Crave

In the vampire romance genre, blood and biting are symbols of romance, mystery, and survival. Jaxon and his vampire comrades need blood to survive, which is accurate to vampire myths. Blood also has life and death symbolism, as humans need blood to survive though they don’t consume it. This is why Grace cutting herself and letting Jaxon drink her blood is such a sacrificial act. Blood relates to gore and violence in the novel, as it does in the Gothic horror genre. The horrific use of blood occurs when Grace tries to escape from the tunnels and wades through pools of blood and when she and Lia fight at the end of the novel.

The act of biting has multilevel symbolism. Vampires bite to get their sustenance and attack their enemies, but Jaxon also bites Grace for the purposes of healing and mating. In the novel, vampire venom can heal others rather than kill them. Marise, the nurse, uses her venom to heal Grace’s wounded artery on her neck, leaving her fang marks but taking away pain, rather than causing it. Jaxon likewise used his venom to seal the wound for Grace. In vampire romance fiction, biting is a proxy for sexual penetration and intercourse. The bite is painful, but it also causes the human intense pleasure. Every time Jaxon bites her, he doesn’t suck much blood but fills Grace with his venom that overwhelms her with pleasure and desire. Notably, Jaxon’s bite doesn’t turn Grace into a vampire, as it traditionally does in vampire narratives. This symbolizes that in their relationship, Grace maintains her individuality and her own special powers.