They Killed Me Already: Jane comes across a site that she missed before, since it was likely spelled, and wonders about the connections between vampires, witch children, and leaving newly turned vamps buried longer. Then Jane witnesses another rising—a male this time—and he attacks. After they scuffle , he surprises Jane by speaking to her, which new vamps aren’t supposed to be able to do, and he understands Jane when she speaks to him. Suddenly Jane begins to make sense of what has been going on: the new vamps were being kept in the ground longer, bound by a stasis spell, to see if that would cure their insanity, which was why the missing witch children and new young rogue dates didn’t match up. Jane also fears that the use of crosses may be part of the experiment—to see if an immunity can be built.
Jane talks to and reasons with the vamp, who even knows his name, and calls Bruiser to bring someone to feed him. The new vamp loses control and Jane ends up staking him—an unfortunate development, since he was her only lead to his creator. Bruiser tells Jane to not cut off the vamp’s head yet, so Sabina can try to figure out why he was so unusual. Jane carries the body to the chapel, and Sabina greets her by referring to her as a creature. When Jane describes to Sabina what has been going on with the vamps and witches, at first the old vampire is reluctant to believe her, but then identifies the scent as belonging to one she killed long ago, of the Rousseau line. When Jane says she witnessed Sabina holding a cross to fight off the liver-eater, Sabina grabs her by the throat.
Our Sin Has Multiplied: While Jane struggles for breath, she calls upon the serenity she achieved when she went to water with Aggie, and manages to get out the words that she seeks absolution. Sabina seems affected by Jane’s state of calm, and asks to see the site of the rising. On the way there, Sabina refers to the Blood Cross. Though she is unable to stay long because of the many crosses, Sabina says that the sire is definitely Rousseau. When Jane returns to the chapel to hear what else Sabina has to say, she learns a lot. The Sons of Darkness created the vampire race, but also foretold a savior, telling Jane that if she turns out to be that person, she will be told the whole story. Years ago Clan Rousseau did not accept that Mithrans carried blood guilt or passed it down to their scions, but believed in the Naturaleza way of hunting and killing humans. The ones following that belief were killed, but Clan Rousseau has been plagued by insanity, causing some to be long-chained.
Jane leaves to go visit Molly, and during her brief time there something very unusual occurs: Beast takes over to comfort Molly, speaking in a slightly different voice and in the form of speech she uses in Jane’s mind. Molly realizes what is going on and is kind of thrilled, but Jane is disturbed by Beast telling her that she is only good for killing. Deciding she wants to get some answers, Jane goes to see Bruiser, but stops at the Rousseau Clan home on the way. The place appears empty, and it looks as though force was used. Jane reports this to Bruiser.
Three Hundred Years, Give or Take a Few Decades: At Jane’s insistence, Bruiser fills her in on some of the history of the Rousseau Clan, which has its roots in Haiti and the revolution there. Surviving clans relocated to America in 1791, and some of them practiced blood-magic. After the purge, which was supposed to get rid of all of those using the prohibited magic and experiments to remove the tendency to insanity among the Rousseau Clan, it seems that two of the clan, Renee and Tristan Damours, are still around, though staying out of the public eye.
After verifying that she can get in, Jane heads over to Room 666 to do more research. Lack of sleep and anxiety over the missing children cause Jane to break down in front of Rick, who comforts her, then kisses her, which Jane realizes she enjoys. Jane learns more from the files about Renee, and then heads home to get some much-needed sleep. She wakes to knocking on her door, and finds Evangelina, Molly’s sister. Over tea and cookies the women discuss what is going on, both very puzzled over the involvement of witches in what the rogue vamps are doing.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Jane attends a meeting called by Jodi in Room 666, with Rick and a cop she doesn’t know also present. Jodi’s “reward” from her jealous boss for being granted access to a vamp council meeting (with Jane in Skinwalker): the witch children cases, current and cold. Jane shares what she knows, and learns that a local gang, the Crips, may be involved in the whole situation. Sloan, the cop she doesn’t know, served undercover with the gang. In a brief conversation with Rick, two things happen: Jane makes a connection between Leo, Derek, and the Crips, and she insults Rick by asking him if he has been asked by Leo to seduce her. Jane meets with Derek and some of his crew, who will be joining Jane for a visit to the Warehouse District to track down the rogue-maker.
After checking and scenting the area, Jane finds a building that she considers a likely prospect. Hicklin, one of Derek’s men, goes inside an art store located in one corner, flirting with the salesgirl for information. He finds out that a very unusual, very old vamp lives in the other section of the building, and Jane feels sure that it must be Renee. Derek’s guys blow the door off, and on the inside Jane and the men find nine vamps chained to cots, but no one else. One cot is empty. Two blood-servants and a vamp come down the stairs, and while they are incapacitated, Jane learns that her theory is correct: Renee, Tristan, and one other male vamp are also witches. Jane also confirms, by smell, that two of the vamps chained to cots also have the witch gene.
Thief-of-Kits. Die. While checking out the rest of the building looking for the captives, Jane finds a group of paintings depicting various scenes, and discovers a bed inside an armoire with Angie’s scent, but no blood. Jane then figures out that the last armoire covers a hidden passageway, which Derek and his men find the door to outside, but the vamps and their hostages are long gone. When Jane gets back home, Evangelina, Evan, and Molly are all there. Jane tells them what she knows, and then Rick arrives with the information that Bettina, when human, was Renee’s slave, then Bethany’s, turned by a member of the Rousseau Clan when she became ill. Jane and all of her company examine the vamp paintings, which tell the story of the experiments. The two witches knock at the door—the same two who had been involved in the taking of the children. The two women say they were approached by a male vampire who blamed Leo for the theft of the witch children, telling the two women he needed their help to get others to safety. Once they realized what was going on, they came over to tell Jane and the others. Apparently Angie did something to one of the vamps that prevented him and the others from killing the two witches. Derek calls to tell Jane that the transponders placed on the cots at the warehouse had been found and removed. Jane leaves, with Rick following.
Will Not Be Caught in Predator’s Stare: Jane and Rick arrive at the vamp cemetery. When Sabina does not answer Jane’s banging, she breaks down the door. Inside the two find a bier with Sabina’s likeness on it, but when they open it, she is not inside. They do find boxes, and one that Jane opens holds the cross she saw Sabina wield when chasing the liver-eater, what she had referred to as the Blood Cross. Suddenly Sabina is upon them, sinking her talons into Jane, accusing her of stealing. Jane explains that she just wants to borrow the cross, to use against the ones holding the children and Bliss.