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touched the blood,” he said, straightening.  
    I shook my head.  
    “Are you not hungry?”  
    “Not for blood.”  
    “But you are eating?” he asked, his attention on my midriff. Was he checking for extra pounds?  
    I nodded. “I’m eating. I’m just not eating blood.”  
    “As in what?”  
    “Do you want a list?”  
    He nodded.  
    “Ribs. Rice. Anything with pasta. Enchiladas. Cheeseburgers.”  
    Did he need to know about the drive thru expeditions I’d made in the last week? I decided not to tell him about Popeyes and Arby’s.  
    “Do not speak of this,” he said.  
    My heartbeat escalated. “Is there something wrong with me?”  
    His face eased into a placid expression. I wanted to tell him it wasn’t exactly convincing, but I kept quiet instead.  
    “We will talk about this later. You will be there tomorrow?”  
    “I’ll be there,” I said.
    “Do not speak of this to anyone, Marcie,” he said again.  
    Before I could ask him exactly what he meant, Il Duce was gone, opening the door and vanishing in a puff of air.  
    A neat trick and one I definitely wanted to learn.

C HAPTER E IGHT

    Those who live by the fang shall die by the fang

    At nine the next night I dressed in my go to work clothes which meant I was conservative: a dark blue suit, white blouse, and red earrings and shoes. Call me Miss Patriotic.
    I smiled at myself in the mirror, startled by how white my teeth were. I leaned forward to examine my incisors. From the brochure I knew these teeth were now hollow. Newly created bone like protrusions would snick down when I pushed my tongue to the roof of my mouth. Since I was a Fledgling my fangs were still soft and I wasn’t allowed to use them yet.  
    I pulled back, smiled at myself again and wondered when I was supposed to grow all gray and undead looking. The vampires I knew didn’t look dead. They looked flushed and glowing and so did I, my cheeks blossoming with color, my lips pink enough not to need any lipstick. I slathered on some lip swelling shiny stuff anyway.  
    I wanted to stretch the envelope and wear a feminine - read sexy - lace camisole beneath my jacket, but I didn't have any idea what the Vampire Academy was like, let alone what they would ask me to do. For all I knew, I would be forced to run an obstacle course.
    In my pre-fang days – and I needed to know how long my fangs would take to harden – I never noticed vampires much. Oh, the men, of course. The men were absolutely gorgeous and they had something about them, a glow, a confidence attracting women. I was definitely attracted.  
    Which was yet another question: was I going to get a come-hither stare? What kind of moral laws did vampires follow? The Vampire Code of Conduct didn’t cover morality. All it stated were three rules:  
    You shall not transform anyone without the express written approval of the Council. Doing so is subject to Death.  
    You shall not use your abilities to thwart or undermine the laws of the municipality and state in which you live. You shall obey all civil laws under which non-Kindred live, including those of property, marriage, and inheritance.
    You shall recognize the Council as the supreme authority for all criminal and civil matters dealing with the Kindred.  
    Three commandments, although it seemed to me there ought to be more for vampires. Why do humans get ten while vampires only get three?  
    Thou shalt not use thy mesmerizing power to get dates.  
    Thou shalt not smell like something yummy.
    Il Duce hadn’t smelled like anything. Had I lost the ability to smell vampires? Or did vampires only smell to the living?  
    To another vampire, did we, well - for lack of a better word - smell normal?  
    Yet another question, one propelling me out the door and to my car. I wasn’t eager to go to school but I needed answers to some of my questions.  
    To my surprise the Academy was located way out Bitters Road, farther than I’d ever driven. A half