He shrugged and took hold of her hand. His thumb ran leisurely over the back of her knuckles, causing shivers of delight to run up and down her spine. She didn’t think he was aware of the effect he was having on her though as he seemed distant and remote. “I don’t know. No one really does. Perhaps it’s just sheer strength.”
“Strength?” she prodded when he didn’t continue.
He shook his head; his eyes finally seemed to focus on her again. “It’s extremely painful for a human Aria. I’ve only seen it occur once and the man did not survive it. I won’t put you through it.”
“Who did you see it happen to?”
He waved a hand absently. “Some young peasant that a vampire was playing with. It was years ago, before we had even taken control.”
Aria swallowed heavily. “But there is a chance…”
“No.”
“I’m strong Braith, stronger than most. I can handle pain…”
“This is more than just pain, this is death.”
“Better than most people,” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken.
“Your insides twist into something different, your heart ceases to beat; your body goes into rigor mortis…”
“I’m stronger than most people! I just beat a vampire in hand to hand combat. I can survive this.”
“You won’t have the chance to find out.”
Aria sputtered as indignation filled her. His stubbornness was truly beginning to grate on her nerves. “If Saul can survive…”
“Saul?” he asked in surprise.
She folded her arms over her chest and began to tap her foot. “Yes, Saul. I assume he was once human, he’s older.”
Braith’s full lips quirked in a small smile. “Saul was never human.”
“I don’t understand. He has gray hair, wrinkles. Do you eventually age?”
His thumb stopped stroking her skin, his hand turned in hers as he held her. His gaze was focused on her hand for a moment. He was studying it as if he had never seen it before. Aria leaned forward to peer up at him, surprised by the distant look on his face. He moved her fingers apart, slowly tracing the bones of each one.
“Braith,” she whispered, fighting against the reaction her body had to his tender touch.
“No, we don’t age,” he finally stated. “At some time in our twenties we reach maturity, and we stop aging. I was twenty two when it happened. For some reason, Saul didn’t stop aging until he was almost fifty. It’s happened before, rarely, but it has occurred.”
Aria’s mouth parted on a small breath, what a strange and oddly fascinating bit of information. She never would have suspected that such a thing could occur. “Has there ever been one that has just never stopped aging and died?”
Braith shrugged, his hands moved slowly up her arms as he pulled her a step closer to him. “It’s a possibility, there were some before me,” he said with a teasing smile that melted her heart. “I suppose it could have happened then, but since I’ve been alive I’ve never heard of it. One aged until he was almost seventy before stopping, but that’s the oldest I know of.”
“How is that possible?”
“Do you know the legend of the vampire race?” She shook her head no. “Have you heard of God?”
She frowned, confused by the question. “I’ve heard of him, it, her? Some of the people in the woods would talk of God, they even had ceremonies, but most didn’t really understand what it was.”
“That’s one thing that hasn’t changed in a hundred years.” Dry humor that seemed oddly out of place tinted his voice.
“Was it supposed to?”
“No.”
“Then what does this God have to do with anything?”
“It’s said that God created the first man, humans, in his image. God also created angels to serve him, and to protect and guide the human race, but between the two, man was God’s favorite. One such angel, Lucifer, was cast out of heaven because he didn’t want to play second fiddle. It is said that on his way to Hell, in order to punish God, and inflict pain and fear amongst the human race, that Lucifer also created something in his own image to walk the earth. A demon that looked like man but had the vast power of the angel’s, and fed upon man. He created the first vampire.”
“Your speed and strength,” she muttered.
“Yes, our immortality, our thirst for blood is all said to be tied to the demon that Lucifer became. The quirks that sometimes affect our race are supposedly because there is also man within us.”
Aria’s head was spinning. “You believe this?”
He shrugged absently. “It’s what has been told over the years, but I don’t know for certain, no one does.”
“And if you change me, you believe I will become a demon or the demon is what will kill me?”
“You already are a little demon.” He chuckled at the stern look she shot him. “But no, I don’t believe that. I believe that the loss of your blood, and the sudden influx of mine, is what will kill you. I believe the trauma to your system, the changing of your system into ours is what will kill you, but I do not believe you will become a demon, or become infected by one. Most of us are colder and more callous than humans, we feel things more acutely, our needs are more intense, but we control our actions and we are not ruled by some demon inside us. It is why Ashby loves Melinda, why my mother died for Melinda, why Gideon has established a system of equality. It’s why I love you. If we were ruled by a demon none of that would be possible. Some of us seem to relate more to their angel or human side, and some to the demon one though.”