Vampires Bite And Other Life Lessons: The Chronicles Of Cassidy Book 6 64676z

Vampires Bite and Other Life Lessons

The Chronicles of Cassidy Book 6

ID Johnson

Copyright © 2019 by ID Johnson

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For Olivia. Thanks for being such a good friend to Sophie.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

A Note from the Author

Also by ID Johnson

Chapter 1

Nothing can ruin an otherwise lovely early-spring/late-winter day like a funeral. Don’t get me wrong, funerals stink any time of the year. I should know. I’ve been to a lot of them recently. But this one was even worse because it was so lovely outside. The flowers were budding, birds were singing, and the grass was green and freshly cut, giving off that pleasant scent that makes you think of baseball and bike rides. Not standing by, helplessly watching one of your best friends in the world cry her eyes out because they’re lowering her daddy six feet into the ground. I sort of tuned out all of the wonderful things friends and family had to say about Dave Burk. I knew him pretty much my whole life, and I totally agree. He was an amazing man. He was funny and let us get away with way more than my parents did. Not to mention he had a law practice that made great money and provided a mansion-esque home for his family. (Not that Lucy’s mom didn’t contribute; she’s an ant.) I one time when we were about twelve, Lucy, Emma Sullivan—our other best friend—and I were upset because some stupid girl at school was giving Em a hard time. Mr. Burk demanded we drop everything, including a very important science project, and follow him to the car. A few minutes later, we were all laughing over ice cream cones. He was just a fun guy, a great dad, and someone who didn’t deserve to lose his life. Lucy’s spirit was broken; I could tell by the dullness in her eyes, and I couldn’t blame her. A slight breeze stirred her hair as she stared through her tears off into the distance, past the head of the current speaker, and I was thankful that Brandon Keen, my boyfriend, had my hand. Since Mr. Burk had ed away three days ago, I’d thought about losing my own dad enough times that I’d gotten sick to my stomach over it. As much as Eli and Liz Findley, my parents, drive me nuts, particularly now that we are sharing a cramped apartment together, I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose them. I’m so glad they decided to move to Kansas City to live on the LIGHTS (Lincoln Institute for Guardian and Hunter Training Station) complex grounds where they’d be safe. I mean—relatively safe. I knew there was always a possibility that something weird would happen again—like when toddler Vampire, Bonnie, ripped the

throats out of dozens of Guardians a few weeks ago. But things like that didn’t happen much, and it had sort of been my fault. I’d decided after that not to be an idiot anymore. So far, it was working. The preacher said a few final words, and then we all bowed our heads in prayer. His voice cracked a little as he asked God for peace for Mr. Burk’s family. He, like the other citizens of Shenandoah who didn’t know about the Ternion—that Hunters, Guardians, and Vampires exist—thought that a gang of marauders had come through town and killed several people. We knew that this was actually a last ditch effort by Holland to distract our team, and it definitely worked to a degree. I mean, my sister Cadence, the Hunter Leader, and her fiancé Aaron McReynolds, the Guardian Leader, did have to do some shoring up after this. There were Guardians positioned in Shenandoah who were supposed to see this sort of thing coming, but for whatever reason, they didn’t know Holland was about to strike until it was too late, and then they were outnumbered. This was personal. This was Holland getting my sister where she knew it would hurt. And me, too, apparently. The house we grew up in had been busted into, but the Vampires had left without doing much damage. Still, it was a sign. We’d taken out Carter, Holland’s boyfriend, and she had intended to hit us where we were most susceptible. She hadn’t gotten our parents, but she’d done a lot of damage to our hometown. When the final words of prayer were over, Lucy, her mom, Annie, and brother Daniel stepped forward and each dropped a flower onto her dad’s casket. I hadn’t cried much yet, but tears streaked my cheeks as I watched her. I wished there was something I could do to make her feel better, but all I could do was stand back helplessly and watch—and vow that this wasn’t over. “Are you okay?” Brandon whispered into my ear once Lucy and her family were finished and turned to accept hugs and condolences from the dozens of people who’d come. The funeral home had been even more packed, but since this was the fifth funeral in the last few days in Shenandoah, a lot of people hadn’t made the trek out to the cemetery. “I’m okay,” I said, swiping at my tears. I saw Emma standing with her parents over by a tree, and I thought it was awful that we couldn’t even have Mr. Burk’s luncheon in his own house because of what he’d gone through, so it was being held at the Sullivan residence instead. My sister had said that the Sullivans would have been the next victims, but Holland’s minions had been foiled right

before they broke into the house we’d all be congregating in shortly. The family didn’t know that, of course. Brandon led me back toward the SUV we’d come in. Because technically all Hunters were still only supposed to leave headquarters on hunts, thanks to the restrictions put on us after the situation with Bonnie and the escape of the Vampires from the tracking center, my sister and I were the only Hunters who had come, though Aurora Howe and Ashley Stone had wanted to because they knew how upset the entire situation had made me. And Tara McCall, my new best friend at LIGHTS, had pleaded with my sister to let her attend, but Cadence said no and reminded Tara what had happened the last time she did something that wasn’t a good idea. She’d gotten attacked by Bonnie and almost died. Tara backed off after that. Elliott Sanderson, Brandon’s dad and one of my best friends, opened the back enger-side door for me, and I thanked him quietly. Brandon went around, and Elliott hopped into the driver’s seat. My sister and Aaron had driven separately with my parents as engers. We waited just a second for Jamie Joplin, our resident Healer, to finish talking to my sister and head over. It seemed a little odd that the rest of my family was in the other SUV together, but then, the guys in this vehicle were basically my family now. “Well, that was depressing,” Elliott muttered as he followed a long stream of cars out of the cemetery toward the Sullivan house. “Tell ya what, if I ever die again, just skip that, okay?” “You can’t die again,” I said, knowing he was trying to lighten the mood but also ing how devastated I was sitting at his funeral not even a year ago. “Even if it were possible for you to die again, you’re not allowed to. None of you are.” Elliott had used the Blue Moon Portal to come back from the other side, and as far as everyone knew, there was no going back once you’d come through. So technically, he shouldn’t be able to die. Ever. “I’m just sayin’... I’ve been to a lot of funerals, too, lil girl, and I can’t imagine anyone sittin’ on the other side thinkin’, ‘Well, look at that! I just made hundreds of people cry!’” I kept my snarky comments concerning my own tears that had fallen for the man presently speaking to me to myself. Brandon hadn’t been at his dad’s first

funeral because he didn’t even know him before he died the first time. Hopefully, he’d be spared ever having to go to a second one. Jamie was super quiet, and I imagined that was because he was thinking about his own set of funerals. When you’re as old as these guys, you had to see death a little differently than the average human being. I knew Jamie’s parents had been dead for about a hundred years. I’m sure he was thinking about his fiancée, Ellie, though. She’d died at Pearl Harbor. His current girlfriend, Ashley, looked a lot like Ellie, but their personalities were totally different. I wondered if Jamie was wishing he hadn’t come along, but then, he’d needed to check Lucy to make sure she wasn’t actually Transforming. Since she’d killed the Vampire that took her dad, there was a chance she might, even though she wasn’t seventeen yet. Jamie had checked her over the day before and found out she was still human. No one else in the town seemed to be changing either. Of the families that had been attacked, the only other person who had the capability of Transforming happened to be Lucy’s brother Daniel who wasn’t home at the time. He’d walked in a few minutes after Lucy had found her father in the pantry—already deceased. Her mother had been hiding in the broom closet and was so stunned, she hadn’t said a word for almost three hours after the police and our team arrived. When she finally spoke, Annie said her husband had done his best to lure the Vampire away from her, and she hoped that her children wouldn’t come home from the basketball game they’d been attending until it was gone, but Lucy had walked in and almost ran right into the thing. Lucy said she didn’t know what came over her, but somehow, she’d managed to decapitate it without actually Transforming. Jamie thought the whole thing was odd and wondered if she hadn’t temporarily activated, but my sister said she understood because she’d had a similar experience when she’d first seen Carter and killed him before she Transformed. Yeah, my sister killed the sucker twice. Hopefully, he’d stay dead this time. We pulled up near Emma’s house. There were a ton of people streaming in, some from the cemetery, others who were just dropping by to give their condolences. People like to drop off food when someone dies, I’ve noticed. Even if they don’t know you or the person who died, death deserves a casserole. I saw Jack Cook’s parents making their way up the steps and ed his funeral, and I saw Drew Peterson’s mom heading off the porch. She’d clearly just dropped something off with Mrs. Sullivan and was leaving. It was her

daughter’s death that had begun this whole crazy experience for me, though she didn’t know it. Neither of those families had any idea what had really happened to their children. “Shall we?” Elliott asked, though he hadn’t moved to unbuckle. I didn’t wanna. I knew Luce needed me to be there. I was certain Emma wouldn’t be able to handle her emotions the way I could since Emma just doesn’t react the same way as most people to this type of situation. But... facing another food-filled extravaganza of the celebration of a life lost too soon just didn’t seem like the type of thing I wanted to spend my afternoon doing. “Come on,” Brandon probed. I saw my family pull in across the street. My mom was dabbing her eyes. Cadence wrapped an arm around her, and my dad had that ‘lump in his throat’ look about him. Aaron looked disinterested, and I noted he’d been acting odd lately—but I let that idea slip away from me as my door opened. I didn’t even realize Brandon had gotten out. Inside, there was that bustle of conversation where you can sort of pick up on a whispered word here or there but really have no idea what anyone is talking about. I’m sure much of it was speculation about the marauders. If only they knew the truth. The Sullivan’s had a nice house, though it was nothing like Lucy’s home, and Emma’s mom, Sandra, had set up a lovely tribute to Dave on a little table inside of the front door. There was a picture of him with his arm around both kids, his wife smiling over their shoulder, and I ed the day that picture was taken. Lucy had gotten first place in an oratory contest. She’d rolled her eyes just before the picture was snapped, but I could tell she was proud of herself and glad her dad was making such a big deal out of her winning, even if he was telling a lot of dad jokes and chiding her for not knowing how to stop talking. She wasn’t talking now, though. When she walked in a few minutes after me, her expression was solemn. There was a lot more hugging. And when our friends from school, Milo and Wes, whom I hadn’t had a chance to see since I’d come back but was hoping to speak to, came in after Lucy and wrapped their arms around her, she started bawling again. Her boyfriend Jason is sort of aloof, and he just stood off to the side. Brandon went over to speak to him since they’d met a few months ago, and I took deep breaths, wishing my way back to our house.

“She looks really said,” Emma said over my shoulder. “I wish I could make her feel better.” “Me, too,” I replied. I’d gotten to spend a little bit of time with Emma and Lucy the day before after we’d gotten in, but not enough. I’d missed them both so much since I’d moved to Kansas City. We’d done plenty of FaceTime and texting, but I’d always imagined the next time I saw them would be a joyful occasion, not something like this. Annie Burk is one of those go-getters who always smiles, and she was doing her best now, but she started crying again a few minutes after she arrived, and Emma’s mom, who is nothing like Emma and will cry right along with you, helped her into the guest room. Daniel wandered off, and I saw him a few minutes later sitting in the corner, staring at his phone. I was certain he wasn’t handling this well either, but he had always just been Lucy’s big brother to me, and I didn’t know what to say to him. When Jack’s mom, Alice, went over to say something to him, I was glad I wasn’t the only one who had noticed he needed comforting. Time crawled by, but after an hour or so, there was a little bit of laughter in the background, and Lucy was starting to regain some of her normal disposition. I sat down beside her and Emma at the dining room table even though I was done eating, having had about a dozen barbecue meatballs, a ton of carrot sticks, and a couple of tiny sandwiches while I watched Elliott down an entire crockpot full of chili and said a prayer of thanksgiving that he didn’t sleep so he’d stay downstairs and let all of that come back out later, hopefully after I went to bed. “So...” Lucy said, dropping her voice and glancing around. Jason and Brandon were talking to Milo and Wes a few feet away, but they didn’t seem to be paying too close attention to us, and the fact that her eyes kept flickering to the back of her boyfriend’s head made me think she was about to say something she didn’t want him to know about. He was not privy to our secret society and likely never would be since his family were all human. “So what?” Emma asked, her voice projecting loudly enough to momentarily get Jason’s attention. He turned back to Milo as Lucy discreetly shushed her. “So... here’s the deal. I’ve been talking to my mom, and she’s planning on staying in our house. Like, once the police are done with it, and she has it...

cleaned up.” I raised an eyebrow at her, surprised to hear that. I know one of the first things my sister said to Lucy’s mom, who had been aware of the Ternion since she was a little girl but had chosen not to Transform, was that she could bring her family to Kansas City, at least until we had this thing with Holland better under control. Annie had declined that offer, but I was shocked they were going to stay in that house. I don’t think I could do that. It bothered me that my grandfather had been murdered in my sister’s apartment, even though I never met him, and it had happened a long time before either one of us were born. How Aaron had moved in there was beyond me.... “What do you think about that?” Emma asked Lucy as I tried to stay focused on the people in front of me. Lucy sighed and ran a hand through her lengthy blonde hair. “I don’t think I can do it. I mean, not only will I think of that... thing I killed every time I walk in there, but there are memories of my dad. Going to the pantry to grab a snack will be completely traumatic.” I fought a snicker because it wasn’t appropriate, even though part of me wanted to remind her basically everything she did was traumatic—or dramatic anyway. “What are you going to do?” Lucy’s eyes shifted to where my sister and the Guardians were standing in the other room. We could see them through the open doorway, and I thought I knew the answer to my own question. “I know I can’t Transform for a few more months. And I’ve always planned on finishing high school here. Daniel wants to stay and finish. And he is just processing all of this Vampire stuff.” Lucy had known about the secret world for a while now, though the first time she found out, Elliott wiped her memory. She had it all back now. Daniel had no idea Vampires existed until we showed up and filled him in. He had a hard time accepting my sister and Aaron were telling him the truth—and I could empathize. “So, do you think your sister might...?” “Let you go with us to Kansas City?” I asked in a whisper, not sure I was guessing correctly until Lucy’s head bobbed up and down. “Have you talked to your mom about that?” “Yeah,” Lucy said, and it was the most enthusiastic utterance she’d made all day.

“She said she’d have to talk to your mom about it because she’d expect Liz and Eli to keep an eye on me. But she wasn’t opposed to it.” “That sounds promising,” Emma offered, adjusting her glasses. “Yeah, but you’d have to get Aaron and Cadence to agree, and....” I glanced over my shoulder at Aaron and ed that he’d been acting strange the last couple of weeks. “I’m not sure what they’ll say.” “They offered to take my whole family back, ?” Lucy said, folding her arms. I realized she’d taken my comment as an offense and took a deep breath. I hadn’t meant it that way. “I know.” I smiled at her. “It would be great if you could, if that’s what you want. I miss you, you know that. I just... there’s a lot going on right now.” She knew most of what had gone on with Holland and my recent adventures in Australia, but she didn’t know all of it, and I couldn’t go into it right then. “You sure you’re ready for that world?” Emma asked. She was running the ends of her brown hair through her fingers, twirling it around, something she only did when she was uncomfortable. “I don’t think I could leave Shenandoah now, not with only a little over a year of high school left. And I figured I’d finish college before I ed up.” Emma is a genius, and college has always been very important to her. I doubted she’d be willing to trade an Ivy League education for Vampire hunting, not unless something happened that made her have to choose that path, but Lucy’s options had just been altered. Sure, she could stay here, maybe even move in with Emma if she couldn’t imagine going back to her house again, but once you’ve had an encounter with a Vampire, it changes your life. I knew that firsthand having killed a few myself now, and I got why Lucy wanted to come back to LIGHTS with us. I was all for it, even though the idea of sharing our already tiny apartment with another person seemed inconvenient. It wouldn’t be too long until we both graduated from high school, and then I was hoping my parents would let me have my own apartment. Having Lucy for a roommate would be awesome. “I’m ready,” Lucy said quietly. “It’s hard to describe, Emma. Even though technically I didn’t start the Transformation process the other night, something

changed in me. Something I can’t quite describe.” “What about Jason?” I whispered. Lucy shrugged. “We’ve been dating for a while now, you know. But it’s not like I’m in love with him. He graduates in two months, and then he’s planning on going to Nebraska to play football. I doubt I’d see much of him anyway.” It sounded similar to when Jack and Cadence had broken up because he was going to Nebraska to play baseball, and she had chosen to go to University of Iowa instead. My mind naturally flickered over the guys in my training group, and there were a couple I thought Lucy might like, though the idea of her looking to date right now was absurd. I took another deep breath. “Well, is your mom gonna talk to my mom?” “She said she would.” Annie had come out of the guest room a little while ago and was sitting in the living room. “She said she doesn’t know if she can stand to lose me, too, right now, and that was upsetting. I wish she didn’t feel that way.” “Maybe you should think about it. We can always come back and get you. You don’t have to go with us when we leave tomorrow,” I offered. “No, I’ve thought about it. I can’t go back into that house, and I can’t stay here either.” Emma’s eyebrows arched. “You can stay here as long as you need to.” “No, I know. That’s not what I meant.” When Lucy sighs, it’s loud. All four boys turned and looked at us. She didn’t seem to notice. “I mean, I can’t stay in this town.” Tears sprang into her eyes. “I need to do something. Even if I can’t train yet, just being there, getting the sense of things, will make me feel like I’m doing something productive.” I completely understood that. It was the hardest thing in the world for me to sit around after Elliott died. I wanted to be doing something to catch his killers, and while I had been able to help a little bit, it wasn’t the same as what I could do now that I was actually in Kansas City. “Do you want me to talk to Cadence?” “Yes, please,” Lucy replied quickly. I nodded, and then she looked at my sister and made a little rocking motion with her head.

“Now?” I asked, surprised. “Yes. Why not?” Lucy shrugged. I looked from her to my sister and then back again before taking a deep breath and pushing up from the table. My sister didn’t seem to be discussing anything particularly trying with the guys, but it seemed like a weird conversation to have when just anyone could wander over. “Everything okay?” Brandon asked me through my IAC, or Intelligence Assistance Communicator, which is a small computer chip we all have embedded in our eyes. It allows us to speak to each other without opening our mouths, and it also lets us see what another team member is seeing. “Fine. Just going to talk to Cadence about something.” “Uh, you don’t sound fine.” I didn’t have an answer for that, so I didn’t respond, but he stayed where he was, which I appreciated because I had no idea what I was going to say to Cadence and didn’t need another witness. Elliott was telling a story when I stepped up between him and my sister, which was no surprise. Elliott is always telling a story or eating. He didn’t pause for almost a full minute, and I considered using my IAC to either shut him up or tell my sister I needed to speak with her, but he finally got to the punchline, and once everyone was done laughing, I cleared my voice. “Cadence, can I talk to you outside for a minute?” “What, Cass? You didn’t think that was funny? My mom drank an entire bottle of canola oil because she thought it was cooking wine.” “Yes, that’s hilarious,” I replied, forcing a giggle. I hadn’t heard anything he’d said and thought his mother must’ve been a nutcase to do something like that, but I didn’t have any extra brain cells to spare working that out. “Cadence?” “Okay,” my sister said, squeezing Aaron’s arm as she walked behind him. I followed, noting he seemed to flinch when she touched him. Something else I couldn’t think about at the moment.

The warmth of the sun’s rays was invigorating, despite the fact that we were at a dismal ceremony. A few people were standing in the yard talking or getting in their cars, so I walked around the corner a bit, hoping to give us some privacy. I could’ve used my IAC, but we tend to make facial expressions like we’re talking to each other when we communicate that way, and I didn’t see the point in weirding anyone out. “Did you see that?” Cadence asked, folding her arms as she stopped near an elm tree that was just starting to open its leaves. “See what?” I asked. There were a number of occurrences she could’ve been referring to. “Never mind,” she replied with a scowl. I realized then she was talking about Aaron’s reaction to her small gesture to let him know she’d be back, but I decided to let it go because that wasn’t my reason for dragging her away in the first place. “What is it?” “Well, Lucy wanted me to talk to you. She wants to know if she can come back to KC with us. Or come soon, or whatever. She doesn’t want to stay here.” My sister’s brown eyes doubled in size. So I wasn’t the only one who was surprised. “What does her mom think about that?” she finally asked. “Luce said her mom wasn’t thrilled about it, but she said it was okay with her if it was all right with you and Mom and Dad.” My sister pursed her lips and looked over her shoulder at the house. If she had X-ray vision like Aaron, I’d think there was a chance she was actually trying to see Lucy, but then I thought she was probably just contemplating the situation. She finally turned back around and said, “It’s okay with me. But she’d have to live with you guys. And Aaron would need to approve it, too.” I was shocked she’d said yes. My sister doesn’t usually agree to my inquiries so readily. “Really?” I asked, hoping not to press my luck. “I don’t see why not. Won’t she be seventeen in a couple of months?” I nodded. “And we offered to bring the whole family back. Are you sure they don’t want to come, too?”

“I’m pretty sure. Daniel will graduate in May. I think he’s already decided he’s going to MIT, so that will just leave her mom. Maybe by then, she’ll want to move out of that house.” My sister wrinkled her nose, and I knew she was thinking the same thing I was. “Well, I guess we’ll have to make sure Mom and Dad are on board, but it’s all right with me. Surely she won’t want to come right away, though.” “Oh, I think she does,” I replied. It did sound odd to think she’d leave her mom right after her dad was taken so tragically, but Lucy seemed on edge, and I thought she was ready to get away from there. I couldn’t blame her. “Whatever she wants,” Cadence said. “We can always come back and get her in a week or two.” The fact that her fiancé was a pilot, and we have access to a fleet of aircraft made her confident in that answer, and I nodded. “Thanks.” I hoped I sounded genuinely grateful and not like a punk kid spitting out the word. That’s something I need to work on—not being so angsty. “Sure.” Cadence pressed her lips together in some semblance of a smile and scanned the location. We all do that. A lot. Especially when we aren’t at headquarters. I wondered if she even noticed it. “Did you talk to Alice Cook?” I asked, my stomach tangling. I’d only said a few words to the woman. She and her husband, Steve, were having problems since Jack had died, and I felt awful for her and everyone else in this town who’d been affected by Holland and her devils. “I did,” Cadence nodded. We turned back toward the house, walking slowly, side by side. “She’s not doing too well. But she hides it.” I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I didn’t say anything. My sister continued. “She asked a lot of questions about what I was doing now, and when she noticed my ring, she got tears in her eyes.” It hadn’t occurred to me that she didn’t know my sister was engaged. “That had to be hard on her.” Even though Cadence and Jack weren’t dating anymore when he died, his parents had always loved my sister and hoped they’d get back together. “Yeah. And Aaron....” Cadence stopped talking. We were almost to the sidewalk

that led to the front porch. “Anyway, I feel bad for her. And Lucy’s family. And everyone else.” It seemed like my sister had some concerns about Aaron herself, but she clearly didn’t want to go into it, and I didn’t need another problem to solve. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to intercept any more plans on Holland’s behalf, and nothing like this will happen again,” I said, wishing I would’ve seen this coming. It wasn’t the first time the thought had occurred to me, but as Cadence reminded me the last time it happened, there’s a lot going on in that Vampire’s head, and I can’t possibly see all of it. “Hopefully, we can figure out where she’s hiding and end her once and for all,” Cadence replied. That was my primary objective—that and wiping out the cells that Holland had been moving into place to try to attack our various headquarters. But we’d been dragging our feet on all of that, and I didn’t quite understand why. Now that this slaughter had taken place, I knew I was going to have to do something, even if it wasn’t my place, and I was just one tiny part of LIGHTS. I had to do whatever I could to make sure the next time an attack occurred, we were the ones coming in with guns a’blazing, not sitting and waiting for them to sneak in and take us by surprise. The only problem was, I was the only one who seemed to realize this. That had to change.

Chapter 2

Lucy flew back to Kansas City with us. The second my mom started to nod her head—not a full-fledged “yes” but just that initial, “I’m thinking about saying yes but haven’t quite gotten there yet” approval—Lucy was thanking her. So she really didn’t have much of a choice. Luce said next to nothing the entire flight, which wasn’t that long, but I didn’t know if I should try to carry on a conversation or just let her absorb everything. Her whole life had changed in a matter of seconds. I do know the feeling. When this world was revealed to me initially, it was a little slower than that. But when I woke up in Philadelphia to discover I was a half-Vampire, half-Hunter Hybrid, it seemed like I’d taken a ride on a rollercoaster with no safety harness of any kind. I got it. And I didn’t want to overwhelm her. So we sat next to each other, and she stared out the window at the tiny towns and farmland, and I talked to Brandon a little on my IAC, but pretty much everyone else was speaking in low whispers, like they didn’t want to disturb the fragile girl with the big blue eyes. Once we got to headquarters, Lucy’s demeanor changed slightly. I could see excitement building within her, like she ed there was a fresh wound in her heart, but it was starting to scab over a little and let her life continue. It’s impossible to step onto campus for the first time and not think about what you’re looking at. The rest of the world out there beyond those gates has no idea what we do in here, and once you’re inside, there’s no going back. Unless of course Elliott does some of his mind trickery, but Lucy is beyond that. Our apartment is tiny compared to Cadence’s. I wished Lucy could’ve just stayed with my sister because at least she’d have her own room, but my mom was adamant that she had promised Lucy’s mom that she would take care of her daughter, so she needed to be under our roof. I didn’t mention that we live in the same apartment building as Cadence, so technically, Lucy would still be under the same roof. “Your room is so cool,” Lucy said, bringing in the small duffel bag she’d brought with her. The rest of her stuff would be up shortly. Sometimes it takes a few minutes for stuff to get here from the airport, but we have people for that.

