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“Formaldehyde, bleach, and something else.” I led her further into the room. “There is something special here today.”

“Is this a morgue?”

“It’s a crematorium.”

“Why are we in a crematorium?”

“It’s one of the businesses I own.” I explained.

“Why would you want to own this?”

“In my current state. I’ve grown fascinated by death.”

“Your current state?”

“You know fangs, undead.”

“Oh, you’re a vampire.” She said it like she’d forgot. I was flattered by this.

We moved toward the wall at the furthest end of the room, where a stone bed sat elevated on a metal platform. Secured to its surface with multiple reinforced straps, laid Marisol Lopez.

“This is your gift.” I said while I looked down at Chanel to gage her reaction.

“Is she— dead?” She asked.

“Not yet.”

Marisol’s eyes followed our approach. It was the only part of her that could move. The rest of her body remained perfectly still, held immobile by both the restraints and the serum coursing through her system. Her skin had taken on a grayish pallor, and beneath it, faint orange traces of the serum pulsed under her flesh.

“Her eyes are open. Can she see us?” Chanel asked.

“I believe so. This technology is new.”

“Can she hear us?” She had more questions for me.

“She can see us. But she can’t move or speak. The effect of the serum is wearing off. I was told she will gain mobility in her face first and then slowly she will move her fingers and toes, then she will eventually regain mobility in all her limbs and get her strength back.”

Chanel stepped closer to Marisol’s lifeless body and studied her condition. There was no triumph in her expression, no gloating over her enemy. Her cool assessment reminded me why I was so drawn to her. Marisol’s eyes widened slightly,recognition and hatred flaring within them as she registered Chanel’s presence.

“I wanted to share this with you. I wanted you to see what I would do to protect you from those who would try to harm you.”

I moved to the wall, pressing a button that caused the platform to shift slightly, angling Marisol toward the industrial oven. “This is a cremation chamber, but it’s been modified for our purposes. It burns hotter than a standard human crematorium—hot enough to reduce a vampire to ashes.”

“Fire is one of the only ways to kill your kind permanently.” Chanel said, not framing it as a question.

“Yes.”

“But what about a wooden stake to the heart?”

“Our hearts are artificial. They beat but it’s in some artificial way. Honestly, we don’t know why it stops when we die and then it just starts again. The best way I can explain it is magic. A wooden stake wouldn’t really work because we heal. It might hurt or slow us down, but once the stake is removed, we will gradually get right back to normal.”

“Do you just burn vampires in here?”

“No, it’s a real business. Funeral homes outsource to us. They send us the bodies and we send them the ashes for memorial services.”

I traced my finger along the edge of the metal platform. “This is a cleaner way to discreetly dispose of my kind. More efficient. No evidence.”

Chanel watched me. She simply listened, absorbing the information. “