You aren’t a vampire.” Silver's voice mirrored his shock. She repeated the phrase with a huge smile on her face. “You aren’t a vampire!”

“They don’t call me Jackpot for nothing,” he joked.

What do we do while we wait for my parents to find Jersey?” She let him go, took a step back.

“We live a normal life.”

The words left his lips without emotion or meaning, because at this point he knew there was no such thing as a normal life for him.

Deep in his heart, he was still a vampire.

Stop!” she screamed. “Don’t hurt him.”

“Back off!” Billy shouted.

She yanked harder on Billy’s arm.

“He isn’t a vampire anymore, idiot. Look! Do you see that big, yellow thing up in the sky? That’s called the sun. It’s shining down on him, and he isn’t exploding. His fangs are gone. He’s as human as we are. Case closed.”

Billy stared up at the sky, his jaw slack. “Not possible.”

Jack mumbled, “They don’t call me Jackpot for nothing.”

“What?” Billy blinked at him.

“Private joke.

Good evening, you poor little Orphans of a Loveless God. Good evening to you blood sucking fools.

She had fire dancing in her eyes as she assaulted him with her serpent's tongue. Tonight she was not his wife but his little sister.

Some are born to sweet delight, Some are born to endless night.