Two days later, I was still in the hospital. I've gone home once to get some clothes during daylight, called Dorian and explained what happened, and returned to the hospital.

Jax was awake, but only his mother came to visit. A peculiarly grey-haired woman, around fifty, with caring brown eyes and worry dragging down her smile and wrinkling her forehead. She paid no mind to me, who sat in the waiting room and watched night fall. Each time I've asked to be let to see Jax, they've told me the same thing.

He doesn't want to see you.

So I waited.

They would have to discharge him eventually, and we had things to discuss.

I dreaded the conversation more than I dreaded the fact someone tried to murder us. Although the latter hasn't completely sunk in. I assumed it was whoever tried to kill me the first time around. It had something to do with Sargent Joe Bender.

Sometime during the third day of waiting, an older nurse with a kind face came up to me. I stood up before she approached.

"He requested to see you. Room 23."

"Thank you." I murmured, eyes jumping down the hallway.

This was it.

Fuck.

I walked down the hallway and knocked on his door, my heart pounding in my chest. All I wanted to do was help him and I might have permanently screwed up. Still, the fact he was okay made it worth it.

"Come in." A muffled sound came from within.

I opened the door. Jax was on the bed, his muscles tensing barely visibly when he saw me. His head was half-shaved and bandaged. He wore the hospital robes and was covered with a blanket. Nothing seemed to be broken, and looked like he was healing, but there was a different kind of weariness in his expression, something that made my soul hurt.

Our eyes met under the neon hospital lighting. It felt like we were looking at each other for the first time, with some sort of clarity, recognition and understanding.

"How are you?" I asked, but stayed by the door, just in case he needed me to leave quickly.

His smirk barely touched the corner of his lips, "Miraculously healed."

I swallowed, "What did the doctors say?"

"That I should have bled to death." Jax shrugged, his gaze remaining firmly on me, "That I should have bled out a few minutes before the ambulance came. I was lucky, they said, really fucking lucky."

I had no idea what to say. Thousands of possible conversation scenarios played in my mind through the past three days. I still had no idea what to say.

"I had to." I breathed out like a fool. "I had to, Jax-"

"I would have bled out. I know." Jax cut in. "You saved my life."

My heart stopped beating.

"A complete stranger saved my life."

My mouth closed. There was nothing I could say, except tell him everything. There were no excuses, or comforting words, only the truth. That was the only way.

"Tell me what you want to know." I said, nodding. "No more lies."

Jax gestured towards the chair in the far corner of the hospital room. I listened, ignoring the little warning sound in my head that told me I was moving away from the door. No, this was Jax. He'd hate me, but he wouldn't hurt me. I sat in the chair and braced myself.

"How about we start with a simple question, one I should have had the answer to during the first time we've met. What's your name?"

A lump formed in my throat. The truths among my lies didn't matter now. All the stupid little details I've shared with him were now regarded as deceit.

"My name is Odette Zaleria." I said and took in a breath, my heart pounding, "I'm the heiress to the Zaleria vampire clan and the daughter of Zacchary Zaleria, the current Chief of New York City."

Jax nodded, his expression struggling to remain neutral. I noticed how he crossed his hands on his chest and hid his fists, as if hoping his body would swallow itself.

"And Dorian Darascu-"

"The head of Darascu clan." I cleared my throat. "A vampire."

"Aha." Jax murmured. "I should have guessed that."

I tried a smile, but failed.

"The vampire-" He began, then swallowed the rest of his sentence like he had trouble getting it out. "The one that burst into flames in Times Square-"

"An Elder." I cut in, aware of everything he wanted to ask. "A... slightly different breed of vampires. Older, stronger, but also less human."

"Are they a different species?" Jax pulled himself slightly up, and I couldn't tell whether he grew more interested and bolder, or more afraid and anxious.

"Not exactly." I grabbed the armrests, not sure what to do with my hands. "They're like Neanderthals to Homo Sapiens, but even less different. Each vampire has a tiny portion of Elder blood, some more, some less. Dorian has an Elder in his immediate ancestry, ergo the silver hair-"

"Stop." Jax cut in. "The point is, they're not fake."

"No." I answered, surprised to feel the pang of disappointment because he didn't want to know more.

I reminded myself I was here to answer his questions, no matter what they might be.

"And they burn in sunlight." Jax continued. "But you don't?"

"No." My voice quieted when I realised I was sharing crucial information. "We've shed that particular maladaptive feature. Sunlight is uncomfortable, and some have more issue being in direct sunlight than others, but we won't burst into flames."

