"Never tried the whole family shtick. Always thought it would get too lonely. Plus, there'd be a whole lot of awkwardness with me looking this way." Behind the light tone is a genuine sadness. Some vampires got turned late enough in life that they'd been married or even had children. Not Cooper. He tried to not to think about the what-ifs too often. All it would lead to was a bout of heartache.

He didn't have to dwell on those thoughts for too long. A sudden whiff of something that smelled of blood and death made him suddenly stop. There had been another vampire that passed through here. The scent was faint and old. "I think we're getting close."