Alex watches him as he sits there swinging his legs, undoubtedly fooling all the humans around them into thinking he's just an ordinary little kid. She hates him, even though she's never met him before. Hating vampires has been ingrained in her since she was an infant, and she spent a long time thinking they'd killed her family. That sort of loathing didn't just vanish because she'd learned that vampires weren't responsible.

She leans down so the humans won't hear, every muscle tense as she tries to remind herself that she can't hit him in public, and snaps, "If I stick around here, it'll be to make sure you don't make it to your six hundred and eightieth."

On some level she knows that, if he really is that old, a fight between them won't go in her favor. But the prospect of losing has never stopped her doing anything before.