We have people for a lot of things. “Thanks,” I said, thinking about drawers and closet space. And where we would both sleep. My bed is full-sized, so we would both fit on it, but it would be tight. “You can sleep in here, and I’ll take the couch.” “Oh, no. I don’t want to be a pain,” Lucy said, dropping her bag and sitting down on the edge of my bedspread. “It’s just—not girly at all.” I laughed. “I didn’t want any pink, frou-frou stuff. So I went with blues and teals.” “It’s great. I’ll sleep on the floor. I brought a sleeping bag.” “You can’t sleep on the floor for the next year and I half,” I muttered, but then I ed she’d be seventeen soon enough. I wondered if my mom would let her move out then, after she Transforms. “We’ll have to get you enrolled in our online high school. If you need any help with algebra, Brandon can help. I wouldn’t be ing if it wasn’t for him.” “Cool,” Lucy muttered, still looking around. “It must help that you have an IAC.” “It helps with a lot of my classes, but not really math. The calculator is nice, though.” I sat down a few feet away from her. “Mom said I can take you over to meet Dax and Tara before dinner. But I’m on a very tight schedule. She’ll probably expect the same thing from you.” Lucy twisted around, pulling her knee up on the bed, so she could face me. “What do you mean?” Sighing, I picked up a throw pillow and squeezed it against my chest. I knew my parents were in the kitchen making lunch because I could hear the dishes. It was a Wednesday, and I was surprised my dad hadn’t gone to work as soon as we landed. He loved his new job working with the other engineers on weapons and stuff like that. He didn’t even mind that he answered to Christian. “I mean... I have a very short leash.” Her forehead crinkled. “Why is that? You mean, they don’t trust you?”

“Nope. And maybe they shouldn’t.” I thought about my reckless behavior that had earned me a steel gray eye. “I go to training in the morning, come home to do my homework, and then if I’m lucky I get to go hang out with my friends for a couple of hours before my eight o’clock curfew.” “Eight?” Lucy wrinkled her nose so that one nostril was a lot higher than the other. “Gross.” “I know. On the weekends, sometimes they let me stay out until ten. Unless I’m on a hunt. That’s the only time I can stay out later.” Lucy shook her head slowly. “There’s not even anything you can do to get yourself into trouble here, is there?” An image of Bonnie ripping Tara’s throat out crossed my mind. “Sometimes. But I think they don’t trust me because of what happened in Philadelphia.” “Right.” She shrugged. “I guess I can just have my parents—my mom—talk to yours.” Her voice caught in her throat as she had to correct herself. She didn’t have parents anymore. It had to be a sobering realization. “Maybe my mom can set all of those rules for me.” “Maybe. But Liz Findley likes things a certain way, and she’s not likely to let your mom impose any rules while you’re here, since ultimately, you’re her responsibility.” Lucy stared at me for a second but didn’t say anything. I knew she was used to coming and going at all hours of the day and late into the evening. “Can you show me around?” “Sure,” I said before I realized my mom would expect us to eat lunch first. “I bet Tara and Dax are at the pizza place.” Thoughts of another person I wanted to introduce her to had me smiling. “And you’ve got to meet Alex. He’s so cool.” She tipped her head to the side and took me in. “Alex who? Is he cute?” I couldn’t help but laugh, confusing her more. “Sorry—it’s just. You’ll see.” Lucy continued to study me for a minute. My mom shouted at us that lunch was ready, and we headed out to the dining room, even though I knew Lucy wouldn’t

eat much of anything. I’d noticed all she’d done was pick at her food every time we’d sat down for a meal for the last few days. After a quick lunch of tuna salad sandwiches and chips, we headed across campus. Tara was actually in her apartment, and she said she’d call Dax over before we arrived. Brandon was in the gym but promised he’d come over later. I think he was trying to give me some time with Luce without being in the way, which I appreciated, even though he wouldn’t have been in the way, and I would rather have had him with me. At least he was always in my head. Tara flung the door open before I could even knock, a huge smile on her face. “Oh, my gosh! It’s so nice to meet you!” she exclaimed, zipping over to Lucy and wrapping her arms around her like they were old friends. Then, I heard her whisper quietly into Lucy’s ear, “I am so very sorry about your dad. He must’ve loved you very much to sacrifice himself for you. What an amazing person he must’ve been.” Lucy didn’t say anything in return, but I could tell immediately that she liked Tara. They stood there like that for a long moment, with their arms around each other, before Tara finally let her go. “Well, come on in,” she said, gesturing with her arm toward the living room. “It’s a little messy.” “It’s great,” Lucy said, taking in the space. Tara’s apartment is the same as everyone else’s in the trainee apartment building. It has a small living room with an attached kitchen, and in the back there’s one bedroom and a bath. That’s basically it. They don’t even have their own laundry facilities. Since Tara had been given the double dose of Transformation serum to save her life after Bonnie attacked her, she would definitely be staying on our team. So she’d be moved over to our apartment building once she finished her training, but she still had a long way to go. She hadn’t been a very good Hunter before the incident; now, she was better. She was faster and stronger, but she still needed to work on her aim. And she’s a little clumsy. “Have a seat,” Tara said, gesturing at the couch in the corner. There’s a loveseat across from it, and I sat there, letting Tara take a seat on the couch a cushion away from Lucy. “How was your trip?” “Good,” Lucy nodded. “I’ve never been in a plane that small before.” “It was a GV,” I said, mostly to Tara. We have way smaller planes. But Lucy

meant she’d never been on anything other than an airliner. “I haven’t been up in any of them yet,” Tara sighed. “Really?” Lucy gawked at her. I guess she was under the impression we all just flew around all over the place all the time. “Nope. The only observational hunts I’ve been on have been within driving distance.” “Someday,” I assured her. I hadn’t been on a plane, other than flying back from Philadelphia and to and from Shenandoah a few times, except for the Australian trip. I had a feeling I might be going back there someday, though. Before we could say much else, there was a knock on the door. Dax opened it slowly. He stuck his head in first, like he thought he might be interrupting some important girly talk. “Hey,” he said, looking at each of us in turn. “How’s it going?” “This is my boyfriend, Dax,” Tara said, gushing. She stood and walked over to the tall, gangly blond, giving him a quick hug before she led him to Lucy. “It’s nice to meet you in person.” Lucy shook his hand. I ed she’d seen him on a FaceTime call or two. “You, too. I’m really sorry about your dad.” He shook her hand and had a seat in an old recliner. I swear that thing might’ve been here when my grandparents ran this t. “Thanks.” Lucy settled back into the couch, like maybe she wanted it to swallow her up. We all looked at each other awkwardly for a few seconds before Tara launched into a story about something that had happened in training that morning. I had missed, obviously, and it was too bad, too, since Addy, one of the girls who thinks she’s too cool for us, had fallen on her face doing the obstacle course. “It was really bad, too,” Tara laughed. “I mean, she face planted. We all just stared at her for a long time, like, ‘Are you gonna get up or what?’ and then Roar went over and helped her, and Addy just started crying, like she couldn’t handle it or whatever.”

Roar was the nickname we’d given Aurora, our trainer. “I bet she was embarrassed.” I could only imagine tall, goddess like Addy falling on her face. I wondered if Tara had it recorded but decided she would’ve told me if she did. I don’t usually like to make fun of other people, but Addy had been so rude to me in the past, I kinda felt like maybe this was karma. “She had a skid mark on her face the rest of the day,” Tara said, still laughing. Lucy giggled, but I could tell she was still having trouble deciding whether or not she was allowed to be happy. “So what do you think of this place so far?” Dax asked. He hadn’t been here all that long himself. “Have you seen everything?” “No, not yet. Just what I saw driving in and the apartment buildings. But it’s really cool.” I did see a sparkle in Lucy’s eyes with that answer. “Do you live in this building, too?” “Yeah, a couple of floors up,” Dax replied with a nod. “It’s not bad, but I am looking forward to moving over to the other building.” “It’s definitely got bigger apartments,” Tara nodded. I thought about how small our apartment suddenly felt now that Lucy would be living there, but I kept a smile on my face. “I can’t imagine what it’s like moving away from your family to a place like this —I mean without any parents.” Lucy looked at me, indicating that she still felt supervised. “Was it hard?” Dax and Tara exchanged glances, and Tara decided to go first. “Well, my mom died when I was a little girl, and I never knew my dad. So it was just me and my grandma. She loves the little town she lives in, though, in Montana. So even though I felt kinda bad leaving her, she’s happy for me. We talk all the time. She couldn’t Transform—my ability comes from my dad’s line, apparently. Anyway, it took some getting used to, but I am so glad I decided to come in.” Lucy listened to the whole response, but I saw a kindred-ing of spirits happen when Tara mentioned her mom dying. Lucy was definitely starting to identify with Tara, which was great because I wanted them both to have more friends,

especially since I’m held captive for about twenty hours a day. “For me, it was kind of sudden,” Dax said, and Lucy nodded. She knew about the Vampire he’d seen in the forest in California where he used to be a park ranger, how he’d saved a girl from being attacked. “But I lived with roommates before I came here, so I was already used to not having my parents watching every single thing that I did.” He looked at me then, and I narrowed my eyes, which made him laugh. Dax wasn’t being mean; he was being sympathetic, so I didn’t throw anything at him. If it had been Brandon, I might’ve assumed he was trying to rib me. “Well, I’ve been dreaming of coming here for as long as I’ve known about it. What? A year and a half?” Lucy looked at me, and I nodded in confirmation. Close enough. “But I never dreamt it would be now. I always figured I’d finish high school first.” “When’s your birthday?” Dax asked. “Won’t you be seventeen soon?” “Yeah, it’s in April. But I don’t know if I’ll go ahead and Transform then or wait until after I finish high school.” “May as well do it,” Tara said with a shrug. “You’re here. Why not have the perks that go with it?” Lucy agreed, but she was holding something back. I wasn’t sure what it was. I hadn’t heard her mention waiting before. “Where’s Brandon?” Dax asked. “He’s not answering his IAC.” “I think he’s in the shower at the gym,” I replied. Most of us kept our IACs off in the shower, not that we always had visuals, but you never wanted to accidentally turn those on in the wrong situation. “He should be over soon.” “Are you going to show Lucy the rest of campus? Introduce her to your other man?” Tara winked at me, and once again I found myself narrowing my eyes. “What?” Lucy asked, looking from Tara to me and then back again. “Nothing,” I replied quickly. “Tara and Dax seem to think it’s funny to tease me about Alex, that’s all. They both know it’s not like that.”

“We only do it behind Brandon’s back, though. Wouldn’t want to hurt his feelings. Besides, it’s not like Alex will be around much longer anyway if Christian’s plan works,”Dax explained. I inhaled sharply through my nose. I didn’t like to think about that. The only reason Alex had come along with the other Guardians from Roatan for one last fight was because he was hoping that the serum Christian, our tech guy, and the doctor from Roatan, Dr. Levi Morrow, had developed that would turn Guardians back into humans so they could die a natural death would work on him, too. Technically, since Alex had come through the Blue Moon Portal, it should mean he could never die. But the Portal might not have been aware of all the rule breaking going on lately. The whole thing reminded me that I needed to check in on Hines, Holland’s quacky doctor. He, too, was working on a formula that he hoped would make Guardians human again—he wanted to change them all and then kill them. I hadn’t checked on either Vampire for a few days, I’d been so preoccupied. I’d barely had enough time to turn off the signals Holland was using to block our Vampire trackers so that Christian could get the locations he needed, though he was super good about making sure I ed or else he’d bug the crap out of me until I did it. I didn’t linger enough to see what was happening with the weirdos. I needed to do that. But not now. Tara might’ve been reading my mind. “What’s up with Holland?” “I don’t know,” I itted. “I was just thinking I should get in her head a little later and see what she’s up to. Most of the time, she’s just blubbering on about Carter. It gets a little old.” “Can’t blame her,” Tara replied. She had a point. Holland had lost the creature she loved most for the second time in less than two years. “Why do you think no one’s gone back to Australia, mate?” Lucy giggled at Tara’s awful try at an accent, and I held back a laugh myself. “That is the million dollar question. I have no idea.” “We seem to be dragging our feet about everything.” I could hear frustration in Dax’s voice as well. “What the heck happened with that Vampire who jammed the IACs when Bonnie went crazy?”

I knew Dax was particularly interested in Spittle, the Vampire in question, because Tara had nearly died on the night he was talking about. In fact, she had died, but she’d come back to life, thanks to the second dose of Transformation serum. “He’s out there,” I affirmed. “For that matter, they all are.” “So why aren’t we going after them?” Tara asked. “I have no idea.” I didn’t. I wished I knew. When we’d come back from Australia, I expected things to move quickly. Rather than actually going after the Vampires Holland had intended to use to attack headquarters, we were going after small pockets of Vampires who hadn’t done much at all. It made no sense. “Every time I ask Cadence about it, she says not to concern myself and keep doing what I’m doing.” Tara made a tsking sound but said nothing else. Lucy just looked confused. I decided not to try to explain everything to her because she’d find out soon enough. Just being on campus, she’d hear what was going on and be able to piece it all together. There was a light rapping at the door before Brandon let himself in. I couldn’t help but smile, even though I was still frustrated about the whole not attacking Holland bit. I stood and gave him a hug before he sat down beside me. He asked how Lucy was doing, and she gave the same half-hearted “I’m fine,” she’d been giving everyone. It’s not like she could tell everyone the truth—that she felt like her heart had been ripped out. I knew that feeling, and it’s not something easily put into words. “What are you guys doing for dinner?” Tara asked. “Maybe we could grab some pizza and watch a flick. In Brandon’s apartment, though. It’s the biggest.” “That sounds fun,” Lucy said, genuinely smiling. “Uh, it’s a school night,” I reminded them before they got too far ahead of themselves. “And since I’ve missed the last few days of school, I’m sure my mom won’t let us go.” “Won’t let you maybe,” Lucy shrugged. “She’s not seriously going to try to change my curfews is she? It’s not like I have school tomorrow.” There was a tone of attitude in my friend’s voice I had only ever heard her use

when she was trying to talk her own mother into letting her do something or buy something when Annie had already said no. “I’d be happy to lobby for you, but there’s no point in me asking for myself.” I hated the fact that they could all be in my boyfriend’s apartment, hanging out, probably with my other best friend, Elliott, even though he was Brandon’s dad, and I would be in my room, only able to in through their IACs. At least my mom hadn’t figured out a way to turn that off yet. Lucy shook her head and folded her arms, and I realized this was not going to work. But I am not one to interfere with Liz Findley and her mothering ways. “Why don’t we walk around for a while, show Lucy where everything is, and then we’ll see what Mrs. Findley will allow?” Dax offered. It was a fair compromise, and I was definitely up for going for a stroll. Tara’s apartment walls were closing in on me. “Okay,” Lucy agreed as we all pulled ourselves up. “But you guys have to I’m a human. No walking at super speed.” We all laughed. It was nice to hear her making a joke. Tara said, “I am ten times faster than all of these losers.” “Hey, that’s not fair,” Brandon chided, opening the door for all of us. “It’s not our fault we haven’t gotten a second shot of super juice.” “Gosh, what if they let us do that?” Dax asked, completely unaware that it had been discussed. I only knew this because I had been present at a meeting where my sister and Jamie had tried to talk Aaron into it. Brandon was there, too. In fact, Aaron had given Cadence and Elliott permission to go through with it when we got back from Australia. I hoped the only cause for delay was the tissue samples Jamie and Christian were running, but once again, the progress seemed slow. “If they do, we’ll all be as fast as Tara,” Brandon said, and then he winked at me. His dad and my sister had shut us both down on going through with the procedure, but neither one of us were the type to give up quite so easily. I had already decided if the opportunity to use the Transformation serum a second time presented itself, I had to take it, no matter the risk. I had a feeling it would enhance the skills I already have—my telepathy, for instance—and I was all

about seeing how far I could take it. The rest of them could be fast and strong. I just wanted to be stealthy. If I could get into Holland’s head a little deeper, I might be able to stop whatever she was sending our way before she could get it off the ground. Brandon called the elevator with his IAC, and we climbed aboard, laughing and having a good time. I was glad Lucy was here, despite the circumstances. I had a feeling she was going to be a distraction, though, and I couldn’t let that be the case. As we headed to the ground floor, I reminded myself I had Vampires to spy on, and if there was anything I could do to get Cadence to start moving forward again, I’d have to do it. The longer we waited, the more dangerous Holland became, and in my gut, I had a feeling the clock was already ticking.

Chapter 3

My cheeks were burning. I was doing my best to try to seem relaxed and nonchalant, but listening to Alex tell Lucy about the time he and Aaron Burr had taken out an entire shipload of Vampires in Boston Harbor was exciting. I loved to listen to Alex retell history, and it was truly the fact that I was in the presence of an American historical icon that had my heart thumping so loudly in my chest —and nothing else. But the more I thought about seeming like I wasn’t hanging on his every word, the harder it became. Tara kept grinning at me, like a Cheshire cat, like she thought there was something else that had me so enthralled, and I told her to stop through my IAC a dozen times—but she didn’t. So I tried not to look at either one of them. Lucy was also caught up in his every word. Like me, she loves history class. You wouldn’t think that would be the case because sometimes she comes across like a wannabe valley girl, but she’s super smart. She did ask Alex why he insists on dressing like it’s still 1777, and he laughed and explained he was most comfortable in knee breeches and his velvet jacket. Thankfully, most times he didn’t wear a powdered wig, though I think he wished he could. He’d mentioned to me once before that he thought that was going too far even for him. We were in the building that houses Christian’s and Jamie’s offices, in a room down the hall from Christian’s lab. Lucy seemed to enjoy her quick tour of campus, and we had been headed back to my apartment to ask Mom if we could hang out at Brandon’s when I noticed the light was on and decided to see if Alex was around. I knew it was risky because Dax and Tara would likely give me a hard time, but I thought Lucy would like to meet him. This room was where he was conducting his own experiments and research, trying to see if he could get around the Blue Moon Portal, and I headed here any chance I had when Brandon was busy with something else because, as I’ve already mentioned, I am fascinated with Alex—I mean, all of the history Alex knows firsthand. Not with him. He finished his story, one I’ve heard a few times before but still enjoy, with a flourish of his cuffed sleeve. “Then the entire canister of gunpowder went off,

sending us all up into the air, and when we landed in the harbor, only Burr and I remained.” “So all of the Vampires died in the blast?” Lucy asked. I had asked the same question the first time I heard the story. “From ashes to ashes,” Alex replied with a nod. “From dust to dust. From powder to powder.” He had that twinkle in his eye that let me know his performance was over, and Lucy nearly clapped her hands, as if she were at the Broadway play named for the man in front of her. “Wow—that’s incredible.” She was shaking her head in disbelief. “Indeed.” Alex gave a smug smile, clearly satisfied with his retelling. “Well, we should probably be getting back,” Brandon said, and I ed he was there for the first time in a few minutes, a fact I would’ve never itted. I glanced up at him and could see something was bothering him. “We all know you have important work to do.” “It is always a pleasure to relay one of my stories to the youth of the day,” Alex replied with a bow of his head. “It was really amazing to meet you,” Lucy said, her cheeks turning slightly pink like mine do in this man’s presence. “No, Miss Lucy, it was my pleasure to meet you. Please feel free to stop by any time. And should you ever get one of these fancy eye mechanisms, perhaps we can chat.” “That would be awesome.” My friend’s grin was almost as wide as mine had been when he’d said something similar to me. It’s too bad we weren’t taking American History this year. I couldn’t imagine having a better reference. We headed off toward the apartment building, and Tara and Lucy chatted about Alex. Every once in a while, Tara would say my name with a sing-song tone to it, like “Cass really loves to talk to Alex, too.” I tried to ignore her, but I sensed Brandon’s whole arm tense up every time she said my name and Alex’s in the same sentence, so I sent her an IAC to knock it off. Considering Brandon had recently thought there was something going on between me and Dax, I didn’t

need him worried about Alex. There were so many reasons why that wasn’t a problem. Not only was the man two hundred years older than me, he was hoping to die. I have a problem with getting all gushy over someone who is actively trying to find a way out of this earthly plane. When we entered the lobby, I saw a familiar face and rushed over to say hello to Juan Diego, our head maintenance man. I just love him, and I think he feels the same way, as he set aside the hammer he was using to hang a new picture on the wall in the lobby to give me a hug. “Juan, this is my friend Lucy. She’s going to be staying with me and my parents for a while.” “Ah, Lucia. It is very nice to meet you.” He offered his hand, and she shook it with a smile. He just instantly makes a person feel happy. “How you like this place? It’s big, no?” “It’s huge,” Lucy agreed. Juan’s English is limited—though not as limited as my Spanish, so sometimes he doesn’t quite say exactly what he means. I think he meant impressive, but I didn’t correct him. “You know Cassidy a long time?” “Yes, since we were... chicas.” Lucy was trying, and that was something. Juan laughed and said something in Spanish I couldn’t have repeated, but I think it meant “little girls.” He nodded. “Muy bien. It’s lovely to meet you.” “You, too,” Lucy replied. “You need any-ting at all, you let me know, okay?” “Will do.” We all waved and headed for the elevators, and I laughed when I saw Juan take a small step back from Brandon. Even though he knows Brandon isn’t Elliott, they look enough alike that he is still slightly afraid of my boyfriend. Juan is terrified of Elliott. He is very superstitious. In fact, it was Juan’s superstition that got him this gig in the first place. It didn’t seem like a coincidence that he’d been an employee in the hospital where Jack died and came back as a Vampire in Nebraska, at the hospital in Kansas City where Jamie had saved Cadence from a bullet wound, and at the school in Texas where the team finally tracked down the guy who’d shot Elliott. When Aaron noticed the same man kept showing up everywhere, he thought it had to be more than a

coincidence and asked Juan to come and work for him. I’m so glad he did, too, because no matter how bad a day I’m having, even the shortest conversation with Juan makes me feel like a million dineros—or whatever Mexican money is called. As the elevator drew nearer to the fourth floor, I realized I was holding my breath. I knew exactly what my mom was going to say already, and I would’ve just as soon skipped that conversation. But Lucy really wanted to go hang out, so I was hopeful my mom would be a little more lenient, at least for her. “You ready for this?” Brandon asked through my IAC, squeezing my hand as the others laughed and carried on a normal conversation like they weren’t approaching a guillotine. “Nope.” “Figured. Just see if she’ll at least let Lucy go.” I looked at him out of the corner of my eye, and he clarified. “She’s had a rough week. It would do her some good. I’ll miss you, of course, but it’s not like I can’t talk to you the whole time anyway.” I continued to stare at him for a moment until the elevator stopped, and I let out that breath I’d been holding. Back in the day, when we lived in Shenandoah and I thought Vampires were make believe, I was a good girl who always followed the rules. I never asked my parents’ permission to do anything remotely dangerous. In fact, I hadn’t even missed a curfew until the day I took that train to Philly and ended up nearly undead. Something happened to me when I stepped on this campus, or maybe it was right before that, when Elliott died. I decided life is too short or important or something, and I needed to follow my gut. I know my sister can relate to it because she’s done the same sort of thing, though it was Aaron she was disobeying and not Mom and Dad. My parents don’t get it—they don’t understand because even though they’re here, they aren’t living this life like we are, like I am. So I already knew what my mom was going to say. My parents were sitting on the sofa each reading a book, and for a moment I thought about how they used to sit in their matching recliners in the living room and do the same thing, or Mom would be knitting. I wondered if they missed our two-story house or if they were actually happy here, like I was. Most of the time.

My mom loved working as Aaron and Cadence’s secretary, and my dad loved his new job, too. But this place was so cramped. Both of them set their reading material aside as my loud gaggle of friends streamed in. “Well, if it isn’t the Rat Pack,” my dad said, and I looked at him in confusion. “How’s it going kids?” “More like Our Gang,” my mom chuckled. I still didn’t know what she was talking about and wondered if they were really that old. “Are you all getting along okay?” I bit by tongue on a sarcastic comment. “Yes, Mom. We’re all getting along just great. So... Luce and I were wondering if we could have dinner at Brandon’s place and watch a movie. You know, destress a little.” I thought I saw my dad’s head rock up and down, like he was going to say yes before my mom said, “Cass, it’s a school night.” “Not for me,” Lucy interjected, and my mom’s eyes flickered over to her, like she had never had a teenager answer back so quickly before. “I’m not enrolled yet.” Lucy didn’t sound rude, just matter-of-fact, but I could tell my mom didn’t like her response. “We won’t be out too late,” I said, praying she’d just give in. “Honey, we promised Lucy’s mom we’d take care of her. Letting her stay out late on her first night here hardly seems like a good idea.” I wished I had an IAC so I could tell Lucy to let me respond, but I wasn’t even within arm squeezing distance. So she said, “My curfew on weeknights is eleven.” Liz’s eyes bulged. “Eleven? PM?” “Wouldn’t AM be worse?” Brandon said only to me, and I jabbed him with my elbow. “And she only has to come down a floor.” I smiled at my dad, hoping he’d speak up. “If you want me back by 8:00, that’s fine. I’ll be here. But... can Lucy stay a little longer?” I literally crossed my fingers for luck.

