"No. Why?"
She flipped it over so I could see the blackened side of the ribbons.
I swore again. "Savannah had what looked like a burn line around her wrist after she tried it on. Did you use any chemicals or-"
"No, it was straight energy and words, nothing else." She kept frowning, and she had that thoughtful look.
"What?"
"Come on, little brother. Time for research. You can help."
I followed her over to the tech building and into a partially full computer lab. Emily talked to the teacher for a minute then led me to two computers in an empty corner in the back.
"Grab a computer, pull up the internet and look up this word." She wrote the name Lillith on a slip of paper.
"Who's she?"
"The mother of all vampires. Now quit asking questions and look her up already."
Frowning, I pulled up the internet browser, waited for the Google search page to finish loading, then typed in the name. "What are we looking for exactly?"
"I'll tell you what to click on." Muttering about stupid, slow school computers, she followed her own directions.
We spent the rest of lunch period researching. When I didn't click on a link fast enough, she growled and took my mouse away from me so she could work both computers herself.
"We're going to be late for third period," I said after the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.
"No biggie. The teacher here will give us passes."
An hour and twenty minutes later, just when I began to think we'd end up missing fourth period, too, she sighed. It wasn't a happy sound, though. "Found it. Read this."
I leaned over toward her computer monitor to read.
While the King James version of the Bible refers to Eve as Adam's first wife, ancient Hebrew texts state that Eve was Adam's second wife, created from his rib. Adam's first wife, named Lillith, was created by God from the clay of the earth just as Adam was. Because she was created in the same way as Adam, Lillith believed that she was Adam's equal. However, Adam believed he was superior to her, and this led to much arguing.
Lillith shouted out God's secret name, which gave her the power to fly away. Adam complained to God, so God sent three angels to bring her back. But she refused to return with them and threatened to become a plague upon mankind. So God punished her by killing one hundred of her children every day and creating a new wife, Eve, for Adam. In revenge, Lillith upheld her threat and became a demoness, seducing men in their dreams, harming pregnant women and babies, and drinking humans' blood. To replace the human children she could no longer create, Lillith also shared her blood with chosen human victims from time to time, thus creating the first vampires on earth. It is believed that these incubus vampires continue to exist in secret to this day.
When I was done reading, I was still confused. "Okay, what's your point?"
"Here's your answer. Savannah had it right the first time. Those vampires aren't here to leech off her. They're here to watch her. She's one of them." Emily looked at me, waiting for me to piece it all together.
"What? No, she's not. I've seen her mother and grandmother. They're both human. They're descendants, remember?"
"So she could be a dhampir instead."
I stared at her, one eyebrow raised. She realized she was talking to someone who didn't spend all his time reading old spellbooks, right?
"Half human, or in this case half descendant, and half vampire."
Huh? "There's no such thing. Everybody knows vampires can't have kids."
"How do we know for sure? What if everyone just thinks that because most vampires can't stand to be around humans for long without draining them? What if Savannah's father is a vamp and he found some way to resist draining her mother?"
"Have you ever seen her father?"
Emily nodded. "I saw him once with Savannah at Chez Corvet's. He totally looked like a vampire." Chez Corvet's was the local Italian restaurant.
But I still couldn't believe it. Savannah, half vampire? I'd known her for years. Sure, she was pale and tended to sun burn every year instead of tanning. But that could be from her Irish roots instead. "We're talking about something that the Clann doesn't think is possible. And even if we go way out on a crazy limb here and pretend dhampirs do exist, that still doesn't mean she would have any vampire abilities. I've never seen her show any fangs or want to drink my blood or whatever."
"But you did say you felt tired after every time you see her."
I gave a half shrug. "Well, yeah. We kiss when we say hello and goodbye...."
Aw, hell. Vampires could take human energy through a bite or a kiss. Every descendant was taught that from day one.
Emily nodded, seeing the understanding on my face. "Like I said, she's draining you every time you two make out. You'll be dead in a week!"
Dragging a hand through my hair, I slumped back in my seat. "I'm not that stupid. I know how to draw energy afterward, remember?" And Savannah's kisses were worth it.
She sighed. "Tristan, be smart about this. You've got to stop seeing her. It's the only safe thing to do. Otherwise-"
"No." I didn't even need to think about it. I didn't care what we'd been taught to believe as kids. Savannah wasn't a monster. She couldn't help what her dad was. She might not even know.
"Don't be stupid! Mom and Dad must know about this already. It's probably why her family was cast out. Our parents, the entire council, will kill you if they find out you two are involved. This isn't about some simple disagreement between our families anymore. She's one of them."
"I don't care. It's too late."
She stared at me then groaned. "You fell in love with her?"
Why bother saying anything? She already knew how I'd answer.
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again." She closed both our internet browsers, her shoulders slumping. "You, little brother, are an idiot."
In this case, I had to agree with her. I was definitely an idiot. I'd fallen in love with the so-called enemy. But knowing that still didn't change my feelings. "What do I tell her? There's no way she knows about this."
"Tell her the truth."
"Are you crazy? I am not going to be the one to tell her something like this. How would you feel if someone told you this kind of stuff?"