“Is he now?” She poured some blood for herself and sipped it, her eyes never leaving my face. When she finished, she dabbed her lips with her linen napkin, leaving dainty spots of blood on it. “Isn’t that sad? You’re an orphan.”

I thought of Nathan, and the word orphan imprinted on my brain like a searing brand. “I’m not. Even if I was, I wouldn’t count the Soul Eater as my next of kin.”

“You know, I’ve never liked that name. It’s so confrontational. And it makes it sound like he’s doing something wrong.”

She lit up a cigarette, every movement as casual as if we were discussing the weather.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I was reaching the frayed edges of my patience. “He kills vampires for food!”

“You kill people for food. What’s the difference?” The practiced naiveté with which she posed the question made me stumble over my answer.

And that hesitation told her everything she needed to know: I didn’t kill for blood. In her eyes, that labeled me weak. Prey.

“No matter how I feed, I still have ties to the Soul Eater,” I said quickly.

“So do I.” She took a long draw off her cigarette and smiled. “And I know he can’t stomach your kind. Sniveling cowards who deny their true nature.”

I couldn’t argue with her. If the Soul Eater had his way, vampires would be more far more aggressive about their status as top of the food chain.

“Did you know who I was when I came here?” It seemed too fortuitous that Byron had led me to this place, knowing my destination.

She shrugged and flicked the ashes off her cigarette into her saucer. “A friend called and mentioned that a person of interest was going to show up.”

“So, if I’m a person of interest, then you must know something of what’s going on with the Soul Eater.” I waved her smoke away with feigned annoyance.

“I know he’s up to something. But you probably know more than I do, considering you’ve come all the way out here.” March leaned back in her chair. “I suppose you thought I’d have all the answers? And that I’d just give them to you?”

Helplessly, I nodded. “Stupid me, I guess. I just thought your vampire daddy might be keeping you in the loop.”

She chewed her lip, regarding me indecisively. Then she took a deep breath and exhaled noisily. “You’re looking for the guy in the desert?”

I reached for my bag, only to remember it was still in the foyer. “I have money. I’ll pay.”

“Don’t bring the vulgarity of money into this.” She pondered a moment, a look akin to pride on her face. “I wonder what kind of kickback I’ll get if I hand you over to Jacob.”