the drive over had been a brilliant idea on my part.  I tossed the valet my keys and walked in the front door.  I looked around in the normal places, the office, the study, the bedroom, and that last one was where I decided I should have called. 

All of my parents things were gone.  In it's place were the normal spare bedroom set up.  I cussed myself and hoped that I hadn't just walked into some stranger's home.  I went to Grandpap's office, just to make sure, and let the tension leave my body.

I knocked on the open door and waited for him to look up or acknowledge me.  He did a simple two finger motion and I sat down in the chair in front of his desk and waited politely for him to say something first.

"I didn't expect to see you in this house again after Elex and Leona moved."

"I guess I haven't been a very good son, I didn't know they had."

Grandpap eyed me for a moment, before leaning back into his chair.  "I know you think of Elex as your father, in truth he is your step father.  You shouldn't be so comfortable with him.  He was your master at one point."

Grandpap really wasn't the person I wanted to talk to about what was happening to me.  I really wanted to talk to my father, since he knew more about my uh, origins.  But I hoped that changing the topic slightly would through him off my relationship with my father.

"Speaking of master's and whatnot, since I don't have a maker to ask questions, I need a little bit of help."  Grab the damn olive branch please!

Grandpap did another two finger movement, rolling them in a circle for me to continue.  "I get extremely, viscous when I'm thirsty, and stay that way until I am no longer full.  I do things that I wouldn't normally do, say things I don't want to say in the heat of the moment.  How do I control this?  I've tried drinking snacks throughout the day, but nothing works."

Grandpap's eyebrows furrowed slightly, then quickly his face calmed and smoothed over.  "What is your relationship with Elex exactly?"

Back to this again and now I couldn't avoid it.  "I see him as my father.  My real father.  He was always around my mother growing up, so it was hard not to."

His eyes squinted for a moment then went back to his scrutinizing look, as if this look alone would make me spill all of my secrets.  "No."

I looked away from his face then back to him.  "What do you mean no?"

"You think it's Ruth's blood in you, that is conforming your mind into such a devious one.  It's not, and it can't be controlled.  I haven't learned to control it in all my vampire life.  Elex had a terrible time with it was well.  It's only when he met Leona that he calmed slightly and doesn't make such a mess of things.  It took me hundreds of years to calm down like he has.  It will take you just as long.  But I am very curious as to when Elex changed you, and how Veronica never found out.  That explains why you killed her, to blame her on the transition."

Fuck.  I was trapped.  Trapped in here, trying to conceal the truth and trapped with the viscousness of thirst.  I don't think he would turn me into the elite.  That meant turning in his prodigy, and he couldn't do that.  Grandpap was a man of loyalty and family.  He could have easily played a mob boss if those things existed with us.

"Are you going to tell him you know?" I'm his blood now too.  Used to be, you could turn anyone you wanted, no big deal.  Now you had to get approval from the elite and then they would chose a maker to best fit the human.  It was all done in a lab, to ensure safety and continuation of the species.

"No, I think I might play with him and Leona for a little bit.  Don't tell them anything.  When did this happen? And how did you get it passed the blood test with the elite?"

I watched him for a moment and weighed my options.  I was his blood, and he knew it.  That was more that a huge deal.  "I will tell you how it happened, but I'm not saying a word about the test."  I sighed and he stayed content on getting out of me what he could.  "Shit Father is going to kill me.  My mom bit him and took some of his blood.  He didn't drain her like he should have and then a few days later she was raped, getting pregnant with me. Elex's blood was in her, therefore it went into me.  I'm literally his blood child."

"When did you fully turn?  You aged like normal."  He tried to hide his astonishment, looking over me fully now.

"Slowly over the years.  I was smarter, stronger always, but in the last year I could see better, hear better, smell better, all of my senses picked up and then I got the thirst.  Ruth had taken some of my blood and found out what I was, so I took it back and then some."

He leaned back in his chair.  "Interesting.  Maybe sharing blood is what calms our thirst?  Elex has been well behaved for years now.  I have never personally done it.  Never shared, or had the pull of the calling.  It is something to think about."

Committing to such an act was life changing.  It was illegal, and called another person to you, forming a life long bond.  I know both Grandpap and Father had struggled with their anger for years.  It still affects business for Grandpap and I wondered if it had for me as well.  I needed to get this under control before I destroyed the deal I was working on.

"Why did Father and Mother move out?"

"Both mine and his business is soaring, they had enough money to buy their own place, closer to you I believe.  I've been having him handle my meetings more and he has been knocking them down, getting good deals.  I didn't realize how well my prized slaves were sought after until I wasn't the one customers had to deal with."  He rubbed his chin for a moment then spoke again, looking straight at me.  "I never thought I would have a grandson, or a family bigger than two."

I smiled at him briefly.  "Me either Grandpap."

"You know, I could always feel something different about you.  A sense of belonging in short.  I had always thought it was the ache for the continuation of my family, seeing you with Elex, but it's been the calling all this time hasn't it?"

"It isn't nearly as strong with you.  It doesn't feel like anything when you share directly with someone.  They should call it the force of fire, because that is what it feels like.  Your body forcing you to be close to another, setting your skin aflame, not this gentle warmth I get with you, or my parents."

"That warmth you speak of, is the reason why our offspring survive.  Vampires crave that warmth, that feeling of belonging.  We have adapted over the years and many younger ones have lost that sensation.  Our family has old blood, old blood and old habits."

I hope that explains a little bit more about the calling. Sharing directly means a stronger calling, the calling is much much watered down between generations giving a sense of belonging and warmth.