My dad turned his head and looked at my mom who was still staring at me, like she was trying to read the cards in my hand. When she didn’t look at him, he nudged her. She finally turned her head, and my dad sort of nodded with his eyeballs. I could see my mom’s inner struggle. She didn’t want Lucy to think she’d be able to get anything over on her. “All right. You can both go. But I want you both back here by nine. No arguing.” “Seriously?” Lucy asked, and Tara put her hand on my friend’s shoulder. There it was already on the first day. Lucy and my mom were not going to be able to make this work.... “Or I can make it eight.” “No, Mom. Nine is fine. Thank you.” I began to usher my friends back out the door even as Lucy started muttering “welcome to prison.” I was still having trouble believing my mom had let me stay out later than usual. It was a victory for me but a stunning defeat for my friend. We were back on the elevator and on the fifth floor before Lucy even finished her initial sentence about how unfair my mom was. “She wasn’t always such a prude,” she muttered. “She wasn’t?” I asked, trying to think. I did Cadence having a lot less rules than I had had. But then, my mom had let me come to Kansas City with my sister as a minor and catastrophe struck, so I couldn’t imagine her being too lenient with me now. Maybe she was different before Philly. “Let’s just go play some video games, order a pizza, and decide what movie we wanna watch,” Tara suggested as Brandon pulled open his apartment door, holding it open for us. “We’ve got, like, four hours.” Lucy was still grumbling, but she came inside. I could hear Elliott in his bedroom, which is in the back of the apartment. He’d bought a big screen TV and a new recliner a few weeks ago and put them back there. He said he hadn’t realized his house would be the place all the cool kids hung out, and he didn’t want to cramp our style. We did spend a lot of time here, and I felt a little bad that he couldn’t even sit in his own living room alone anymore. He had lived here by himself for a long time. Before he died. “Is that my favorite blonde-haired teenager?” he called as he came down the

hallway. “What’s the matter, Lucy Goosey? You not enjoyin’ our glamorous lifestyle?” She was already giggling before he got close enough to tweak her chin. I was slightly jealous, even though I knew that was stupid. He was my Elliott—not hers. “It’s great,” Lucy said, smiling up at him. “It’s just—Cass’s parents are a lot stricter than mine are. Were. Whatever.” “Ah, I see. Yes, well, Liz and Eli have plenty of reasons to be strict.” He eyed me suspiciously, and I pursed my lips together, knowing he was right. “Perhaps they don’t want you to do anything reckless.” “What could I possibly do while I’m here?” Lucy countered, folding her arms. “It’s not like there’s any Vampires here right now, right? And since I didn’t Transform the first time....” “There’s plenty of trouble to be had around here,” Elliott countered as we all found seats in his living room. He was still standing over by the entrance to the kitchen. “And I guarantee if she had a longer leash, Cass would find them all.” “All right, I get it,” I said, picking up a throw pillow and reminding it why it had that name as it sailed toward his head. He easily caught it and tossed it at Tara without even looking at her. She wasn’t ready, and it hit her in the face. “What did I do?” We all laughed, and Elliott just winked at her as she shook her head at him, unharmed. Ignoring her question, he stepped over in front of Lucy where she was sitting in the ancient recliner that was probably older than Brandon. “Listen, girly, things are going to be different now. Believe me, I know that can really stink. But you’re here, and you’ll be seventeen soon enough. Trust me, the end of April will be here just like that.” He snapped his fingers. “It seems to me it should be... 1985. We shouldn’t even be in the twenty-first century yet, kid. Time flies. You’ll get it sorted out. Just be nice to the Findleys. They’re good people.” “I know,” Lucy said with a head bob. She looked remorseful, but I had an idea this wouldn’t be the last time L. Burk and L. Findley squared off.

“Before you know it, you’ll be in your own apartment, your training will be done, and you’ll be out there slayin’ it like these clowns.” He turned and looked at us. “Well, most of them.” “Hey!” Tara shouted, tossing the pillow back. Elliott ducked and it hit Lucy in the chest. “Sorry.” We all laughed again. “I’m getting there.” “I wasn’t just talking about you—there’s also your boyfriend with the goofy name.” He winked at Dax and headed into the kitchen. Elliott still thought it was hilarious that a park ranger had the last name Forest. “Your dad is such a weirdo,” Dax laughed, addressing Brandon. “You’re telling me. If he’s going to be here, we should probably order some extra pizzas.” “Elliott!” I shouted, like he was on the other side of the moon again. “Are you going to be here for dinner?” I heard a cabinet door close and figured he was into his Cheeto stash again. He was back in the doorway a second later, a questioning look on his face. “Am I supposed to feed you guys? All I’ve ever had before was a goldfish, and I fed it too much. Had to flush him.” “No, we can handle it,” I said, although if I’d been referring to actually cooking, we might’ve been in trouble. Brandon did make a mean mac and cheese though. “We’re about to order pizza.” “It really stinks that we can’t go to Pizza Triangle anymore,” Tara muttered. Hunters being on lockdown was a problem. The pizza place across the street wasn’t nearly as good. “Nah, it’s okay,” he said with a shrug. “I think I’m headed out in a bit.” “Do you have a meeting?” I asked, my ears perking up. “Are you finally going to do something?” “Don’t take that tone with me, young lady,” he countered. “No. No meeting. And I am not the one caught in quicksand.”

“But he’s your best friend....” “And he’s your brother-in-law.” “I’ve known him for... fifteen minutes. You’ve known him for a century.” Both of those were exaggerations. Elliott just shook his head. He knew I was fishing for information, and he was being careful not to give me too much. “Soon, lil girl. Right now, we’re talking about a pocket in Columbia, a couple hours from here, and then maybe heading down to Houston to help the Texans. Not the football team, although they could use it....” “Columbia?” I repeated. I had a feeling there was nothing of importance in the college down a few hours away. “Why can’t Texas handle their own business?” “I think they can. I think....” He abruptly stopped talking and then shrugged again and headed down the hallway. “You think what?” I shouted after him. “I think you’re nosy!” I growled. I wouldn’t be getting any more out of him, and that was a pity because of all of my connections to the inner workings of LIGHTS, he was the one with the loosest tongue. “What kind of pizza do we want?” Brandon asked, and I knew that was his way of reminding me that I needed to stop harassing his dad. “Cheese!” Lucy replied enthusiastically, and I giggled, glad to see the cheese pizza fiend was still in her. Whether she knew it or not, she was fitting in just fine. She would probably butt heads with my mother again at least a dozen times before she turned seventeen, especially since we’d all be living on top of each other, but at least she wasn’t in a daze anymore. I was glad to see my friend was still in there, that the Vampires hadn’t managed to take her away, too. No one should ever have to go through what she’d been through, but at least there were signs she’d be making it out just fine.

Chapter 4

Two weeks. That’s all it took before Lucy was packing her stuff, again. She had her phone in one hand, talking to her mom, crying, while I helped her get her clothes out of my dresser drawer and closet and back into her few measly suitcases. I could hear Annie telling her to calm down, that everything was going to be all right, and she could come back home if she wanted to. Lucy didn’t want to. But she did want to get as far away from my mother as possible. When Brandon and Dax showed up to grab her stuff and move her over to Tara’s apartment, my mom just stood in the living room by the kitchen entryway with her arms folded. I’ve never seen her look so defeated. I could see both sides, if I’m honest. The one time Lucy missed her new curfew, my mom lost it and tried to keep her from going back over to Tara’s the next day, and Lucy screamed, “You’re not my mom!” and slammed my bedroom door. My mom felt like she was supposed to raise Lucy like she’d raised me—but Lucy had already had almost seventeen years of a different parenting style. There was no way this was going to work unless they were both willing to give a little. And neither were. Lucy was much happier at Tara’s place. I could tell within a few days. It was crowded, and she was sleeping on a pull-out sofa Elliott had swapped out with Tara’s old one, but she was happier. There were plenty of empty apartments in the training building, despite the fact that the Roatan Guardians were also mostly housed there, but Lucy wasn’t ready to be alone, and I don’t think her mom would’ve liked that either. I wondered why my grandparents had made so many tiny apartments instead of fewer, bigger ones. I had no idea what they’d envisioned for this place when it was built over a hundred years ago, but I guessed it wasn’t quite what it had turned out to be. At any rate, Lucy and Tara would share their little domain, and that seemed to suit them both just fine. The girls got along great, sometimes bickering like sisters but never fighting, and I was glad to have them both in my life, even if I didn’t have time or freedom to spend hanging out with them. Getting up to leave at 7:55 every evening was a pain in the behind to say the least. I started pestering my sister even more to let me go on hunts, even the ones out of state, which were a big no because my

mom was afraid something would happen to me—again. So... I spent my days training, doing school work, sitting with my friends for a bit, and then saying goodbye to them and locking myself in my room where I could still see them and talk to them but couldn’t be with them. I was ready for summer break, but even then, I had an idea my mom wasn’t going to budge on my stupid curfew. Houston happened, and it was yet another hunt I wasn’t allowed to go on. By then, I only needed one more observation before I could quit my training. I argued with Cadence that I should get extra points for Melbourne. I had beheaded a Vampire there, after all, but she wouldn’t shift on the protocol. She’d learned from Mr. Rule Follower, so when Brandon and the rest of the team went off to Texas, I sat in my room and watched and waited. It was pretty cool that my sister and Elliott got attacked by some sort of crocodile-Vampire mutant. I would’ve loved to have seen the crocopire in person. Instead, I watched through my eye computer and hoped my last observation would be over soon. Then, maybe, I’d be allowed to go on out-of-state hunts. Right now, it seemed like they’d only consider taking me if they needed my telepathy for something, and since we weren’t taking any major risks, I continued to be left at home. Training wasn’t so bad, but I did hate getting up so early and wished Aurora would consider the fact that some of us still need our sleep. Unlike Cadence, Roar is one of those Hunters who has adapted such that she only requires a few hours each night. Cadence and I both could sleep for an entire weekend and still need a nap on Monday afternoon. I have no idea why that is, but I wish it would just stop. Maybe my parents would allow me more free time during the day if I could do the bulk of my homework in the middle of the night, like Brandon. Sometimes, Alex came to help train us, which was both really cool and a little nerve-racking at the same time because I always felt self-conscious around him. I was standing in front of one of the greatest minds in American history. Going into the simulator after he’d just given us tips about how to aim our weapons always sent my stomach into waves and my breakfast looking for the nearest exit. But hearing him clap and say, “Well done, Miss Findley,” with every successful kill made me smile like a little girl with an ice cream cone. I knew Tara was going to make fun of me when the simulation was over, but I had to try not to care. He was an American treasure in the flesh! “All right, that’s our time for today!” Aurora said as we all carefully placed our Berettas into proper storage. I overheard Addy mumbling something to Gina

about being glad Shane wasn’t there to tell us we’re doing it wrong and almost chimed in that I agreed before I ed that neither one of them like me much. “Miss Findley, that was wonderful shooting.” I knew who was speaking to me before I even turned around because, even though Alex isn’t the only Revolutionary War soldier on campus, he’s the only one who addresses me that way. I tried to control the crimson in my face. “Thanks,” I said, not meeting his eyes. “I’ve had a lot of practice.” “Oh? Have you been battling the creatures of the night since you were quite young?” he asked, his expression showing true interest. “Actually, no. I didn’t even know about them until I was fifteen. But I’ve been on quite a few hunts. I’ll be done with my training after one more observation.” I didn’t mention that my sister had been dragging out that “one more observation” for over a month now. “Splendid!” he said with a genuine smile. “Ah, I when I was first released into the wild. Such a glorious feeling. Although, my first encounter with a Vampire as a primary Guardian on my own was quite difficult. I almost lost my poor companion that night.” “Really?” I asked, stepping away from the wall where the Berettas were all hanging in a row. “What was that like?” He’d told me lots of stories, but I hadn’t heard this one. “It was a dark, gloomy evening in mid-October, near All Hallows Eve, and our Leader, a big brute of a man named Justus, sent me out with a small, skinny lad by the name of Hershey. He had only just been cleared himself, and I thought the entire operation to be full of folly. But Justus insisted the ghoul we were sent to obliterate was not a threat at all, and everything would be just fine.” He had a twinkle in his eye as he spoke, and I forgot I was dripping sweat from my earlier exertions and needed to go take a shower and get home before my mom started texting me. “I guess Justus was wrong.” “Indeed! While the Vampire wasn’t particularly powerful, it hadn’t been changed for long and was quite vicious. We stole into an abandoned cabin in the middle

of the night, hoping to take it by surprise. Instead, it was Hershey and I who ended up astonished at the speed and agility the creature displayed.” Silently, I wondered if Hershey was the man’s first name or last name. It even crossed my mind that he might be speaking of Milton Hershey—the candy bar guy. Stranger things have happened. I didn’t want to stop the story to ask, though. “We crept in slowly together, through the front entryway. A full moon illuminated the space, but the monster was nowhere to be seen. Our intelligence had not warned us of any other levels or dwelling spaces—only the cabin primary. So we were turning to leave, thinking perhaps the Vampire had moved on to other hunting grounds.” He paused dramatically, and I leaned in, waiting for it. “Then, out of nowhere, a door opened in the floorboards, across the room. It was a cellar we had no idea existed. The Vampire charged across the room, aiming right for Hershey. We had little time to react. I fired and missed. The creature tore into the side of Hershey’s face with its claws, doing its best to grab hold of his neck. I stood there, panicked, not sure what to do and no longer trusting my weapon.” “Was Hershey okay?” I asked, still hanging on his every word. “No, he was bleeding, and the Vampire had managed to take hold of his neck with its sharp teeth. Somehow, Hershey managed to use the wall behind him as leverage and kick out, knocking the creature off balance and sending him back across the room. He was desperately wounded, and I realized I needed to get my act together if I was to get my partner out of that situation permanently unscathed.” I assumed that meant not dead. “Did the Vampire come back at you?” “Not at first,” Alex said, shaking his head. “In fact, he stayed down there quite some time, which gave me a few moments to tend to Hershey’s wounds, though I am no Healer. I had just picked up my weapon off of the floor when I heard a clattering behind me. Hershey grabbed his musket and fired, though there was nothing there to aim at yet. A thick smoke filled the cabin. And then, the Vampire simply sprang free from the cellar door, its fangs barred and dripping blood. So, I fired again, using the smoke as a screen as I discarded my musket and moved in to tear the beast’s head from its shoulders.”

“And that worked?” I asked, trying to envision the scene as it unfolded over two hundred years ago. “Oh, yes. He was soon a pile of ashes there on the cabin floor. It was one of my first kills, but certainly not my last.” I couldn’t help but smile, even though the story was centuries old. I imagined he must’ve gotten some kills during his training, as I had, and thought it was cool to have that in common with him. “That’s so fascinating. I am always so amazed at how you were able to be so successful with such rudimentary weaponry.” Alex often spoke of how useless their muskets had been, even though they used silver infused bullets. I knew he was working on a variation of the gun he’d used back then with my dad and the other engineers because he liked the style of the musket he’d used for so long but wanted something more accurate. “Yes, my dear,” he said with a nod, agreeing that the muskets had been less than stellar. “That is precisely why I say to you, do not worry if these Glocks and Berettas, as you call them, fail you. The true measure of a man, a woman.... a girl, perhaps, in your case, is the ability to find the strength from within to do what is needed at precisely the right moment.” Even though I wasn’t particularly thrilled to know he thought of me as a “girl” and not a woman—not that he was wrong—his words meant so much to me at that moment, I’m sure my face was glowing. What an important sentiment to keep in mind at all times. Finding the strength from within to do what needs to be done wasn’t always easy, but it was always right. “Cass?” I had no idea how long my sister had been standing next to me. I hadn’t heard her walk up, and I hadn’t even noticed her until she said my name. Maybe it wasn’t the first time she’d said it either. I felt my cheeks turn red. This was the first time I realized Tara might be a little right—maybe I did have a bit of a crush on Alex. I didn’t think it was anything to worry about because I loved Brandon —I love Brandon. But I hated that she was right. My head swiveled to look at my sister, and she asked. “Can I speak to you for a moment?” Then, she turned to Alex and added, “Pardon me for interrupting.” “Ah, if it isn’t the elder Miss Findley. How are you this fine day?” Alex did his

little bow, and my sister looked bewildered. “Good, thank you... kind sir,” Cadence stammered. I couldn’t help but giggle. Just because Alex spoke so formally didn’t mean he expected everyone else to. “Cass?” “Okay, yeah, sure....” I muttered, shaking my head slightly to clear it. “Thanks again, Alex.” I hoped I wasn’t gushing. Stooping to the level of those swooning girls who stand outside of hotel rooms waiting to see the week’s next pop sensation get into a limo wasn’t what I was all about. “I am at your service any time, Miss Cassidy.” He did that bow thing again, and I felt like I might need a piece of poster board that said, “I heart Alex,” to keep me on my feet. Or my sister’s arm. She grabbed me by the elbow and started dragging me across the room. Even though she had a smile on her face, I could tell she was annoyed at my behavior. I couldn’t blame her. So was I. “Earth to Cassidy?” my sister asked once she’d brought us to a halt over closer to the door. Irritated, I spat, “What? I’m not deaf!” Cadence shook her head at me. “Uh, you are infatuated, though. Does Brandon know about this?” I folded my arms and narrowed my eyes in defiance. Clearly, Cadence was right, but I wasn’t willing to it that yet. Not to myself. Certainly not to her. “I am not infatuated. I just happen to take an interest in US history, unlike someone I know who totally takes it for granted and only got As because she sucked up to the teacher.” I have no idea if my burn had any effect on my sister or not because she was moving the conversation along. “Look, we need to chat. How long will it take you to hit the showers and meet me over at Mom and Dad’s?” Even the thought of trying to walk into that cramped apartment and get any work done made me nauseated. “Ugh. Can we go somewhere else?” Apparently, I thought it was a good time to spout off a free flow of verbal diarrhea. “Mom is driving me crazy lately. Do you know my curfew is ten on the weekend unless I’m on a hunt?” Cadence just stared at me, like she didn’t know what to say. I

know hers hadn’t ever been that early. Of course, she also hadn’t nearly gotten herself killed when she was fifteen—that I know of. “It’s eight during the week.” She continued to stare at me, so I was compelled to march on. “That’s so stupid. Brandon’s apartment is literally a floor above ours.” I thought about all of the freedom Lucy had now and a pang of jealousy stabbed me right in the gut. “Okay,” Cadence reasoned, probably not willing to go into our parents’ choices at the moment. “How about Brandon’s apartment then? Meet me there?” I knew my mom would never go for that. I hadn’t been able to convince her to let me go straight to Brandon’s after training for at least a month. “I have my schoolwork to finish still.” “I’ll tell Mom,” Cadence offered. That did sound like a good alternative. Despite Mom’s leash, she did realize that Cadence was my boss and that the only reason I was here in the first place was so that I could serve as a member of this team. “Fine,” I agreed, still trying not to sound too happy or grateful. I wouldn’t want my sister getting the idea I appreciated her or anything. “See you in twenty minutes?” “Sounds good.” Cadence smiled at me, but I could tell I’d irritated her enough that she didn’t meant it. She headed out of the room. I lingered for a moment. My eyes flickered around the room, and I noticed I was the only one there. I hadn’t seen Alex leave, but I was disappointed he was gone. I made my way down the hallway, thinking I should probably hurry if I was going to take a shower and get to Brandon’s in twenty minutes. But I also knew it would take Cadence longer than that. She might walk fast, but she would have to stop and talk to Mom, and that could take anywhere from ten minutes to three weeks depending upon how lonely Liz was feeling that day. As I ed by Aurora’s office, I heard her talking to someone, which I thought was odd now that she was no longer sharing an office with Shane. I couldn’t blame her for finding a way out of that one. But she was talking to a guy. I couldn’t quite identify the voice because they were speaking in such hushed tones, but when he answered her, I was certain it had to be a male. I didn’t think she was dating anyone, so the idea struck me as odd. But I didn’t have time to ponder the situation for too long, and I figured it was none of my

business. If Roar found someone who made her happy, good for her. So long as it wasn’t Alex. I don’t even know why that idea filled my mind. With a sigh at my own ridiculousness, I continued to the shower. I saw my sister talking to Tara outside and realized I had even more time than I thought since Tara loved to chat. I thought I should let her know I would have a little freedom before homework. Maybe she would want to meet me at Brandon’s. I didn’t want to interrupt her conversation with Cadence, though, so I decided to do it later and pushed into the locker room, relieved to see that Addy and the rest of the girls were already gone. After a quick shower, I let Tara know I was going to Brandon’s. She was at the pizza place with Dax and Lucy waiting on their order and decided to make it togo and said she’d meet us over there. I wasn’t hungry, but I knew Brandon would be—he always is—so she said she’d bring an extra pie. “Hey, I’m on my way to your place.” It was a nice spring day and it was hard to rush, even though I wanted to take advantage of every second I had before the warden announced free time was over. “I know. Your sister stopped by and told me she was going to spring you for a little while.” I could hear the excitement in his voice. Before my parents moved here, we’d spent almost every afternoon together. He’d even make me lunch. Now, my Mom wouldn’t let him in the apartment unless my homework was completely finished. Unless it was algebra. He was allowed to tutor me in the living room. Sometimes, Elliott would tell my mom he was home, and she would let me go up to their place to work on it then. Half the time, Elliott wasn’t even there. I appreciated his willingness to fudge a little on my behalf since his parenting style is totally different than Liz Findley’s. If she’s the warden, he’s like the other inmate, the one that will often get you into trouble.... Brandon opened the door before I knocked, and I practically fell into his arms, happy to have my gym bag with me and not my laptop for homework. “How was training?” he asked as we headed toward the couch. “Good.” I took my usual seat, debating whether or not to mention Alex. I figured Tara would if I didn’t. “Alex was there to help out. He always has something insightful to say.”

Brandon raised an eyebrow. If I hadn’t been aware that my infatuation with Mr. Hamilton was evident to everyone else before, this was a day of revelation. “You aren’t seriously concerned about him, are you?” I asked, trying to keep my voice as chiding as possible. “He’s old. I just think it’s really cool that he’s lived through so much.” “Did I say anything?” Brandon asked, though his tone conveyed my suspicions that he had wanted to say something. “Tara is the one who likes to tease you about him, not me.” “I know.” I ran my hands through my hair, thinking a wise woman would let it go. I did not. “It’s just—Cadence said something to me about him today, too. So stupid. I do not have a crush on Alexander Hamilton.” “Good,” Brandon said, scooting a little toward me. “Because I do have a crush on you.” I smiled. When he’s sweet like that, it makes my insides feel all melty, like vanilla ice cream on top of an ooey gooey brownie. How could I ever even consider choosing anyone else over him? I couldn’t. Voices in the hall stopped me from responding, and Brandon stood up abruptly. “Do I smell pizza?” I had to laugh. His stomach is even bigger than his heart. “Yeah, I asked Tara to bring some over.” “Awesome!” He flew to the door and had it open within a half second. “Well, hello there,” Tara said, a bit startled. “I guess you heard us coming?” “I smelled you coming,” Brandon replied, taking the pizza boxes from Dax and bringing them to the coffee table. “I’ll go grab some plates.” I stopped to say hello to Lucy, whom I hadn’t seen all day and then stepped into the kitchen to grab a stack of Styrofoam plates off of the counter. I kept trying to tell Elliott he was gonna be on this planet a long time so he might wanna stop buying something so terrible for the environment, but apparently, he didn’t listen to me. I also took some napkins and a six pack of Dr.

