The Legacy of Kilkenny (23 page)

I had contacted Quinney to find out what he knew about vampires.
 
Being part of a secret society had some perks.
 
Rumors travel fast in our world so they had already dispatched some teams to
Roanne
, France; Shreveport, Louisiana; and of course Transylvania in Romania.
 
We agreed we would dream walk in the next few days with his findings. In the meantime, he filled me in on vampires and how they create new vamps; he e-mailed me his findings to my cell.
 
It read:

The lore states that one bite begins the infection of vampirism known as Human
Vampiric
Virus (HVV).
 
Unlike other virus’ it is not airborne and must be done by direct contact.
 
The elongated canines (fangs) will deliver the venom straight into the vein.
 
The properties of the venom will obtund the entry area causing the wound to be painless.
  
Although the neck is the preferred area of the entry, any artery is acceptable.
 
The sensuality of the bite is pleasurable to both the victim and the vampire, it is believed that is why the neck is the most popular are to be bitten.
 
Within the first twelve (12) hours of infection, the victim will be free of any aches or pains they previously experienced.
 
Any broken bones will quickly heal, acne will clear up, hair on the head can grow up to an inch in length in the first hours.
 
Venom can even cure some cancers, historically only the blood or lymphatic cancers (Leukemia, lymphoma, even hemophilia will be cured).
 
Victims that have other cancers will feel refreshed and usually respond well to western medicine.
 
Over the next thirty six hours they will start showing signs of superhuman abilities, including strength and speed.
 
A person will become a full blown vampire
only
if they are bitten at least three times within the six months of the original infection.
 
The bite had to happen without compulsion, so she/he would have to be under their own free will.
 
Feeder humans are people that don’t get bitten within the six-month period but continue offering their ‘services’ on a regular basis excluding the new moon time frame.
 
The bite must happen during a separate new moon all three times. The only exception is a blood moon, a bite during a blood moon will turn a human into a vampire immediately.
 
Vamps can never have more than five vampires under his/her (power, control, rule) at a time.
 
They can however release one of their ‘children’ to be an ‘adult’ vamp once they have been a vampire for a hundred years.
 
If they choose to, they can stake their child without being known as an exterminator.
 
If the child does not acclimate to HVV and causes attention to themselves or the family, they will have to be staked or the
exterminators
are called in, and
they
may not stop with just the culprit.
 

Movies have convinced humans that a vampire will bleed a human to death and then in the final moments feed the human his/her blood.
 
Shocking, yes but not true.
 
The vampire will feed on the human taking in just enough blood to quench his or her thirst; the venom of the third bite will finish the humans’ transformation.
 
The vampire will take the human to his or her resting place and will sleep next to them until the new fledgling wakes up, usually the
vampiric
coma lasts seventy two hours but can last up to a week.
 
If they do not wake up within the week, they will be staked because they did not correctly transform and will be too dangerous for the family (the new vampire family).

Those that are only bit once or twice will eventually go back to their pre-bit days minus the illnesses they had.
 
Sickly humans will generally have a boost in their immune system but not always.
 

Vampires aren’t immortal. Vampires grow old, not in appearance but their bodies do have a time limit although the older the vampire, the stronger and faster they are.
 
It is believed vampires will die on or close to their 600th
birthday of being a vampire, there is no evidence of a vampire surviving past that milestone.
  
Vamps are not monogamous (imagine that!).
 
As a result, battles amongst clans are inevitably due to jealousy.
 
To stake a vampire you must use wood from a hardwood tree.

 
My darling, I hope this will help you.
 
I’m sorry it is so matter of fact but I have a polo match to get to and I wanted to make sure you had this before I left.
 
As always my little bird, contact me if you need me.
 
Q
.

One thing for sure, Allie hasn’t been bitten three times because she wasn’t a vampire yet.
 
I had to keep them apart, but everything I read pretty much led me to believe she was as protected as I am within the clan.
   
Fantastic.
 

My research had revealed a vampire can mesmerize a victim and have them do their bidding by simply staring in their eyes, known as compulsion.
 
At least they can’t do it to werewolves.
 

Abel looked relieved to see me, he might not feel that way once I rip him a new one.
 
This is one big sloppy mess.
 
I paste a smile on my face and take in the scene, noticing how Allie is practically sitting on Arien.
 
Even her scent smelled of his cologne, which was some department store overly priced kind.
 
And even though I read that vampire’s don’t have the same effect on werewolves I prayed that it was true.

I reluctantly sat through dinner with my dignity challenged.
 
It completely amazed me that a nice girl like Allie would be so eager to hop in bed with the likes of a vampire, no matter how beautiful he obviously is.
 
He apparently had been turned when he was in his twenties, which is old by many standards I hear.
 
I’m guessing he was a laborer of some sort to have the physical body he does, since a vampire’s body won’t change appearance after he or she becomes a vamp.
 
Although he talks about his family in Louisiana, he doesn’t have any type New Orleans drawl.
 
His accent was crisp, his words had a fullness to them, his sentences proper, his mannerism rich, I’m guessing he has lived in Romania.
 
