I smiled. “That’s because I genuinely don’t know. Some may.”
CJ immediately jumped in. “Can you turn into a bat?”
“No.”
“Wolf?”
“No.”
“Mist?”
“No.”
“A raccoon?”
“Definitely not.”
“Have you tried?”
I stared at him. “I feel like this line of questioning has gone awry.”
Billie bit her lower lip. “Are there lots of vampires?”
“Not lots.”
“How many?”
I didn’t want to scare the kids or to make them feel like they had to keep their eyes open at all times for something, or someone, that they’d probably never have to deal with. “Enough.”
Bianca’s eyes flicked over my burns. “Did the sun do that to you?”
“Yes.”
“You came out during the day because of the robbers?”
“Yes. I… I was asleep and my alarm went off. I was disoriented and thought you all were inside instead of at school.”
“You were trying to save us,” CJ said.
The air went very quiet again. I didn’t know what to do with the way he said it. So I chose truth. “Yes. And I’d do it again without hesitation.”
Billie’s face crumpled with sudden concern as she stared at the skin on my hand. “Does it hurt?”
“Some.”
“It must hurt more thansome,” Bianca said. “Your skin looks awful.” She looked from my hands to the men on the floor. “Were you going to feed on them?”
CJ inhaled sharply. Billie looked fascinated and horrified all at once.
I could have lied. Perhaps I should have. But these were not children who benefited from falsehood. They had already lived through enough adults smoothing things over for comfort.
“I considered it,” I said quietly. “Only because I’m hurt, and I would heal quicker.”
Bianca studied me a while longer, then she nodded.
CJ looked suddenly panicked. “Dad can’t know you’re a vampire.”
Billie’s eyes widened, tears springing into them. “You’re right. He’ll send Winnie away.”