Pepper I knew Elliott kept on hand just for me. I walked back into a conversation about the movie Birdbox which was all the rage recently on Netflix. I hadn’t had a chance to watch it. Also, my mom said I shouldn’t watch those scary movies that will just put images in my head. I wanted to print out a picture of Bonnie attacking Tara and put that in my mom’s head, but there was no use arguing. If I wanted to watch it, there was not much she could do about it. I could watch it through Brandon’s eyes in the middle of the night if I wanted to. I didn’t want to. And the more Dax and Tara talked about it, the more I thought maybe I never wanted to. Interesting concept, not my thing. I tuned out. My mind wandered, first to what Brandon had just said about Alex and then to Holland. I was sure my sister was coming to ask me about her. At least, I hoped she was. I was ready to get on with things. I realized after almost an entire pizza was gone I was missing out and grabbed a slice. They were still talking about Birdbox when my sister walked in. No one even stopped talking to acknowledge her, they were so wrapped up in discussing who would be best at walking around outside with a blindfold. Cadence stood in the doorway, her head shifting back and forth with each speaker until Dax paused to take a breath. Then she said to me, “Cass, Mom wants you home soon, so can I interrupt?” “Sorry,” I mumbled as Dax said something about trying to navigate a canoe with a blindfold on. “What is it?” Cadence took a seat on the armrest, Brandon between us. I scooted up a little bit so I could see her. My sister looked around to see exactly who would be privy to this information and seemed to decide she could carry on without telling anyone to get out. “You I told you Elliott and I encountered some sort of crocapire?” “Yeah?” I wondered where she was going with this. It wasn’t what I was expecting her to want to talk to me about. “We want you to see if you can figure out what that was all about. Can they shift into whatever they want to now, or was that just a one-time deal? Also, can you check and make sure Hines still hasn’t perfected his solution? We need to make sure Holland hasn’t made any progress on anything. It’s been a few days since

you’ve checked in, hasn’t it?” “No,” I said quickly. Did she really think I’d let the Vampires go for that length of time without dropping by to see what they’re up to? After the funeral, I was on it again, like always. “I check in all the time. Hines is confusing me. He seems to think he’s found something, and then he’s certain he hasn’t. I’ll check again.” She nodded; we’d discussed this before. “Also, something odd is going on with Holland.” My sister’s eyes widened. I had also mentioned this to her briefly before as well, but she didn’t quite seem to . “It’s like she’s sick or something. It’s weird. When I was in her head last night, she knew I was there, but she was ignoring me, and I felt... like sick to my stomach or something. Can Vampires be sick?” The more I talked about it aloud, the more I was reminded of the nauseous feeling I’d gotten the night before when I’d checked in on the Vampire queen. At the time, I was still upset about missing out on the hunt and sort of thought maybe it was my own stomach cramping up on me. But now that I mentioned it to Cadence, I realized I hadn’t been sick at all except for when I was roaming around in Holland’s mind for that brief time. “I don’t think they can be. That is weird. Was she wounded or anything?” Cadence asked. I thought surely she would know if Holland had been wounded but kept my snarkiness to myself. “Nah, I don’t think so.” I looked around to see everyone staring at me, hanging on my every word and ed I was the only one who could do this, drop in on the enemy. “Maybe she’s just anxious. She still cries about Carter all the time.” I thought about how many sob sessions I’d eavesdropped on and added, “All. The. Time.” My sister just stared at me, so I shrugged. “It’s annoying.” “Sorry,” Cadence muttered, like she thought I was accusing her of killing Carter just to ruin my day. “Anything else?” I blew out a long sigh. “Just the same thing I’ve been telling you and Aaron both for the past few weeks.” Now she was the one who looked annoyed. Granted, she’d gotten the bulk of my complaints since I didn’t see Aaron as often, and when I did he seemed so unlike himself I was a little leery of talking to him about anything he didn’t specifically ask me about. I continued with my pleasant reminder that I felt we needed to do something. And go on another hunt, one where I could be included. “I know I can get a location on Spittle and the rest of

the escapees whenever you’re ready to go. I think they’ve split into two groups, though. Maybe more. But I think I know where he is.” I hadn’t probed too deeply into the ex-biker dude’s head because I didn’t see the point in spending a lot of time on something I hadn’t been approved to do, but I knew I could access the information quickly if needed. I hoped she’d say something positive—like they were organizing a hunt to bring Spittle in that very morning. “We’re talking about it,” Cadence said, but I could tell by the way she was breathing that wasn’t quite accurate. I literally bit my tongue to keep from demanding she take on more of a leadership role and tell Aaron she was moving forward, whether he wanted to continue to drag his feet or not. I was certain there was something going on with him, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, and no one else seemed to want to talk about it. My sister continued. “See if you can get some more info on Spittle, too, I guess.” “Okay,” I nodded, thinking it wouldn’t do me any good to push her too hard in front of my friends. “When? Tonight? Does Mom know?” While I could drop in on them at any time, I really needed to go up to the rooftop of the other apartment building to get the best reception. I wasn’t sure why that was, but it hadn’t failed me yet. “I told her I needed your help tonight. She said that meant you’d have less time to spend with your friends.” Something about the way my sister said that made me think that wasn’t quite what my mom had said. I figured she’d said something ridiculous, like less time to “play” with my friends. I rolled my eyes, and Brandon squeezed my hand. He probably hated the fact that my parents had moved here almost as much as I did. I returned my attention to my pizza, glad that I’d at least get a little freedom that evening. I had a little bit of schoolwork to do, but I didn’t think it would take too long. Cadence turned to Lucy and asked how she was doing, and Lucy told her she was doing okay. I thought Lucy had acclimated very well to her new life, especially since she’d moved in with Tara. She was also taking online classes now and was enjoying them. “Do you think it would be okay if I started watching the training sessions?” Lucy was asking. My ears perked up. I couldn’t imagine Lucy wanting to get up early to go watch people work out. It sounded

odd. But then, I guess she was just excited to get on with this as soon as possible. My sister didn’t answer right away, so Lucy continued. “I know I can’t participate yet, but if I could watch that would be cool.” It did not sound cool to me, but I would be happy to have Lucy there, so I said nothing. Cadence slowly nodded. “Yeah, sure. I’ll ask Aurora.” “Thanks,” Lucy said, looking relieved. I wondered if she’d been thinking about asking that for a while. Cadence smiled at her and then pulled herself up off of the couch like she’d been sitting the wrong way for too long and it hurt. “You should probably go do your homework before Mom blows a gasket.” I couldn’t help but huff at her. I hadn’t even finished lunch yet. No one else would be running off to finish their studies. “Are you going back up there?” I asked, trying to figure out how much time I had. “Nope,” my sister said definitively. “How long did you say I’d be gone?” “Like, a half-hour tops,” Cadence said as she approached the door. I looked at the time on my IAC and figured my sister had actually been in Brandon’s apartment for about ten minutes. “Then I have twenty minutes.” I smiled at her deviously, hoping she wouldn’t go rat me out. I knew she wouldn’t. Cadence shook her head at me. “You kids behave.” She put her hand on the doorknob and then froze. “Brandon, do you know where your dad is?” Something about her tone caught my attention. I figured Cadence knew where Elliott was because it sounded like they’d been in the same meeting, and if Aaron told Cadence to come and talk to me, he likely told Elliott to go do something else. Clearly, she didn’t know where he was. Or... maybe she had another reason for asking.... “No. Out doing important Guardian stuff, I guess,” Brandon said with a shrug.

“Right.” Cadence let that sit for a moment, still holding the doorknob before she asked, “How’s your mom?” It would have seemed like a strange question coming from Cadence, who rarely showed any interest in anyone else’s family at all, but she had just asked Lucy about her dad, so it wasn’t all that surprising. Brandon and I had had a long IAC conversation about his mom just the day before while my mom thought I was reading my history assignment. “Better.” His face lit up a little bit, and I patted his hand. “I talked to her yesterday. Rehab seems to be working. She’s signed up to take college classes in the summer.” He was proud of his mom for the first time in a long time, I knew, and I was glad to hear she was finally getting the help she needed—thanks to Elliott. If he hadn’t pushed Amanda and paid for everything, she’d probably still be the dysfunctional mess of a woman Brandon had left in Oklahoma. “That’s awesome.” Cadence looked as if she was actually leaving this time, and when she pulled the door open and said, “See you guys,” I was relieved to see her go. I love my sister—but she’s also my boss. We all shouted goodbye, and I checked the pizza boxes. There was only one slice of pepperoni left, and I knew for a fact everyone else had already eaten their weight in it, so I scooped it up. “You think you’ll get in trouble for staying so long?” Tara asked me, wiping her mouth on a napkin. “Probably,” I said with a shrug. “But I’m going to anyway. She can’t keep me from doing my job later, and that’s all that matters. I won’t have time to hang out this afternoon with homework and going up on the roof to Holland.” “I do not know how you live like that.” Lucy took another bite of cheese pizza, shaking her head. I didn’t really know how to respond, so I didn’t say anything. Lucy wasn’t used to having the same sort of supervision I had always had, but she was right. My mom had taken it up several notches in the last few months. I knew she was worried I’d get hurt, but Jamie and Christian had both run tissue samples on me, and both of them showed I was indestructible. I didn’t think that was actually the case. Mina—Bonnie’s mother—had mentioned there was another girl like me

before, and while I hadn’t been able to find any record of Heather, Mina told me she was gone, which made me think she’d been killed. If she could die, I could die. I just didn’t know how. And neither did my parents—which was why my mom kept me on a short leash most of the time. The conversation shifted back to popular movies, and I tried to stay a part of it, even though my mind was wandering to other topics. I thought about what I might find out when I visited Holland. The crocopire seemed very explainable to me. If we knew they could shift into wolves and mist monsters, why not crocodiles? But I was eager to see if Holland still seemed ill and to see if I could get a more specific location on Spittle. I needed to convince my sister to go after him. While we continued to drag our feet, they were still out there planning, formulating ways to get us. I would’ve thought the attack in Shenandoah would’ve been enough to jar Aaron to his senses, but it hadn’t. Who knew when the next slaughter might take place? I might not be able to get them locations on all of our enemies, but I was pretty sure I could track down Spittle. And since he was just as much responsible for what had happened to Tara as anyone else, I was ready to turn him to ash.

Chapter 5

Knowing that Brandon was standing on the other side of the door waiting for me, was always a comfort, but as soon as I settled into my trance, I had the feeling this was going to be different, more intense. The stars reached out to me like they always did as I felt myself fade away. It seemed like I should save the most hazardous task for last, so I pushed Holland off and honed in on the situation in Houston. All of the Vampires that had been present during the hunt were dead now, obviously, but I hoped I could get some sort of a read on what had taken place from other Vampires in the area. The chatter was mostly about how violated the Compliant Vampires were feeling, that they didn’t understand why they were being targeted when they hadn’t done anything wrong, and I had to agree with them to an extent. But some who were claiming innocence held secrets in their minds, ones no one had been able to access until I walked in. So when my sister and Aaron had declared total annihilation, vowing to wipe out every Vampire on Earth, it was hard for me to feel too sorry for most of them. All of them had something they wanted to hide, it seemed, even the mostly compliant ones. Talk of the crocodile wasn’t exact, but listening in to various conversations, I gained enough insight to determine that Holland was able to lend her power to any Vampire any time anywhere, if she wanted to. In this particular instance, it seemed like she’d decided on a crocodile because that’s what one might expect to encounter in a big city sewer system—if one watched a lot of horror movies and tended to be afraid of practically everything. So she’d turned one of her pals into a ten foot long crocodile that was practically impossible to kill. Cool. I couldn’t wait to see what she dreamt up next.... At least now I knew that she could do whatever she wanted to, and time and distance didn’t seem to be a factor. But signals were involved, the same sort she was using to block the ones coming from the trackers many Vampires had implanted to let us know their location. So, if she couldn’t get a signal to the Vampire in question, she wouldn’t be able to make them shift. That was good to know. I’d had lots of success blocking

signals in the past. Maybe I could do it with this particular type of signal as well. Hines was next on my list because I thought it would be quick. Turns out I was right. He was in his lab working on his concoction. “Krypton...” he was muttering to himself until he realized I was there, and then he clamped up really quickly. I had no idea what that meant, other than it being the planet Superman hailed from, but I made a note of it to let Jamie know. The fact that Hines was still working made me think he wasn’t there yet. I moved on. Spittle. This was harder. I had to go deeper. Not only did I have to force myself through the open doorways of his mind, I had to get a location. Walking into Spittle’s brain was sort of like walking into a club where bikers hang out and everyone wants to punch everyone in the face. It was dark, hostile, and smelled really bad. He knew I was there as soon as I popped in, but he wasn’t able to force me out. Really, only Holland could do that. He did his best to not think about anything, but it didn’t work. I was able to access his memories as well as get a visual as to where he was standing. He’d traveled a few hours away, but it was broken up over weeks, and it was hard for me to judge how far he’d gone. I saw him stopping at one location or another, usually underground, staying with other Vampires, often the others who’d been moving this direction before Holland’s plan went awry. Sometimes he pretended to be human and stayed at trashy motels. But now I saw him standing in the cellar of a large home. I got the sense it was old, and there were at least two stories worth of space above him. He tried to force me out, but I looked around and noted the dirt floor, the hand-hewn beams that held up the ceiling. Whatever this place was, it wasn’t anything built this century. I dug further into Spittle’s memories and saw him approaching the home at night, recently. It was a white house, maybe a Queen Anne, though it was hard to tell in the dim light and from the proximity at which he’d looked at the structure. I could tell it was out in the countryside, and in the background I could hear what sounded like a fairly large body of water moving rapidly. I glimpsed a sign from somewhere along his journey and read the words Civil War and Battle of Lexington. At first, I was confused. I know my history well enough to that there was a battle during the Revolutionary War in Lexington, Massachusetts, but I didn’t think he’d gone that far. I decided I had enough information to figure out where he was and planted the idea in his head

that I thought he’d traveled to the East Coast. Let him get comfortable. Numbers—I needed to know how many creatures were with him. This was harder because he didn’t want me to know. But I felt a split in his memory, a departure of some sort, and I knew he didn’t have the same amount of henchmen with him as he’d had when he left here. I felt out in the space around him and encountered at least five, maybe six, distinct trains of thought. I continued to search, trying to see if there were more or if there was a possibility any of those minds were human, but I wasn’t able to find out anything else from him, so I moved on. Going into Holland’s mind is always a risk because she can get information from me as quickly as I can get it from her. So I had to be fast, and I had to be quiet. I had a feeling she was still in Melbourne. We still hadn’t been able to determine exactly where her headquarters was, and she’d done everything she could to mask that information from me, as well as keep all thoughts of anyone who knew the location, other than Hines, out of her thoughts so I couldn’t determine who to pinpoint. I wish I knew how to zero in on people I hadn’t met or didn’t know, but my skills didn’t work that way, or if they did, I hadn’t figure out how to make them that precise. Something was different this time. I could tell immediately, the second I slid into her nefarious mind. While that sense of overwhelming despair she still harbored for Carter was obvious, there was an undertone. What I had perceived as nausea before hit me in a wave, and I tucked my arm around my stomach. But it wasn’t an illness. It was something far, far worse. I couldn’t quite tell how long she’d been aware of the situation herself because I could sense doubt in her mind, like she knew this was impossible, but she had to accept it because it was obvious now. I didn’t stay there for long. I couldn’t. The implications of what I’d discovered hit me like a Mac truck slamming into a concrete divider, and my eyes flew open. I was breathing a lot heavier than I normally am when I come out of a trance, and the stars seemed like spotlights, each one burning my retinas. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths before I used my IAC to say, “Brandon, I’m done.” He was there in a flash, and as soon as his eyes fell on my face, I could see concern written all over his countenance. “Everything all right?” He dropped

down next to me, like he always does, giving me a moment to dust the cobwebs of other people’s realities off my mind. “No, something is definitely wrong with Holland.” Brandon looked confused. Creases marred his otherwise handsome face as he pondered what I was saying. I’m not sure I was capable of making too much sense at the moment. “Isn’t that a good thing?” “I don’t think so.” There was something about the entire vibe I’d gotten from Holland that told me that this wasn’t going to end well. “I think this could be really awful.” Smirking at me, Brandon said, “Well, unless she’s feeling bad because she’s about to have a whole litter of demonic kittens, I don’t know why that would be.” He had no idea just how close he was. “I need to talk to Cadence. Now.” We both stood, and he took my hand. “All right. Let’s go.” My palms were sweaty, but I didn’t care. I latched onto his fingers and followed him to the door and down to the elevator. Normally, we talk about everything I’ve seen on my way to report it to Cadence, or Aaron, or whoever, but this time, I wasn’t capable of saying anything yet, and I didn’t know if I could report it all twice, so I just walked along with Brandon, who let me know Cadence was expecting me. We reached her penthouse apartment in a few minutes. By then, I was calmer. When she pulled open the door, it was obvious she was alone, and I was glad. I didn’t know if I could rewrite two centuries worth of history in Aaron’s brain as quickly as I could convince my sister that what I’d seen was true. “Cass—are you okay?” Cadence asked, probably noticing the sweat that damped my brow, and I thought I might be shaking a little. “Come in.” She stepped out of the way, and Brandon walked me over to the couch before he took a spot in an armchair out of the way. Cadence dropped down next to me, her face indicating she was currently my concerned sister, her boss hat put away.

I took another few deep breaths before I said anything at all, and Cadence waited as patiently as she could. Finally, I spat it out. “Holland is pregnant.” My sister’s face didn’t change for the longest time. She continued to stare at me without even blinking. When she finally moved, it was minute at first. Eventually, she asked, “What?” All of that for me to have to say it again. “I said, Holland is pregnant. She has a baby. In her abdomen.” “Right,” Cadence said, shaking her head a little bit, like she was hoping her brain would roll back into place. “I know what the word means, Sis. I just.... What? That’s impossible.” “I know it’s impossible. But so are lots of other things. Like Vampires. And coming back from the dead. And Transforming before you turn seventeen. Yeah, I’m sure. She’s pregnant. I felt it. She knows it. And it’s not like a normal pregnancy either. She’s progressing very quickly. She’s scared, but I got the impression this thing isn’t going to be your run of the mill Vampire either.” I had been staring at the couch while I spoke, and when I looked back into her face, I could see most of what I had just said was wasted. She hadn’t gotten past the first statement yet. “Cadence?” She startled a bit as her name jarred her back to reality. “Are you sure? A baby?” I was getting a little worked up by then. It was infuriating that she’d sent me into the minds of monsters and not believe me when I came back out. “Yes, I’m positive, Cadence! I know it’s supposed to be impossible, but I’m certain. She’s pregnant.” Cadence still wasn’t computing. “But... that’s impossible.” I took it she’d missed my entire list of occurrences we’d just witnessed that were also impossible and didn’t bother to go through them again. “We’ve been over this.” Brandon had his arms folded and stared at my sister as intently as I had been. I was so glad he was with me. At least he took me at my word. “She’s certain. So what now?”

“I don’t know.” Cadence scooted back on the couch and hit her head on the wall, absently rubbing it like she hadn’t even noticed as she continued. “I mean, obviously, we need to talk to Aaron and Jamie.” She was shaking her head. I knew what she was thinking. The only way there had ever been a baby Vampire before was when a Vampire was heinous enough to bite a baby and change them. This was a first—but it was the truth nonetheless. I was ready to go back to my prison cell downstairs now. I’d had enough of my sister’s doubts and wanted to see if I could clean the bad mojo I’d picked up from Holland out of my mind. “Okay.” If she thought I was going with her, she was nuts. “Tell them the name of the town Spittle is hiding out in is Lexington. It’s not far from here. I saw the house. I can identify it.” She didn’t seem to be listening to me, but her head rocked back and forth. I decided I’d save the information I’d gotten about the crocopire for when she asked me about it since I had the notion she might not even I’d told her about Spittle. She was probably wondering how in the world she was going to convince Aaron that Holland was pregnant. Not only was he a black and white rule following kinda guy who didn’t just accept anomalies, he was still acting very peculiarly; she might not be able to convince him. But that wasn’t really my problem, not at the moment, anyway. I got up and headed toward the door, Brandon beside me. I was about to open it when Cadence popped up off the couch and trailed us. “Thanks, Cass. We really appreciate your abilities and your willingness to use them.” Even though her gratitude sounded rehearsed, I realized she had a lot on her mind and probably couldn’t come up with anything too compelling at the moment. “Sure,” I said, and then I leaned over and gave her a hug. I didn’t envy her having to tell Aaron. Brandon and I headed over to the elevator, and he interlaced his fingers with mine. “Man, that was nuts. I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like, walking around in Holland’s head and finding that out.” “It was intense,” I replied as we stepped into the metal box. I appreciated the fact that there was not a doubt in his mind that I knew exactly what I was talking about. I rested my head on his shoulder, glad to have his in every way possible.

We had just arrived on floor four when my sister said, “What about the shifters?” “Holland has the power to turn them into whatever she wants,” I replied. “Whatever she thinks will make us frightened or hesitant. So, yeah, it was her.” “Awesome,” was all my sister said, but I knew she was being sarcastic. I didn’t respond. I figured she had enough on her mind since she was probably headed over to rip the Band-Aid off and talk to Aaron. There was no use in letting it simmer. “We have an early morning tomorrow, ?” Brandon said, stopping outside of my apartment door. I knew my mom was listening. She was always right there. So different than how she’d been before. I was confused by his statement, and before I could think past typical training at 9:00, he continued. “The procedure? Your sister? My dad?” “Oh, right,” I stammered. Cadence had mentioned it to me earlier in the day through an IAC I’d been so busy I’d ignored. Probably because I was jealous. For a moment, I thought maybe Aaron had returned to his normal demeanor if he was letting Elliott and Cadence go through with using the Transformation serum to increase their powers the way that he and Tara had—though not under the same circumstances. I’d been there when the Guardian Leader had approved it initially, but it had been one more thing pushed back since we returned from Melbourne, so I was under the impression it might not ever happen. Now, it looked like it was, assuming my sister didn’t go over to Aaron’s office and make him so angry he’d change his mind, though I guess technically she didn’t really even need his permission. He’s not the boss of her anymore. But Elliott would need Aaron’s sign off. Hopefully, Aaron would just accept my findings as truth. I doubted it. I was still jealous that it wouldn’t be me in the morning. I had to push those thoughts aside though. My mom was breathing heavily enough on the other side of the door that I realized my time was almost up. “I’ll be by around 7:45, okay?” “Yep.” I smiled up at my boyfriend, and he patted me on the back like we were best pals before he wished me goodnight and walked away. I hated that he couldn’t even kiss me because of my mom. Liz was staring at me when I opened the door. I wasn’t surprised. She wasn’t

even trying to hide the fact that she was constantly spying on me anymore. “What?” I asked, not in any mood. I was trying not to channel my inner Lucy. “Nothing. You were gone a long time. Is everything okay?” I checked the time on my IAC as I walked past her. “It’s not even nine, Mom. I was working.” “I didn’t say you weren’t, honey.” My dad was sitting on the sofa with the remote in his hand, but he stared up at me for a moment, like he wasn’t sure whether or not he should get involved. I knew he’d rather not say anything at all if it meant he’d have to choose sides. Whirling back to look at my mom, I said, “I have to get up early. You do that your other daughter is having a pretty important procedure done in the morning, don’t you?” I didn’t mention that I had forgotten myself. My mom shook her head and folded her arms. “I don’t understand why she’s doing this. It all seems so... unnecessary. I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Eyes wide, I studied her for a moment. If it were me, she’d be standing at the foot of my bed the whole time, wringing her hands because she’d be so worried I might die. Cadence could do whatever she wanted, and my mom didn’t bat an eye. “It’ll make her better at her job,” I reminded my mom. She shrugged. “I guess so. I don’t really see a difference.” I guessed the conversation was over because she headed over to her recliner. “You don’t see a difference?” I wasn’t done yet. “Mom, Aaron and Tara are, like, ten times faster than the rest of us. They’re stronger.” She was unimpressed. “They have X-ray vision.” “Now, who would want that?” Mom asked, picking up her knitting. She seemed a lot older to me than her fifty-one years all of a sudden. “All that avoiding looking at people’s underwear.” A guffaw escaped my lips, which she didn’t seem to notice. “They can control it.”

“Oh, come on!” My dad was yelling at the basketball game on the TV in an attempt to throw us off course. “He should’ve made that!” I turned and took the few steps into my bedroom, closing the door behind me. If Holland was a puzzle, my mother was an enigma. I changed into my pajamas and went back out to do my nightly routine in the bathroom closest to my room. Thank goodness my parents had their own. I still had to keep it nice for guests, but at least I didn’t have to share the cramped quarters with my parents. I could hear them whispering to each other but decided it was best not to know what they were talking about. By the time I was back in my room and under my comforter, I decided to check in on Cadence. Maybe she was done talking with Aaron by now. I didn’t know if I even wanted to hear how it had gone, but I was curious, so I sent her an IAC message; she didn’t answer, which was frustrating. I hated it when people ignored me. Annoyed at the world, I turned off the lamp by the side of my bed, double checked my alarm, and sunk down into my mattress, thinking I wouldn’t hear anything until the next day. At least all of my friends weren’t hanging out together without me for once—not Brandon, anyway. He had left here to go straight home. Most nights, I fell asleep either with my IAC on as I watched them watch a movie or joking around. Tonight, the world was silent. I had just drifted off when I noticed a flickering in the corner of my eye that got my attention despite my sleepiness. It was a message from Brandon. “You still awake?” I didn’t even open my eyes. “I’m awake.” “My dad just got back from your sister’s. I guess Aaron didn’t take it well.” I wasn’t surprised to hear that. “What did he say?” “He didn’t want to answer most of my questions. Just that Aaron refused to accept it was a possibility. Cadence was pretty upset, I guess. Not just that he wasn’t taking the information seriously, but she’s worried about him. Dad accidentally told me that--I think. Why do they always act like they have to keep secrets from us because we are too immature to handle it? Do they really think

we haven’t noticed Aaron’s been acting weird, and Cadence has been concerned about it?” “I don’t know.” I was irritated that Aaron hadn’t taken my information seriously, but I thought that wasn’t the most pressing issue right now. There was something wrong with him, and we all needed to do something about it. I just had no idea what it was. And then there was the fact that I didn’t know if Cadence had even mentioned Spittle to Aaron. She didn’t ever answer my message. “Everyone seems to be acting all secretive again, and I don’t like it.” They’d kept this whole world from me for far too long as it was. Now, they were slipping back into their Clandestine ways. “Yeah. Even my dad.” I heard a note of something in Brandon’s voice I hadn’t noticed before. “What do you mean?” Elliott had been the most honest with me of anyone by far. I couldn’t imagine him keeping anything to himself that he wasn’t sworn to secrecy about. “It’s probably nothing.” His tone wasn’t convincing. “He seems to be gone a lot more lately, which is really weird because it’s March Madness. He should be glued to the TV.” I was definitely fully awake now. “Where do you think he’s going?” “No idea. But... I thought he smelled a little different tonight. Sort of like perfume. I didn’t get too close to him, so maybe I was imagining it.” “My sister wears perfume sometimes. Body spray, anyhow.” “Yeah. But I don’t think he smelled like Cadence. Though it was slightly familiar. Weird.” “Why don’t you ask him about it?” I offered. I certainly would if it were me. “Nah, it’s probably nothing.” Brandon avoids confrontation whenever he can. I think it comes from growing up with a mom who was liable to fly off the handle at any moment. “I probably shouldn’t have even mentioned it.” “You’re right. You should definitely start keeping things from me, too.”

