Feels warm

“Suddenly he just stood there. Grabbed my scarf and ... bit my throat. Then he took my scarf away from me and unbuttoned my jacket. I stayed numb on the cold ground. ”Like a movie, the whole scenario played back in my head and I could only think of how much I had wished to be dead now. “My parents found me leaning against the potion. They took me to the emergency room with frostbite and I didn't speak for a few months. The only thing I wanted was ... blood. One night it overwhelmed me so much that I couldn't think of anything other than this sweet noise. I killed the neighbor dog and twelve sheep that one night as I ran as fast as I could to the nearest farm. Luckily the farmer slept through that because I don't know what I would have done to him. ”A shiver ran down my body and I felt a hand put on my back, but this didn't seem to be my body. He was far away in the past. “When I got home I burned everything and washed myself. Since then I've hunted animals every evening, but it wasn't enough. ”

“ No, of course not. Your body needs human blood. ”I nodded monotonously.

“On the third night, I killed seven people in a hostel before I calmed down. From that point on, I knew I had to do something. I learned to recognize my thirst and also learned how to impose my will on people. I took advantage of that on drunks, as their will is weakest. ”

“ That's why you were in the bar! ”I heard Njal slapping his forehead. "I idiot, I thought you'd take them down or something like that. You were always out so quickly that I assumed you would just steal from them and then leave them, but the men looked far too happy for that. Sorry. ”

Suddenly I found myself in an embrace and froze at the disgust that befell me. Why the hell was he even touching me?

"I don't need any consolation!" I scolded and pushed Njal away from me. "Now that you know what I am, you don't need to feign pity any more."

Sighing, Njal smiled. "Excuse me. Vampires by nature have an almost penetrating aversion to us. ”

Of course that made me curious again. “So ... are you different too? Like me? ”

My hope died when his eyes turned from a bright blue to a wild yellow. “No, actually I'm exactly the opposite. I am a werewolf. That's why you feel this deep dislike for me every time I approach you. There is a defense instinct in you. Now that you know what he is, you'll notice others of my kind all over town. ”

“ The woman! ”I gasped out in surprise.

"Yes, she is from a different pack, but visited her two sisters here."

"The one from the bar?" I asked and closed the balcony door again.

"Yes. And many others. Before you ask, no, we don't turn into a full moon and howl at the sky! ”He added with a raised finger and made me smile with the idea.

“How is it then with the werewolves?”

“We actually live in family groups. There is a pack leader who is usually the oldest or strongest among us. However, we have now adapted so well to people that we are not very different from them. We almost never transform, or even go hunting. In fact, it is actually disgusting for most of us to kill something with our mouth and eat it raw. Our stomachs can't take that anymore. ”

Now I had to laugh and we sat back at the table. "So since you are good house dogs?"

He obviously didn't like the comparison, but Njal nodded. “Yes, you could say that. Still, we're the only thing that can be dangerous to a vampire. We are their natural enemies, if that's how you want it to be. Your only ones, actually. However, our blood is very palatable to vampires and it makes them much stronger and more skilled. Faster, finer senses and some even develop special skills as a result. Of course only if they consume our blood regularly and in abundance. Rarely are we even considered to be blood donors, which looks very bad, but we can't really do anything about it. They are powerful and ... ruthless. "

" And you just want to survive, among humans. I understand that. Sorry if you see me as a threat, but I have no desire to give you a vein. ”

Njal reached out and patted my forearm. "I think one reason why you are already so good at using your skills is that you have already subconsciously drank our blood."

Startled, I grabbed my lips. What? I have werewolf blood ... Oh ... "You mean the hospital?" Of course, where did werewolves go when they were injured? To the hospital. And where did I get my blood from? From the patients. "I'm such an idiot!" I gasped, pounding my head on the tabletop. Presumably a normal person would have a bleeding laceration now. Not so me.

"All right. You didn't know either. ”

“ But everything tastes the same. I don't understand how I couldn't notice all of this. For the two years I've been trying to hide and hide everything, or create in my own way ... I never wanted to hurt anyone. ”

“ You didn't either! ”Njal reassured me. “There have been no deaths from vampires in the last few years, and nobody here has ever noticed you could be. But I can teach you what you need to know if you want to? ”

I nodded silently. Yes, I did. For so long I had to learn everything my own way and experience it the hard way. Now that someone finally reached out a helping hand, I wanted nothing more than to grab it and hold it tight.

