Scent of a Vampire by Jude Stephens Read Free Book Online

traits of both. We do need blood in order to be at our peak. Just like humans need to eat a varied diet, so do vampires."
    Janel said, "That makes sense I suppose."
    "Okay what about getting staked through the heart. Would it kill you?"
    Even Alex began to look irritated. "Would it kill you?"
    "I guess most of the things we've read or seen in the movies aren't real then."
    Roberto said, "Most aren't, some are. There is always a grain of truth in legend. We are not harmed by garlic, holy water or seeing a cross. Our genetic makeup does leave us vulnerable to daylight, it's not like we would combust or anything. It's more like sensitivity. We also need to go into a state of torpor."
    "What is that?"
    "That is when our bodies go into hibernation like state. Our core temperatures go from eighty-six degrees, which is our normal to sixty-eight degrees. This is required by our rapid metabolism to replenish our bodies. During this time our heart rate drops to an undetectable level and our breathing stops. It is very much like death for a short period of time." Looking at me he Scent of a Vampire – Jude Stephens
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    continued, "That is why you can scent us. Almost every species has a unique scent, as you will find out."
    This was the part I was anxious to hear, but now that the time had come, my stomach clenched into a tight knot. What were they going to tell me? That I was some kind of monster?
    Or I'm not like everyone else. Well that I had always known. Janel came over to sit by me. I'm sure she could feel my hand shaking as she took a hold of it.
    "Okay, go ahead. Tell me what a freak I am." Alex began, "Ohhh babe, you aren't a freak. What you are is a Sensay. That is one of the most revered species in our world. There have only been a handful of Sensays, ever."
    "A what? A sensei like in Karate Kid? Wax on, wax off?" Alex laughed. "No, a Sensay."
    I looked at him like he was Costello and I was Abbott. He spelled it out for me.
    "S E N S A Y"
    "Well alright but what is a S E N S A Y?" Roberto chimed in, "A Sensay is a person who has heightened senses. You know taste, smell, hearing, touch and vision. It is the evolution jackpot more or less. It is believed that you have the senses of some of the best animals in the world.
    For instance, dogs have superior hearing, jungle cats have a unique sense of touch with their whiskers, and hawks have an amazing range with their eyesight. Pigs are used to find truffles with their advanced sense of smell."
    "Did you just tell me I have the DNA of a pig?!" I asked on the verge of hysteria.
    "Of course not, not the DNA, but it's possible you have some of the same traits."
    Alex burst out laughing. "Way to charm a lady Roberto."
    "I didn't mean it like that and you know it." Roberto croaked.
    "So, if I'm to take you seriously, I am a unique being who evolved from a bunch of different animals? I questioned."
    "Yes. That's precisely what you are, a Sensay." Janel was unusually quiet during all of this and by the look on her face; she didn't believe this crap anymore than I did. As if by an unspoken clue we both rose.
    "Ummm, yeah thanks and all for the dinner and our little chat but I do think it's best if we head home. This trip has been a little bit more exciting than what we had planned for. We were gonna have some nice dinners, play a bit of blackjack, and do some shopping. I don't think we had anything on our agenda that had to do with vampires and Sensays and pigs and...."

    Scent of a Vampire – Jude Stephens
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    Janel cut in "Drinking blood and death sleep. Don't forget about that."
    "Yes well, thank you again. It was nice meeting you."
    "Are you really going to walk out of here and miss the chance to know more about your abilities?" He knew just what would pull me in. A part of me wanted to keep going and a part of me wanted to know more. Maybe there was a way I could get rid of it; this gift or curse or genetic abnormality.
    "Ahhh, I can see you're torn about