“That’s not what I meant,” he countered. “I mean it’s probably nothing at all, so why mention it?” “Because I’m your girlfriend, and if you’re worried about it, I should be, too.” “I’m not worried about it per se,” he countered. “It’s just unusual. Anything unusual catches my attention, you know?” “I do.” I could relate. It’s just most times, there wasn’t anything I could do about it. “Well, it’s getting late. For you anyway.” He snickered, and once again I was jealous that I actually had to sleep. “I’ll see you in the morning.” “Okay.” There wasn’t much I could say to argue with that. I had been mostly asleep and wished I was again. He told me he loved me, and I reciprocated before I let sleep come back over me. Someday, I knew I’d be able to stay up longer, that I’d be privy to all of the information my sister and Elliott and everyone else was trying to keep from me, that I wouldn’t have a curfew or an early bedtime. Unfortunately, that was not this day. Knowing it would be eventually didn’t make things any easier, and as sleep overcame me, I wondered what it would be like to be completely free.

Chapter 6

Elliott was nervous. I could tell by all of the awful jokes he was making on our way over to Jamie’s operating room. Of course, he always makes a ton of jokes, but these were more “dad jokey” than usual. I couldn’t blame him for being nervous; I would’ve been, too, I think. But since Elliott had been told nothing could kill him, there was a pretty good chance he’d come through this unscathed. Perhaps it was the intense pain he was likely to experience that had him a little sillier than usual. If this process felt anything like going through the Transformation process felt like for me when I initially went through it, he was in for a pretty crappy morning. I hadn’t seen Cadence, and she still hadn’t answered my message from the night before. I figured she was busy and would likely be a little late because she has a tendency to come in a few minutes after she’s supposed to be some place when she has a lot going on, but when the three of us walked into the operating room just before 8:00, she was already there, sitting on one of two hospital beds Jamie had set up, talking to the doctor about who knows what. They clammed up as soon as we walked in. “Mornin’, Doc,” Elliott said with a loud exhale. “You ready to make me even more spectacular?” “Not sure I have that kind of talent, but I’ll give it a go,” Jamie snarked back. “Make yourself comfortable.” Elliott took off his shoes and sat down on the bed next to Cadence who had already tucked her sneakers underneath the bed she was sitting on. She didn’t lie back the way Elliott did. Clearly, my sister wasn’t trying to mask her anxiety the way Elliott was. “Sorry I didn’t get back to you last night,” Cadence said, only turning her head to look at me. “There was a lot going on.” “That’s okay,” I said with a shrug. Now wasn’t the time to be a pain in the butt. My sister was in for some pretty intense pain of another kind shortly if this went

as expected, and Jamie wouldn’t be able to do anything to help them. Normally, whenever Transformation serum is istered, he waits two minutes and then gives the person a heavy sedative with a pain killer in it. For this, however, he’d already explained that he wasn’t going to do that. He said he didn’t know what it would do, and he didn’t want anything to interfere with the serum. I ed when I’d finally lost consciousness when I’d undergone the procedure. I’d never been so thankful to fall asleep in my whole life. Jamie was checking a few things on the table between the two patients, and I continued to stand near the foot of Elliott’s bed next to Brandon, not sure what to say or do. I wanted to be there to both of them because they were so important to me, but there wasn’t a lot I could say, and I was sure they were both trying to keep their emotions together. I wondered, if things got really bad for either of them, would Jamie step in and use his healing powers? But I figured they’d have to be on the brink of death for him to do that. He might end up keeping the procedure from working since he had little control over what he healed. I was just about to ask Cadence where Aaron was when he walked in. I couldn’t a time I’d ever seen him look so tired. He never sleeps, rarely eats, and almost always looks like a supermodel without even trying. But he had heavy bags under his eyes, like a human who’s been up all night for several nights in a row, and it was obvious to me something was going on. Elliott likely noticed, too. He’d been best friends with Aaron for decades. He didn’t comment on the Leader’s appearance, though, only said, “Hey, bossman. You here for the show?” “Something like that. You guys ready for this?” Aaron paused at the foot of Cadence’s bed, his hands on his hips, and I caught a tinge of tension in his voice. I knew he’d approved this, but maybe he was second guessing himself now. “Heck, yeah.” Elliott had a smile on his face that seemed more than a little forced. “We’re ready to be superheroes, too.” “Uh, I never claimed to be that,” Aaron said, and at the moment, I couldn’t have agreed more. “Just....” I wondered if he had planned to say something about what he had claimed to be, but when he completed the sentence, it was unrelated. “Just try to relax.”

“Spoken by the master of recreation,” Elliott chided, but Aaron let it go, and I drew in a deep breath as I realized Jamie was ready to get started. “All right,” the doctor said, looking from Elliott to my sister and back again. “As you guys know, this is gonna hurt, and there’s nothing I can do about it. But this is what you’ve signed up for, so don’t blame me.” I couldn’t imagine anyone lashing out at Jamie over a procedure they’d asked him to perform, but stranger things have happened. He looked concerned, an expression he didn’t wear well or often, and I felt my stomach roll over a few times. Brandon squeezed my hand, and I imagined my boyfriend was feeling the same way. “We’re ready, Doc.” Cadence’s voice didn’t sound quite as certain as I would’ve liked. She lay back against the pillows, and Aaron went over to the other side of her bed. He stooped down and kissed her forehead, and for a moment, I thought the real Aaron was back, the one that loved my sister more than anything in the world. I saw him flinch when he touched her and ed he channels other people’s emotions. He must have known my sister was terrified. I swallowed hard and returned my attention to Elliott. At least he had a smile on his face, even if it was obviously fake. “Okay, I’m guessing it’ll be about two minutes of severe pain, and then you’ll be fine,” Jamie was explaining as he picked up a needle and flipped the lid off. “Asleep, but fine.” I didn’t see any tourniquets or anything, which I thought was odd, but I figured Jamie knew what he was doing. He took ahold of Elliott’s arm and bent it at the elbow for a second, like that would be enough for him to find a vein, and I figured if a person has been finding veins for two hundred years, it doesn’t take much. As Jamie brought Elliott’s arm back down so that it was straight, Elliott looked at my sister and said, “See ya on the other side, kid.” I glanced over at my sister and thought she looked slightly calmer. I wondered if Elliott had used his green sparkling eyes of trickery to make her feel a bit more relaxed, but I didn’t have time to think about it too long before Jamie was inserting the needle into Elliott’s arm. Immediately, Elliott tensed up, his eyes closed tightly, and Brandon stepped forward, taking his dad by the arm nearest to him and leaning close to his ear. I could hear him calmly whispering, “It’s all right. It’ll be over in a minute.” I prayed he was right, and Elliott would be out soon.

It wasn’t over yet, though. Jamie had to do a second needle, just to make sure. This time, Elliott’s reaction was to turn bright red. I didn’t think he was breathing at first, and I was glad he didn’t have Brandon’s hand in his because I thought he might tear it off. There wasn’t much I could do to help, but I ed Jamie saying it would take about two minutes for it to be over with, so I slowly began to count aloud, in as calm a voice as I could throw together, thinking if I could make it to 120 without Elliott spontaneously combusting, he would be all right. I didn’t let the idea that my sister hadn’t gone yet cross my mind. I could only handle one thing at a time. I had reached sixty when Elliott’s face began to return to a more normal color. Though it was still a brighter pink than usual, he seemed to be calming down, and I thought he was falling asleep. “Sorry, Cadence.” Jamie’s voice had my head spinning around, even though I continued to count. I really didn’t want to watch my sister go through what Elliott had just endured. “I really hate that I’m having to do this, and I wish I could make it stop hurting, but I’m afraid to interfere at all.” He seemed a lot more apologetic to my sister than he had been to Elliott, which I would’ve found humorous if the pressure of the situation wasn’t weighing down on me like a lead balloon. Cadence had her head turned away from him, and it seemed like her tear-filled eyes were focused on the wall across the room. “No, it’s okay,” she assured him. My sister is one of the bravest people I know. I put myself in her place and wondered if I would be able to go through with it. Seeing her look so courageous in the face of imminent agony made me believe just maybe I could do it, too. Aaron dropped down beside her. I couldn’t quite make out what he was saying, but it seemed to be something to help calm her down. He had her hand, and he was more like himself than I had seen him recently. Jamie pressed down on the plunger, and Cadence went rigid, sobs escaping her throat, though they were quiet, like she was trying to control them the best she could. I could tell that Jamie didn’t want to grab that second needle. He hesitated for a moment, his head hanging low, before he finally picked it up and turned back toward my sister. By now, Elliott was out, thank goodness, and Brandon was wiping away tears, though I don’t think he wanted me to notice. My sister croaked out, “It hurts,” just as Jamie pressed down on the second plunger. There

was a sickening noise of bones crunching as my sister squeezed Aaron’s hand, and I felt my stomach flip over, but he didn’t even flinch, like my sister breaking every bone in his hand was nothing. I turned to look at Brandon, whose eyes were as wide as mine, and I wondered if he would love me through shattering his hand like that and figured he would. Tears were streaming down Cadence’s cheeks, and her eyes were squeezed tight. Aaron continued to whisper to her, not budging. Then, just when I thought she was about to fall asleep, her eyes flew open. He told her he loved her, and she seemed to calm down rapidly after that until she finally fell asleep. I stood staring with my mouth open, wondering how he was enduring that pain without so much as a flicker in his eyes. Once Cadence was out, he pried his hand away from hers and leaned down and kissed her again, shaking his hand like he’d just hit it on the door or something minor. Brandon pulled me against his shoulder, and I realized I had tears in my eyes, too. Jamie pulled a sheet up over Cadence before he asked Aaron, “Are you okay? I can fix that.” He gestured at Aaron’s hand which looked more than a little messed up, even from here. “Yeah, I’m okay,” Aaron replied, but I could see that dark look filling his eyes again and thought that wasn’t true at all. Not even a little bit. “How long do you think this will take?” Brandon asked Jamie who was cleaning up syringes and checking pulses. I guess I’d missed Jamie pulling the sheet up over Elliott because I had no recollection of it, yet my friend looked like he was taking a nap with the sheet tucked in under his chin. “I have no idea,” Jamie itted. “But I’d say probably less than twelve hours. The recovery rate on the samples has been that or less.” I ed he’d done some experiments with tissue samples on both my sister and Elliott. Once everything was put away, Jamie went around the end of Cadence’s bed and took Aaron’s hand in both of his for a moment. A few seconds later, it was completely healed. Jamie stifled a yawn as Aaron thanked him, and then the Healer asked, “Are you gonna hang out here for a while?” I had a couple of hours before I was due in the gym, and while I’d had my fair share of watching people sleep when Tara was lying in this very room not long

ago, I planned to stay as long as I could. Brandon was getting us both chairs, I realized, and my eyes stayed focused on Aaron, wondering what he would say. He looked surprised that Jamie had even asked, like it hadn’t crossed his mind, but he replied, “Yeah, I guess so.” He didn’t move to get a chair, though, only took a few steps backward, out of Jamie’s way as the doctor crossed the room to do something at a prep station, and Aaron took on a distracted look, like he wasn’t quite sure where he was. Brandon and I sat down and glanced at Elliott and my sister. They seemed fine now, but my stomach still hadn’t unclenched. Glad for Brandon’s arm around me, I watched the rise and fall of their chests, wondering how long it would be until they were up. “You doing all right?” Brandon wasn’t talking to me, I realized, and when I looked back at Aaron, I could see he had that look about him again, the one he’d come in with, like he didn’t want to be there, like he needed to be the one asleep. It took him a moment to answer. Maybe he didn’t realize Brandon was talking to him, or maybe he wasn’t sure how to respond. When he said, “I’m fine,” it was almost laughable. I glanced at Jamie, who was bringing his boss a chair, and I decided I may as well be real. Someone needed to be. “You don’t look fine,” I said to Aaron, whose eyebrows shot up in surprise to hear the honest truth. “You haven’t looked fine in a while.” I had been concerned for a few weeks, but it occurred to me now that the situation was a lot worse than I had realized. Perhaps it was because I didn’t spend as much time with him since I’d moved in with my parents, but it was obvious to me that there was something way wrong with my soon-to-be brother-in-law. “I’m going to finish up a few things in my office,” Jamie said, looking uncomfortable. I assumed it was my remark that sent him out of the room. Maybe he didn’t want to be there if Aaron lost it and yelled at me for being so blunt, but I didn’t think that was it. Jamie would defend me against anyone if he needed to. Perhaps this wasn’t the first time the topic had come up, and he was just tired of trying to get Aaron to realize the situation was more dire than he was willing to accept. Aaron looked down at the chair Jamie had left for him as if he didn’t know what the purpose of such a piece of furniture was as the Healer noted, “Let me know

if they need anything,” and left the room. Aaron sat, still not responding to my comment, and I pondered saying something else, but Brandon tapped my shoulder, and when I looked at him, he slowly shook his head back and forth. I decided to keep my mouth shut for now, but if someone didn’t do something soon, I’d be forced to take matters into my own hands. Again. The three of us sat there for hours. Aurora dismissed me from practice through her IAC, which I appreciated because I really was worried about my sister and Elliott. Jamie came in periodically to tell us they were fine, but he didn’t stay. I thought maybe it was Aaron who kept Jamie out of the room, but I didn’t know for sure. Brandon and I kept our conversation to ourselves, mostly through our IACs. I could tell Aaron was working when I glanced in his direction, but he didn’t say anything either. It would’ve been truly awkward if Brandon and I couldn’t talk to each other through our thoughts. My parents came in around noon, dropping off some sandwiches, which Brandon and I devoured and Aaron declined. My mom had that worried look about her, especially when she went to press her hand to Cadence’s forehead, and my sister didn’t move at all. “She’s so still,” she’d said, shaking her head, and Jamie had assured her everything looked good, and Cadence was just sleeping. Mom didn’t seem convinced, but she hadn’t stayed for too long. I imagined it was difficult for her to see Cadence looking like a corpse. My dad patted me on the shoulder and headed out. I hoped they’d come back later if this continued, but it was hard to say. As my mom was walking out, she called over her shoulder, “Don’t forget about your schoolwork, Cassidy.” My mouth dropped open. Did she really expect me to do homework while Cadence was dead to the world? Brandon patted my shoulder, and I closed my mouth, realizing my mom was gone without my answer. Three more hours went by before I realized Elliott was moving. All three of us snapped to attention as he adjusted on the bed a few times. Jamie was either monitoring through someone’s IAC or just had a sense that something had changed because he came back into the room just as Elliott opened his eyes. “How are you feeling?” the doctor asked, preparing his stethoscope. Elliott did the same thing Tara had done when she woke up, the same thing

Brandon had done that night when I slept on a cot near him after his Transformation, too. He raised one hand and moved it around in front of his face, shocked at his own speed. “I’m good,” Elliott muttered, fascinated at the way the air rippled around his limb. Jamie checked his vitals. “I guess it took, then?” “I think so,” Jamie nodded, clearly relieved and glad that he’d figured this process out. “Everything seems relatively normal.” “Relatively?” Elliott asked, sitting up completely as Jamie stepped back. “Yeah, your heartbeat is a little faster than it was before, but that’s to be expected.” I saw Elliott glance around Jamie at Aaron who had only a small grin for his best friend. “Aaron’s heart rate is always elevated.” Elliott seemed to accept that. He slid over to the edge of the bed so that his legs were dangling for a minute before his feet touched the floor. “Can I go then? I’m starving.” “What else is new?” I muttered, smiling at him. At least one of them had woken up with no horrible side effects. “Sure,” Jamie said with a shrug. “Just let me know if you notice anything out of the ordinary.” Elliott grabbed his shoes and stuffed his feet into them, in a huge hurry to get some food in his stomach. “Thanks a lot, Doc,” he said before shooting out the door like a rocket without much more than a wave at us. Brandon looked at me for a second before he stammered, “I think I’ll go with him, make sure he’s all right. I’ll come back, though. And I’ll grab your laptop so you can do your homework.” He glanced over at Cadence, and it seemed pretty obvious that she wasn’t going to wake up any time soon. “Okay,” I nodded, and Brandon left, too, though not nearly as quickly as his dad. Jamie was changing the sheets on the bed that Elliott had just vacated, and I stood to help him, thinking I bet he wished he had an orderly. “If you leave me here alone with Aaron when he’s being so weird, I’m not gonna be your friend anymore.”

Jamie smirked at me, but he didn’t respond. Once we had the bed changed, he took Brandon’s chair, and I knew he wasn’t going to abandon me. A few minutes later, the door opened. I didn’t think it could be Brandon back so quickly, but when I saw that it was Christian, I snarled. I had to turn around and hide my face. I was still angry at him over the whole thing with Tara. And a million other things. Jamie snickered. “Well, technically, if I left now, you wouldn’t be alone.” My eyes were daggers, but I knew he was just teasing me. I imagined the reason Christian waited until now to come in was because Elliott was gone. “So... Sanderson even more of a freak now?” the tech guy asked, standing at the foot of my sister’s bed. “Not as much as you,” I jabbed. Christian turned and looked at me but didn’t say anything. “The procedure took, if that’s what you’re getting at,” Jamie replied, much more civilly than my attempt. “Cadence hasn’t moved a muscle, though.” “Hmmm.” Christian folded his arms and studied my sister. I could only imagine what he might be thinking. Probably coming up with different experiments he could run on her while she was asleep. Aaron looked at him out of the side of his eye but didn’t otherwise acknowledge Christian was there, and I couldn’t tell if he was warning him to keep his comments to himself through his IAC or had just decided to pretend Christian didn’t exist. The tech guy continued to stand there for a few moments before he said, “You need to block signals for me. It’s been hours.” I sat up in my chair, wanting to say something snide back to him, like since when did I take orders from him, but Jamie bumped his knee into mine, and I realized it would be easier for me to just comply. Technically, it was one of my responsibilities, and I had been neglecting it. Since it would only take a minute or so to intercept Holland’s signal that interfered with our trackers, I closed my eyes and concentrated on blocking it. I had gotten really good at it and didn’t even need to have it quiet or anything anymore. When I opened my eyes to tell Christian I’d gotten him the data he needed, I

realized he and Aaron were talking about something, and Aaron was actually smiling. It was strange and caught me off guard, but as quickly as it was there, it was gone again. I looked at Jamie, but he didn’t seem to notice the oddity, so I kept it to myself. “Got it,” I said to Christian, who could go ahead and leave now. “Good.” He did not say thank you. I narrowed my eyes at him, and once again, Jamie nudged me in the knee. I am lucky I have so many people looking out for me, or who knows what kind of trouble I might get myself into. “I’ll go run it through.” “Let me know if there’s any movement,” Aaron muttered, staring at something between my sister’s bed and the floor. I swear he was fine for a few seconds, but now he was gone again. I wanted to say something rude, like, “As if it makes any difference,” because so far we hadn’t attacked any of the cells I had been monitoring. Only Compliant Vampires had been targeted since we returned from Melbourne, but I decided to cut the bossman some slack since his fiancée appeared to be lifeless, and I figured Jamie was getting tired of nudging me. “Will do,” Christian said in that annoying brown-noser voice that makes me nauseated. He walked out without saying anything at all to me—I still didn’t get my thank you—or to Jamie. But then, I was just happy he was gone. The quietness of the room was suffocating. I shifted in my chair, wondering if Jamie was talking to Ashley or someone else because his eyelids were dancing around. I didn’t even bother to look at Aaron because whether he was busy or not, I likely wouldn’t be able to tell. And he was so unlike himself, it made me sad for my sister every time I noticed how distant he had become. I waited until Jamie seemed to have finished his conversation before I asked, “Do you think we are going back to Melbourne soon? I’ve been checking in with Paul, and he seems antsy. I can’t blame him.” Paul, the Melbourne Area Leader, also happened to be a distant cousin of mine, and while I hadn’t known him before the rescue mission I’d participated in, the one where I’d been able to locate him and get him back from Holland and Carter, we had stayed in the last few weeks. He’d mentioned how much of a help it had been to him that I’d been able to assure him he was going to be okay using my telepathy when

Hines was doing all kinds of experiments on him I didn’t even want to think about. “I don’t know,” Jamie said, and there was a lilt to his voice that told me he certainly knew more than he was saying. “For now, we’re just.. keeping an eye on things.” It was a non-answer, the kind a person gives when they’re talking to someone who isn’t privileged enough to know all of the information. I folded my arms, wanting to tell Brandon to hurry up and get back. Even if it meant I’d have to spend the next few hours doing my homework, it would be better than sitting here with these two people who didn’t want to tell me anything. I looked at my sister and felt a little jealous that she was out of it. Sure, she had a million responsibilities when she was awake. Her fiancé had changed into someone almost unrecognizable in a matter of weeks, and the Vampire queen she’d already killed once wanted her dead again. Not to mention said queen was now carrying some sort of evil entity in her womb. But at least Cadence knew what was going on. I often think about how close I was to being the Hunter Leader myself. If Cadence wasn’t older than me, I’d be the one with all of that weight on my shoulders. Instead, I am the younger sister who is only told what she needs to know and tasked with doing whatever needs to be done that no one else can do. Lucky me. “Cass?” I hadn’t even realized Brandon was back until I felt his hand on my shoulder, so I jumped a little. Maybe I’d dozed off for a minute. It was unsettling to think he could sneak up on me. I turned and looked at him, and he smiled at me but didn’t point out that he could’ve wrung my neck if he were a Vampire. He handed me my laptop and a pizza box. The scent of pepperoni filled my lungs and I noted that I have the best boyfriend in the world. He proved himself further by handing me a Dr. Pepper bottle. Jamie got out of his seat. “Well, now that Brandon’s back, I think I’ll head over to my office. You need anything, Aaron?” “Huh? No.” At least I wasn’t the only one out of it. If the Leader thought it was odd that Jamie had only been waiting for Brandon’s return, he didn’t say anything.

“This may take a while.” Jamie checked Cadence’s pulse one more time before he started walking to the door. “Hopefully, she’ll wake up before your curfew, Cass, but I’m not sure at this point.” I thought about asking him what had changed his mind but didn’t bother. I dug into the pizza Brandon had brought me without bothering to offer any to Aaron, who would decline anyway, or to Brandon who had likely already eaten. If I was going to be staring at my sister for the next several hours, then I may as well be full. I hoped Jamie was wrong, and she’d pop up any second, but something told me it was going to be a long night.

Chapter 7

Cadence didn’t wake up until something like three o’clock in the morning. By then, I was sound asleep in my bed. Heaven forbid I stay up past midnight to see if my sister made it through her procedure alive. I was still stunned that my parents had only visited her the one time. Even Aurora had stopped by twice in the afternoon to make sure Cadence was okay, and she wasn’t even family. But when I woke up the next morning, I had a message from my big sis assuring me she was okay. I breathed a sigh of relief and got ready for training. My mom was banging around in the kitchen when I came out to grab a protein drink to down on the way over. Having missed the day before, the last thing I wanted was to be late. Chances were someone would have a snide comment waiting for me either way. “Oh, you’re up,” my mom said, glancing at the clock on the stove. “Can I fix you some breakfast?” Something seemed weird, and I wondered if my mother had been replaced by a droid that looked like her. “No, thank you. I’ll just grab my usual protein shake and be out the door.” “Oh, okay.” She smiled at me, and it seemed like for a few moments perhaps the Liz Findley I’d known before Philly was back. “How did you sleep?” “Okay.” I went about getting the ingredients I needed out of the fridge and dumped them into the blender, realizing she was staring at me like she expected me to say more. “And you?” “I was up until I heard your sister was okay.” She sighed, and I noticed for the first time she looked exhausted. “Aaron sent me a text around three.” “Wow—it took her a really long time to wake up.” I hit the button on the blender, whirring it to life, but my mom kept talking, even though I had no idea what she was saying. “Seems to be okay,” she concluded. I figured anything I missed could be gathered through a quick conversation with my sister later, so I pretended I’d

heard her. “I hope it was worth it.” “I’m sure it was.” I poured my shake into its proper container, resisting the urge to drink a big gulp from the blender itself as I’ve been known to do when my mother isn’t standing in the kitchen, and then set the dirty appliance in the sink. She looked at it, looked at me, and then I turned on the water and rinsed it off, biting the word, “Happy?” as it attempted to exit my throat. It wasn’t like she had anything else to do.... “Have fun at the gym.” She sounded like she was doing her best to force enthusiasm into her voice. “Thanks.” I took my breakfast and headed into the living room, ready to get out of there before she wanted to say more. Training was about as exciting as usual. Aurora kept us busy for an hour or so, and then we went to Shane for target practice. I was a little disappointed that Alex wasn’t there to give us a few pointers, but it was probably for the better. I knew there wasn’t anything to the teasing—if it was a crush I had on Alexander Hamilton it was harmless—but the more time I spent with him, the more fuel it seemed to add to Tara and Dax’s fire. On my way back home, Brandon let me know that there was a big algebra test coming up the next day, which made my stomach twist into knots. I didn’t feel prepared at all. I wished I could sit with him and take it, but he moved through the problems so much faster than me, I didn’t want to drag him down. Not to mention that would be cheating. I decided to ask my mom if I could at least go over to his place for a couple of hours to study, crossing my fingers that she’d say yes. Our apartment was oddly quiet when I first walked in, but I found my mom in her closet, reorganizing a shelf. “Hey, Mom? Is it all right if I go to Brandon’s for a little while to study for our algebra test tomorrow? I just found out about it, and I’m a little nervous. He’s so much better at math than I am.” She turned to look at me, brushing her hair back out of her eyes. “Oh. I didn’t know you had an algebra test.” I didn’t bother to remind her that I’d just said I only found out about it a few minutes ago and kept my snarky comments to myself. “Yeah, it’s tomorrow.

