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And as for lightwell, it has taken me decades to adjust to where I’ht

And trust ie, coend?"

"Legend is only hearsay, and that eends are most often based on fact Many vampires do rest in their coffins, because they died before they were reborn They awoke in their coffins A coffin reo ho to my home, which is my native soil I don’t need to carry dirt around withnative soil with th from the earth But think about the city of New Orleans, Sean, and about our ceround tombs are referred to as ‘ovens’ because they are ovens In a year and a day, the remains of the dead are er exists--bones are pushed to the rear of a coffin to make room for the next deceased in a family In cooler places than New Orleans, where a tomb bakes in the sun, some vampires do sleep in their coffins

In crypts, in family vaults-- in bedrooood story, that they don’t And we thrive on good food, just as others do, we just we just need a little ift,‘ as so er, a thirstand it enetics " She paused, shaking her head as she looked at hiitiht well live for centuries So he invented the story that I was having a child Every twenty years or so, I could codalena, Sean, because I a, of course Maybe she even believed just a little bit what she was saying God knew, the legends abounded in her faie, please "

"Sean, you have to listen It’s the truth"

"Oh, coie, I can’t believe you!"

"You must believe me"

He shook his head is Someone who simply sucked the essence of life out of others A tyrant of a husband, a shrew of a wife A psychological va heart and soul

A he blood

An insanehe or she needed to drink blood to survive Why not? Killers listened to voices, des who told them how and when to take a life The world was full of ie was eccentric, she had listened to one story too ht You say you’re a vaht about these recentto tell me that you’re the killer, that you had to drink blood?" He shook his head He loved her, and he knew the truth "Maggie, I’ve seen the killer" She shook her head impatiently "Yes, you’ve seen the killer, and no, obviously, I’ down at her hands "But you don’t want to accept the truth-- even though you’ve seen it You know that so different about these killings, that blood doesn’t disappear Vao, I did kill When I--when I was first bitten,a heedless predator He acquired blood for me from different places, he studied vaht blood froue I’ve chosen towell, in the last few years, I’ve relied on blood banks--and small mammals Birds, upon occasion I never wanted to kill But I have done so

Condemned men mostly Once, I finished off a Yankee soldier who had been tainted with bad blood" She hesitated "Varees to vampire bites; sooing crazy I wish I hadn’t had to kill even him Of course, I did --"

"What?" Sean snapped, reie totally insane--or was he?

She shook her head "Long tiood friend and her son was retarded and he was accused of an awful crime he didn’t coly

She shook her head "I’ve never created another of my kind We’re only alloo per century--"

"Two per century," he repeated, but she didn’t see the incredulity of her story

"But I wouldn’t, you see I’d never do this to anyone"

"Why not? You see well"