The Page 69 Test: "Real Vampires Know Hips Happen"

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

"Real Vampires Know Hips Happen"

Gerry Bartlett applied the Page 69 Test to Real Vampires Know Hips Happen, book 9 in the Real Vampires series.

Gloriana St. Clair has pursued her long-time lover, Jeremiah Campbell to his ancestral home in Scotland. But when she gets there, he is attacked and suffers from amnesia as a result. He doesn’t remember anything past 1590 and he certainly doesn’t remember his relationship with her. She is desperate to help him get his memory back and in this scene is offering him her blood, under doctor’s orders, in an effort to stir some of those memories. He has just admitted he knows better than to offer her money for the service.
I fought a smile. About time he got a clue. I didn’t say a word, just pulled his mouth to my neck and felt the pierce of his fangs. He drew deep, taking me. No, taking my blood. But it still brought me close to a shuddering orgasm. Silly me. To feel so much when this meant nothing to him. But I couldn’t help it. His smell surrounded me. I ran my hands over his strong shoulders and remembered all the times this had meant everything to him and to me. Jeremiah Campbell. My friend and lover. I closed my eyes and drifted.

He held my bottom firmly, stroking it almost idly as he drank. It was so familiar that I let myself hope... No, he’d hold any woman who allowed him to drink from her vein just this way. I sighed, my arms around him, my cheek against his, rough with an early evening beard. My love. If only this were real.

If only he would finish, look up and remember...

* * *
“It’s the damnedest thing.” Bart strode into the room, stopping quickly when he realized Jerry and I sat on opposite ends of the sofa, not speaking. “What happened?”

“Nothing. Or nothing much.” I nodded toward Jerry.

“Tell him.”

“I drank her blood. It gave me strength but no memories. She’s mad at me because I said some things I guess I shouldn’t have.” Jerry shrugged. “Finish what you were going to say. Caitie?” His sister had come into the room and stood next to Bart. “What did you two see in my blood?”

“Nothing. That is, it’s clear. Whatever poison entered your bloodstream is gone. We checked the knife and the substance that was on it has disappeared. Your blood is now just simple Campbell blood, similar to mine. I gave Bart a sample for comparison.” Cait sighed and sat beside Jerry. “There’s really no sign of a contaminant, poison or anything left in your blood to account for your memory loss, Jer. I’m so sorry.”

“What does this mean?” Jerry looked from Cait to Bart, then to me.
This scene represented a turning point in the book. Glory and Jerry find out that the “poison” they thought prevented him from remembering her and their relationship is gone. Instead, he has a mental block. This is hard for Jerry to take, frustrating. He’d rather have blamed some chemical than admit that he just can’t or won’t remember hundreds of years. It also makes Glory determined to go after the person who attacked Jerry. She is convinced that she can do something to help Jerry restore his memory.