We’ll just be studying—no other friends or anything.” My mom rested her hands on her hips for a moment, and I prayed she’d say yes. I could really use an ounce of freedom. “All right,” she finally nodded. “But be back by three. You have other subjects to work on.” “Thanks, Mom!” I bounded out of the room before she could change her mind, only pausing for a second to toss my gym bag in my room, thinking my dirty clothes could wait until later. I had taken a few steps before I realized I needed my laptop and ducked in for it, shoving my algebra book into my backpack on top of it. I didn’t even have to knock on Brandon’s door. He was waiting with it open when I stepped off the elevator, like he could tell I was almost there. Either that, or he stands there for hours every day just hoping I’ll show up. I gave him a quick hug and took a seat on the couch. His apartment was as quiet as mine had been, which told me Elliott wasn’t home. Only the hum from the refrigerator in the ading kitchen and a slight buzz from Brandon’s open laptop caught my attention as he settled in next to me. “Why is it so quiet?” I asked, not liking it one bit. I wasn’t sure what it was that had me on edge, but it was unsettling. “Would you like for me to sing you a song?” His sarcasm is almost as brutal as his father’s. “No thanks.” I’ve heard him sing. I opened up my computer and got to the page for our algebra class before we could get off task. It was easy to do if I wasn’t careful, and the last thing I needed was to waste my time. Getting a good grade on this test would be difficult if I wasn’t diligent. “Are you hungry? I’ve got some leftover Chinese food. Or I can make you a sandwich.” He is always trying his best to get me to lose focus. “Not right now, thanks.” I checked over the list our teacher had given us of what to study and realized there were at least three skills I hadn’t yet mastered. “Can we just get to it?” “Sure.” He grabbed his computer off of the coffee table, and I could tell I’d offended him a little bit, but math was difficult for me, and I didn’t want to get a

bad grade if I could avoid it. We got into it pretty quickly, and I felt like I was just starting to understand the first objective when a knock on the door interrupted my train of thought. Annoyed, I looked at Brandon, who shrugged. Clearly, he had not been expecting anyone either. In a high pitched voice, Brandon called out, “Who is it?” and I was instantly giggling. I hadn’t let him joke around at all until that moment, so I shouldn’t have been surprised he was acting ridiculous. “Open the door, Brandon,” my sister called in the angriest voice I’ve heard her use in a long time. I instantly went over a checklist in my mind of all of my activities since I’d last seen her and decided she couldn’t possibly be mad at me. I hadn’t messed up at training, missed any appointments, or said anything rude to anyone. Still, she was clearly angry about something and potentially looking for me. Brandon hopped up and pulled the door open, muttering, “Gee, someone is in a lovely mood.” I set my laptop on the coffee table next to Brandon’s and waited for my sister to come in and settle down. She dropped into Elliott’s beat up recliner and announced, “Cass, I need you to gather as much intel as you can about Lexington.” My sister glanced around, and I assumed she was looking for Elliott. Seeing that he wasn’t home, she continued. “I am going to put a hunt together, but I likely won’t be able to take any Guardians, so I need as much info as possible. And before you ask, no you can’t go.” I mulled over her entire statement, disappointed that I couldn’t go, but then my brain caught up with the other part of what she’d just said. “Wait—what? What do you mean no Guardians?” My sister sighed and ran her hand through her long brown hair. “It’s been forbidden.” Brandon hadn’t sat back down yet. He continued to stand in the doorway and stare at her, and I couldn’t blame him. I was also confused. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but humor me, okay?” ing how Aaron had been acting the day before, and compiling that

with all of the weird behavior I’d seen from him lately, coupled with the expression on my sister’s face, I decided not to push it. Clearly, she had her reasons for not wanting to talk about whatever had prompted her to barge in here in a huff and request I do this for her. “Okay. Like—now?” I wasn’t sure how quickly she needed the information. “No, it doesn’t have to be now, but the sooner the better,” my sister replied, relaxing a little bit. “I need numbers. Hiding places. What kind of location this is. Is it a residence? Is there security? All of the usual stuff, only you’ve gotta be absolutely certain.” I decided not to let my sister’s doubt offend me. Of course, I never gave her information that was inaccurate—certainly not on purpose anyway. But there was no point in stating that at the moment. “Okay. Let me finish my math, and I’ll check.” I couldn’t stay in Brandon’s apartment to study forever, but I could access the information my sister needed from my own bedroom later. “Great. Thanks.” I thought my sister looked slightly better, but she leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees, just staring at me, and I could tell there was more to this story she wanted to unburden herself from, but she wasn’t speaking. “Is there something else?” I finally prompted, my algebra book, which I’d set next to me a few moments ago, back in my lap but not open yet. Cadence seemed to go over a few things in her mind, like she was trying to determine how much to tell me. “Could you check in on Hines?” The question came out with long pauses between words. She was deciding what to ask me as the words were leaving her mouth. “He might be on an airplane right now,” she continued. “It’s just... he’s been up to no good, too, and I wanna know if you can pinpoint him.” There was something weird about the request, but I complied. “Oookay....” Brandon finally walked over and sat down next to me, and I was glad for it. With my sister acting so strange, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Hines—or anyone else. I closed my eyes and tried to hone in on the psycho doctor. “He might not be alone. But don’t worry about whoever is with him.” My sister’s voice not only interrupted my concentration, her comment seemed so

odd, I couldn’t help but open one eye and look at her. I closed my eye, but before I went to Hines, I dropped in on Holland out of habit. I wanted to make sure she wasn’t up to anything, and Christian would be looking for his tracker info. It was odd. She was fighting me harder than usual. I knew she was thinking about her baby, and something about Hines’s ‘cockamamy plan,’ which made no sense to me, but I’d check that out in a minute. She was thinking about never letting him do something like this again. I got the sensation of movement but couldn’t tell what that meant, and something seemed very important, something she didn’t want me interfering with. I couldn’t figure it out, and then she pushed so hard, I finally decided to give up on her and shifted my thoughts to the doctor. Hines was such a weirdo. His hair was dark black except for a white stripe, and it stood up on top of his head about two feet. He had black rimmed glasses thick enough to be double paned windows, and he was as nervous as a skittish kitten anytime he got anywhere near danger. It didn’t take me too long to see him in my mind. He was on an airplane, and he wasn’t paying me any attention at all. I walked around in his mind for a few minutes and picked up all sorts of absent thoughts and memories, though I couldn’t exactly tell where he was going. I saw an image of the Eiffel Tower in his memory and decided it might be Europe, but I didn’t think it was . And then he turned his head. It took me a moment to recognize what I was looking at—or who I was looking at, I might say. “Oh, no,” I muttered as I realized what must’ve happened. I hadn’t known I’d even spoken aloud until I said it again. “Oh, no!” “Cass, are you okay?” I felt Brandon’s hand on my shoulder, but I didn’t open my eyes. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing was real; at first I thought maybe Hines had just figured out a way to mess with me. “Hold on. Let me check something.” With a deep breath, I head hopped into the figure across the aisle from Hines. Horrible images entered my mind as I went through the memories of a creature who should’ve died for his crimes last year. I shook my head, unable to figure out why in the world Hines had Cowboy Sam on his airplane and how he’d gotten to be a Vampire.

Once the shock began to wear off, I transferred one more time. In Laura Comer’s mind, I found images of her shooting my sister, of her trying to take both Cadence and Aaron out at Sierraville, and of her long and fruitless efforts to catch Giovani. No longer able to keep my emotions in check, I opened my eyes and found both Cadence and Brandon peering at me in concern. I couldn’t tell by my sister’s expression if she had a clue as to what I had just seen, so I asked, “Do you know who I saw?” She inhaled through her nose before saying, “Sam? Maybe Laura?” “Yeah.” She wasn’t surprised after all. Cadence’s head bobbed up and down a few times before she itted, “I guess I should’ve told you about that.” Brandon was completely shocked. “What?” he asked, looking from me to my sister and then back again. “The Sam? As in Cowboy Sam?” I couldn’t blame him for being stunned. Sam had been turned back into a human before going to prison. We thought we’d never hear from him again, and he’d rot behind bars for what he did. Personally, for killing Elliott, I thought the old jerk should’ve been put to death, but that’s not what was decided. Likewise, Laura had been turned back into a human and locked up in prison, too. But neither one of them were there now. Instead, they were both flying in a private jet to Europe. At least they were both Vampires now, so if I ever did see either one of them again in real life, I’d make sure they didn’t get another second chance. “Hines broke in and turned them last night,” Cadence explained, her voice as calm as it had been since she first walked in. “Took them with him.” Brandon muttered a few swear words under his breath and ran his hand through his hair, leaving his curls disheveled. I’d fix them later. “He’s on his way to some place in Europe,” I told my sister. “I couldn’t get a direct read on it. I’ll check in later. Maybe he will have landed by then.” Cadence nodded at me, but she didn’t speak. I felt compelled to continue. “I looked in on Holland, too, and regardless of what the big bossman thinks, she is pregnant. It wasn’t her idea to get Sam and Laura, but she approved it.” Now that I realized what it was that Hines had done, I could piece her thoughts

together better. “I shut her down for a few seconds while I was in there, too, so Christian can get his data. She didn’t like it this time, not at all. She fought me the whole way. It was like she was really concentrating on something.” The more I spoke aloud about what had transpired, the more peculiar it seemed—even for Holland. What was she pushing me so hard for? “Like what?” Cadence asked, just as puzzled as I was. “You mean more than just messing with the Vampires’ trackers?” I nodded, poring back over what had happened while I was in Holland’s head. I had left pretty quickly once she started to shove on me since it was Hines my sister was interested in at the moment, but Holland had been insistent I get out. “It was weird. She basically shoved me out of her head, something she’s never done before. She usually wants me to hang out there so she can try to talk me into ing them. I got the feeling she might be traveling, too. She might be going to meet Hines.” “Could that be why she didn’t want you in her head?” Brandon asked me, taking my hand in his. It was a possibility, so I mulled it over for a second. It didn’t seem exactly right, but it could be. “I don’t know. She’s so weird. It’s hard to tell what she’s thinking. I’m sure it’s going to be worse now that she’s pregnant. Preggo brain in a crazy Vampire.” I shook my head, wondering exactly how long the gestation period might be. Since no one even knew this was possible, I decided it would be pointless to ask aloud. My sister looked exhausted all of a sudden, and I wondered if she’d slept any after her procedure. “Okay, well get me that info this afternoon, if you can, all right?” she said, referring to Lexington. I nodded, but before I could say anything, Brandon interjected. “I wanna go.” Cadence screwed her mouth up to one side of her face before she replied, “At the risk of you being transferred, I’m going to have to say no.” Before Brandon could get out more than a long drawn out, “But....” the front door opened and Elliott stepped in, a sappy smile on his face. It seemed odd to me. My eyes flickered from him to my sister, who had a strange look on her face as well. When I looked at Brandon he looked suspiciously... suspicious. I

thought of the conversation we’d had about Elliott the other night. “Well, hello there, sunshine,” Elliott said, talking to my sister. Resting back into his chair, Cadence asked, “How’s it going?” I could tell by her tone she was questioning his countenance as much as I was. “It’s going. It’s going.” He tossed his leather jacket on the back of the chair, making Cadence’s hair blow out around her. He was definitely faster now. I could tell already. “You will never guess who I ran into downstairs.” I wondered if Elliott would still be this happy if he knew who I’d just run into on a plane. “Who?” Cadence asked. Elliott waved at Brandon and I but didn’t say anything directly to us as he headed into the kitchen, still talking to Cadence. She followed. “Your beloved,” I heard him say as he rounded the corner. “And it was weird, but he was back to himself for a few moments. It was strange.” My eavesdropping was interrupted when Brandon blew out a loud breath and ran his hands down the length of his face. I reached up and straightened the hair he’d displaced a few minutes ago, no longer thinking about my sister and Aaron. “Are you okay?” I asked. “I’m confused,” Brandon itted. “Dad’s been acting kinda weird the last week or so. I’m not sure why. He’s not home nearly as much as he was before, and he always has that goofy grin on his face.” He shrugged. “Probably not my business.” “That is weird,” I itted. “I guess he doesn’t know about Sam.” “Nope.” He shook his head slowly, still in disbelief about the whole thing. I could relate. “I bet your sister will tell him.” “Rather her than me.” I glimpsed my algebra book on my lap and checked the time on my laptop. I needed to get back to studying. The rest of this stuff could wait until later. The scent of orange chicken filled the apartment, and my stomach grumbled. That would also have to wait. I heard a beeping noise, and then my sister and

Elliott headed back toward his bedroom. “What number were we on?” I asked. Brandon turned to face me, clearly lost for a second before he ed the math. “Oh, uh, the fourth one.” He reached for his laptop, and I did the same, hoping we’d be able to jump back in even with my sister and his dad chatting in the other room. I was sure Brandon was just as distracted as I was, especially since he really wanted to go to Lexington with the team. I hadn’t let myself dwell on the fact that Aaron was forbidding any Guardians from going. It just seemed so ridiculous. We worked for another fifteen or twenty minutes before I heard the sound of my sister’s boots headed our direction. Even on the carpet, she has a distinct rhythm when she walks. I guess my parents named her aptly. “Cass, get those numbers to Elliot as soon as you can, okay?” she asked with a smile that seemed slightly forced. “Will do,” I replied, not questioning why she wanted me to tell him and not her, but I supposed that meant she was taking him with her after all. I could tell by Brandon’s expression he had assumed the same thing, and he must have decided that meant he could go, too. Cadence waved and headed out the door, leaving me confused but able to push it off for now. I needed to figure out an easier route to solving inequivalent fractions with negative numbers than the long algorithm I had been using, but Brandon’s method wasn’t making any sense to me, and we were running out of time before I’d have to return to my parent-imposed prison. Once Cadence was out the door, I could tell Brandon was restless. I couldn’t blame him. This was too easy for him, and it had to be annoying having to sit there and wait for it all to click in my mind. Setting my book aside, I asked, “Do you want to go talk to your dad? See if he knows what’s going on with the hunt and if Cadence told him about Sam?” Brandon stirred for a moment, and I could see him debating whether or not I was asking even though I wanted him to say no, but then he said, “Sure,” and headed out of the room. I turned my attention back to my screen, but I couldn’t concentrate anymore. I sort of wished I could just go ahead and take the test and get it over with. If there

was a hunt tonight, it would be super hard for me to go to sleep, even if I wasn’t on it, and having to take a test the next day on no sleep wouldn’t be easy. I decided to go ahead and look at the next problem on my own and had just about figured it out when I heard them both going into the kitchen. Elliott was saying something about having the opportunity to end Sam for good, and Brandon was asking if his dad had any idea why Hines would want him. I hadn’t gotten a chance to spend too many brain cells working on that one yet, but I had an idea or two. Either Holland was under the impression Laura and Sam had spent enough time here that they could help exploit our defenses or it had something to do with vengeance. Both options seemed a little silly to me, though. Things were way different at headquarters since we’d brought in the Roatan Guardians. They literally took turns patrolling the perimeter of our campus, despite the fact that we had intermittent information about where the Vampires were thanks to my interrupting Holland’s signal to the trackers. And while I was sure that Resurrecting had probably made Sam something other than the frail old man he’d been when I’d seen them loading him into the back of a transport vehicle to take him to prison, I doubted he was anything to worry about. Same with Laura; I’d never met her when she was a Hunter, but she seemed too stupid to bother with. Granted, she’d help put together the scheme that had gotten Elliott killed, but of her eight marks that night, she’d only gotten one. And obviously it hadn’t stuck. The thrusting of a grilled cheese sandwich under my nose brought me back to reality. I looked up to meet Brandon’s eyes and smiled, thanking him with a loud growl of my stomach. “I figured you had to be hungry.” He sat down beside me, and Elliott took his regular chair across from us, an open bag of Cheetos in his hand. “How’s the mathing going?” he asked before slamming a handful of orange in his mouth. “I never did see the point.” “It’s going,” I replied, biting into a perfectly melty, delicious, buttery gift from the gods. Brandon has a way with bread, cheese, and butter that transforms them into something otherworldly. “I don’t think I’m going to be up for this test, though, if you guys are going out tonight.” “Yeah, we haven’t decided for sure yet. Depends on what you find out. But if Cadence is going, I’m going. I don’t really care what....” He stopped himself

short of treason, or whatever it would be to publicly declare he wasn’t going to follow his Leader’s declaration. “And that means I’m going, too,” Brandon said with a smile, not even bothering to pick up his book or his laptop. “Must be nice,” I replied, almost done with my sandwich already. “Just be patient, lil girl. Before long, you’ll be doing whatever you want.” Elliott dragged his teeth over his thumb, pulling off a layer of orange before putting his hand back into the bag for more. This is why no one ever ate out of his Cheeto bag. “Did Cadey tell you about Sam?” I asked, pretty sure she would have or else I wouldn’t have broached the topic for fear I’d be the one explaining. He nodded. “Just means I get to kill him for real this time.” “Why do you think Hines did that?” I asked. Brandon took my empty plate before I even had a chance to set it on the coffee table and hurried it to the kitchen sink. “Search me. You’re the one walking around in that whack-jobs head.” “True, but figuring out anything in Hines’s head is confusing.” Some people were easier to navigate than others. I thought about how Holland had forced me out. “Do you know if Aaron has accepted that Holland’s preggo?” “I have no idea,” Elliott itted as Brandon handed me a bottle of water. “But I’m guessing no. I was just telling Cadence I saw him downstairs talking to Juan Diego a few minutes before I came up here, and he was his regular sour self at first, but then he changed back into the old Aaron for a few minutes—still sour but not in the same Eeyore state—and then he was gone again. It was so weird. It was only a few seconds, but it was nice to see him. I miss that guy.” I tipped my head to the side and thought about everything Elliott had just said. It all seemed so strange. I knew precisely what he was talking about. Even when Aaron was himself, he wasn’t exactly the cheeriest person in the world, but recently it had gotten so bad it sort of was like he was impersonating Pooh Bear’s angsty friend. A spark of an idea hit me in the amygdala, but with all that

math clogging my neurotransmitters, it faded away before it came together, and I was left just as puzzled as everyone else. It was nice to think that Aaron was capable of breaking out of this, whatever it was, though. I wondered if Cadence had been happy to hear that or if she’d rather not know that her fiancé had revealed himself to Elliott but not to her. “I should probably let you guys get back to work.” Elliott licked his fingers again before pulling himself out of his chair. “Where are you going?” Brandon asked, and I could clearly detect suspicion in his voice. Elliott turned slowly and looked at his son, picking up on it, too. His eyebrows touched and then raised in an unspoken question. “I mean... you gonna be around. In case there’s more info about the hunt—potential hunt?” “Who’s whose dad?” Elliott asked with a crooked grin on his face. “I’m gonna head back to my dad cave and watch a little basketball, if it’s all the same to you.” “No, it’s fine,” Brandon stammered. “I just... wanted to know in case Cadence said something.” “Cadence can’t say somethin’ until Cass gets her the intel she needs, and she can’t do that until she learns all that new math that’s confusing just for the sake of bein’ confusing.” “Right,” Brandon said with a nod, and Elliott walked into the kitchen with a smirk on his face. Something was definitely going on, something Elliott didn’t want us to know about, even though he clearly thought it was funny we were on to him. I didn’t have time to worry about it. Checking the time, I saw that I had less than an hour until I had to return to my apartment or else I’d turn into a pumpkin or something. “Is this right?” I asked Brandon, showing him the work I’d done while he was gone. He studied the problem for half a second before he said, “Yeah, that’s right. See, I told you you’d get it.” He smiled at me like a proud teacher, and I felt my cheeks pink a little. I was relieved I was starting to figure it out, but I still didn’t feel comfortable, and we were running out of time. I’d be happy when it was summer break, but something told me even then my mom would keep a tight

rein on me. I had to do something to free myself, but for now, my options were limited, and I had no idea what I could possibly do to break free.

Chapter 8

Back in my room, I sat on my bed and tuned out the sound of my mom vacuuming the living room floor for the hundredth time. It occurred to me that she needed to make some friends and get out of the apartment more, but I didn’t know who to suggest. Age is such a weird thing here. There was no way to tell if people were three hundred or eighteen unless you just knew their story. I couldn’t imagine my mom hanging out with Aurora or Meagan, but maybe someone like Hannah would be a good match for her. The thought of my mom drinking a latte with Ashley had me cracking up. She might look like Jamie’s other girlfriend, Ellie, but she wasn’t vintage. I felt sorry for my mom that she was here all day long, but then, that was her choice, I supposed. At least she got to decide whether she stayed or went. I leaned back against the headboard, a pillow behind my back, and closed my eyes. Normally, for something this important, I’d go up on the roof, but it wasn’t night yet anyway, and if I waited until then, my information probably wouldn’t be that helpful. I had a feeling I could get Cadence the info she needed even without the solace of the rooftop, even over the whir of the vacuum. Spittle was easy to find. He hadn’t moved much since he’d arrived in Lexington, and I’d already found him there once. I could see him easily enough. He was in the basement of what appeared to be the same old house I’d located him in days before. It would be getting a good count that would be more difficult. I’d have to dig around in his mind a little to find the information I needed, and as soon as I stepped in, he made it clear he didn’t want me there. Getting what I wanted and getting out without alerting him that his hours were numbered was also tricky. I sat in his thoughts for a few moments, just absorbing what he was consciously dealing with. Thoughts like what he was going to do if another tourist didn’t come by soon and give them some nourishment were helpful because it let me know this was some sort of historical site. I ed how Gibbon had done something similar, hiding in the shadows of Eastern State Penitentiary, and thought Spittle should’ve learned from his mistake. The longer I stayed, the more he seemed to forget I was there. I looked around

the best I could using his eyes, though that’s hard when a subject won’t turn their head. I got the impression this basement didn’t take up the full space of the house above it, maybe half or a quarter. There was at least one other being down here with him, possibly two. Movement out of the corner of Spittle’s eye confirmed a tall woman with nasty black hair. I went through the pictures of the escapees in my IAC and recognized her as Misty Meadows. I hoped she’d chosen that name after she’d been turned. Since this seemed to be getting me nowhere fast, I decided to dig around in Spittle’s box of memories for a bit. He was reluctant to let me take the lid off, but there wasn’t too much he could do about it, and once I was able to sift through where he’d been recently, I got a pretty good look at the house he was hiding in. It was definitely an historical landmark, some place called the Anderson House. And it looked like he took nine others with him when they’d snuck in. If it had been tourist season, it might’ve been more difficult, but this place was off the beaten path and not exactly a place every historian in the country was clamoring to visit from what I could tell. As much as I enjoyed history myself, I’d never heard of it. I got the impression it had been important during the Civil War and decided to look it up as soon as I was done with my recon. Before I left him, I planted the idea in Spittle’s mind that we were thinking about going after his associates who’d split from him a few weeks ago first. He seemed to buy it, and I felt him settle back into the comfort of knowing he was safe for a while longer, even though he clearly wasn’t. He’d find out soon enough. I didn’t open my eyes yet, though. Instead, I dropped in on Holland. She was definitely in Europe now. Once again, she was fighting me, trying to push me out, and she was so much stronger than me it really was disconcerting. I got the feeling her baby had grown exponentially even since the last time I was there, and certainly since I’d discovered she was pregnant. She seemed concerned that the child was getting too big too fast. I also got the impression she was using a lot of her energy on another project, but I couldn’t tell what it was, and there was no way I was getting into her trunk of secrets. Frustrated, I gave up and switched to Hines. He was in the same place as Holland now. In fact, he’d gotten there first. He was proud of himself for abducting Sam and Laura, though I still couldn’t quite get a grip on his intentions with the pair. I also felt a sense of worry relating to his

project with the Guardians. He was anxious that the process he’d come up with wouldn’t work—which was alarming to me. I had no idea he’d gotten that far. The fact that he thought it was a possibility, though, didn’t sit well with me. If he had a serum to test, he might actually try to get some subjects. I wasn’t sure what to do with that information. Aaron wasn’t an option, and Cadence had her hands full. The thought that I should warn my cousin Paul seemed like a good one, though I thought Cadence might not appreciate me interfering. I decided to go ahead and let my sister handle it. I’d tell her Hines thought he had something when I handed off the information I had about Spittle. I took a deep breath, thinking I’d pretty much worn myself out poking and prodding, but I had it in my mind to try to see what I could do with one more person. I might end up regretting it if he figured out I was there, and he likely would, but I needed to try. Something wasn’t right with my soon-to-be brotherin-law, and I needed to see if I could find a reason, especially after what Elliott had said earlier about him seeming normal for a bit. With all of the energy I had left, I focused in on the office my sister shared with Aaron, thinking that’s probably where he’d be. I honed in on him, concentrating on moments we’d shared together as a common bond to slip into his thoughts without giving myself away. I have been able to access his mind before, though the first time I did it, in wasn’t on purpose; I’d meant to use my IAC. But something was definitely different this time. I felt like I was walking through thick, black tar. No images entered my mind at all—only darkness, and every time I tried to move forward, it felt like I got further entangled in tentacles of the sticky substance. A feeling of unease settled over me, and for a moment, I felt helpless, like I may as well curl up in a ball and die. Would anyone even care? Would I even be missed? The feeling of dread was overwhelming, and I had to remind myself these were not my thoughts. In fact, they didn’t even necessarily seem to belong to Aaron, but I had no idea where they were coming from. The entire experience was so unsettling, I did my best to pull myself out of there as quickly as I could, and once my eyes were open, and I found myself sitting cross legged on my own bed, I breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever was going on with the Guardian Leader, it was both unsettling and indescribable. Thinking about my sister and what she was about to embark on gave me pause.

