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I stare at his feet. “That vampires naturally want to bite people to continue their line. And pre-vamps want to be bitten for the same reason. And I was just wondering if vampires have the same urge to bite each other.”

“So, you discussed the birds, the bees, and the vampires?” He lowers his arms and hops down, looking very masculine next to the yellow bed.

“No.” My cheeks flame harder. “It’s not like that.”

He crosses the room, stopping right in front of me, so very…tall. “Then why are you blushing?”

Ignoring that, I peer up at him. “It’s illegal, though, right?”

“Passing the virus is illegal. Consuming human blood is illegal.” Noah quirks a brow. “But one vampire nibbling on another? Not illegal.”

“Oh.” I swallow and then clear my throat. “Good to know.”

He smiles. “Any other questions?”

“No. I’m gonna…” I flap my hand toward the stairs. “I’m going to take my blood now.”

I’ve almost escaped when Noah calls my name.

“What?” I ask, reluctantly turning back.

“NIHA has pamphlets on the subject if you’d like to read up on it.” He gives in to a rotten grin. “I can grab some from work.”

“No, thanks.” I cringe as I turn down the stairs. “I’m sorry I asked.”

“It’s natural to be curious,” he calls down, chuckling as he returns to his bedroom. “There’s no reason to be embarrassed.”

“Goodnight, Noah.”

I should have kept my mouth shut. See if I ask him anything else.

3

“Can I ask you something?”I say to Noah from my barstool in the kitchen, eating the piece of cinnamon toast he just made me, realizing I’ve never seen him eat one himself.

How didn’t I notice he was on a carnivore diet?

Noah places pork chops in a cast iron skillet, and the sizzling sound fills the kitchen. The smell of frying pig makes my predator heart sing. I’m afraid my vegetarian days might be coming to an end.

“Another question?” Noah sounds like he’s smiling, but I can’t tell because his back is facing me.

I roll my eyes and take another bite of toast, chasing it down with a sip of smoothie. “Vampires have to be bitten three times to enter the final stage, right? Like a series of vaccinations?”

“Rarely only twice, but usually three times, yes.” He sprinkles seasoning on the pork.

“Say someone is bitten by vampires from three different lines. Whose family do they belong to?”

“Most people don’t run into that many vampires.”

“Okay, yes. But what about you or Emma? You two were attacked while working. Surely not all the aggressive vampires are from Cassian’s line?”

“Each bite trumps the last. Right now, you belong to Cassian’s line because Ethan descended from him. But say you were bitten again by a vampire from the Giordano line. You would then belong to them, though you’d still bear a faint Chevalier mark.”

“And then if I was bitten again by someone in Cassian’s line?”

“You’d revert to him, and there you would stay. You’re not really considered part of a family line until you’re final-stage anyway.”

“What if a final-stage vampire bites another final-stage vampire? Can their line change then?”