“Okay, but let's have a drink first. You must have coffee at home? ”I got up and went to the coffee machine. One of the few things that could quench my thirst for blood for at least a few hours was caffeine. But only in large quantities.

"So, how is it otherwise with you guys on full moon nights?" I asked as I inserted the filter. “Not different from others. Some, who are even closer to the wolf in us, may feel more restless or more alert on these nights, but otherwise there is no difference, apart from alcohol. Some of us can hardly take it. Rarely very good. ”

“ Like the woman tonight. ”I stated. That's why she came through the window and it also explained the cat hair ... or rather dog hair.

"So is she okay?"

Njal nods. "Yes, she'll probably come home around daybreak ... with a real hangover." He laughed and drained the rest of the water.

"And what about me. What are my strengths and weaknesses? What I don't know yet? ”

Njal fell silent again and frowned. "Oh well. You already know that my blood can make you stronger. You have a healthy aversion to werewolves, have an eternal thirst for blood, but you can quench it with blood or caffeine. ”

“ And alcohol. ”I added. "It suppresses the burning sensation in my throat."

"Right." Thoughtfully, he went on listing what he knew. “Vampires never actually live alone. They mostly keep docile blood people, that is, living blood bags. ”

I recognized a question in his tone and pointed to the cellar door. “In the last few years I have learned to draw blood with needles. I freeze them, date them and usually also the names. So that I remember what a monster I have become. ”

“ Wrong! You were made to be! ”Njal corrected me severely. “You are not to blame, you are a victim, don't forget that.”

Yes, a victim that has to go to the veins of others. “Okay, what else?”

“There are five dynasties full of vampires. The third largest and closest is here in Europe, right in England, so actually on Ireland. Or rather in between. ”

I laughed, interrupting him. "Make up your mind first, otherwise you will confuse me with too many facts." He

apologetically vowed improvement. "Good ... Well, it is between Ireland and England, but very north. The largest vampire network is, as expected, in North America, they benefit greatly from the high homeless rate.

The other three in South America, Australia and Africa. ”

“ Africa? ”I asked. "I would have expected Russia more."

"Yes ... No, vampires don't like the cold a bit. So you won't find them in Alaska, here on our tranquil island, or anything like that. Well, yes ... with special exceptions. ”He joked and smiled cheekily.

"Good and who was this prince ... Michael?" I asked.

"Prince Michellé." He corrected me. “His mother is one of the oldest living vampires and more pure-blooded than anything else that walks among them. A drop of her blood on your lip and for the next few hours you can only describe yourself as a monster and horror of the night. Nothing more terrible than them exists anywhere in the world. Her son, Michellé, currently has the role of head of the family. There are still a number of princes among them, but I don't know any of them. Fortunately, otherwise I would probably play their puppy, locked in a basement. ”

The thought even made me shudder. “Your seat is in France and included the second largest family clan. At least the, more or less, transformed part. They think that through transformation they can get more power, but that would also mean that they need more people to survive. ”

“ That would be terrible! ”I complained and took two fresh cups out of the cupboard to have coffee in them to fill in.

“Yes, it would be. But what else can I tell you? ”Njal thought about it and poured four spoons of sugar into his coffee.

“You mentioned something with advanced capabilities earlier. What does that mean? ”

“ Vampires, who mainly feed on werewolves, tend to acquire skills such as mind reading, sometimes even telekinesis or the transformation into an animal. The latter, however, is extremely rare. ”

“ Okay, then I can see why you like werewolf blood, but there are definitely better ways to get it, right? It's nonsense to keep them like slaves. ”

“ Worse, Isles. My wolves are kept like animals and are forced to revert to their lowest instincts. They don't have a human side any more and everything that moves on two legs accrues as soon as you let them off their chains. ”

I touched my lips in dismay. "And I drank it too ... I swear sacredly that I no longer even have a single ..."

"No, no Isles. I didn't mean to make you feel guilty. You are still so much of a person that it really hurts to see what has been done to you. ”He gently put his hand on my cheek and a pleasant warmth slid over it.

"How warm ..." I whispered, nestling into his touch. How long has it been since someone touched me? So correct skin-to-skin contact? Two years? Only now did I realize how much I had longed for someone to accept me for who I am. On the other hand ... "Wait a minute ... Why does it feel warm when you touch me, but with everyone it is almost like an electric shock."

"What do you mean?"