Hours before in her apartment, Lisa had awoken to find herself drenched in blood, and what remained of her lavender pajamas was glued to her skin. After overcoming the clamor caused by her newly enhanced hearing, when she got to her feet, there were a few pangs of pain, so when Lisa reached the bathroom mirror, she held her breath. A second later, her lungs emptied in a whoosh, the remnants of her injuries merely splotches of redness or raised pink scars having yet to regenerate into skin unblemished and clear. But now, even those were gone.

Lisa ran her finger down her cheek where one of the darkest bruises had been. She pressed on it, and there was no pain, no distant ache from a face once crushed beyond recognition. Lisa drew in a breath as she put her towel aside, and she lazily traced the now invisible scar she’d seen the night before. It had run from between her breasts down to her groin, and Lisa remembered it as thick and gruesome. It was proof of just how brutal her end had been, but all Lisa would ever have was the memory, for like all the others, it had vanished. “Amazing,” she said under her breath. “Like it never even happened.”

Lisa pulled the towel from her head and ruffled her hair with the terrycloth. She looked around before opening a drawer on the vanity, and she sniggered at the lack of combs and brushes it contained. Lisa owned at least a dozen, but Bennett appeared to own only one, so Lisa took her time drawing the fine-tooth rat tail through her hair, ending with a quick finger comb to brush it back away from her face.

It was supposed to be one last check in the mirror before finding something to wear, but as Lisa looked at her reflection, a thought popped into her head. “Why not?” Calling on what now existed, Lisa watched in amazement as her fangs extended and her naturally blue eyes morphed into neon. “Wow. No wonder we freak people out.”

Lisa knew part of her newly found energy was the result of feeding on Ruby. Not only had Ruby’s blood curbed Lisa’s hunger, but it had also brought with it a sense of being reborn. Where once was weakness, now was strength. Where once was confusion, now was clarity, and where once was doubt, now was confidence, and most revolved solely around her love for Bennett. Lisa nodded. There would be no more hiding. There would be no more wondering, and there would be no more waiting.

***

Bennett sat on the sofa, oblivious that her coffee had grown cold. She had sorted and re-sorted her thoughts, and she still had no clue what to say. She knew she had to tell the truth, confess that Lisa would have died if not for Ruby’s interference. Then again, Lisa already knew that.