Page 44 of B Negative

“It’s not a perfect system by any means, Eden. But it’s working. For now, that’s all we can hope for.”

I pushed onward, not wanting to dwell on all the ways my “eat the rich” mindset hated that I was now part of the one percent. “What about mate’s rites? You said that’s what Titus claimed and it stopped the incursion.”

“Mate’s rites are the provisions given to any vampire when they find their mate. It excludes them from any and all duties until their mate bond is solidified.”

“So if a regular, non-royal vampire found a mate?”

“They’d be excused from their job with no penalties until the bond was set,” Sunny answered.

“So, how much time do we have until the next incursion?” I asked.

Sunny shrugged. “It depends on how long I can string the process out. As of now, Titus and I are hardly in the same room together, so I don’t see it being any time soon.”

Good. That was good news. Maybe I could find a way around all that bullshit while I worked on a way to shore up the weaknesses I’d accidentally exposed in Julian.

“Do either of you two know what exactly I’ve done to Julian?”

Both shook their heads.

“Then I guess it’s time we hit the books.”

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