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Max’s truck is parked next to Olivia’s car in the drive of my house. I glance at the time, startled they’re still here even though it’s after ten.

“Were they waiting for us?” Noah asks.

“I don’t know. But the lights are on in the house, so they must be inside.”

Noah pulls around the back into his usual spot. As we’re heading to the mudroom entry, I notice the cellar door is ajar, and the light is on, too.

“They must have brought back the extra flowers,” I say to Noah before I step through the cellar door and onto the upper landing. I’m about to announce our presence, but I pause.

Max and Olivia are next to my workbench, talking. They’re standing close…closer than two people typically stand unless they want to stand even closer.

“Um, hey,” I call down, feeling awkward.

They both jump, taking intentional steps apart. Max recovers first. “Hey, Pip.”

We’re definitely interrupting something. My best friend’s fair cheeks are flushed pink, and her eyes are a little too sparkly. Max is a little harder to read, but I’m getting vibes. He jabs his hands into his pockets, acting a little too nonchalant.

The two look good together—Olivia with her rose gold hair and mischievous pixie looks and Max with his dark hair and bad-boy persona.

Max likes her, and she likes him, but the timing has never been right. Maybe it finally is now.

Max has been hanging out with Emma, a woman who works as the receptionist at NIHA’s local administration office. But as far as I can tell, they’ve never gotten serious—which isn’t a surprise considering Max goes on dates, but he’s never dated one woman exclusively.

My eyes move from my brother and my friend to the empty buckets that are stacked in the corner. The leftover flowers are tucked toward the back—the coolest spot in the cellar.

I walk down the stairs to join them, pretending everything is business as usual. “How did the market go?”

“Not too bad.” Olivia shoves a strand of hair behind her ear and looks at my brother adoringly. “A little slower tonight, but that’s probably because Max’s band wasn’t playing.”

Noah catches my eye, looking a little nauseated.

I try not to laugh, taking pity on him and preparing to get out of here. “Some nights are like that.”

“Hey, wait,” Olivia says when she sees me edging toward the stairs, handing me the zippered money pouch.

I shake my head. “You keep tonight’s earnings. You did all the work.”

“They were your flowers.” She counts out several bills and shoves them into her shorts pocket, leaving the pouch on the workbench. “There. You paid me more per hour than I make at the studio. Thank you, benevolent boss.”

Olivia is stubborn. Since there’s no point arguing with her, I take the cash.

“Did you guys have a nice dinner?” Olivia asks before we can get away.

“I had chicken.” I force a smile. “With a side of more chicken.”

Olivia gives me a sympathetic frown.

“It’ll get better,” she says and then looks at Noah for confirmation. “Right?”

He nods.

“It’s just a lot easier to be a vegetarian than a carnivore. I never thought about how limited meat-eaters options are.”

“You say that, but you haven’t even tried snake yet,” Noah jokes.

I grimace, the thought truly repulsive. “I don’t want to eat a reptile.”

“What about an amphibian?” Max asks, just to be ornery. “I’ve heard frog legs aren’t half bad.”

“Nor am I eating a frog,” I deadpan.

Olivia’s eyes brighten like she’s had a sudden epiphany. “You like fish, though. You even ate it occasionally after you went full vegetarian.” Again, she looks at Noah. “You guys can eat that, right?”

“We can,” he says, “but how is a fish any better than a frog?”

“Spoken like a born and bred Coloradan,” Olivia laughs.

“I do like fish,” I say, realizing she’s right. Just because I have to eat meat, doesn’t mean it always has to be cow, pig, or chicken. “And I don’t even have to worry about mercury anymore, so I could eat it for every meal if I wanted. Shark even.”

Noah looks baffled. “Do you like shark?”

“I have no idea. I’ve never tried it because of the mercury thing.” I pause. “And because I don’t really want to eat a shark.”

Noah laughs, shaking his head.

“I need to take my blood,” I announce, heading back toward the stairs. “Just lock up when you’re done, okay? Thanks again for running my stand tonight, Livi.”

“Night, Pip,” Max says.

It doesn’t escape my notice that neither of them seems to be in a hurry to leave.

Noah follows me into the house, and then into the kitchen, smiling to himself as he watches me try to psych myself up to take my blood.

I take my time choosing a juice glass, and then I retrieve my prescription from the fridge. Bracing myself, I pour it slowly, making sure I don’t add too much. After I return the cap to the bottle, I stare at the liquid chemical concoction.

In the time all this takes me, Noah has already downed his buffalo blood and chased it with water to rinse out his mouth. “Just chug it,” he urges. “One go and done.”

