“I disconnected from it. I hated Diego. I hated all of them. I guess you could say it’s like the way hookers do it, just removing themselves from the act and looking at it as a job. But instead of getting paid in money, I got paid in information, and it was worth it. At the end of four years of pillow talk, I knew the name of every original, where most owned homes, and even a few details about vampires themselves. I had every intention of continuing to glean information until Diego up and decided he was tired and was going to rest for a few years. He’d fed on me more than once by then, so the night before he climbed into his coffin to sleep away a decade or so, I made sure he fed on me, and the next night…I slit my wrists.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine

“All right,” Gus said, coming down the stairs. “So I have the Xbox set up in Liam’s room, and he’s promised to play Aiden’s game for an hour before Aiden has to relinquish control.”

“That has meltdown written all over it,” Fallon said, smiling.

Gus wasn’t at all surprised that Fallon knew the youngest member of the household so well, and it showed on his face. “Aiden is already yawning, so he’ll probably conk out before then. If not, Liam said he’d set him up on the tablet, and if there are any issues, I’m sure you’ll handle it.”

“Not a problem, Dad.”

“Did the pizza get here yet?”

“Yes, it’s in the kitchen,” Cathleen said, coming from the back of the house. “And I put out paper plates, and there’s soda in the—”

“Mom, you guys do this every month,” Fallon said, chuckling. “And every time you leave, we go through the same thing. I know where the paper plates are. I know there’s soda in the fridge, and I know how to handle my brothers.”

“Okay, smarty. Do you know where your sister is?” Gus said, opening a closet.

“Yes, she’s in her room moaning.”

“Moaning?” Gus said, eyeing Cathleen as he handed his wife her coat.

“It’s a lady thing,” Cathleen said softly.

“Oh,” Gus said, slipping into his jacket. “So, have I forgotten anything?”

“Yes, how to have a good time,” Fallon said, getting up from the sofa. “But I bet if you walk out that door, get in the car, go to the restaurant, order a nice bottle of wine, and have a delicious dinner, it’ll all come back to you.” Fallon pushed her parents toward the front door. “Now, get out of here and enjoy your date. It’s not like we haven’t done this before.”

“All right, sweetie,” Cathleen said, giving Fallon a peck on the cheek before walking out the door. “Call us if you need anything. You know where we’ll be.”