Page 47 of Feral

“I can handle that.”

He shakes his head “You are a wonder. You’ve dealt with all of this so well. It must be true what Vivienne says.”

“The witch?”

“Yes. She tells us only those with open hearts are lured to Lair, and here you are.”

“What does that mean exactly?”

He smiles softly, tickling my thigh with his index finger. “Mortals generally fall into two categories when they learn about the existence of the supernatural. They either want to destroy and exploit or they want to be part of it. Obviously, we only want the second category coming to Lair. Vivienne devised a way to make that happen.”

I nod, remembering the night Jade found me. “I think I get it.”

“Now you know my story.”

“And why you talk funny sometimes. You’re both modern and vintage.”

He chuckles. “That’s accurate. I’ve picked up a lot of modern sensibilities thanks to my younger, hipper brethren, but old habits tend to stick around.”

“Thorn is a vampire.”

“Yes.”

“Tiago?”

Hale nods.

“Hemsley too?”

“Yeah.”

I pick at a piece of pepperoni. “Do vampires usually date mortals?”

“It varies.”

“But it’s a normal thing?”

“Yes.”

I nod, mulling over my next question. “Do you live forever like in the movies?”

“Yes. We can be killed, but it’s difficult to do.”

“Okay, so what happens if you fall for a mortal? They’re gonna die, but you’re not.”

I literally feel his energy shift, like a wall going up between us.

“That’s something we can discuss if it comes up.”

I’m tempted to push him, but I don’t want to kill the mood, so I let it go. For now.

“Does it get lonely? Living for so long?”

His expression softens as his eyes cloud over. “Yes, but I have more now than I have in a long time, and meeting you… I’m hopeful.”

“Me too. I don’t know you super well yet, but I feel like you’re a good person. You deserve to be happy. I think most people do.”

“I agree.”