Page 40 of Forsaking All Others

“You go out and catch someone each night?”

“No,” I snort. “We have employees, procurement officers. They go out and fetch our meals weekly.”

“Even The Queen?” I gape, wide-eyed.

“Even The Queen. Although your queen is not as bloodthirsty as some, and at least she has reasonably normal tastes. I understand she has regular blood donors who she prefers to drink from.”

“People can be living blood donors?”

“For a time, yes. If your blood is considered rare or special in some way.”

“For how long?”

“A decade usually, no more. The donor is then retired.” He looks away from me.

“When you say retired….”

“Killed, Catriona. Eventually all donors are killed.”

“Why?”

“Because, as you so recently pointed out, the human population believes we live on donated blood and that we no longer hunt and murder. We can hardly have people running around the world knowing how we really survive.”

“Then,” I frown and throw my hands into the air, “how can you tell me this now if it’s something we’re not supposed to know?”

“Because,” he murmurs, “only one woman will leave this show alive. That woman will become a royal vampire’s wife. She must know what she’s getting herself into.”

“But,” I look at the stars to try and order my thoughts, my whole understanding of the world and my place in it now completely blown apart, “if you kill humans for food, why won’t you kill any contestants on this show? This is a sanctioned space; we all know the bachelors eliminate contestants, and we all know they’re bitten. It makes no sense for you to abstain from killing, at least in this setting.”

“What makes no sense,” he growls, “is that billions watch this show and understand we bite to kill, yet still believe we only eat donated blood in the real world.”

“When you frame it like that…we really are fucking stupid,” I murmur.

‘Me more than most. My whole history, my life, is a lie.’

“Yes.”

“And yet,” I frown, “is it true though that you can’t have babies without us? That you have to marry human women to procreate?”

“One of nature’s cruel jokes,” he mutters. “Wouldn’t you say?”

‘At least not everything I’ve learned is false. God, so much to wrap my head around. So much deceit.’

“What are you thinking?” He murmurs.

“I’m thinking I made the right decision coming on this show.”

“How the hell do you come to that result from the conversation we’ve just had?”

“I wanted to marry a killer.” I hold up my hands as if to say obviously. “And I’m very relieved to find you are one.”

Without waiting for his reply I turn, and we both begin walking back towards the light.

“And, Viscount, you should know that I like rubies, not diamonds.”

He stops walking, but I keep going, making my way towards the light.

“I beg your pardon?” He calls after me.