“I like the cold,” I reminded him.

“So neither of you are gonna practice at all?” Violet put her hands on her hips and glared at us. She wore a tank top and yoga pants to train, and her pale arms had a bluish tint from the cold.

“Guess not.” I turned to face her, leaning my back on the bar. “Where did you say Olivia was again?”

“I don’t know.” Violet shrugged. “She just left and said she’d be back in a few days. But she doesn’t tell me much. I don’t think she likes me.”

“She left you alone in her penthouse and her club,” I said. “I’m pretty sure she likes you.”

From the way Olivia had been looking at Violet, I’d say she liked her a whole hell of a lot, but I didn’t want to be the one to say that. I wasn’t sure if Violet reciprocated those kinds of feelings, and I didn’t want to screw up the arrangement they had if Violet felt weird about her benefactor having a crush on her.

“Since we’re not training, do you think it’d be okay if we went inside?” Bobby asked through chattering teeth. He wore a knit cap, which kept his hair pinned back out of his eyes for his change, but the narrow scarf around his neck didn’t do anything for him.

“Yeah, come on,” Violet said and went over to the door that led downstairs to Olivia’s place. She trudged down the steps, and Bobby scampered ahead of me, eager to get out of the cold.

“You still need to do combat training eventually,” I told him as he pushed past Violet to get into the warmth of the apartment.

“I know. And next time I’ll wear a cape!” Bobby declared. He ran into the apartment, rubbing his hands together. Olivia kept the place at about sixty degrees year round, but after the roof, it had to feel pretty good for him.

“You’re gonna wear a cape?” Violet laughed, raising an eyebrow. “Oh yeah. Combat training is so gonna work for you.”

“I’ll take it off to fight,” Bobby said defensively. “I just wanna survey Gotham with my cape flapping in the wind.”

“Okay, I’m ignoring you, because you’re just too stupid,” Violet said and turned to me. “Hey, you have a car, right?”

“Oh, it’s more than a car.” I grinned broadly.

Peter was back and using his Audi to run around, Milo had the Jetta for school, Ezra was using the Lexus to do lord only knows what, and Jack wouldn’t let me drive the Delorean. Which meant I finally got to take the bright red Lamborghini out on my own.

“Excellent. I don’t have a car, and we’re low on blood.” Violet walked towards her bedroom. “Just let me change real quick, and we can run to the blood bank.”

“It’s only a two-seater,” Bobby said, but Violet ignored him as she went into her room and shut the door behind her. “There’s only room for two.”

“You can make it work, or you can stay here,” I shrugged.

“I don’t wanna stay here,” he scoffed. “I’ve never been to the blood bank.”

“It’s not that exciting.”

“I don’t care. I’ve never been, and Milo won’t let me go.” He looked at me severely. “I’m going.”

When Violet came out, she informed Bobby that he would be sitting bitch. He tried to argue it, but she glared at him, and then he shut up. In the car, he sat in the middle over the hump, which proved to be quite problematic with the low ceiling. He had to crunch up, almost in the fetal position to manage it, and his feet were on Violet’s lap, which did not make her happy.

Luckily for him, the blood bank wasn’t that far away from Olivia’s. It was a small, white box of building with an even smaller parking lot next to it. I had to park half a block down in front of a meter, but Bobby didn’t mind the walk because he got to stretch out his legs.

Inside the building was white and sterile. Plastic chairs filled the waiting room, with battered magazines lying on a few. The posters on the wall of red crosses were purposely misleading. The vampire blood bank did everything it could to associate itself with the real blood banks.

To the casual observer, the only thing really strange about the place was that it was open 24-hours. Of course, it actually helped draw in donors, and the location helped too. The blood bank paid their donors, so a lot of them were junkies and drunks who needed fast cash.

A nurse sat at the reception desk in the center. She had bulletproof glass around her to protect her in case people tried to rob her, and from the scratches on the glass, I’d guess that people had tried.

“Hello.” I smiled at her and leaned up against the desk.

“It’s nice to see you again, Miss Bonham,” the nurse smiled brightly at me, making me feel guilty for forgetting her name. I think it might be Janice or Francine.

“It’s nice to see you,” I nodded. Her skin looked too white under the fluorescent lights, and her blond hair was hidden under one of those nurse’s hats that always come with Halloween costumes but nurses never wear in real life.

“How many bags will you be needing tonight?” Nurse Janice or possibly Francine asked.

“Um…” I tried to think. We weren’t completely out at home, but we could use some. “Like… ten bags?”

“Very good.” She punched something in on the computer. “And for you, Miss Williams?”

“Like twenty,” Violet said.

“Very good.” The nurse punched in a few more things, still smiling so wide. She reminded me of a Stepford Wife sometimes. “Will you be paying together?”

“Nope,” I shook my head.

“Will you be charging to the Townsend account, then?” she asked, and I nodded. “Miss Williams, will you be charging to Olivia Smith’s account?”

“Yes,” Violet nodded.

“I just wanted to remind you that I sent an invoice out to Miss Smith last week,” the nurse informed Violet, and then looked to me. “The Townsend account has been settled as of the fifteenth of January.”

“Alright,” I shrugged. “Good to hear.”

“I’ll be right back with your orders.” Nurse Janice or maybe Francine got up and went through a door in the back to get our blood.

“How much does the blood cost anyway?” Bobby asked. He leaned on one of the plastic chairs behind us, and I turned back to him.