The next day, Ysabeau takes her riding for exercise, because apparently we’re still stuck on that ‘Diana needs to burn off her excess adrenaline’ shtick.  To make it even better, Diana says that the two scares from yesterday (almost drowning and Dom showing up) used up all her supply.  Yes, she actually thinks that being afraid reduces one’s supply of adrenaline. 

They go out riding, and along the way Ysabeau kills and eats a bunch of cuddly, furry forest animals in an attempt to dissuade Diana.

“Do you think vampires are beautiful now? Do you still think it would be easy to live with my son, knowing that he must kill to survive?”

And…do you think that humans don’t hunt and kill and eat furry forest animals?  Hell, Diana isn’t vegetarian or anything.  It’s not like ‘oh, we eat animals!’ is that big of a horror.  Ysabeau isn’t even messy about it.

“Spit it out, Ysabeau. Why must I do what Matthew says?”

“Because he is the strongest vampire in the château. He is the head of the house.”

And…?  What, really, that’s it?  Might makes right.  He’s the strongest, so he gets to do whatever?  Come on, Ysabeau, we got rid of that method of ruling centuries ago.

Wasting time around the castle, more pointless backstory, is the plot ever going to come back?

Diana calls her aunt to repeat the events of the last few chapters, I guess in case we slept through them.  Well, it is a very real possibility.  Em tells Diana that Dom is ‘very dangerous!’  You know what, every person in this book is ‘very dangerous.’  Matthew, Ysabeau, Peter, Dom, she’s been warned away from all of them.  And what have these ‘very dangerous’ people done?  Make snide comments and kiss her, depending on the person.  Damnit, book, if you’re going to claim half the cast is dangerous, have them do something dangerous!  I’m sick of being promised danger and getting cattiness instead. 

Then they have a long drawn out conversation about how nice it is that Diana is in love.  No, really.  Complete with gossipy talk about how odd it is that Matthew hasn’t said it back.  This is what we’re reduced to, people.  The plot has fled the building, and high school drama has replaced it.

Poor plot.  I want to go find it and keep it company.

Then Diana calls Matthew and they chit-chat about wine.  I just don’t even know anymore.  Maybe the author fried her brain with her own book or something.  At least that’s the end of the chapter.