“It is fine,” Nikolai assured when Lilith apologized for touching his fang.  “You just surprised me.  I have not tasted fresh blood for a long time.”  Nikolai wished he could say that he’d stopped drinking from humans for moral reasons.  However, that was only a small part of it.  Mostly, he just found it increasingly difficult to be close to people -- even for the few minutes it took to feed from them.  “I use packets collected from blood donation centers.  They sustain me, but it is not the same.”<br/><br/>The truth about Lilith’s parentage came as a shock -- not just the child of humans who fought against vampires, but the last known descendant of an ancient line.  It was a miracle that she’d been spared.  But she certainly made an impressive trophy for her master.<br/><br/>Head bowed, Nikolai listened to the story of how Lilith’s family had been slaughtered.  “I am most sorry,” he murmured after she finished.  It seemed like a woefully inadequate response to her pain.  But what else could he say?  Reaching out, Nikolai brushed away a few of the tears running down Lilith’s cheek.  He was a doctor, he could fix bodies.  Unfortunately, some suffering remained beyond his power to heal.<br/><br/>“At least you have the lullaby.  I still remember the stories my mother told me when I was a young boy -- tales of burning phoenixes, talking wolves, and wizards who hid their hearts inside eggs.  They are some small comfort.”  Nikolai’s shoulders lifted in a slight shrug, then he shook his head.  “My family are all dead too.  We have that much in common.”<br/><br/>Shaking his head again, Nikolai brought his thoughts back to the examination.  “I know you have probably been...<span style="font-style: italic">handled</span>...against your will.  But I need to see how bad the bites on your chest and thighs are.  May I remove your dress?  I promise that I will not touch you like your master does.  And if you feel uncomfortable at any point, we can stop.”