Page 61 of B Negative

Twenty-One

How hadI not asked that question before?

Sunny was a born vampire. She was born from two vampires.

“Does Julian have to start wearing a condom? Because I’m not ready to make tiny, overbearing Julians. No way, no how.”

Vampires couldn’t contract STIs or any disease, for that matter. But they could definitely get pregnant and that was definitely not what I wanted my near future to look like.

B and Sunny glanced at each other.

“Oh, just say it,” I snipped.

“Made vampires are sterile, Eden,” Sunny said softly.

Huh. I didn’t quite know how to process that. Didn’t understand why my throat felt thick and my chest got heavy at the thought of not having children I didn’t want.

“It’s one of the reasons Titus doesn’t agree with making vampires. In his mind, they can’t contribute to the old vampire lines, so to him, they’re useless,” Sunny said. “Plus, more made vampires mean more vampires in general. And more vampires directly affect how likely it is humans find out about us.”

No babies.

No hazel-eyed, blonde-haired little ones to show the world to.

No middle of the night feedings.

No diapers or crying or sticky fingers.

No one to watch grown and learn and experience puppy kisses or sand in their toes or falling in love.

“Eden, are you all right?”

“I—um, I don’t know.”

“I guess Odette never mentioned that bit?”

I shook my head.

They both stared at me, gazes heavy with pity.

I waved it all away. I didn’t want their pity. “It’s a non-issue,” I said. “Coming from us, they’d be the most stubborn, headstrong, belligerent kids.”

Sunny’s weak smile did little to convince me that my attempts at humor had been successful. I let out a long, slow breath. “I don’t want kids. But I am old enough to know that might not be the case forever.” Sunny took my hand giving it a squeeze. “I don’t like having my choices taken.”

“You can babysit mine any time you want,” she offered, but that only made me wonder what kind of off-putting qualities Titus’s children might inherit.

“He’s not a bad person, Eden. He’ll make a good father. He just sees the world differently than you and me. It comes with being so old and seeing so much.”

“Can I be an auntie?”

“Of course!” Sunny said, beaming.

The three of us got back to work and while it was easier keeping my mind on the words in front of me, none of us came up with much info to help with the witch sitch.

Around six, we broke for dinner. Devon brought Ishta, who wore a pale blue dress today, and another donor.

“This is Cecily,” Devon introduced us all to her. Cecily looked like the kind of girl who’d steal your boyfriend, kick your ass, and then tell the whole school you were a whore.

I knew that because that’s exactly what she did to me.

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