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Little by little, color returned to her face. Toni could see her thinking, attempting to marry the reality she knew with the one they’d presented to her. She didn’t believe them yet, but she no longer appeared to be in a state of shock.

“Vampires . . .”

“Are real.” Alessandra leaned against the counter. “Kenton did come here to kill me—”

Birdie’s eyes flew to her friend as Toni groaned. Might as well get it all out there now . . .

She took over. “Lawrence’s sister-in-law, a renowned healer in her time—”

“The thirteenth century?” Birdie took another sip of water.

“Right. When she realized what she’d done by inadvertently cursing both the Morleys and her husband’s family for the feud that had led to her husband’s death, she tried to reverse it.”

“A witch—”

“No, Lawrence insists she was not, just a healer whose grief summoned enough power for the curse to manifest. She tried desperately to reverse it, to say the words again—”

“An act they now call the Balance,” Alessandra finished.

They told her about the Cheld, how they were capable of fighting vampires and curbing their darker impulses. She and Alessandra explained that although most vampires were like Kenton and Lawrence, seeking only to live peaceably among humans, some were actually monsters in truth. Much like that sect of the Cheld that vowed to kill all vampires.

“Fear of the Other,” Birdie mused.

Alessandra nodded. “Exactly. Anything that is different must also be bad. Anyway . . . so yes, some vampires can be dangerous—”

“But most are not,” Toni rushed to add.

“But they can walk in daylight . . .”

Birdie had to be getting past the denial phase.

“A myth. Just like garlic and mirrors and silver.” Alessandra tilted her head in thought. “And consecrated ground.”

“And they can’t transform into bats,” Toni added, smiling to herself as she imagined Lawrence shifting into a flying rodent. “But they are quite strong, and fast. And centuries of being alive has made them quite well-rounded in many areas . . .”

The laughter in Alessandra’s expression made Toni realize the implications of what she’d just said. “Although they do have to be invited into a home—”

“And can only beget a child during a full moon. And even then, only with a human.” Alessandra frowned. “And they can turn humans into vampires.”

As this last revelation settled over them, Birdie’s look of concern deepened. As did Alessandra’s. She wished to become a vampire so she and Kenton could be together always—he refused to comply unless they found evidence a Cheld could be turned safely.

For her, the possibility of changing into one of them was yet another question mark in this new relationship with Lawrence. As if reading her thoughts, Birdie looked at her, believing.

“Toni . . .” The whispered word reminded Toni of her mother. She imagined it had been difficult for Birdie to play both roles over the years.

“Yes?” she prompted, not liking where this might be headed.

A tinkling of the bell above the door alerted them to a customer, which meant all talk of vampires would have to wait until later.

Birdie gestured for her to come close. “This will not end well for you.”

Toni stood straight, startled.

Birdie glanced at Alessandra. “You’re already part of their world. You have no choice, no matter how I wish it were otherwise.”

“But you . . .” She looked at Toni. “There’s so much yet for you to accomplish—”

“You mean college? Medical school?” she snapped, immediately sorry for her tone. “Since when do you care about that stuff? You always told Mom and Dad—”

“Not college. I only care about your happiness,” she said, watching the mother and daughter who wove their way through the aisles. “Are you happy, Toni? Truly?”

What kind of question was that? After everything they’d told her about Kenton and Lawrence, Birdie wanted to know if she was happy?

“Yes,” she said automatically, thinking of her crappy extra job at Murphy’s. She’d only started working there to keep busy, to get her mind off her parents and her lack of other prospects. And then it was hard to give up the extra income, even though her job here easily covered the modest rent Birdie accepted for the house. She thought of the college application sitting on her desktop and the pit that opened in her stomach every time she looked at it.

“What does that have to do with Lawrence?” she asked, deflecting the question.

Birdie stood as the customers approached.

“Everything, my dear. It has everything to do with him. If what you say is true—”

“It is.”

“Then I would urge you to think carefully about what you want before your life becomes even more complicated.”

Too late.