If I told her right now, hours before she went after Spittle, it would only worry her. I decided not to mention Aaron’s disposition to her right away but rather to save it for once she’d returned. I also didn’t know if she’d be mad that I went poking around in his thoughts without her permission—or his, for that matter. After a few deep breaths, I sent a message to Cadence, asking her to come over so I could tell her what I’d found out about Spittle. She said she’d be there in a few, and I leaned my head back and closed my eyes again, only seeking rest this time. It occurred to me that a nap might be a good idea. Sometimes, my math teacher allows permission to take the test at exactly midnight, which is great for people like Brandon who are awake in the middle of the night. Maybe I could take the test before the hunt. I decided I’d better wait and see what my sister had planned, though it wouldn’t be surprising if she had decided to show up in Lexington sometime around two or three o’clock in the morning. I heard my sister’s voice and realized I’d dozed off for a few minutes. My mom was asking her a bunch of questions about her day, and Cadence’s voice was shifting from polite to annoyed. I decided to go ahead and save my sister, so I went out into the living room. “Hey, Cass,” she said, a look of relief on her face. “Ready to tell me what you got?” “Sure,” I said, not making direct eye with my mother for fear she’d start asking me a bunch of questions, too. My dad wasn’t home from work yet, but I could smell a roast in the crockpot and my stomach rumbled. It’d been too long since that grilled cheese sandwich. It would have to wait. Cadence followed me into my bedroom and shut the door behind her. I could practically hear her rolling her eyes. I dropped back down where I’d been sitting before. “Tell me about it,” I muttered as she took a seat near my knees. “At least you get to go to your own place.” She ignored my comment, and I wasn’t surprised. She didn’t like for me to talk bad about Mom and Dad and always insisted they were doing the best they could, and I was the one who went off and did something stupid and dangerous. “What did you find out?” “There are ten of them, I think, though there could be more. The place is called

The Anderson House. It’s an historic site in Lexington. It’s huge. You need to look at it before you go.” I was browsing pictures on my IAC as I told her. “It’s really pretty, too, so try not to mess it up.” “I’ll do my best,” Cadence replied, but I knew she’d make no promises. “All right—what else?” “There’s a basement under the main part of the house. I think the entry is in the back. Maybe behind the stairs or something. Anyway, that’s where Spittle is right now, but it’s hard to say if he stays there or not. He doesn’t think you’re coming because I told him we were planning on taking out the others first, the ones that split off from his group. But he’ll know what’s up as soon as you pull up, so you’ll have to go in slow. This place is out in the country a little ways, near the river.” “What river?” my sister asked, cocking her head to the side. “The Nile.” I could roll my eyes, too. “The Missouri. Does it matter?” “Snippy!” Cadence shook her head at me. “Sorry. There’s more than one river around here. Ever heard of the Mississippi?” “Ever heard of St. Louis? Lexington is closer to the middle of Missouri.” My sister ignored my sarcasm. “What else?” “Nothing, I guess.” It crossed my mind to mention the bizarre state of Aaron’s thoughts, but I decided now wasn’t the time. “Did you get permission to take the Guardians?” “No, but Elliott’s going anyway, and he is letting Brandon come. He said if they actually get kicked out, they’ll have to go together anyway.” My sister snickered, but I didn’t think it was funny—and I got the impression she didn’t really either. While I was fairly sure she wouldn’t let Aaron actually make them leave, he wasn’t known for making empty threats. “Who else is going?” I knew my name wouldn’t be on that list, obviously, but I really wanted it to be. “Aurora, Meagan, Ashley, and Martin. I needed a Healer, and he’s the only one

we’ve got that isn’t a Guardian.” “Jamie didn’t want to take the chance?” “No, I wouldn’t let him,” she replied, folding her arms. “I told him there was no reason for all of Aaron’s close friends to go behind his back. Besides, I think Martin’s pretty good. He’ll do.” “Yeah, but if someone gets hurt it’ll be harder for him to get to them,” I reminded her. One of the luxuries of having a Guardian for a Healer, like Jamie, was that a Vampire couldn’t hurt them. We just had to be careful about the crossfire. “I know. We’ll make it work. Hopefully, no one will get hurt.” I nodded, but I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be as easy as just knocking on Spittle’s door. Holland had influence over these people before. She might now. “I wish I could help.” “Actually, I think you can,” my sister said with a curious expression on her face. “Do you think you could interfere with Holland’s signal the whole length of the hunt? I’m sure you’ll be up anyhow.” My ears perked up at the possibility of being included, even if from afar. “What is it you want me to do?” “Well, with the crazy crocopire business Holland pulled off in Houston, I was thinking it might be a good idea for you to see if you can block her the whole time we’re out on the hunt, sort of like a giant shield that will prevent her from making any of these Vampires capable of shifting.” I could tell by my sister’s expression the idea of running into another anomaly such as the Vampire that shifted into a crocodile while she was in an underground tunnel sounded like something she’d like to avoid. “I have never done anything like that before, but I’m definitely willing to try,” I replied. “I’d want to watch the hunt anyway since Brandon is going with you. I may as well be doing something useful.” I didn’t know if I’d actually be able to see any of the hunt if I was making the shield like my sister asked, but the chance to lend a hand seemed more important to me than just watching everyone else have all of the fun.

“Great,” Cadence said, and I could tell she really did look relieved. “We’re planning to get there around two, so you should probably get some rest before then.” My earlier thoughts of trying to complete my test before the hunt so I wouldn’t have to stress over it tomorrow entered my mind again. I was certain Aurora wouldn’t cancel training just because she was going on the hunt tonight. She still needed some sleep, but not a full night’s like me or Cadence. “Okay. I’ll see if I can work in a nap.” I thought I could probably close my eyes right then and sleep for the rest of the night if that was an option. “Awesome.” Cadence hopped up off of the bed like she was totally carefree, even though I was quite certain that wasn’t the case. Not only had she called a hunt without Aaron’s approval—which she didn’t need but still always tried to have—but she was taking unauthorized personnel, and this would be our first strike out against an actual threat since we’d returned from Melbourne. “Be careful,” I said to her retreating form just before she opened the door. “We will be.” She turned and smiled at me over her shoulder like she was just going to the mall before she gave a little wave and disappeared. I heard my mom ask her something, and she muttered a response, something about being in a hurry because of the hunt. Then I heard the front door click into place. Must be nice to just come and go as she pleases.... I may never know. That nap was sounding good. I glanced at the clock and saw that dinner would be ready soon. A smart person would probably wait, eat dinner, set her alarm in time to take her test, and then participate in the hunt. I am not always a smart person. I snuggled down into my pillow, knowing my mom would wake me up in time for dinner, and let my heavy eyelids do their thing.

Chapter 9

The algebra test was ridiculous, and by the time I’d finished it, I was ready to rip my messy bun right off the top of my head. I really don’t care about how many fence posts Billy needs to erect an enclosure around his pigs when length is represented by X and Y is the time it takes to fly from Nairobi to Shanghai on the back of a one legged flamingo. I mean, really, when am I ever going to need any of this? But what I did need was to figure out how to get in Holland’s way long enough for my sister and her team to do what they needed to without tipping the Vampire off. I tried to shift my mind away from my arch nemesis, a.k.a. mathematics, and focus in on Brandon and the others. They were nearing the outskirts of Lexington right as I tuned them in, and for a moment it was like I was right there beside them. Elliott was driving, Cadence in the enger seat, with Brandon sitting next to Roar and Meagan, Ashley, and Martin in the way-back. I knew my sister was planning to give me a signal when she wanted me to put up the shield, but I was antsy. I wanted to try it out to see if I could even do it. Too bad that wasn’t an option. Holland might be able to read my mind long enough to figure out what we were up to. I was constantly reminding myself that this worked both ways. I wondered if she ever just hopped into anyone else’s mind and walked around the way that I did. The thought of it creeped me out, and I hoped we’d be able to detect her if she was there. I didn’t let myself think about it too long. The SUV pulled to a stop on a dirt road where there were no houses in view and only the stars and moon lit the way. The team got out of the vehicle in silence, though I imagined there could be some chatter on the IAC. My sister didn’t say anything at all as she led the team through the ditch and across a field, occasionally weaving in and out of woodsy patches. The Anderson House was even more impressive so close to real life than it had been from the research I’d done earlier in the day. It sat up on a hill, and in the moonlight, the Greek Revival porch, with its pillars and porticos, looked like something out of Gone With the Wind. What I wouldn’t give to be looking at it

in person instead of through my boyfriend’s eyes. I was included in the IAC chatter, though I’d have to tune them out later once I went to put up my shield, but I heard Elliott remark, “Nice place. A little small for me, but I could make it work,” and giggled. He was so silly sometimes. I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to live in a place half that size—not that our house in Shenandoah had been tiny, but I had sort of forgotten what it was like not to live in a shoebox. Before the team stepped out from behind the last copse of trees, Martin noted that he would stay there. Even if Jamie had been with them, he probably wouldn’t have gotten much closer. The last thing anyone wanted was an injured Healer. My sister and the others began to fan out around the yard, falling into position, and those that would be entering the former residence got into pairs. I knew my sister would be with Elliott, but I was surprised to see it was Meagan with Brandon. Of the Hunters present, she seemed like one of the weaker ones to me. I thought Aurora would be with him. Maybe my sister thought the Amazonian would be more useful in the yard in case Spittle or one of the others tried to run. About ten yards in front of the door, Elliott stopped, and turning to my sister, he asked her if she was ready without even opening his mouth. Cadence replied, “Let’s do it,” and added to everyone, “be safe,” before Elliott moved in on the door. “I’m setting up the shield,” I told her, trying to sound as confident as possible. She didn’t reply, but she didn’t have to. I left my IAC on so that I could be accessed if they needed me for anything else, but I completely shut it out of my mind as I did my best to hone in on Holland and set up a barrier between her and the unsuspecting Vampires in Lexington who were about to get a rude awakening. I was expecting some sort of hostility from Holland, but if she knew what I was doing, she didn’t try to stop me. I had a clear image of the Anderson House in my mind, so I did my best to picture a bubble around it, encoming most of the yard as well, and I thought about how that bubble would be impenetrable to anything Holland might try to send that direction. I had no way of knowing whether it was working or not. For all I knew, I wasn’t really helping at all, but it

did seem to be zapping some energy out of me, so maybe it was doing something. Either that or the fact that it was the middle of the night was finally starting to get to me, despite my nap. Flashes of what was going on during the hunt caught my attention, but I couldn’t let my concentration waiver. I saw that Meagan was hit and pinned upstairs while Brandon did everything he could to keep her from getting shot again. He was fine, and I was happy for that, but Martin couldn’t get up the stairs to Meagan because he could also be wounded. When Elliott came flying up the steps to help, and Meagan made it safely down, I breathed a sigh of relief, despite the fact that I wasn’t really supposed to be noticing what the team was up to. The next thing I knew, my sister was sprinting through the yard, flying after one of the Vampires. She’d always been incredibly fast since she’d Transformed, but this was a kind of speed I couldn’t even articulate. She caught up to him quickly and a few seconds later, Spittle exploded in a pile of ash. I assumed my sister must’ve used one of the grenades Christian made, the kind I’d used to set Gibbon on fire, but I couldn’t tell what she’d done without losing my grip on Holland. A sense of peace settled around my sister’s countenance as she and Elliott stared out over the Missouri River, and I decided I could probably let my shield down now. It looked as if they must’ve gotten everyone or else they wouldn’t be standing around. I took a few really deep breaths, trying to make sure I had fully left Holland. She hadn’t done a single thing to try to stop me, which seemed odd, but I got the notion that she was looking for something. What or who, I had no way of knowing because getting into her head lately had been almost as impossible as getting into Aaron’s. I wished there was something I could do to strengthen my own power so that I could force my way in and rummage around for anything and everything I might need in order to figure out a way to stop her once and for all, but it was very clear to me, despite my shield, Holland is a lot more powerful than I am. Whether or not I’d actually done anything or not, I’d find out later. I didn’t see any Vampires shapeshift, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t happened, and I’d simply missed it. I was looking forward to talking to my sister and Brandon as soon as they got a chance, but for now, it looked like they had some clean-up to do. Thankfully, they hadn’t wrecked the historical landmark too much, and when someone pulled up in a Jeep outside to see what was going on, Elliott was easily able to persuade the woman to go away. I wondered how

his powers of persuasion had been affected by the second round of Transformation serum. It looked like he was somehow an even better liar now than he had been before. Normally, after a hunt, Aaron and Cadence take everyone into the debriefing room and talk about what happened—what went right, what went wrong, etc. But since Aaron wasn’t there, and it was obvious my sister was exhausted, they had the debrief in the SUV on the way home. I thought this seemed like a very efficient way to run a hunt and hoped it could stay that way whenever possible. I did my best to stay tuned in, but my eyelids were growing heavy, and none of it really pertained to me. I was more interested in speaking to my sister and Brandon when they got back, so I may have fallen asleep for a few minutes. When I finally became fully conscious again, my sister was out of the vehicle and headed across campus. I didn’t want to bother her, so I went to Brandon instead. “How did it go? Did my shield work?” I asked. I didn’t have visuals yet, so I waited to see what he had to say, surprised it took him a little longer to respond than I would’ve expected. I assumed since the debrief was over, he’d be up in his apartment by now, chilling out for a while before he either took his algebra test or actually got a few hours of sleep. But as soon as he answered I could tell he definitely wasn’t chilling out. “Hey— it was good. Look, something really weird happened while we were gone. I’ll get back to you in a bit, okay?” “Okay,” I replied, unsure what he could possibly be talking about. My gut tightened a little bit in worry. “Are you all right?” “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” he reassured me. “Just gotta take care of something.” His tone was more angry than anything else, though I could tell it definitely wasn’t pointed at me. “Okay.” I clicked off, giving him the privacy he’d asked for and contemplating what to do next. I decided Cadence could blow me off if she wanted to, so I sent her a message next. “Cadence, how did it go?” I asked, hoping she’d give me a little more info about whether or not the shield had worked. “I was watching, and I didn’t see any shifters. I was going to ask Brandon ‘cause I figured you were busy, but he

said something weird is going on.” As soon as my sister replied, I could tell she was also annoyed, though again, not at me. Something was definitely up, and it bothered me that I had no idea what it was, even though I’d been on campus the whole time. “Yeah, I’m handling that situation; it’ll be fine. No shapeshifters. All went as planned.” I breathed a sigh of relief that I’d at least managed to keep the shifters away. “I’ll come see you when I’m done talking to Aaron.” My sister spat his name out like it was a curse word, and I began to develop a sense that whatever was going on, it centered around him. “Okay, but you’ll have to sneak in. Mom will be ticked if she knows I’m still awake on a school night.” I didn’t say anything about my suspicions about Aaron right now because my sister seemed like she was about to do her best to go handle it on her own. I hoped she was successful. Something had to give soon, or we were all going to be breaking protocol and getting ourselves transferred. “Right. I know. I’ll sneak in,” Cadence said before she switched off our conversation, leaving me sitting in my bedroom in the dark pondering what might’ve happened. The answer came from my own thoughts about Aaron. Transferred—he’d said he’d send any Guardian who went with Cadence away. Was that the weird thing that Brandon had referred to? Had the Leader actually given Brandon and Elliott letters of dismissal or sent them reassignment paperwork? I desperately wanted to know, but I decided to wait for the answer to come to me because Brandon had said he’d get back to me as soon as he could, or at least that was the impression I got. If I was tired before, I was wide awake now. I waited as patiently as I could for what seemed like hours, but when I glanced at the clock, it had been less than fifteen minutes before Brandon came back on. “Sorry about that, babe. You would not believe what we came back home to.” Part of me was afraid to ask. But I needed to know. “What was it?” “A moving truck.” His answer was crisp, and it took me a moment to respond, so he continued. “Yep. Aaron had them loading up all of our stuff.” “A moving truck?” I did my best to keep the screech out of my voice. “Are you

serious? Where was he sending you?” “Heck if I know. The movers didn’t take a whole lot of convincing from my dad that this wasn’t a good idea. We grabbed some of the workers from the apartment building and a few of the Roatan Guardians who happened to be around and started unloading everything, but all of my stuff is either on the sidewalk outside of the building or on its way up in the freight elevator.” His tone was a mix between aggravation and exhaustion—not that he was physically tired so much as irritated that he’d had to do so much work for no reason. I wasn’t sure what to say next, so I asked, “Do you think that’s where Cadence went? To get it taken care of?” “Yeah, that’s what she said. I’m sure she will. We’re not going anywhere. You should’ve heard how mad my dad was.” “I can only imagine.” It had to have been hard enough on Elliott that Aaron, who was supposed to be his best friend, hadn’t shared the information about the Blue Moon Portal with anyone—though Elliott never said anything negative about that—now he was packing him up to send him away without even so much as a discussion. “Anyway, we’ve got a few hours of work ahead of us even with superhuman strength and speed. And then I need to take my algebra test, too. How was it?” “Hard. For me. I’m sure you’ll do fine.” My answer was nothing if not honest. “I bet you did great.” He was reassuring, but I was certain “great” wasn’t the right word. “You should probably get some sleep.” “Yeah. My sister said she’d come over and tell me how it went. But... she might be busy for a while.” “She might be,” he concurred. “I don’t know what’s going on with Aaron, but someone needs to fix it. And if it’s not Cadence, Dad’ll give it everything he’s got, which won’t be pretty.” The idea of Aaron and Elliott duking it out would’ve been humorous under certain circumstances, but considering what I’d just seen in Aaron’s head, there was no way to tell what Elliott might be up against, not to mention the battle

would be futile. It’s not as if either one of them could really do anything permanent to the other. “Well, hopefully, Cadence will be able to talk some sense into Aaron.” I didn’t think that was going to happen either, but it was the last shred of hope any of us had for some semblance of sanity returning to this little operation. “I’m sorry, I’m gonna have to go so I can concentrate on this mess. Literally everything I brought with me from Oklahoma is packed up now. And they weren’t exactly careful about it.” My eyes scanned my bedroom. Even in the dark, I could easily see everything I’d brought along from Iowa. The idea of unpacking it again made my stomach roll, not to mention Brandon had other rooms full of stuff, too, since he had lived in the apartment by himself for a while when Elliott was gone. And Elliott had lived there for decades.... “Okay. I understand. I’m so sorry you’re having to do all of that.” “It’s not your fault,” he replied. I knew that---that didn’t make me any less sorry. “He better have an awfully good reason for being such a jerk.” I knew he meant Aaron and wondered if Brandon was considering getting in on the fight should there be one. “I hope he does, too.” Maybe later I’d explain to my boyfriend what I’d seen in his boss’s head, but now wasn’t the time. “Good luck.” “Thanks. I love you, beautiful.” “I love you, too.” I switched the IAC conversation off and took another deep breath, wishing I could go help. I wouldn’t be shocked if Brandon let Dax and Tara know so they could come unpack with him, though I doubted they’d be able to get Lucy out of bed. There was no way I could go unless I snuck out, and while the thought crossed my mind, taking Brandon’s and Elliott’s belongings out of boxes seemed like a miserable reason to be grounded for a month. Another few minutes ed before my sister was in my head again. “Cass, I’m sorry I haven’t made it over there yet, but something important has come up, and I need your help.”

I ignored that last comment at first, wondering what in the world she needed me to do now. Maybe she did want me to help unpack. “I’ll say,” I said under my breath. “Did you know Aaron had all of Elliott’s and Brandon’s stuff packed up?” She must’ve been aware of that. Was that what she was talking about? “Yeah, I know. It’s awful. But that’ll have to wait.” I was surprised that what she was going to ask me to do had nothing to do with the situation I was aware of and settled in for another surprise. “Look, Jamie and I think that maybe it’s Holland making Aaron act this way. We need your help. We are going to go talk to him, and we want you to block her long enough for us to convince him that she’s in his head. Can you do that?” The thought had been on the periphery of my thinking ever since I saw how gunked up Aaron’s mind was. It made sense—though I had no idea how Holland could do such a thing. Of course, I was willing to do whatever I could to help out. That didn’t prevent me from messing with my sister. “Gee, Sis, I don’t know,” I teased. “I’m kinda tired.” I didn’t give her enough time to contemplate whether or not I was serious. “Yes, of course. Go. Let me know when to start.” I had a ton of questions I wanted to ask about how she and Jamie had come to this conclusion, but those would have to be discussed another time. Hopefully, I could invoke a shield around Aaron the same way I had around the Anderson House and block whatever Holland was doing that way. “Thanks,” Cadence replied. “Let us get over there first so we can actually see if we can tell when his disposition changes.” “All right. Just say when.” I had no way of knowing where my sister currently was since I had no visuals, but I imagined if she was talking to Jamie, she was probably in his office. Though Martin had healed Meagan once she’d gotten downstairs, if I was Meag, the second I got back to campus, I would’ve headed to Jamie—just to make sure. And I could see my sister going by to check on her friend—despite the fact that she was supposed to be coming to talk to me. For a moment, I felt like Rapunzel, trapped in a tower, dependent upon others to come and visit her at their whim. It didn’t take long for my sister to get where she was going, and a few moments later, she said, “Okay, Cass. Now would be good.” “Let the blocking commence.” I tried my best to sound confident, hopeful that

this would work and that my sister would find the answer she’d been desperately searching for. I couldn’t even begin to think of what it would be like if it were Brandon who had been acting so strangely for this long, and I knew my sister was just about to unravel herself trying to figure it out. Putting up a shield around Aaron was actually a lot harder than I had imagined it would be. Holland was either aware of what I was doing and was fighting back, or she’d set things up pretty good when she’d put whatever this was in place. It seemed like any direct attempt I made at shielding Aaron was nearly impossible, like he really had been cursed. So I shifted tactics, stepping back to what I’d done earlier, and made my shield broader so that the Guardian Leader would still be under it, but it didn’t appear as if I was actually trying to interfere with whatever Holland had done to Aaron specifically. I didn’t know if it was working or not as my sister had turned off her IAC connection to me. I figured she didn’t want me to witness whatever she was doing on the other side. So I waited for her to tell me to stop, doing my best to keep my concentration. It wasn’t easy; I was tired, and the first shield had taken a lot out of me. What I wouldn’t give for an endless supply of mental energy. At least ten or fifteen minutes went by. I didn’t flicker my eyes to the clock in my IAC because I didn’t want to stall out at all. Eventually, my sister said, “Cass, can you slowly unblock her?” I wasn’t sure what constituted slow, but I replied, “I’ll try.” With another deep breath, I envisioned my shield slowly becoming less dense, more transparent, until it was practically see-through, and then it disappeared. I sat there forever wondering if my trick had worked, but my sister didn’t come back on to tell me anything for the longest time. When she did, it was just a blip about not being able to come see me after all, and she’d catch up with me in the morning. Sagging back into my pillows, I went over everything in my mind. Why not at least tell me if Aaron was back to normal? I had no idea why my sister hadn’t at least popped in to clear that up, but it wouldn’t have been the first time someone forgot I existed when I was no longer of importance to them. I had just about dozed off when a message came through. It wasn’t from Cadence, though. It was from Jamie. “Hey, Cass, if you’re still up, I just wanted

to let you know you’re amazing. I’m sure Cadence already told you it worked. Aaron’s back to normal. And we’ve got a lot of work to do. I don’t know how we ever did this without you. You’re a rock star.” This—this is why I love Jamie. This and the fact that he’s saved my life and everyone else’s a bazillion times. The fact that my sister hadn’t actually told me anything didn’t seem important anymore because Jamie appreciated me. At least someone did. “Thanks, Jamie,” I sent back. “Whatever comes next, I’m ready.” “I know you are. Get some sleep, kiddo.” I didn’t say more, just did as he instructed and headed off to dreamland, though it did occur to me before I completely lost consciousness, if I was working at full capacity now, it sure would be nice to have some extra juice in the tanks. I wondered if Jamie liked me enough to help me make that happen. Or if I did it myself, would he ever forgive me?

