“Ruth, meet Briony,” said the woman, holding a candle close so that Goldstein could see all-too-clearly the white, translucent skin, glassy eyes, and prominent bones of the invalid. “She’s been a vampire since 1925, and hasn’t harmed one person in all of that time. Not one, but that didn’t seem to interest the Healer who shot her in the back last night. Even the weakest of us can usually recover from quite serious wounds very quickly, but one of the bullets pierced her heart, and she’s wasting away. If she could only revive and take some nourishment and night air, she might stand a chance of recuperating, but we haven’t been able to wake her. One thing might work; she needs to taste the freshest, strongest blood we can offer her... and that’s precisely where you come in. Don’t panic, Ruth.