I huff out a breath and pick up the glass.

It’s getting harder, not easier. It’s really gross straight.

“You know, you might find an animal source to be a little more palatable,” Noah suggests—and not for the first time.

“Nope,” I say, knowing I’m just being stubborn at this point. “Eating meat is bad enough. I’m not drinking blood.” I wrinkle my nose at the scarlet liquid in the glass. “I mean, not real blood.”

“Okay,” he says soothingly. “Then…bottoms up.”

I gulp down the thick, cold, slightly congealed not-blood, nearly gagging before I swallow it. Then I smack the glass on the island counter, victorious.

Noah offers me his own glass, refilled with water, which I happily accept.

“I miss smoothies,” I tell him once I’ve drained the water, heading toward the living room. “I need to brush my teeth and get this taste out of my mouth.”

He’s quiet, which isn’t weird for Noah. But it feels weird this time. It’s a heavy sort of quiet—like there’s something on his mind, but he doesn’t want to say it. I look back before I reach the bottom of the stairs, raising my eyebrows.

“It’s nothing,” he says, which is absolutely Noah for, “ It’s something.”

“Just tell me.”

He hesitates, rubbing the back of his neck. “You know that experimental drug we talked about a few weeks back?”

“Which one?”

“The one that allows vampires to eat some plant-based foods.”

“Yeah, I remember. It messes up the mood-regulating medication or whatever.”

A medication I now have to take.

He slowly nods. “They’re still working on it, but they’re experimenting with something. You might qualify for it even though you’re newly infected.”

This sounds ominous.

“What?” I ask nervously.

“NIHA has approved a highly regulated study with donated blood. Once the participants switch, they no longer need the mood-regulating medications, and therefore, there are no dangerous interactions. And so far, plant-based foods have been well received, based on what I gathered from yesterday’s meeting with Chase.

I suspect they’d accept you into the study since you had a unique diet before you were infected. ”

I stare at Noah for several seconds as I digest his words. “Wait. Donors? As in people ? People donating bags of blood ?”

He nods, his mouth pressed into a grim line.

“But that’s illegal,” I whisper, aghast.

“Outside the study, yes.”

“Where are they getting these donors?”

“It sounds like they’re people who have vampires in their families—they know about the illness and want to help their loved ones live better lives.”

“Okay,” I say, freaked out. “But even if it works, we can’t all go on human blood. What’s the point of the study?”

“They’re just testing it right now, and they’re hoping to find a medication that won’t interact with this new drug eventually.”

“And you think I should sign up as a guinea pig?” I say incredulously. “Is that even safe?”

He shrugs, looking uncomfortable. “It can’t harm you. Nothing can.”

“But one problem—I’m not a cannibal .” I hiss the last part, horrified we’re even having this conversation.

A smile creeps across his face. “I just wanted to give you the option.”

“What does Cassian think about the experiment?”

This feels like several steps backward in his goal of transforming vampires into civilized monsters.

“I haven’t talked to him about it.”

“I’d rather stay full carnivore than switch to human blood,” I say. “I miss cucumbers, yes, but love has limits.”

Noah smiles, looking relieved, and drops his hands onto my shoulders. “The cravings will fade—I promise. The adjustment period is hard, but you’re doing well.”

“At least I don’t have to go to the pre-vamp support groups anymore.”

That right there is a win. No more Dylan, Ashlyn, or Colin.

Okay, I might miss Colin a little. You have to like a guy who admires Noah as much as the vacuum salesman does.

“Cassian didn’t tell you?” Noah says.

Instantly wary, I ask, “Tell me what?”

“There are support groups for new final-stage vampires, too. The local one meets every Wednesday.”

“He told me, but you’re the only support I need,” I tell him firmly. “No more groups.”

His smile morphs into a smirk. “Are you saying you want to hold a private meeting?”

I let my hand stray over his side. “Sure. First order of business, let’s discuss the fact that my vampire boyfriend won’t bite me.”

Noah chuckles, his honey-brown eyes bright. “It’s late. We should get to bed.”

But I hold tight to his side when he tries to step away. “Noah.”

“What?”

“Is it my imagination, or have you been extra careful with me since I entered the final stage?”

“What do you mean?”

“You haven’t kissed me.”

He frowns. “I’ve kissed you.”

To prove it’s true, he drops a peck on my lips.

I trail my hand up his chest and then wrap my fingers around the back of his neck. “That’s not what I mean.”

He groans as I knead his muscles. “The first few weeks after the infection aren’t pleasant. I didn’t want to cause you more discomfort.”