Bite Me by C. C. Wood Read Free Book Online Page A

grabbed a glass and dropped a couple ice cubes in it before pouring a pretty large amount of liquid from the bottle. After the first big gulp, which burned the entire way to my stomach, I glared at Conner.
    “Okay, tell me the rest.”
    He leaned against the counter, looking sophisticated and nonchalant. “The rest?”
    I drank more of the bourbon and grimaced as it went down. “The rest of the truth about vampires. I want to be prepared when you do something strange or that contradicts all the things us humans believe about your kind.”
    Conner smiled slightly. “You are amusing, even when nearly hysterical.”
    I made a noise low in my throat before I drained the rest of the liquor. I slammed the glass down on the counter. “Tell me, dammit!”
    He laughed. “Fine, fine. Calm down. Though I have to say, you’re very entertaining when you’re like this.” He folded his arms across his chest, the dark fabric of his shirt hugging the muscles of his arms and chest. My mouth watered. Supernatural creature or not, he was still all kinds of hot. “As I said earlier, I do have a reflection. I can also be photographed. Holy items have no effect on vampires. Crosses, holy water, garlic, silver are all ineffective. Well, silver works if it’s in the form of a knife or bullet, but so does steel. Only complete destruction of the heart or decapitation will kill a vampire. The sun doesn’t make me burst into flame. Most vampires are sensitive to light, younger ones are weakened by it, but it won’t kill us.”
    I poured a little more bourbon in the glass, but not nearly as much as before. “So you’re really not indestructible?” I asked.
    Conner shook his head. “No, far from it. Most of what you know was clever propaganda or the ravings of drunken or mad writers. It is hard to kill us compared to you. We heal much faster, but not instantaneously. Serious injuries, such as internal bleeding and many broken bones can slow us down enough that we can be killed by other means. However, I wouldn’t suggest trying it. Vampires are faster and stronger than humans, and you should only attempt to kill one of us if you are extremely skilled, don’t care if you live or die, or have no other choice.”
    I nodded. “So you’re faster and stronger. Are you immortal unless someone cuts off your head or cuts out your heart?”
    “Pretty much.”
    I drank the rest of my bourbon, the warmth from the liquor spreading throughout my body. I was beginning to feel even more buzzed. Between the wine I had at dinner and the liquor I was drinking now, I was headed straight toward drunk. I realized that would not be the smartest decision I could make with an actual vampire in my house.
    Carefully, I screwed the lid back on the bourbon and placed it back in the cabinet. I also set my glass in the sink. I realized I had not offered Conner anything to drink and laughed. That would be a risky proposition, asking a vampire if he would like something to drink while he was standing right next to me.
    “What’s so funny?” he asked.
    I shook my head. “Sorry, private joke.” I sighed. “I don’t think I can handle any more epiphanies tonight.” A seriously scary thought hit me. “Fuck, you told me all this and you can’t brainwash me. Does this mean you’re going to kill me?”
    Without being obvious, I shifted slightly toward the counter top where my knife block sat. I doubted I could win an arm wrestling match with Conner, but I refused to go down without a fight. Even if he were only human, the man was eight inches and at least fifty pounds heavier than me. I had no chance.
    Conner raised his hands slowly in a gesture of surrender and moved toward me. “No, Donna. I’m not going to kill you. I knew days ago that I couldn’t control your thoughts, yet I told you all this anyway.”
    He reached me and placed his hands on my shoulders. “I want you to know me, Donna. I want you to understand what I am.”
    I stared up at him, into his