Daughter of Stars and Nightmares (The Eternal Bond Saga book 1)

Laughter round the campfire---not so much! 2

Alex turned to her broken ankle and a serious expression took hold on his face. "Look, you need to drink some of my blood."

A wave of revulsion hit Julia knocking her sideway turning her pale. "No way am I doing that! It's repellent not to mention I don't want to become your zombie-slave."

Alex laughed so hard she thought he might start rolling on the ground. When he stopped, he crouched next to her. "You really are an idiot. A few drops of my blood won't turn you into my slave."

Feeling affronted by him calling her an idiot yet again, she narrowed her eyes at him. Julia didn't think her reaction warranted name calling. Her mother had always been laid back when it came to Julia learning and experimenting with magic and other supernatural things. But the one thing Rosalie Malphas had ground into Julia over the years was: under no circumstances was Julia ever to drink dark faerie blood. Her mom had been adamant that if Julia were to drink even a drop of dark faerie blood, it would have dire consequences.

"I am not an idiot!" Julia snapped back. "Everyone knows you dark fae create slaves by giving humans your blood."

Alex fell back on his butt, howling with laughter. It made him look like such a normal care free teenager. In that unguarded moment Julia's heart swelled, and she burned to touch him.

He shook his head. "Stop it, really you're killing me. What are they teaching you guys at that school?"

She scowled at him, slapping those wayward thoughts for him out of her mind. "We really haven't gone over dark faeries in any great detail; just things on your history and politics. Dark fae have never been allowed in Havenswood before. So no one's ever felt the need to go into any of it."

Alex took her hand and squeezed it as he reached down and gently touched her ankle just above the break. Julia let out a cry and bit her lip.

"I have to reset the bone and that will hurt like hell. If I give you some of my blood, it will help with the pain and your injury will heal faster."

Julia tried to back away but Alex grabbed her shoulders. "No," she shouted, adamant she wouldn't be drinking any of his blood. "I don't want any side effects. I know your blood is parasitic."

Alex sighed and let go of her. "Look it's true that dark fae can create ghouls by giving humans their blood. But you're supernatural and have a natural immunity to the parasitic properties in our blood." He let out a short laugh. "I would've thought you at least knew that our blood can heal other supernaturals when they're injured. Besides my blood wouldn't turn you into a zombie-slave even if I give you every last drop of it."

"But my mom told me dark fae blood would affect me because I'm magicless," Julia couldn't hide the wonder in her voice.

Alex pinched the bridge of his nose as if he had a headache. "Look, by exchanging such a small amount of blood." He paused then enunciated each word, "with a human." The corners of Julia's lips turned down unimpressed. "Dark fae can only create temporary slaves, not the ghouls you're referring to." He hooked his finger under her chin lifted it up and gazed into her eyes. "Depending on if you're a pureblood or a half-blood factors in on how long the effects of our blood will last and the level of control we have over them. A half-blood will only have limited control over their victims."

A ghost of a smile played on his lips. "Also before, you ask. I would have to drain a human of their blood completely and then give them some of mine to create a ghoul. Those poor creatures are little more than mindless zombies and are the ones you're thinking about."

Julia was in awed by this lesson in dark faeries and wanted to know more. Whenever she asked her mom in the past, Rosalie would always clam up and tell her there was no reason to learn about them.