Page 71 of Blood and Buttercups

“No one craves cucumbers,” Noah says.

“I do.”

“Most recovering pre-vamps go straight for chips, popcorn, fries, mashed potatoes, cookies, cakes, and donuts when they get the go-ahead to return to a normal diet.”

“Yes…but have they tried cucumbers?”

Noah snorts out a laugh, fishing his phone out of his pocket when it starts vibrating. “Hey, Daniel. What did you dig up?” He’s quiet for a moment. “I know I’m not—that’s why I needed you to look it up for me. Just tell me what you found out.”

I look out my window, feeling like maybe this is a confidential conversation.

“What do you mean he doesn’t exist?” Noah demands. “He put his name into Piper’s phone.”

I look back, deciding if it’s about me, I might as well listen in.

“Yeah, maybe,” Noah says. “I’ll see if I can get you a description.”

With an angry sigh, he ends the call and jabs the phone into the cupholder.

“I take it that was about Ethan?”

“He doesn’t exist.”

“I’m pretty sure he does.”

“He’s not in NIHA’s Garfield County database, at least not under the name Ethan B.”

“Maybe he’s like you. Ethan might be his middle name?”

Noah nods, thinking. “Possibly. I’ll have Daniel check for that tomorrow. If you’re free this week, I’d also like to take you to see our forensic artist in Denver. Daniel requested a description.”

“That’s fine.” I think for a moment, pondering something. “You know what’s strange?”

“What?”

“You said you’re a demoted hunter, but you dealt with this kind of stuff all the time, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Why hasn’t an actual hunter been assigned to my case now that I’m a confirmed pre-vamp?”

“You told your doctor you were attacked, right?”

“Yes, in our first appointment. I explained that it happened on a date.”

He thinks about that, frowning as he waits for traffic to clear so we can pull onto the road. “That should have gone into your file, and you’re right—a hunter should have contacted me to begin the investigation. I’ll have Daniel look into that tomorrow as well.”

“This whole conservator/hunter thing—it must be expensive. Who pays for it andwhy?”

“NIHA is a non-profit, so our funding comes from donors. We receive sizeable grants from the US government, and we have several wealthy benefactors throughout the world. And we do it because we’ve learned that the more support a pre-vamp gets in the early days, the more likely they are to return to a normal life and be a functioning member of society.”

“And what about actual vampires? They’re just on their own?”

“We assist people in all stages, though final-stage vampires have their own programs. In general, they need less medical assistance and more mental health support.”

“So, in theory, someone should be checking in on Ethan?”

“In theory. He should be in the system, even if he declined assistance.”

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