Maybe his sire is Romanian.
 

We had exactly one week before the next new moon on April 14
^th
.
 
I was certain Arien intended on biting her then.
 
Oakley and I figured she was originally bitten on Feb 14, Valentine’s Day, but who did the original bite if it wasn’t Arien.
 
Can another vampire bite someone and another vampire take over?
 
Or does it have to be three bites from the same vampire.
 
One thing for sure, we had to keep her from being bit next Wednesday.
 

“Hello, earth to Pru.” He waved his hand in front of Pru’s face.
 
“What has you so deep in thought over there?
 
If it is about me going out driving and seeing you tomorrow, I thought I could handle it alone.
 
I’m sorry, I know better now.”
 

“That was incredibly dumb Abel.
 
You’re not a werewolf yet, he could have killed you and no one would have been the wiser.
 
You think he wouldn’t kill your sister?
 
He would!
 
He’s a vampire, and you went in there blind without any back up.
 
You need the Pack to believe in you, and they have to trust
you
as you have to trust
us,
Abe.” I looked over at him and could see his jaw clenching.
 
“I don’t know why you’re sitting there acting like you’re mad at
me
, I’m the one that has gone out of my way to protect you and you’re running around like a mutt.
 
Pardon the pun but that is what we call immature
weres
.
 
As the Great Wolf, we expect more from you.”

“Okay!
 
I get it.
 
I’m not mad at you.
 
I’m mad at
me
, I should have known there were other supernaturals out there and it was dumb of me to think I could go up against a vampire.
 
I’m sure some of the things you see in movies are right since they’re obviously real.”
 
He shook his head.
 
“Pru, really, I am sorry.”

“Actually, I don’t know if you remember me talking about my friend Quinney, but I spoke with him today and he e-mailed me some information that will help us.
 
I’ll let you read it when we get back to Piedsville.” I turn and look out the passenger window, watching the lights in the side mirror disappear into the dark Oklahoma night.
  
I look at the waning crescent moon, a little less than half illuminated, wondering how the moon affects so many creatures on earth.
 
 
“I guess there have been some rumors about the vamps migrating to places that are not known for them to have existed in the past.
 
Teams have been dispatched to different regions to find out more information.
 
He actually dispatched a group to Louisiana so they may come here to the farm and debrief the
Pack
.”
 
I lean towards him and put my hand on his and I say, “Abe, I know you’re sorry and I know you wouldn’t intentionally put your sister in harm, and I
know
you
know
if I catch you doing something stupid like that again, I’ll kick your ass.
 
Understood?”

“Eh?”
 
He smiles, that big dimpled grin of his.

I recline my seat and try to find my words.
 
“I have good news and bad news, which would you like first?”

“Is this something I should pull over for?”
 
He turns and looks at me “Okay, let’s start with good.”

“Allie isn’t a vampire.”
 
I blurt out and then say “Yet.”

“That’s good news?”
 
He grips the steering wheel tighter; I could see his knuckles turning white.

“Technically, it is great news.
 
It means we still have time to keep her from turning into one.
 
But we don’t have much time.”
 
I went ahead and read him the email Quinney sent me, assuring him I’d let him read it when we got home.

“Do you think we can stop a vampire?”

“Abe, there’s so much you should know, but yes we’re a large organization with some of the most powerful wolves you will ever come across.”
 
I rummage through my purse pulling out some gum.
 
“
Wanna
a piece?” he shakes his head no.
 
“The Phelan name comes with a lot of power, we are the elite of elite.
 
We
are the best, so other packs send us members to train with us.
 
The O’Connell’s are another elite group, our difference?
 
We follow the rules.”

“Explain to me again why you think I’m the quote unquote Great Wolf?
 
Pru, I think you have it wrong.”
 
He floored the Mustang.

“We’re not wrong Abel. Of everything I’ve ever done, I
know
this is right and you’re going to be a great leader and will do great things.”
 
I couldn’t tell him everything; he had to
learn
some of it.
 
“Look, when I had the vision of you, it was your name that was repeated over and over.”

“Whatever.” He mumbled under his breath.

We sat in silence the rest of the way home.

 
“Hi mom, is Oak here?
 
I want to go for a run.”
 
I bounced through the kitchen snagging an apple on the way out to the back porch where she said I could find him.
 
“Hey Oak,
whatcha
know?”

“I know that I’ve waited on you to get home for what seems forever.
 
Have you forgotten how to send me a text and let me know everything is okay?”
 
The crease on his forehead that he gets when he is worrying was evident.
 
He bumped the patio table making is screech on the concrete as he walked over to me.

“You really think I’m going to believe you’ve been sitting out here waiting on me to get home?
 
Please.
 
I saw you.
 
Abel might not be in tuned to all of his senses just yet, but I’ve been a shifter, oh how long now?” I looked at my imaginary watch. “I’m not sure how you got to the house before us, but I’m positive you haven’t been here very long.”
 
Impulsively I filled the gap between us and put my arms around him, needing to hug him even if he just saw it as a
friend
hug.