Page 48

“Absolutely,” my father replies.

“Okay, so vampires are real, and you are a family of them.”

“Yes,” I repeat.

“Sorry, I just need to get this square in my mind. It’s a lot.”

“Take your time, love,” Mother reassures.

“Do you drink blood?”

“Yes, but not human,” Lucas pipes up. “There is a lot of misinformation about our species, Erin. We aren’t monsters. We’re simply different.”

“Do you twinkle in the sun?” We all look at her, confused. Erin is trying to keep a smile off her face. Then I understand the reference.

“No, Twilight is definitely not an accurate representation of our species,” I deadpan. Maria lets out a snort.

“Okay, no disco ball skin, that’s kind of a bummer.”

Shaking my head, I let myself laugh. “Erin, please forget ninety percent of everything you have ever heard about vampires.”

“Okay, so tell me the truth. Why aren’t you out in the open?”

“Because of all the lies that have been told,” I state. “We are depicted as devil spawn. For millennia, humans have fed their own fears. It would be too dangerous to live openly.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

“Ask anything Erin, and we’ll tell you.” Laurance adds.

“The texts gave me an insight into your history. If I read correctly, Victoria and Harlan, you are over two hundred years old.”

“We are.”

“Holy shit,” Erin mutters. “How old are the rest of you?”

“We are the age, you know,” Lucille cuts in. “Well, Laurence and Marcus are a little older.”

“This is the part that is a little complicated to explain,” Mother begins. I sit back in the chair and allow her to explain how vampires mate. All the time I am watching Erin for her reaction.

“So, at thirty, you change. That is, if you have your mate.”

“Put simply, yes.”

“And if you don’t have a mate?” The family shares a look. “What? What is the problem if you don’t have a mate?”

“The stories you’ve heard about vampires being bloodthirsty monsters,” I start. “There is a degree of truth. If a vampire has not bonded with their mate by the time their thirtieth birthday is over, they become those monsters. Our souls are made to find their other half. Once we are bonded, we become immortal.”

“Immortal.”

“Yes.”

“And if you don’t, you’ll turn crazy?”

“Yes.”

“Then what?”

“The family must put you down.”