She peppered him with a few of the other popular myths�sleeping in coffins, turning into bats, no reflection in the mirror�which Dorian quickly dispelled. But soon they reached the end of the lightning round, and in the heavy pause that followed, he knew whatever came next was going to alter her reality forever.

She knew it too. Her face had changed, the playfulness dimming from her eyes. More than anything, Dorian wanted to hit the proverbial pause button, take her into his arms again, and kiss her until she�d forgotten that he was a vampire, forgotten she�d ever wanted to know about the dark world that existed alongside hers.

But it was too late for that.

"Dorian," she said somberly, "how do you get your� blood supply?"

"Vampires are not required to feed from live humans," he said, hoping to put her at ease.

"But some do anyway, right?"

"Yes�usually through a consensual arrangement with a human donor. Of course, the system is imperfect, and the balance of power isn�t exactly even, but we have laws that forbid the killing of humans. For the most part, they�re honored."

"Do you? Drink from live humans, I mean?"

"Not in� many decades." Sensing this wouldn�t be enough to satisfy her, he added, "Vampires only need to feed about once per week. I have an arrangement with a local hospital for blood bags, and short of that, I occasionally consume the blood of demons."

"Demons?"

"They�re entities of hell, bound to human vessels but void of human souls. Since the vessel itself is human, their blood still contains the same basic nutrients, though it�s not winning any points for taste."

"Holy shit." She shook her head, her voice dropping to a shocked whisper. "Everything you tell me is crazier than the last. All of it."

"It isn�t a simple conversation, Charlotte. There is so much you don�t know. You claim you want answers, but perhaps it�s not�"

"Last night," she said suddenly. "You told me I wouldn�t turn into a vampire, even though you bit me. How is that possible?"

"Vampires are made by vampire blood�it has nothing to do with being bitten. It just happens the two activities often go hand-in-hand."

"How so?" she asked. When he hesitated, she folded her arms across her chest and said, "A deal is a deal, Dorian. If you don�t want to talk about this, then we�re done here."

Dorian nodded, turning to look out across the vista. He didn�t want to see the look of fear and disgust in her eyes when he shared the rest.

Last night, she�d called him a monster. She had no idea how right she actually was.

Bloody hell, it felt like he was opening up a vein. But she was right�a deal was a deal, and he owed her an explanation.

Even if the truth sent her running out of his life for good.

"In order to become a vampire," he began, "a human must be very close to death, and then they must ingest vampire blood�usually by drinking or injecting it. Some humans willingly turn, often through a mutually beneficial arrangement with their vampire sire."

"And the ones who aren�t willing?"

From the corner of his eye, he caught Charlotte pulling her shirt collar close around her throat, an unconscious gesture she probably didn�t even realize she�d done, but one Dorian couldn�t unsee.

His chest burned, hating that he�d put her on guard, fearing for her life.

But he had to press on. JrNovels.com