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women often had short-term affairs with Moroi men and were looked down on for it—even<br />
though there wasn't really anything else they could have done, since Moroi men usually ended<br />
up marrying Moroi women. The "blood whore" term came from the fact that some dhampir<br />
women let men drink blood from them during sex. In our world, only humans gave blood. A<br />
dhampir doing it was dirty and kinky—especially during sex. I suspected only a few dhampir<br />
women actually did this, but unfairly, the term tended to get applied to all of them. I had given<br />
blood to Lissa when we had run away, and although it had been a necessary act, the stigma still<br />
stayed with me.<br />
"No. Of course I don't want to be a blood whore." My breathing was becoming heavy. "And<br />
they're not all like that. There're only a few that actually are."<br />
"They bring that reputation on themselves," she growled. I dodged her strike. "They should be<br />
doing their duty as guardians, not continuing to fool around and have flings with Moroi."<br />
"They're raising their children," I grunted. I wanted to yell but couldn't waste the oxygen.<br />
"Something you'd know nothing about. Besides, aren't you the same as they are? I don't see a<br />
ring on your finger. Wasn't my dad just a fling for you?"<br />
Her face turned hard, which is saying something when you're already beating up your daughter.<br />
"That," she said tightly, "is something you know nothing about. Point."<br />
I winced at the blow but was happy to see I'd struck a nerve. I had no clue who my dad was.<br />
The only bit of information I had was that he was Turkish. I might have my mom's curvy figure<br />
and pretty face—though I could smugly say mine was much prettier than hers nowadays—but<br />
the rest of my coloring was from him. Lightly tanned skin with dark hair and eyes.<br />
"How'd it happen?" I asked. "Were you on some assignment in Turkey? Meet him at a local<br />
bazaar? Or was it even cheaper than that? Did you go all Darwin and select the guy most likely<br />
to pass on warrior genes to your offspring? I mean, I know you only had me because it was<br />
your duty, so I suppose you had to make sure you could give the guardians the best specimen<br />
you could."<br />
"Rosemarie," she warned through gritted teeth, "for once in your life, shut up."
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