Free Me From the Wolves

[10] Trevor Versailles

"You're kidding."

"I'm not."

"Well I'm not letting you turn this into some cliché werewolf/vampire fight over me," I told Ryder.

"It's not really a fight considering you're mine," I heard him correct. I glared at him and there was a silence between us aside from the microwave heating up popcorn.

"If Trevor is a vampire, why don't I have some magical repulsion from him or immediate hatred like you two do?" I finally asked.

"I don't hate him for being a vampire," he denied and I shot him a doubtful expression. "Look, I don't know how writers choose which tale they're going to tell about us or how much of it, but werewolves and vampires are complicated," he began and had cornered me in the right angle of the counters. I tried to look away from him, but my eyes found his chest. "Trevor and I don't exactly get along, but I wouldn't go as far as saying a pack and a clan are going to hate each other right off the bat—no pun intended."

"So he has a whole family," I assumed.

"No," Ryder answered. "It's just him. He's not allowed to live with his parents so that's why he only spends the summers with them."

"Why aren't they allowed to live together?" I asked. "Because they're human and he's not?"

"Not exactly," Ryder frowned and only dropped his arm so I could take the popcorn out of the microwave. I sat on the counter beside the stove and opened the bag, deciding it was officially ironic that I was eating popcorn and hearing a story. "Vampires are a tricky species."

"Seems to be a trend," I noticed. "I thought werewolves only turned at the moon, but it turns out we can choose when, but the moon still has a bigger jurisdiction over us. So which myths are true about vampires?"

He smirked at first, maybe at my interest or maybe at the silly legends that were made through time. "Well, they don't burn in sunlight—or sparkle for that matter," he began with a laugh. "They just don't prefer the light...probably because it singes off their skin after a lengthy period of time if not taken care of. If they don't like garlic it's because of their taste buds, not because of magic. And I've heard of enough religious vampires to completely swear off the idea that they're affected by crosses and holy water. They're more complex than the undead stereotype makes them out to be under some situations."

"Sounds like we have that in common," I said plainly. "So what makes Trevor so special to where you think I'd prefer a life with him? And a marriage and family—other than just because he's friends with Andrew."

"Because Trevor's a half vampire," Ryder answered. "And no it's not like the kid in Twilight," he denied immediately. "Normal vampires can be birthed from other vampires. They just age weird. But in Trevor's case, his mom was human and his dad wasn't. So when she was pregnant, the baby already had vampire DNA. So by extension, Trevor has all the good qualities of a vampire, but is otherwise human."

"Let me guess, he feeds on animals' blood too?"

Ryder snickered. "Animal blood...normal food—whatever he wants to eat when he's hungry I guess," he clarified and that's when I gulped in nervousness. I wondered if he was ever hungry for human. "He's never fed on a person though, if that's what you're asking." I let go of my breath. "I guess he's just cultured that way."

"Stella said he was an angel," I said.

"He might be," Ryder grumbled and then finally approached to where I was. But he didn't look at me. "He ages like humans but will always look young and healthier than his age. He has a heart and warm blood to be considered living. But he has the speed and strength and intelligent capabilities of a vampire, not to mention the charm. I guess the fact that he's taken the monster out of vampirism does make him perfect."