He shook his head. “Decapitation is the only way to keep one down, unless you can burn it to ash. That’s tough to do, since I doubt you’d be able to get one to walk inside a crematorium and lay down in the nice fire room for you. They’ll heal otherwise. I once saw one recover from a house fire. He’d been burned badly but he recovered with some fresh blood and time.”

“No wooden stake to the heart, huh?”

“The injury would heal around the wood and the Vamp would get up, completely pissed that you’d hurt it. They don’t recover as fast as soldiers do unless they’ve recently fed. You’d have maybe two minutes to run if you did a lot of damage to it. They have heat-sensory vision and a great sense of smell, especially if you’re bleeding. They’d be able to track you.”

“Fantastic.”

“Ever done any hunting?”

“No. It’s not my thing to kill animals. I’d feel guilty. But I do know how to shoot.”

“I knew that.” He smiled.

She didn’t return his smile, not feeling amused by their conversation. “Why did you ask if I hunt?”

“Learn about hiding your scent in case a scenario like that ever happens. Example? If you’re ever attacked inside your home, grab a strong-smelling cleaning supply while the bastard is down and splash it around. It will fuck up their sense of smell before you run. It would make it tougher for him to track you and give you more time to escape.”

“Thanks for the tip. I do have one more question.”

“Ask.”

Her gaze lowered to his necklace and the silver ring that hung against his chest. “Aren’t you afraid you’ll lose that when you turn into someone with four legs and a snout?”

He grinned. “I usually don’t wear it if I’m expecting trouble but I can shift without the chain breaking. It took a few times to find one with the right length to accommodate my throat, regardless of my shape.”

“Isn’t it the same? I just mean I’d be afraid it would break when you’re running around on all fours.”

“My body thickens a bit more when I’m shifted, including my throat.” He reached up and touched the silver ring. “It hangs here when I’m human but rises up a bit when I’m shifted.” He shoved it up closer to his throat. “So no, it doesn’t bounce around or touch the ground.” He released the ring and placed his hand back on the table.

She glanced around, desperate to think of something to say when the silence grew between them. “Maybe I should see if I can fix whatever they did to the RV and drive this home. I might want to start living in it. It’s reinforced and I’d feel safer sleeping at night here.”

“City Vamps try not to kill when they feed. It draws unwanted attention. They just take blood from their victims and wipe their memories.”

“Yeah. Hello. Immune. They’d kill me, wouldn’t they?”

His mouth pressed into a tight line and anger narrowed his eyes. “Yes. They would.”

“I figured. The whole keep-the-secret thing. So driving this beast home is my best option. It would probably save me more money renting a space for it in an RV park than what I pay for my mobile home. I don’t own it. It’s a rental.”

“Your life is never going to be the same. I’m sorry about that.”

“You didn’t do this. My dad was the one who had to go chasing after paranormal creatures and spooky legends. I was dumb enough to come here to visit him.”

“Why did you?”

She hesitated. “I hadn’t seen him in about a year, plus I missed his birthday a few months ago. I felt guilty about that. He just sounded so stressed and he’d already suffered one heart attack. I looked up where he said his camp was. There weren’t any hospitals nearby. I was hoping I could talk him into retiring.”

“I’m very sorry for your loss.”

She appreciated that. “I kind of lost him a long time ago, but I will miss hearing from him every so often. I know he probably wouldn’t have given this up. He didn’t when I was a teenager. He just drove away and left me with my grandma.”

“No man should leave his child behind.”

“That’s kind of what Grandma and I thought too. It is what it is though. Wishing doesn’t make it so.”

“At least you have her.”

“She died a few years ago.”

Lavos cocked his head, studying her.

“I’m a realist. I could bitch and whine about how unfair life is but what’s a pity party going to do for me? Nada. I’d rather focus on the good stuff. Grandma loved me and she gave me a stable life for the years we had together. I needed that.”

“Where is your mother?”

Jadee shrugged. “Honestly? I’m not sure. Dad refused to talk about her. So did Grandma. All I know is she took off when I was a baby after she met a guy. I never looked for her. I figured that was another lost cause. Why chase after someone who didn’t give a damn about me? Who could just walk away from their own child? I wouldn’t waste my time. As I got older, I kind of understood a little better why she left her husband. I couldn’t even stick it out with my dad and his lifestyle. She should have taken me with her but didn’t. Her new boyfriend probably didn’t want to be burdened by me. I stopped being hurt over that a long time ago. It just wasn’t worth carrying that pain around inside.”

“You’re alone now?” Lavos frowned.

“I have friends.”

“What about a special man? I noticed you’re not wearing a ring.”

“Relationships and I don’t seem to work out.”

“I find that hard to believe. You’re beautiful, Jadee.”

The compliment was nice, coming from him. “And then I open my mouth.” She smiled to soften the harsh words. “I’m too direct. I’ve been told that often. I make men uncomfortable or piss them off. I was raised too differently to fit in with most people, with the way I traveled around as a kid. Imagine meeting guys’ families. I’ve been there and done that. They ask about my life and I either have to lie so they don’t think I’m some weirdo or they instantly dislike me because of the truth. They aren’t impressed that I had a mother who abandoned me and a father who spent his life chasing myths and investigating alien sightings. Stress isn’t a great relationship-builder when a man’s getting pressure from his parents to dump someone he’s dating.”