"I bet you're glad to see them."

Alexander shrugged his shoulders.

"It'sokay-I know you had to have missed them."

He hesitated and then began as if he were revealing a national secret. "It's been great to talk to my dad. He's an art dealer. He's very interesting and has so much to share about the art world. He brought me a painting from a rising artist inFrance ."

"Does he like your artwork?"

"I'm not sure he takes me seriously yet. He thinks I just I -.tint for fun."

"And your mom?"

Alexander's eyes couldn't help but twinkle.

"I bet she dotes on you," I said.

"She's my mom. She's insisting that I haven't eaten and I us promised to fatten me up."

"When will I meet them?"

"Hopefully soon."

"I think you're hiding me."

"It's true… I want you all to myself." He squeezed me hard and swung me around.

"Do they know everything?"

"I don't tell my parents everything. Do you?"

Alexander had a point. I certainly didn't tell my parents I hat we had dates in the cemetery and I slept during the day with him in a coffin.

"Do they know Tm not a vampire?" I asked.

"Do your parents know I am one?"

I was shocked. Did Alexander have to hide my identity like I had to hide his? I thought maybe they knew already or they'd gotten wind of it from Jameson or the Maxwells .hut either Jagger and his siblings, Luna and Valentine, hadn't returned toRomania or they hadn't wanted to share i hat Alexander had preferred a mortal to Luna.

And maybe Alexander chose not to tell his parents that L was mortal-like I'd chosen not to tell mine that he was a vampire. It didn't occur to me that he couldn't tell them the truth about me, I never realized how painful it must be for him that I couldn't disclose his reality to my parents or even my best friend.

"You don't want me to meet them, do you?" I asked. "Then they'll know."