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“How could you not know something like that?” I asked. Apparently, there was a lot I didn’t know.

He shared a silent look with Isabel. Scowling, she nodded.

“Do you know how vampires come to be, Erin?” He stared at me intently. “How we’re sired?”

I shook my head. “Bloodborne, isn’t it? You share blood…” I’d tried not to think about it too much, though it was a subject that Jon had obsessed over endlessly.

Isabel replied: “Yes, traditionally. A vampire drinks from a human until they are on the brink of death, and then the human must drink of the vampire,” she explained. “But it seems there’s more to it.”

“Are you saying it isn’t the only way?” Adam appeared as interested as I did – obviously, this was something Isabel and Nicholas hadn’t shared with him.

Isabel leaned forward onto her elbows, resting her chin delicately on her interwoven hands. “There have been scientific advances over the last century that we could never have imagined or expected.” She glanced at Nicholas, who was watching her.

“Society used to be dominated by religion.” Her tone had lost its usual edge, and she seemed troubled by her words. “It is hard to explain to what extent, to one who has never known such a world. Disease was thought a punishment from God for our earthly sins. As time went on, things changed. We once dismissed medical breakthroughs, preferring prayer and remedies lacking scientific basis. But no longer.”

“I don’t understand what you mean. Vampirism… is a disease?”

“We dinnae ken,” Nicholas admitted, his broad shoulders tense beneath his shirt. “There’re elements as can be likened to deficiencies of the immune system. Some become vampires without exchanging blood. Others die despite it.”

The lamplight caught the sharp planes of his face as he spoke, and I couldn’t help but notice the coiled energy in the way he held himself. He might have changed his mind aboutleaving, but his body was still ready to fight.

“We also know that there is an element of the mystical that cannot be explained with science.” Isabel sat back from the table. “Our speed and healing abilities—”

“Elements that grow stronger with age,” Nicholas interrupted, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“Indeed.” A slight smile played on Isabel’s lips as she glanced at him. “And I must say, an extra century does make quite the difference in refining such gifts. Some things only time can teach.”

A muscle twitched in Nicholas’s jaw, his right index finger flexing against his knee. The air in the room seemed to thicken, and my pulse quickened as I sensed the shift.

In a blur of motion too fast to track, Nicholas had Isabel pinned against a bookshelf, his forearm across her throat. Books tumbled down around them. Despite her predicament, Isabel’s smile remained unchanged, almost fond.

“Age isnae everythin’, Izzie,” Nicholas growled softly, towering over her, though there was a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. “Some of us learned our skills the hard way.”

“If you two are quite finished destroying my library,” Adam’s dry voice cut through the tension. “Many of these volumes are older than the both of you.” He caught my eye, adding: “Though significantly less dramatic, I’d wager.” I bit back a smile.

Though he hadn’t raised his voice, both vampires instantly separated, exchanging looks that were more playful than antagonistic. Nicholas returned to his seat, but I couldn’t miss how his gaze went back to Isabel – he’d bested her, and he knewit.Sheknew it.

My heart was racing, and I knew half the room could hear. I’d seen Nicholas gentle, heard his soft laughter and felt his cool touch. But the last minute or so was a reminder of what I’d worried about before… that underneath his control, was a lethal warrior I couldn’t begin to imagine.

Isabel settled back into her chair, continuing her earlier thought. “There’s also the extreme aversion to aspects of the ultraviolet spectrum… these are not things research commonly supports as symptoms of a disease.” She raised an eyebrow at me. “What illness can you name thatstrengthensthe host?”

I had no answer. But my understanding of vampire limitations seemed suddenly – and dangerously – incomplete.

“The one thing we know for certain is that vampire blood invades like a virus.” Her voice held centuries of disquiet. “In a matter of hours, the human immune system is overtaken. If already weak, the human may die before the transformation is completed. But if the accounts of vampires who were never bitten aretrue, then the virus – if we should call it that – can be transmitted in other ways.”

A hush fell over the library as Adam and I processed this revelation. My heart was still pounding – not just from their demonstration, but the implications. It could only be a good thing that vampires weren’t as easy to make as I’d thought. But if vampirism could spread without deliberate blood exchange, how could we –I– ever hope to contain it?

“None of this is proven, of course,” Isabel said quietly. “We can never test these theories, as we cannot risk our blood beingformally studied – though I would imagine there are more than a few curious vampires in the field.”

I nodded, dazed. How many accidental vampires were out there, not even knowing what they were? It was a terrifying concept, but we had a more immediate mystery to solve.

“So, getting back to Paris…” I forced my voice to sound casual. “You could have changed a few people, or you may have changed every single person you fed on.” I was determined to appear nonchalant, but the prospect was terrifying.

“Tis no likely.” Nicholas’s face was difficult to read, and I knew he was trying to gauge my reaction.

“How long were you there for?” Adam muttered to himself. He seemed to have taken the new information in his stride. “It must have been a few decades with me. There was the Tower’s construction, and the World Fair… time has dampened my memory, I’m sure.”

“The Eiffel Tower?” I asked, with more than a little disbelief. “Seriously?”