Chapter 12
I blink at the man in front of me, dumbfounded. Finally, I say, “But your name is Noah.”
“Noah is my middle name, and that’s what my friends and family call me. Montgomery is my first name.”
I purse my lips, processing the information. “All right, but your family’s store is called ‘Howell’s Grocery.’ Isn’t that your last name?”
“That’s my grandfather’s last name—my mother’s father. When he retired, he passed it to my mom and dad. My last name is York.”
No.
It can’t be.
Because that means that Noah knows that I’m…
He knew all along.
Everything clicks into place, and I want to crawl under a rock.
Eyeing him warily, I sit on the recliner across from him.
He watches me, looking awfully nonchalant. “Did your doctor give you the encyclopedia of Vampiria B reading material?”
“Yes.”
“Did you read any of it?”
“Yeah.” My answers are clipped, but he doesn’t seem fazed by it.
“I have a few things I’m supposed to go over with you, and then we’ll head into the kitchen and you can take your first dose of your prescription.”
I narrow my eyes, pretty darn ticked he waited this long to tell me who he was. Long enough I started to think he was coming around because…because he wanted to.
More like babysitting, he said.
I draw in a deep breath through my nose and exhale slowly.
“You’re upset,” he says.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’m telling you now.”
“I don’t care who you are or what your job is—we will have boundaries.”
He cocks his head to the side, challenging me.
I lean forward, pinning him with my eyes. “You will not break into my house again.”
Noah leans forward as well, matching my stance. “You sent me a text saying your vampire stalker tried to contact you this morning and then you went silent. You think I’m going to ring your doorbell and shrug when you don’t answer?”
I open my mouth, but words don’t seem to be happening right now.
“Like it or not, Piper, I take my job seriously. You’re my only pre-vamp, and you just happen to be a high-priority one, with red flags all over your file. You’re going to see a lot of me.”
Okay, the appropriate response is anger. Obviously. Not…not whatever this hot, vining sensation in my stomach is.
“Now,” he says curtly, “can we please get back to our introductory meeting?”
I sit back, crossing my arms, nodding for him to continue.
Looking just as irritated as I feel, Noah clears his throat and then continues in a conversational tone, “First off, you don’t have to use the synthetic prescription blood.
It has everything in it to keep you healthy, but some people can’t get used to the taste.
There are companies that will ship you a variety of blood every week if you’d prefer something natural. ”
“Are you serious? Like those mail-order meal kits, but for vampires?”
If he wasn’t so agitated, I think he might laugh, but all I get out of him is a grim smile. “Something like that. There are many different varieties, from your basic heifer to exotic blends.”
“What the heck is exotic blood?”
“Bison, elk, alligator. They have sample packs where you can try several types and see what you like the best. Some people say bear tastes too wild, and antelope is oddly tangy—”
I hold up a hand. “Next.”
“Human blood is illegal.”
“I’m not a cannibal,” I mutter.
“Most pre-vamps don’t crave it anyway—plus they don’t have the fangs to drain someone, so it’s generally not an issue. But we are required to bring it up.”
“It was in a pamphlet.”
“Great, moving on. You have to keep quiet about your illness. More people know about it than you might think—healthcare workers, police, government officials—but the general populace does not. There would be pandemonium if word spread. Think pitchforks and bonfires.”
“Isn’t it kind of impossible to hide something like this?”
“Of course it is. Why do you think there are so many vampire movies?”
I mull that over for a moment before I look at him. “Are there werewolves, too?”
“Not that I’m aware of.” Noah’s expression becomes a little more relaxed, and his eyes brighten with humor. “But who knows? Maybe there’s another organization that handles them.”
“What should I call you?”
“Just call me Noah.”
Like his family does. For some reason, the thought sends a trickle of warmth straight to my heart.
“So…you’re a conservator,” I say. “You work for NIHA. And I’m the person you’re babysitting.”
Something wicked flashes in his eyes. “I told you my job had its perks.”
I point at him. “No flirting.”
“You started it.” He lifts his brows. “Pretty sure you called me hot and tempting last night.”
“It was dark. I was mistaken.”
He shrugs, annoyingly smug.
“How many people have you…”
“Babysat?” he supplies ever so helpfully.
I give him a wry look.
“Two,” he answers. “And then I was promoted.”
“To what?”
“Hunter.”
The word gives me chills. “Like…a vampire hunter?”
“It sounds more impressive than it is. I just arrest criminals and shuffle a lot of paperwork. Very rarely do I need my stakes.”
“Rarely?”
“It happens.” Noah stands. “Let’s heat up the blood.”
