Enter the world of By Blood where an entire class of vampires operates within the glittering realm of the victorian ton.
A man with a secret.
Nicodemus Blackburn has seen the best and worst of mankind. Five hundred years of dealing with them teaches the vampire to be very wary of the creatures. Unfortunately, alarming events leave him no choice but to enter the world of the ton to hunt a rogue vampire—one who is making his own army of blood thirsty vampires. Searching for the villain is not the worst of his troubles. That can be laid at the feet of bluestocking Lady Cordelia Collingsworth.
A woman on a mission.
Cordelia has always been an outcast, even in her own family. She has forged her way in the world with her ability to write, and Nico Blackburn is the focus of her next article. Before she can obtain any information about the mysterious man, she is pulled headlong into a scandal that leaves her with no choice but to marry Nico—a man with dangerous secrets.
A passion that consumes them both.
Thrust into a world she knows nothing of, Cordelia finds herself falling in love with a man who claims to be a vampire. As their passion grows, so does the danger around them and Nico will have to call on all of his powers to protect the one thing he has realized he cannot live without: his opinionated, infuriating, and thoroughly delectable wife.
In the world of By Blood there are Born and Made Vampires and Carriers.
BORN
• All male.
• Born as humans are.
• The mating of a Carrier and a Vampire.
• Trace their familial roots back the most ancient times
• Seen as normal in their world
• Exceptional hearing, night vision, amazing strength
• Sensitive to sunlight.
MADE
• Made by having their neck bitten (see transition explanation below)
• Must be past puberty when bitten.
• Unstable and homicidal once blood lust takes hold. They cannot be controlled until they are fully transitioned.
• When they feed before they fully transition, they go overboard and tend to kill the woman they are feeding from.
• Once transitioned, they have the same powers as Borns but they all have light green eyes.
CARRIERS
• Females who carry a gene to birth vampires passed through the female line.
• If they do not mate with a vampire, they birth normal humans.
• Have psychic powers, ie, premonitions, visions, dreams, hear others' thoughts.
• Once mated their powers become stronger as their sensitivity to light increases.
• Can be scented by both Made and Born Vamps once she has reached reproductive age.
REPRODUCTION
• Only Carriers can birth other Carriers and Vampires.
• 40 week pregnancy
• A Vampire must bite the Carrier during intercourse, injecting the fertility serum into her blood stream. Instinctive, and reaches potency once the Vampire is around 30 human years.
FEEDING
• Feed as human babies do.Carriers' breast milk is the only thing they can feed on until solids can be introduced. It contains a special antibody.
• Born Vamps begin to have cravings during puberty.
• They eat regular food throughout their lives.
• Once they reach their reproductive years, their feedings are not as common. They are usually confined to sexual encounters.
• Once transitioned, Made Vamps take on all the feeding traits of Borns.
TRANSITION
• Born Vamps start transition through puberty, their need for blood growing with their libido.
• Made Vamps are forced into their transition after a Born Vamp feeds off them. They are drained of almost all their blood. Then, it takes them 48-72 hrs of sleeping to recover. When they awaken, their bloodlust starts to grow.
• Made Vamps have the same 3-4 year transition in a matter of weeks. They are overcome with lust, their need for blood and sex overwhelming. If they are controlled and fed the blood of a Born, they might be able to survive.
BINDING
• A vamp shares his blood with his mate during sex. From that point on, he can only feed from her, their lifeforces are bound together.
