The term "cure" is used, not only by Nick (and other reluctant vampires), but also by vampires who are content with their state. On the face of it, this would seem perverse: one "cures" an ailment; and a happy vampire would not, presumably, see the condition as a sickness. However, the vampires most likely to discuss the matter with Nick are members of his family, LaCroix and Janette; and it is clear from their tone of voice that they are simply employing the term that Nick himself uses. When LaCroix refers to the quest to find a cure, his intonation often indicates that, when he says "your search for a cure", he actually uses the phrase sarcastically: "a so-called cure" would be a reasonable paraphrase.