“Jack.” I reached out for him, touching his face, and his skin felt cold. “Jack. Are you alright?”

I listened, and I couldn’t hear his heartbeat. I couldn’t hear anything or feel anything from him. For the most horrifying moment of my life, I thought I’d killed him.

Then Jack exhaled deeply, and his heart thudded.

“Oh, my god, Jack!” I gasped, and his eyes fluttered open. “I thought you were dead.”

“Not dead.” He smiled crookedly. “Just… you took a lot out of me.”

“I’m sorry.” My cheeks flushed with shame, or at least flushed more than they already were.

“Don’t be. I loved it.” He let out a contented sigh. “You’re so beautiful. You’re glowing.”

“That’s the blood loss talking,” I shook my head. “Do you want me to get you something to drink?”

“No. Not yet. I want to feel this. I can still feel you in my veins, and I don’t want to lose that yet.” He reached up, resting his palm against my cheek, and I leaned into it. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” I kissed his palm and lay down with him, resting my head on his chest and wrapping my arm around him.

“Not that I’m complaining, but what made you decide to do that?” He ran his fingers through my hair, slow and weary.

“I don’t know. I just… I needed to. I needed you.” I snuggled up closer to him. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Me neither.” He kissed the top of my head. “And let’s hope we never have to find out.”

“We better not.” I pressed myself tighter to him, suppressing the chill that ran down my spine.

“Don’t worry, Alice,” he murmured into my hair as he drifted off to sleep. “We’ll be together forever.” I fell asleep in his arms and almost convinced myself that I believed him.

When he awoke later in the evening, I found him crabbier than I’d ever seen him before. With Jack, that didn’t mean the same as it would if it were me, but he snapped at me without just cause and yelled at Matilda. I’ve never heard him raise his voice in anger to the dog, but being drained of blood did not sit well with him.

He went down to the kitchen, wearing only the pair of boxers he’d slept in. I admired the view but couldn’t act on it. He devoured two bags of blood within three minutes, and Matilda and I waited on the other side of the room until we were certain he’d gotten his temper back under wraps.

“Sorry,” Jack said, crumpling up an empty blood bag and tossing it in the garbage. “I didn’t mean to be so… you know.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t mean to drink so much of your blood,” I said.

“It’s okay,” he shrugged. “It felt really good, and it’s not like I haven’t taken my share of your blood.” He opened the fridge and pulled out another bag. “I can’t believe how thirsty I am.”

“Sorry,” I said and hopped on the counter. He shook his head because he was too busy gulping down the blood to answer me.

Ezra must’ve heard us in the kitchen and came in to talk us. He eyed up Jack’s underwear only attire with a raised eyebrow, but he didn’t say anything about it.

“How did everything go?” Ezra asked Jack.

“Good. The transfer went off without a hitch.” Jack squeezed the bag, making sure he got the last few drops from it. When he was satisfied, he threw it away and rolled his shoulders. “I wish I didn’t have go there every few weeks to do it in person. It’s the future. Technology ought to have caught up to us by now.”

“It’s good for you to work and get out of the house,” Ezra said. “I’ve been spending too much time here, and I’ll be joining you again next time.”

“You sure you don’t wanna just go in my place? I feel like I’ve spent more time away than I have at home in the past few months,” Jack said.

“If that’s what you want,” Ezra shrugged.

“I barely remember what my girl looks like anymore,” Jack grinned and walked over to me. He leaned on the counter next to me, looping one arm around my back. “You sure are pretty.”

Ezra’s phone rang in his pocket, and it was always surprised me that it was the Bee Gees. He’d apparently gone through some horrible disco phase in the seventies, and Peter had said he’d been terrified that Ezra would never come out of it.

“Aren’t you gonna get that?” I asked.

“No.”

“Is there any reason why not?” Jack asked, giving him the same odd look I was.

Ezra sighed heavily before answering. “It’s Mae. I doubt I have anything to say to her.”

“How do you know it’s Mae? Are you like phone psychic?” I asked, getting excited. I hated seeing Mae and Ezra apart, and if she was calling him, maybe it was a step closer to them getting back together.

“She’s been calling all day, and I’ve been avoiding it all day.” He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. “We’ve got nothing to talk about. I have no reason to answer her calls.”

“Ezra! You love her. I think that’s plenty of reason,” I said.

“She made her choice.” Ezra’s voice resonated through everything when he got firm. He made it so hard to contradict him.

“I don’t think she had a choice,” Jack said, surprising me by coming to Mae’s aide. He’d been pretty angry with her since he found she’s the reason why he became a vampire. “At least she knows that you’re alive and you’ll be fine without her. But if she had picked you, the kid’d be dead.”

“Maybe so.” Ezra lowered his eyes, growing contemplative. “But I’m not ready to make amends.”

“Have you even listened to the messages?” Jack asked.

“No.” He breathed deeply. “I don’t want to hear her voice.” He shook his head and looked up at us. “And quite frankly, I don’t want to have this conversation either. I’ve made my decision.”

“I don’t know why all your decisions get to be final.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

“I’m older and wiser.” The edge of his mouth curled into a hint of smile. “On the subject of which, how are your studies coming?”