"She's better off that way. More fun," Natasha says, catching Lily's muzzle and rubbing her chin playfully, confident the dog will never have any crises of identity because she'll never be a mother.

"Like myself," she echoes as he goes on. A vampire. She really shouldn't be surprised he hasn't met more of them, or known he had. Either way. He might be like her in other ways as well, though. "Between the two of them, I'd much rather meet him. Though I guess I haven't met Millicent either."

And Natasha has no intention of changing that.

"Somehow, I don't think she'd be much fun at a party."