“The Scribe Virgin?” Sola asked weakly.

“My mate’s mother, actually. But that’s a story for another time.”

They came up to a shallow set of stairs that led to a steel door with a pass-code pad next to it—but Jane just kept going.

“The thing is,” the woman continued, “you’ve got to ask yourself why all the vampire myths? Everything has a basis in truth—and the two species have been coexisting and interacting for eons. Vampires, however, don’t want to be known. They have no interest in courting notice—they have enough to worry about with the Lessening Society.”

Sola glanced over at the woman. “Lessening…?”

“It’s the enemy. The Omega has been trying to eliminate the vampire race for centuries. It’s a family thing—again, long story.” Jane shrugged. “I found it all hard to believe, too, trust me. It’s also very scary to learn that something you thought was only a Halloween joke is in fact just like you and me. Except with fangs, of course.”

As they came up to a second set of shallow steps, Jane paused. “The thing you have to remember is that they only want to live their lives in peace. They’re like all of us in that regard. They want to grow up, and fall in love, and settle down—have a family. Deal with the ups and downs of life. They keep themselves separate because, let’s face it, as much as the human race tries to pretend otherwise, at its core, we are self-interested, dangerous, and unreliable. We can’t even treat each other with respect and tolerance—and vampires are a micro-minority.”

Jane turned away, did something, and a bolt shifted free with a clunk. Then they were leaving the tunnel for a small stairwell that opened up into a…

Sola recoiled.

It was a wood-paneled hallway…that was full of clothes. No, really, she thought. She was looking at racks of what seemed to be—yes, they were men’s clothes—and the suits and slacks, shirts and jackets, were hanging on a series of metal department-store racks that ran the distance of the tall, thin space.

“Don’t mind Butch’s wardrobe. He tries to keep it in his and Marissa’s room, but it’s just gotten to be too big. We’ve learned to live with his shopping addiction.”

Jane went to the left again and Sola hurried to catch up, although it wasn’t like there was far to go.

It also wasn’t as if she were walking into a Vincent Price–worthy Gothic mansion or anything. Nope, this was just a simple house. A perfectly normal single-story kind-of-cabin-ish place, with an open space and a galley kitchen in the front, and what was clearly a couple of bedrooms in the back—

“A foosball table?” Sola murmured.

“Butch, V, and Rhage love to play.” Jane went into the little cooking area. “How’d you like some non-caffeinated herbal tea? I think you’ve had enough jolts for this evening, don’t you agree?”

Sola didn’t answer, but went over to check out a desk full of computers…and then the black leather sofa…the rug…the lamps…the coffee table with copies of The New England Journal of Medicine, Sports Illustrated, and the Sharper Image catalog on it…

“I’ll take that as a yes,” the woman said as she started filling up a kettle.

“May I sit down?”

“I think that would be a wise idea, my friend.”

Sola was careful as she put her weight down on the sofa—but as it felt like a normal couch under her butt, she realized she was being weird.

So normal, she thought. It was all so…just average and everyday.

She must have sat there for a while, because suddenly a steaming mug of something that smelled divine was in front of her.

“Try this. Lavender and rose hips and wonderful things.” As she glanced over, Jane sat down and took a sip from her own mug. “It’s very calming.”

Sola took the thing and drank from it, and as the warmth hit her belly, she worried for a second she was ingesting some kind of brew. But when, ten minutes later, she was perfectly fine, she felt foolish.

Sola turned and faced the doctor. “The ghost peppers. God—now it makes sense.”

“I’m sorry?”

Sola stared into her tea. “Ehric and Evale…they, ah, they were able to eat ghost peppers like they were just potato chips. You remember? I couldn’t understand why they didn’t end up doubled over and drooling from the pain.”

“They are anatomically very different from us. They have six-chambered hearts, for example. Their pregnancies last eighteen months. They need to feed—”

“Feed?” Sola said.

“A vampire has to take the blood of the opposite sex on a regular basis to stay strong. So yeah, they do have fangs for a reason, but not because they are trying to kill innocent virgins or ‘convert’ people. You can’t get ‘turned’ into one. You either are a vampire or you aren’t—well, that’s not entirely true. Half-breeds do happen, but they are rare and the rules are even stranger for them. They tend to have a hodgepodge of characteristics from both species.”

Sola reached up and touched the side of her throat. “Is that why Assail…”

“Did he try and take your vein?” When she nodded, Jane said, “It’s an instinct in the bonded male. He must be horrified, but he no doubt couldn’t help it—especially if he was aroused at the time.”

“Wait…bonded?”

“When a male finds his mate, he bonds. It’s very different than the whole fall-in-love thing humans do. Vampire males kind of click into place with a particular female, and when that happens, they’re like that for life. They emit a bonding scent—which fortunately smells faaaantastic—and they want to take your vein. It’s their instinct. Oh, and God help anyone who screws with their female. They will kill without hesitation and with very little provocation. They can be dangerous.”

Abruptly, Sola thought back to her getting free from Benloise’s kidnapping. Assail had stayed behind…and then somehow magically met them all at that rest stop on the highway later. And yes, when he had gotten in the car, there had been blood dripping from his chin.

He had killed to protect her, she thought. To protect…what he thought was his.

“I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that living on this side is easy,” Jane said. “I mean, it’s a violent, war-filled life, what between the Lessening Society and now…well, there’s a new threat, we think. And even if you can get past all of that, you still have to handle the normal stuff in a marriage.” The woman laughed softly. “Trust me, there are all kinds of things that people have to work out and love each other through, and that’s true whether you’re human or vampire. But I can tell you, I’m happier now than I’ve ever been. And I’m with the right male. V’s not perfect, and neither am I, but we love each other—and at the end of the day, the soul’s need to connect is what it is.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t know.” Sola sat back. “I mean, now that I think about it…there were so many clues.”

“The brain has a way of confirming its own hypotheses. It’s how we function in our world. That which fits within our definition and perspective of our existence is retained, if not amplified. That which does not is either rationalized or cast aside until an event so great or profound occurs that we must rethink everything.”

Like your boyfriend coming out as Dracula, Sola thought.

And then she frowned. “Wait, so that other nurse…Ghisele?”

“Assail has taken her vein as he’s recovered, yes. She’s a Chosen, so her blood is especially pure and powerful. It’s why he was able to rebound so fast.”

“Oh, great,” Sola muttered. “So he cheated on me as well—”

“He didn’t have sex with her. Absolutely not. Feeding in those contexts is just like a blood transfusion. It’s a medical event, not an intimate one. Vishous has to do it with someone of his own species. Rhage, too. Payne—because she can’t get the strength she needs from Manny. It’s necessary, but unpleasant for them, because they would always rather be with their mate. With us.”