“I’m surprised he would have offered that. Max usually shies away from those types of subjects.”

“Well, he did blush a lot,” Lisa said, merriment glinting in her eyes. “But he was pretty forthcoming with the rest. Of course, I already knew that we don’t age, and like you just said, we can run really fast, which I cannot wait to try. And…um…oh yeah, he said if I decide to get a haircut, I better make sure I like it because my hair will grow slower now—right?”

A full-wattage grin took over Bennett’s face. “Well, let’s just say that neither of us has to get a Brazilian wax more than twice a year.”

“Seriously? Twice a year?”

“Give or take.”

“Wow. Talk about fringe benefits. No pun intended,” Lisa said, giving Bennett a wink. “Okay, so what’s the downside? I mean, no periods, no shaving, no aging…it all sounds pretty good to me.”

“Not really. Don’t forget, just because we don’t age doesn’t mean those we care about don’t. We are forever watching our friends, acquaintances, and sometimes even our families grow old and die. Over and over and over again, either by disease or withered from age, they’re gone, leaving us with our grief again and again and again. Repetitive and unrelenting, it takes its toll.

“And, as you well know, we need to consume blood. There is no getting around that, and without it, you saw what happened to me. We can morph into monsters we can’t control and create havoc like you cannot believe. Also, you have to remember most vampires aren’t daywalkers. They are forever sentenced to live out their lives in the blackness of night, which weighs on many of them. Life can become dreadfully boring, too. Our kind comes from all walks of life, and some simply don’t have any interests that hold their interest, so time crawls by painfully slowly. It’s why many vampires take extended rests lasting months or even decades just to escape the monotony for a while.”

“Max said you did that after you sent my parents back to Boston to raise us.”

“Yes, I did, and if he mentioned that, then you already know about what happens during that time.”

Lisa nodded. “Yep, he said your…I mean, our bodies basically shut down, and the need for blood becomes dormant. Once we wake up, though, we need to feed.”

“Exactly. That’s why all the covens have secure rooms in their homes so they can be there when we awaken to take care of our needs.”

“Like one big happy family.”

“For the most part, yes.” Bennett picked up her phone and looked at the time. “If you’ll be okay for a while, I’m going to go take a shower and put on some clothes. Ruby should be here any minute with yours.”