A snort of laughter from Tybo caught her attention and he bit his lip, and then cleared his throat and said solemnly, “You should have made the attempt much sooner. You were too weak for such an undertaking by the time you tried it.”

Allie could hardly argue with that. Fainting halfway through the job pretty much proved that she’d been too weak. Sighing, she explained, “I got the job there three months ago, intending to find a way to get blood for Liam. I came up with the plan pretty quickly and earned my boss’s trust enough to be given keys more than a month ago, but . . .” She grimaced and admitted, “It took a while to convince myself to actually do it.”

“That is understandable,” Magnus murmured, shifting in the seat he’d chosen next to her. “I’m sure fear would make most people hesitate to commit a felony.”

“It wasn’t fear that made me hesitate so long,” she assured him. “I mean, I was afraid, sure, but I was more afraid of dying if I didn’t find another source of blood for Liam.”

“Then why did you wait so long to try to rob it?” Tricia asked with curiosity.

“Guilt,” she said bluntly. “I’d never thought much about blood banks before Liam came along, but working there I learned how desperate they are for blood. They’re constantly struggling to keep enough on hand to keep up with the hospitals’ needs and here I was planning to steal some.”

“To keep your son alive without killing yourself,” Tricia said firmly. “You should not feel guilty about what you tried to do.”

Allie glanced around the people at the table. She was kind of glad it had all happened because now she might be able to purchase blood from these people and not have to steal. “Where do you get your blood?”

“We have our own blood banks,” Tricia said reassuringly. “We pay donors for it just as the blood bank you worked for does.”

Allie nodded, but then frowned as she realized Tricia had used the past tense, as if she wouldn’t be working there anymore.

“I—” she began, but Lucian cut her off.

“Your life will be different now,” he said heavily. “Your old life is gone.”

Allie narrowed her eyes in irritation at his high-handed attitude, but then glanced to Magnus when he ran a finger lightly over the back of her hand where it rested on the table.

Having claimed her attention with the light touch, he explained gently, “We need to teach you the things you should know as Liam’s mother. Things like the fact that, with a little caution, he can go out in sunlight.”

Allie relaxed and nodded. “Yes,” she acknowledged solemnly. “And I will be happy to learn those things, but—”