"You aren't really human, so you ranked higher than me," Max says as if that fact should be obvious. "I think Erik viewed you like one of his other surrogate vampires. We didn't have any in the house while you were there, but just the year before he had one of the younger vampires his sister turned show up asking for help. His name was Michael and he stayed with us for half a year in the same room you were in. I guess he didn't make as good of an impression as you did, though, because I didn't get to hang out with Michael the same way I got to hang out with you." Still, Max looks back on those times with some fondness, just because it was a change of pace for a little while.

"As for me? If I'd gone out of that house on my own with no guard, I'd have been killed almost instantly. Erik's enemies have a grudge against me, so, you know, it's easier to sit and stay when your life depends on it."