“I can imagine.”
“No, Grace, you can’t.” He looks more somber than I have ever seen him. “Because being a vampire isn’t like being a regular person.”
“Okay. Sure. But he was regular once, right?” I think back on every vampire movie I’ve ever seen, every novel I’ve ever read. “I mean—”
“No. That’s just it. Jaxon was born a vampire.”
Now I’m the shocked one. “What do you mean? I thought all vampires…”
“Not all, no. Vampires can be made—in fact, most of them are. But they can also be born. Jaxon was born, as were the other members of the Order. And that means…a lot in our world.”
I can’t even begin to imagine what it means, because I’m still stuck on his vampires can be born revelation. “But how? I mean, I thought you had to be bitten to become a vampire?”
“Usually, yes. But that’s assuming they want to turn you. If they don’t, you just get a bite. Like…”
“Like what Marise did to me, you mean.”
“Yes.” He nods.
“That still doesn’t explain how vampires can be born,” I tell him. Part of me feels like I’m going to drown with all this new information, and part of me is kind of like…huh, okay. No big deal.
I guess after making the leap to accept that all these creatures exist, how they came to exist isn’t nearly as shocking.
“Like other things, vampirism is a genetic mutation. Rare, exceptionally rare, but a genetic mutation nonetheless. The first documented cases happened a few thousand years ago, but since then, many more have happened.”
“Wait a minute. You have documented cases of vampires from thousands of years ago? How is that possible? I mean, how can you prove it?”
“Because they’re still alive, Grace.”
“Oh. Right.” Something else I didn’t see coming, though I probably should have. “Because vampires don’t die.”
“They do die, just much more slowly than the rest of us, because their cells develop differently than ours.”
Of course they do. Otherwise there wouldn’t be so much bloodsucking and who knows what else. “And Jaxon is one of these vampires? One of the old ones?” The thought turns the butterflies into vultures. Which is strange. I mean, I’m totally willing to accept the vampire thing, so why does the old thing totally freak me out?
“Jaxon was born into the most ancient vampire family. But no, he’s not four thousand years old, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Oh, thank God. “So these families are the only ones who can give birth to vampires? I mean, vampires can’t just be born from anyone, right?”
“It’s a genetic mutation, so yes, vampires can be born to anyone. Usually, they aren’t. Usually, born vampires come from one of the six ancient families, but other born vampires do happen. They’re usually the ones you read about in stories, because they don’t have any knowledge of who or what they are, so they…”
“Run rampant killing everyone in sight?”
“I wouldn’t put it quite like that,” he tells me with an exasperated look. “But yes. They are the ones who tend to make other vampires, because they don’t know any better. Or because they’re lonely and want to create a family. Or for several other reasons, as well. The older families aren’t like that, though.”
“What does that mean? They don’t kill people?” I have to admit that’s a huge relief.
At least until my uncle laughs and says, “Let’s not get carried away.”
“Oh, well, then. Jaxon has…”
“I’m not in the habit of talking about students with other students, Grace. And this conversation has gone far afield from where I intended it to go.”
True, but I’ve learned a lot, so I’m more than okay with where the conversation has gone. Though the laugh that accompanied his let’s not get carried away line was more than a little chilling. “I don’t want to go back to San Diego, Uncle Finn.”
It’s the first time I’ve said it out loud. The first time I’ve really even thought it and believed it. But as the words come out of my mouth, I know they’re true. No matter how much I miss the beach and the warmth and the life I used to have with my parents, going back there isn’t what I want. My parents are gone forever, and nothing else that San Diego has holds as much appeal as Jaxon.