Theresa scooted towards the opposite end of the couch when Melody nearly blurted out the word 'vampire', then warily settled back when the other girl refrained. She was imagining pitchforks and torches, or at least puddles of gasoline.

"Five, actually," she said after giving it a minute of thought. "I figured it would be best to say I was almost into my mid-twenties so I'd be closer to Dane's age. That way people wouldn't ask so many questions."

She realized as soon as she'd finished the sentence that she sounded as if she'd liked the son of a bitch, and a sheepish smile crossed her face. "The bond's a thing that can't be helped, even when you'd rather not feel it."