"But it weakens you?"

I took in a sharp breath, "Yes."

Jax looked away for the first time, and I thought it was a good sign. He felt like he didn't need to have his eyes on me the entire time.

"How old are you?" He asked, staring at the window.

"Twenty-five."

Jax glanced at me, "How long are you going to live?"

"A hundred and seventy, eighty – two hundred, if I'm lucky." I said.

"What about the... Elders?"

"Longer." I answered. "Three hundred. Four hundred. There are those who are older. A few."

"Not immortal?"

"No."

"What do you eat?"

His question took me by surprise even though I expected it. The not-so-subtle transition into talking about this particular aspect of vampire life took me aback.

I cleared my throat, "Blood."

"You ate in front of me." Jax said.

The professionalism of the entire conversation made me feel detached enough from the situation to continue talking. I was interviewed. He was questioning me. Like a soldier.

"I can eat food." I nodded. "But I can't live on it. We need blood."

"Does it have to be human?"

"Yes." I pushed the word off my tongue.

Jax leaned against his pillows, and his expression revealed a quiet emotion, one I couldn't read. Regret, maybe.

"What about Lucia?"

I closed my eyes, supressing my own raging emotions. Gosh, I knew this was coming.

"She... knows." I began, needing to avoid his gaze.

Jax's distorted expression relaxed, "She's not really avoiding deportation, is she?"

I sighed. "To put it frankly... she's avoiding death."

This caused the first sign of actual sadness on his face.

"But she's... tell me she's human."

"Yes." I nodded. "But her baby's not. Or not entirely."

Jax frowned, "How is that- Is that possible?"

Something had shifted in the room, he felt more eager to talk to me now. I breathed out a sigh of relief and focused on his questions.

"Apparently." I said. "It's not supposed to be. We've... never had it happen before."

He immediately understood the weight of the situation.

"Go on."

Words spilled out like a waterfall.

"She's in bad shape. The baby is not getting enough nutrients because Lucia can't consume blood like vampires during pregnancy do, and we're trying a few different things. So far it seems to be working, but she still has to go through labour, and I'm not sure if she's going to survive that. And if my family finds out, or if anyone finds out, they are going to kill her, Jax. Both her and her baby. So, please, please, don't tell anyone about her."

"I won't."

I leaned against the backrest, my heart hammering.

"Okay." I breathed. "Thank you."

"If you tell me who's the father." Jax's muscles tensed.

How did one exactly tell their vampire hunter boyfriend that one's vampire brother got a then fifteen year old pregnant?

"Is it Darasc-"

"No, no." I cut in before he could finish that question. "Dorian had no idea."

"Then who?" He was sitting straight again.

I closed my eyes, "Edmond Zaleria. My brother. And he doesn't know."

"Why does that name sound familiar?" His forehead wrinkled.

Now, this was not something I was ready to tell him. If I told him right now that Edmond might be involved in human trafficking, I'd be putting his life in danger more than it already was.

"He has a lot of money." I said instead. "And he's a public figure."

Jax cocked his head, "So, him getting a child pregnant wouldn't just be a scandal in your world."

"No." I whispered. "And I'm taking care of it, Jax, I'm going to put him behind bars-"

"How do I know she's safe with you?"

I stopped talking, hoping silence would help me gather my thoughts for a second.

"Dorian would never endanger her." I spoke. "She's too important and he knows that."

"Because she's a human carrying a vampire?"

"Exactly."

"So, you're placing your trust in Darascu's ambition and..."

"His need to contradict our entire community, yes." I finished.

"He knows I know now." Jax said. "Is he going to want to kill me?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because-" I took in a sharp breath.

Why wouldn't Dorian want him dead? Why couldn't this be just a clever manipulation on his part, where he convinced me to admit everything to Jax, giving him an excuse to hunt him down and kill him? He wouldn't even have to do it himself. Everyone in our community would happily kill this man if he found out about us.

"Because?" Jax pushed.

"Because I care about you." I found his gaze, which he quickly averted. "Dorian isn't going to harm you, I swear."

"I suppose he could have let me die three days ago." Jax said, his words neutral, matter-of-factly. "The blood thing... what was that?"

Ah, alas, something neither of us understood.

"I... don't actually know." I admitted.

"Why did you call Dorian?"

"I... I don't know."

My shoulders slumped. Exhaustion washed over me. I haven't fed, or slept, and I wanted to erase everything that's happened after the ball.

"I have one more question." Jax said, and I braced myself.

"Go ahead."

"Why did you target me?"