He says it like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
Reluctantly, I follow him. Once we’re in the kitchen, he pulls a bottle from the fridge like he owns the place and sets it on the counter to warm.
I sit on a barstool, staring at the prescription. “Do I really have red flags in my file?”
“Not literal ones, but yeah.”
“Because I have a stalker?”
Noah studies me, pressing his hands to the counter. “And a dead ex.”
“What does that have to do with NIHA?”
“Maybe nothing.”
“But it’s weird, right? A murdered ex-boyfriend and a vampire stalker?”
“The timing is suspicious.”
“Do you think Ethan had something to do with Kevin’s death?”
“I think it’s likely.”
I slowly exhale, staring at the counter. “I’m still mad at you—you should have told me—but it’s a relief to have someone to talk to. I was feeling a little…”
“Lost?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s what conservators are here for.”
I give him a droll look. “And apparently busting through doors.”
“That’s a service unique to me—you’re welcome.”
“So, what am I? Your…client? Ward?”
“We call you pre-vamps.”
“That’s great.”
Smiling, he picks up the prescription and gives it a swirl.
“Doesn’t it freak you out?” I ask.
“The blood?”
Biting my bottom lip, I nod.
“No.” The blasé way he says it makes me believe him.
“What about me…” I look at the cabinet behind him, focusing on a knot in the hickory. “Do I freak you out?”
“No.”
“I’m basically a baby monster.”
His smile grows. “A baby monster?”
“You know, larva stage.”
“That’s a unique way to look at it. Disturbing, and most certainly inaccurate, but unique.”
“I’m gross.”
“There’s nothing even remotely gross about you.”
I wish I believed him.
“For the record, diabetics don’t freak me out either,” he says. “Or people who need medicine to control their blood pressure.”
“It’s not the same, and you know it.”
“Your body now needs the combination of proteins found in blood in order to function correctly. It’s a supplement. Like a vitamin.”
“Yeah, okay. But before modern medicine got involved, vampires ate people, right?”
“The final stage of Vampiria B causes madness. To make matters worse, vampires’ bodies crave the proteins, and their heightened sense of smell detects them in living creatures.
If they enter a starved state, whether by accident or choice, they become almost rabid.
They lose their ability to think rationally, and things go badly. ”
“Like…super hangry.”
Noah chuckles. “Exactly.”
“So, Ethan is basically insane?”
That doesn’t make me feel better. Not at all.
“We’ve developed medication to ease the symptoms, and as long as they stay on it and supplement their diet with prescription or animal blood, they’re mostly okay.”
“Why do you say it like they’re not okay?”
“Vampires are notorious for going off their medication. They’ll be feeling good, and…” He shakes his head, annoyed.
“You think Ethan went off his medication?”
“It’s hard to say.”
“The pamphlets didn’t go into detail on exactly how a vampire passes the virus.”
“That’s because we don’t want vampires creating more vampires.”
“Does it happen every time they bite someone? Like, let’s say they get peckish on a hike, and they forgot to bring their bottle of synthetic O positive, so they snack on a hiker. Will that hiker automatically become a vampire?”
“It’s like any disease. You can be exposed and not pick it up, depending on your immune system. But nine times out of ten, yes. Vampiria B passes from the vampire’s saliva into the victim’s bloodstream.”
I fidget on my barstool.
“What is it?” he asks.
I don’t want to ask him—I shouldn’t ask him.
“The doctor said I can date.” I slide my grandma’s napkin holder across the counter, focusing on straightening the contents instead of looking at him.
“You can.”
“But if there’s Vampiria B in my saliva, how can I kiss…someone?”
Though I’m looking down, I can feel his amusement.
“You’re just in the larva stage of monsterdom,” he teases. “Basically, your body fought off the virus. It affected you—changed you. But you’re not a carrier.”
“You don’t become a carrier until…”
“You’ve been bitten about three times. Sometimes as early as twice, but it’s usually three.”
“How would I know?”
“Your fangs would come in.”
“Fangs?”
“Vampires don’t grow their retractable fangs until the final stage, when they’re capable of passing the disease.”
“Creepy. What do you mean, retractable?”
“They form behind the canine teeth, and like a cat can retract her claws, a vampire can retract her fangs.”
“That’s why Ethan looks normal—his fangs were hidden.”
“Correct.”
“This is so weird. How can you be calm about it?”
“I’ve known about this for a little over ten years. You found out forty-eight hours ago. There’s an adjustment period.” He meets my eyes. “But back to your question, yes, you can kiss anyone you like.”