"And by eleven pee-em Saturday night"—Traviata opened that evening—"you'll have graduated forever from that. Besides, I love to dress up and we're... together now."Well, if she was going to put it that way any objections I might have had went out the window. The infinitely glamorous Camilla St. John needed an escort worthy of her, and even if it meant putting on bells and going places as the court jester I was on board with it. Anyhow, I was getting paid really outrageous amounts for my two. Unlike the last year, the winter had not yet arrived, but Jim had made sure they had enough firewood for the cast iron ovens of which there were five in the house; even two of the bedrooms could be heated.Mandy had a room down the hallway from Jim and Rose. Her mood had improved, and she was happy to live in a real house, happy to expect her first child, happy to be with her friends, and happy with the prospect of Ned's impending return.Raven, meanwhile, was feeling more and more like a fifth. And that was because, now that she'd had time to think about it, the idea of never seeing Frank Mortenson again did not, in any way, make her unhappy. Her daughter was right about that. He was a beast ... had been a beast. How could she be so relieved that her husband was dead? Did that make her a monster?No. He had been the beast. Now there would be no more bruises ... no more loose teeth from his fist hitting her mouth. There would be no more drunken rages where she was dragged to the. "Therefore, your greatest weapons are speed and brute force. Find a way to isolate your prey, and then attack without warning. Stun them or render them unconscious, and then rip into their flesh until you have drained the last drop. Then dispose of the body, and return to your lair."That was his mantra: strike silently, fast and brutal; then bite, drain, dispose, and disappear. It was how to succeed at vampirism without really trying.And yet, in this hunt, he used none of the weapons available.