Allie hesitated, part of her wanting to keep him close. She had spent every moment of every day with the boy since he’d been passed into her arms nearly four years ago. At least until she’d started the job at the blood bank. But she’d worked days while he’d slept, and while it had been night when she’d gone to rob the blood bank, she’d waited until Liam was down for his nap, fully expecting to be back before he woke. She hadn’t been surprised to return and find him awake and upset that she’d left him. He seemed eager to leave her now, though, to play with his friend and she felt a little wounded at the knowledge. But she knew it was healthy for him to make friends. It was also convenient, because she had some questions for Katricia and the others that she didn’t think Liam should hear, so Allie forced a smile and nodded. “Sure.”

“Thank you, Mom.” Liam beamed at her and slid off his seat to follow his new friend from the room.

“They will be fine,” Tricia assured her.

Allie nodded, sure that was true.

“Now that the boys are out of earshot,” Lucian said, drawing all eyes his way, including Allie’s, who grew wary when she noted his determined expression. Before she could worry too much, he ordered, “Explain things, Katricia. She seems to trust you.”

Tricia rolled her eyes, but then turned to her with a wry smile and explained, “As I mentioned earlier, we are Enforcers. The police for our people, basically. We hunt immortals who break our laws, such as the ones who attacked you and Liam.”

Allie nodded in understanding, but was mentally substituting “vampire” for “immortal.”

“One of the ways we do that is by listening in on the police scanner for reports of any crimes that might be immortal related,” she continued. “Last night, Mortimer heard that the blood bank had been broken into and the perpetrator taken to the hospital.”

“And assumed it was vampire related. Because who else would rob a blood bank, right?” Allie guessed, and didn’t miss the winces that went around the table at her use of the word vampire.

“Basically, yes,” Tricia said. “And because of that, Tybo and Magnus were sent to the hospital to investigate.”

Allie nodded, supposing her attempted theft was vampire, or immortal, related. She’d been stealing the blood to feed Liam, who was apparently an immortal, not a vampire. Actually, she preferred the word immortal. At least in regards to Liam . . . and Tricia and Teddy, and maybe even Tybo and Magnus, she decided. She wasn’t sure about Mortimer yet, but Lucian . . . Yeah, she’d call him a vampire with all his growling and glaring.