Chapter 10

The sun was up way too soon, and when I opened my eyes just before my alarm went off, I wanted to turn that bright orb off and roll back over. How I longed for the days after my training was complete when I wouldn’t have to get up and go to the gym so early. “Hey, you up?” My sister’s voice in my head was way too perky, and I ignored her for a moment as I got dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. “Yeah,” was all she was getting. She wasn’t the one to let me know my shield had worked the night before, after all. If Jamie hadn’t told me they’d been able to help Aaron, thanks to me, I’d still be in the dark. I didn’t let thoughts of how lovely the dark could be stay in my mind too long. “Sorry I had to blow you off last night. It worked though. Aaron’s back! Thank you for your help. It would’ve been so much harder without you.” “It would’ve been impossible without me,” I replied, slipping my tennis shoes on. If my sister wanted to argue, she chose the higher road. “Look, we’re going to meet at 1:00 in our office, and we need you there, okay? We’ve got a lot to discuss, so as soon as you get done at training, grab a shower and some lunch and head over, all right?” This piqued my interest. It sounded like there might be a hunt on the horizon, and I was ready. Just one more and training was over for me. “All right. I’ll be there. Anything I can do to prepare?” “I don’t think so,” my sister replied. “Aaron and I have been going over everything we need to discuss, and it’s kind of a long list. Hopefully, by the time the whole team gets there, we’ll have more to share.” “Sounds good,” I said, finally awake and actually smiling a little. Anything that got me closer to taking an item off of my plate was great news. I walked out into

the living room to find my mother frying eggs. I looked around, thinking maybe my dad was there, but the rest of the apartment was empty. “See you in a bit.” My sister was gone from my head as I reached for the cabinet where I kept my protein shakes. “Good morning, honey,” Mom said with a broad smile. “I thought you might like a good home-cooked breakfast this morning. It’s always better to eat your breakfast than to drink it.” So the eggs were for me. I had tried to explain to my mom more times than I could count that my protein shakes were actually the best nutrition a person could have in the morning, but clearly she was still in the dark ages. The eggs didn’t look at all appetizing, but she scooped them onto a plate for me, a big smile on her face, and I wondered how in the world I was going to get out of this one. I checked the time. Technically, I could swallow them whole and then run off to the gym and not be late. But I didn’t want to. I wanted my protein shake and a leisurely stroll to training. I wanted to choose what I was going to consume. I wanted control over something. “Mom, thanks, but I need to drink my protein shake.” My mother’s face fell like I’d just told her I loved Dad more. “Oh, but they’re just the way you like them. Over easy.” They looked like they were way over easy, even a little runny. “I’m sure they’re delicious.” I opened the cabinet and pulled out my protein powder and one of the portable cups I usually used. “But this is what my body needs to get me going.” The idea of weighing myself down with all of that butter and egg juice wasn’t appealing at all. Mom just stared at me for a long time, still holding the plate, before she said, “Fine.” She walked over to the trashcan and tossed her hard work right in. I felt awful. At the same time, I was mad. “I was just trying to do something nice.” “Without asking!” I shot back, dumping the ingredients into the blender as quickly as I could. “If you would’ve asked me what nice thing you could do for me, I would’ve said you could do this.” “I don’t know how to do that, Cassidy Elizabeth. And I’m not even sure it’s good for you!”

“Then read it!” I yelled back at her, shoving the container within an inch of her face. I hadn’t meant to be so forceful, but sometimes I still forget my own strength and speed. “You are so ungrateful,” Mom muttered, storming out of the room. I turned the blender on as loudly as I could, hoping to drown out the sound of my own thoughts telling me she was right. But... I didn’t want or need eggs! Once my shake was done, I rinsed the blender out and put it in the dishwasher before grabbing my drink and my bag out of my room. I was glad I’d taken the time to pack my clean clothes into it the night before since I was going to be late if I didn’t hurry, thanks to Mom’s interference. She was sitting on the sofa when I headed for the front door, but she had papers spread all over the place, and for a moment, I wondered what in the world she could possibly be doing. I thought I saw a map and then some sort of correspondence. Whatever it was, it had to be something Aaron or Cadence had asked her to work on, so of course, I was curious as to what it was. It might let me know what our meeting was about or where our next hunt might be. But I could hardly go over and ask my mom about it now. Without another glance, I walked out the door, slamming it behind me. For most of training, I held on to the fact that I was mad at my mother. When Tara asked me for the five hundredth time what was wrong, I finally itted we’d had a disagreement, and she reminded me that I was lucky I have a mom. I knew what she meant; Tara’s mom died a long time ago. And since Lucy had recently lost her dad, I’d been trying not to take either one of my parents for granted. But if I couldn’t even choose what I ate for breakfast, what did I have control over? We were outside running some obstacle courses Meagan’s trainees usually utilize when a familiar voice caught my attention, and I turned my head slightly to look at Aurora. Alex was standing next to her. If I didn’t have better coordination now than I did when I was a human, I probably would’ve tripped over my own feet and landed face first in a tire, but I recovered fast enough and tried to keep my attention on the rest of the course. Dax must’ve noticed because I heard his familiar snicker. I didn’t turn my head again to look at him for fear I’d really wipe out this time, and the last thing I needed was for Alex to think I had two left feet. I didn’t let myself ponder why I thought that was the last thing I needed. I finished up the run and took my place

in line. Lucy was sitting under a tree not far away, watching intently, and she clapped for me. I couldn’t help but smile. It was like having my own personal cheerleader. She did clap for Tara and Dax, too, though. I was glad my sister said she could come. And I wondered why Alex was there. I got my answer pretty quickly. Once everyone was finished with the obstacle course, Aurora got all of our attention. “Okay, ladies and gentlemen. We are going to work on approaches now. Alex has been kind enough to lend his time. So let’s fall into a line over here, and Mr. Hamilton is going to explain to us some of the best techniques for approaching unsuspecting Vampires. Alex?” “Thank you kindly, Miss Aurora,” Alex said in his overly formal lilt. I tried not to make eye with any of my friends because I knew they were probably making googly eyes at me. Alex went on to explain a few methods I’d never heard of before, all of which seemed to be very useful when stealthily attempting to make with a Vampire, and I watched him carefully. We all took turns trying them out, and every time I was finished, he commended my work, which brought a flush of pink to my cheeks. I reasoned that I would’ve had the same reaction regardless of who was praising me, but I could tell by Dax’s and Tara’s faces they disagreed. I chose to ignore them. The rest of training flew by, and as I was leaving, I wondered how many more times I’d have to attend. I hoped my days were numbered because, even though I’d finished my algebra exam, I still had schoolwork to complete, and because we were having a meeting right after lunch, I’d be behind. Lucy hurried off in front of us since she had no reason to take a shower, and I headed toward the girls’ locker room with Tara, just waiting for her to say something about Alex. I could tell by the twinkle in her eye my friend was about to go there when we saw my sister at the end of the hallway. Hoping it would get me out of Tara’s teasing, I shouted, “Cadence!” Tara did the same, and Cadence stopped, waiting for us. The rest of the girls headed around us as my sister said, “Hey, how was your

training session?” I opened my mouth to respond, but Tara beat me to it. “It would’ve been boring if Cassidy’s favorite soldier hadn’t been there.” “Oh, stop!” I insisted, giving her a shove that was meant to be playful but might’ve been a little too much. She practically hit another trainee who was walking by. “It was fine,” I said to my sister. “Aurora took us out to the wooded area over by the fence, and we worked on approaches.” “Approaches?” Cadence acted like she didn’t know what I was talking about. I wondered if she had a different name for it or if she was just distracted. Tara chimed in, “Yeah, like when you sneak up on a structure or an unsuspecting Vampire. It was Alex’s idea.” My face felt hot, but I tried to keep my countenance normal. There was no reason for me to change my expression every time someone mentioned Alex. There was nothing going on. “That seems like a good skill to have,” Cadence replied. She had a little hint of a smirk on her face that made me think she’d also noticed my discoloration. I had nothing to say, so I just looked at her, thinking she was supposed to get me out of this situation, not make it worse. Tara always has something to say. “Especially if you’re hung up on the instructor who points out to the entire group how awesome you are, like four hundred times.” My mouth fell open, and I stared at her. Tara’s grin was wide enough to split her face. That had not been the case! He’d been telling everyone they did a good job. “All right, friend. Chill.” I hoped my voice sounded nonchalant, but to my own ear it sounded very... chalant. “It wasn’t like that,” I insisted. “Whatev.” Tara shrugged her shoulders, looking around like she was suddenly bored. Cadence giggled slightly, and I was ready for my sister to move it along. She must’ve felt the same way. “I need to go talk to Roar. I’ll see you two later.”

I didn’t know if Tara was aware of our meeting since she wasn’t invited, so I didn’t mention it. Instead, I thought back to how nice it would be if I didn’t have to go to training anymore. To my sister, who was stepping around us, I said, “Okay, but you said you’d arrange a hunt for me so I could get out of training, ?” I grabbed her shoulder, nicely, and she turned to look at me. “I know. I will. Soon.” I hoped that meant today. “You better.” “But then you won’t be able to stare at Alex.” Tara said his name way too loudly. “Will you stop? Brandon is going to be angry.” I let go of my sister so I could confront my friend who was seeming a little too unfriendly at the moment. She laughed, and we headed for the locker room as my sister raced down the hallway. I glanced over my shoulder, still surprised to see how fast she can move. A pang of jealousy hit me in the gut. I wished I could do that. Tara could.... “I’m sorry,” she said, holding the door for me. “I shouldn’t tease you so much. It’s just... fun.” “Yeah, well it’s not fun for me,” I shot back, headed straight for my locker. Most of the other girls were about done now and were getting dressed or brushing their hair. I was glad. There wasn’t a single one of them I wanted to speak to. Most of them ignored Tara and I now since they knew we’d be permanently staying in KC, and none of them would be. “I’m sorry,” she said again. “I’ll try to stop.” I shook my head at her and headed for the shower. Most of the time I chose to undress already in the shower, in the dry corner, because I am the youngest, and I still look like a little girl—a muscular little girl. I know it seems silly to be selfconscious, but I am. Tara is, too, and she also brought her stuff into the shower with her. I tried to get out before her so I wouldn’t have to talk to her again. Maybe that’s not a good sign that your friendship is healthy, but at the moment, the last thing I wanted was to get sucked back into a discussion about Alex.

My shoes were on and I was brushing my hair when Tara came out. She didn’t bother to apologize again. “What are you doing today? More homework?” She said it with the same sort of disdain for all things academic I currently felt. “I do have some, but....” I hesitated, not sure if I should tell her about the meeting. Deciding that my sister hadn’t told me not to, I went ahead and said, “I’m supposed to meet with Cadence and Aaron in a little while.” “Oh.” Tara’s voice went all high at the end, like she wanted more info but didn’t want to ask. She did, though, eventually. “Who else is going to be there?” “I don’t know. Probably not Alex,” I added, narrowing my eyes at her. She snickered. “No, I would be shocked if he was. I was just wondering what it might be about.” “I don’t know,” I repeated. I wasn’t about to go into any detail about everything that had been going on with Aaron and how it seemed to have affected the team. Nor could I tell her that my sister seemed like she wanted to go ahead and move in on the Vampires we’d been ignoring, including Holland. “I guess I’ll find out shortly.” “Right,” Tara nodded. “Well, tell me what you can.” “I always do,” I assured her, though that wasn’t true. Since she hadn’t mentioned Alex again, I decided to wait for her to finish, and we both headed out of the locker room at the same time. Dax was waiting for us--for her anyway. “I thought maybe you went down the drain,” he teased. “Sorry. We stopped to talk to Cadence,” Tara explained. I saw a glint in her eye and flashed daggers at her. She stopped short of telling Dax what we had been discussing. For the most part, he only teases me if someone else brings it up first, so he kept his opinions to himself as we walked along. I realized I needed to hurry it up if I was going to eat something and make it to the meeting on time. I was certain my mom wouldn’t have anything prepared for my lunch after the breakfast incident. I felt bad again. I probably should’ve eaten the eggs.

We were pretty quiet until we reached the turn off to their apartments. “I’ll see you guys later.” I spun around and walked backward a few steps. “See you. Let me know how the meeting goes,” Tara said, not for the first time. I nodded, leaving it to her to explain to Dax what she was talking about, and then turned to walk the right way before I crashed into someone or something. I waved at Juan Diego in the lobby and then took the elevator upstairs. I opened the apartment door to find my mom still sitting in the same spot. She had a handful of index cards, though, and the papers on the table had been rearranged. I could still see a map and wondered what in the world she was looking at. She glanced up at me, and I saw that she was still angry but not in a vicious way. “How was training?” “Good,” I said, tossing my bag in my room. “I’ve gotta get to Cadence’s office, though. Did she tell you?” “No, but Aaron did. I’m working on something for him. I was hoping you could take it over with you.” “Sure,” I said through the through from the kitchen to the living room. I grabbed a Hot Pocket out of the freezer and stuck it in the microwave. “What is it?” “Well, it’s a map and some communication logs,” she replied, tossing her pen down. I thought for a moment she might be frustrated. Or maybe she didn’t even know what she was looking at. “I think I’m doing what he wants, but sometimes it’s hard to tell. This was the first time he’d asked me to do something like this. He’s been... distant lately.” “I know,” I said as the microwave dinged. I grabbed my lunch and a can of pop out of the refrigerator and headed into the living room. I decide my mom may as well know what was wrong with her future son-in-law. “Holland was messing with him.” My mom turned to look at me as I took a spot on the sofa. “She was what?” “Yeah, she was clogging up his brain with all of this... black goo.” I realized as soon as the words were out of my mouth I hadn’t even told Aaron that much. “It

was weird. But he’s fine now.” “The things you kids do these days.” My mom’s utterance made it sound like Aaron had been listening to a controversial band or even eating Tide pods. “Well, I hope this is what he was looking for.” “What is it?” I asked with food in my mouth. A quick glance at the map let me know it was of the area of Melbourne where we’d extracted Paul and killed Carter. But that’s all I could tell. “These are all of the buildings that the Melbourne team cleared after Paul went missing,” my mom explained, gesturing at the diagram in front of her. “And these are all of the calls that came through their IACs.” She placed her hand on a stack of typed correspondence I assumed Aaron had printed off for her. It was a little spooky to me that that was possible, but I hoped he could only access communications that took place during a hunt. Otherwise, Brandon and I could be in real trouble.... “And this is a list of all of the buildings, what time they were cleared, and by whom.” My mom indicated a separate stack. “These are my notes. It looks to me like they checked every building.” She shrugged, ran her hand through her bangs and leaned back on the sofa. “So Aaron thinks Holland’s headquarters is somewhere on this map?” “Yes, I believe so,” Mom replied. “But if all of the buildings were cleared, that’s not possible is it?” “I wouldn’t think so,” I replied, finishing off the last of my pizza pocket in one big bite. I wished I would’ve brought a napkin, but without one, my jeans would have to do. My mom made a tsking sound under her breath, but I ignored her, enthralled by the map now. I leaned forward and looked it over. Immediately, something stood out to me. There was a large structure on the far northern end of the map, up toward the corner, and I thought I’d seen it somewhere before. The map was some sort of a rendering done by an architect or someone else skilled at drawing buildings, so I could tell which structure was which. I glanced down to the building where I’d killed my first Vampire and the movie theater next to it. I recognized the structures despite the fact that my view had been mostly from the roof. According to the scale on the map, this other

building was about five miles away, so it was certainly in the zone that had been checked by the team. But it looked eerily similar to the building I’d seen in my dreams, so I was interested. “What are you looking at?” Mom asked, leaning over with me. “What is that building up there in the far right corner?” She looked at a list of buildings she had and then replied, “Larundel—something like that. I’m not sure I’m saying it correctly.” “What is it?” I asked, hoping she had a better explanation. “I don’t know, honey. I only have names or addresses.” The fact that the building had a name made me think it might be something. It was huge, so maybe it could be an estate with a name, but I doubted it. I checked the time. I’d need to leave in a minute, so I didn’t really have the time to look up what Larundel was. “Do you know at what point it was cleared?” “Let me see.” My mom picked up her stack of communication logs and flipped through quickly. “Here it is.” Rather than trying to explain, she handed it over. I glanced at it briefly and saw right off the bat there was a problem. “This is wrong,” I said with confidence. “There’s no way this is right.” “My notes?” my mom asked, and I could tell I’d made her anxious. “No, Mom. That part’s fine. What you have noted is exactly what the communication says. But it’s wrong. I’ll look at it again when I get over there. I’ve gotta go.” “Okay,” she said, and I knew she wished I’d explain further, but I needed to check a few other things before I was certain that what I was seeing was as off as I thought it was. She carefully gathered up her work, stacking it in such a way that I could easily un-stack it without messing any of it up, and handed it to me. “Be careful with it, honey. Try not to get anything out of order. Oh, I hope I did it right.”

“Mom, if what I’m seeing is what I think I’m seeing, I’m sure you’ve given us exactly what we need.” I smiled reassuringly at her, and she nodded. It was too bad that the first taste of Aaron as a boss my mom had gotten was when he wasn’t himself at all. He might be demanding and want things a certain way, but she shouldn’t be scared of him. She headed toward the door and pulled it open for me so I didn’t have to worry about dropping anything, which I appreciated. “I’ll be back.” “All right. Have fun.” I nodded, calling the elevator with my IAC, trying not to laugh at my mom’s last comment. “Fun” wasn’t quite how I’d put it, but then, I was excited to let Aaron and Cadence know what I’d seen in the notes. Brandon was waiting for me in the lobby. He’d let me know to expect him there, and I was glad that someone would be able to open the doors for me. “Hey, what in the world is that?” he asked, pushing open the door to the outside. “This is Liz Findley’s first assignment,” I replied, knowing that wasn’t exactly accurate. She had made reservations and things like that before. “Looks... confusing.” He only glanced over the top of the stack, but I had to agree with him. “I think... I know where Holland’s lair is.” “Shut up.” “Yep. I need to look at it again, but I have an idea we missed something.” “Wow.” He walked along beside me in silence for a moment before he added, “Clearly, we missed something, but the fact that your mom found it....” “Well, I wouldn’t go that far. I found it. She just laid it out in front of me.” “Oh, well, then, pardon me,” he replied with snarky tone. “I wouldn’t want to take anything away from you, your brilliance.” I snickered. That’s not what I’d meant, even though I supposed it had come

across that way. “Speaking of brilliant, how was your algebra test.” “You weren’t kidding. That sucker was hard.” He pulled open the door to the building that housed Cadence and Aaron’s office. “I was lost on a few of them.” “Yep. And what did you get?” “You know, that’s not important. What is important is that you got a B, which is great.” “I did?” I hadn’t even bothered to check. I felt a weight lift off of my shoulders. I was certain I had gotten a C or worse. “Yep. Solid eighty-two percent.” That was barely a B, but I’d take it. “And you got...?” “Not important.” He called the elevator, and I continued to stare at him. “I did a little better.” “Of course you did. Brandon, I’m okay with the fact that you’re better at math than me,” I assured him. “What did you get?” “Uh, a ninety-eight,” he said quietly. I felt my eyes widen. “Yeah, it was real hard.” I walked into the elevator, wishing I had a free hand so I could smack him. “It was,” he insisted. “I’m just a good guesser.” “Whatever.” The elevator was heading up to the top floor where their office was located. “I am proud of you. Good job.” “Thank you. I’m proud of you, too. You aren’t bad at math, Cass. Just because it isn’t a shining star subject for you doesn’t mean you’re bad at it.” This wasn’t the first time he’d pointed this out. The last thing I wanted to talk

about was math. “I know.” I just hated the idea that I wasn’t great at everything. If there was a way I could improve myself, I wanted to take it. My thoughts immediately went to the Transformation serum and how it seemed to enhance every positive aspect of everyone who’d taken another dose, and I wondered if I’d ever get my chance to see how it worked on me.

Chapter 11

The elevator doors opened, and Brandon waited for me to walk out toward my sister and Aaron’s office, even though that meant he had to rush to open the office door for me. “Well, good afternoon Cassidy, Brandon,” Mrs. Carminati said with a wide smile. I just love her—she’s always so nice and sweet. “How are you today?” “Great, thank you,” I said as Brandon nodded the same. “How are you?” “Good, good. Your sister is expecting you. You two can head right on in.” “Thanks,” Brandon said as he hurried to get the final door. I would be happy when I could set this mess down. There were plenty of other papers spread out on the conference room table, though, and I realized my mom and Aaron had something in common. He scooted his into a stack quickly as I brought in my mom’s. “Hey,” I said to both of them. “Mom sent this with me, but if you two don’t mind, I saw something I’d like to look at.” “Sure,” Aaron said, and I noticed how much clearer his blue eyes looked than the last time I’d seen him. “Let us know what you find.” I nodded and unstacked Mom’s piles. There was just one piece of paper I needed right now, and I was hoping it was where I expected it to be. I flipped through the communication log, trying to find where Larundel was cleared. “By the way, Cass,” Aaron said quietly as a few other people filed in, “I need to thank you.” I glanced up, my eyes wide, not sure what to say. “Oh?” Of course, I knew what he was talking about, but I needed this to not be a big deal for some reason. “Yeah. Thanks for... finding me. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.” I could feel my cheeks turning pink, so I looked away. He may be my

sister’s fiancé, but Aaron is unbelievably attractive—and he’s sort of my boss. He patted me on the shoulder. “I should’ve told you earlier, but I wanted to say something in person.” “No, it’s fine,” I assured him, catching his eyes briefly before I looked back at the log. “No problem.” He turned to welcome Meagan and Aurora, and I was glad to have the focus off of me as I continued to go through the correspondence, certain what I needed was right in front of me. “What was that all about?” Brandon asked me through his IAC, causing me to lose focus for a second. I realized I hadn’t even asked him how the unpacking had gone, but the fact that he hadn’t torn Aaron’s head off the second he walked in the door—or tried to anyway—made me think there were things he hadn’t mentioned to me either. “Oh, I uh, blocked Holland last night so Cadence and Jamie could see if they could bring Aaron back around, and it worked.” “Oh. I guess that’s what he meant when he said he hadn’t been himself lately.” “What do you mean?” I glanced up from my mom’s notes for a second, meaning to concentrate on Brandon, but over his shoulder, I saw Alex come in and didn’t hear most of what my boyfriend was saying to me. I wondered what in the world Alex was doing at our meeting. He’d never been to one before, at least not one where I was in attendance. “So we’re good now,” Brandon concluded, and I smiled and nodded, assuming Aaron must’ve come and apologized for the moving truck earlier in the day, though I didn’t know when or by what method. It seemed like the Guardian Leader must not have told Brandon why he wasn’t acting like himself recently, though, since Brandon didn’t know why Aaron was thanking me. I turned back to my papers for a second as Alex approached us. “Well, if it isn’t the talented teen duo,” he joked, extending his hand to Brandon first as I glanced out of the corner of my eye before swallowing hard and setting the papers down. “How are you, Mr. Keen.” “Just fine, Mr. Hamilton. How are you?” Brandon was polite and shook the hand

offered to him, but I could tell he was as puzzled as I was, and there might’ve been something else there as well. “Wonderful, although I must it I’m a bit nervous.” He leaned in closer to Brandon’s ear, and I gave him my full attention. “I haven’t been to a strategic meeting for as long as I can —and that’s a very long time.” He chuckled in that robust way that doesn’t quite match his small frame, and Brandon’s fake laughter sprang free as well. Alex leaned around Brandon who reluctantly took a step backward. “Miss Findley, how have you recovered from our outing? You did so well today.” I slipped my hand into his and his other hand came around mine. A feeling of warmth spread up my arm, and words evaded me. If Brandon hadn’t cleared his throat, I may have stood there for the rest of my life—which could be indefinitely. “I’m good. Nice to see you again. Here. Nice to see you here.” Alex didn’t pay any attention to my stammering. “It’s good to be here,” he said, but I knew that he was anxious. He pardoned himself and stepped around me to talk to Aaron, and I did my best not to eavesdrop. Aaron said something about thinking Alex could help us with a problem, but if he couldn’t it wasn’t a big deal, and I returned my eyes to my stack of notes. “What was that?” “What was what?” I said back to Brandon, pretending I didn’t know what he was talking about when obviously I did. “Cass, since when do you not know how to formulate a complete sentence?” “Oh, no, it’s not that.” I glanced up at him for only a second. “He makes me nervous because he always speaks so formally, and I’m not sure what to say.” “Uhm hmmm.” My boyfriend wasn’t buying it, and I couldn’t blame him because it wasn’t true. The only problem was, I didn’t know what the truth was either. I love Brandon more than anything—more than anyone. But Alex had me confused, and I wasn’t sure how to deal with that or even why it was happening. I’d been pushing it out of my mind for far too long. I needed to face it. But at the moment, I needed to figure out what had happened at Larundel. I ignored Brandon and honed in on the conversation that had caught my attention

right before I headed over. It all unfolded in front of me. I could clearly see what happened, and a different sort of tingle shot up my arms as I realized I knew where Holland had been hiding. “All right, everyone, let’s go ahead and get started.” Aaron has a way of quieting a crowd, and since most of the people present probably had no idea he was fixed, the room went silent instantaneously. I glanced around the table, seeing who had snuck in that I had missed and realized I was standing in front of Jamie’s chair. I muttered an apology and scooted over, but he just patted me on the shoulder and sat down next to me as I slid my papers over one spot and had a seat next to Brandon. On his other side was Christian and then Aurora and Meagan. Alex was sitting on the far end across from Aaron, which meant he had inadvertently displaced Hannah, who was now sitting next to Elliott. My sister was across from Jamie, and she was chewing her cuticle, something she did when she was worried. I would’ve kicked her under the table to get her to stop if my legs were a little longer. “What are all of those papers?” Christian asked me. I couldn’t blame him for being curious. The whole thing was such a mess. This close to Aaron’s papers— which were stacked neatly in front of him, unlike my mess—it looked like a copier room had exploded. “We’ll get to that,” Aaron replied calmly. It was so nice to see him back to his former state. “This meeting is probably going to be a bit longer than usual. We have a lot to talk about, and there are a lot of moving parts Cadence and I are trying to keep straight, so if you guys will just bear with us, we’ll tackle one situation at a time and decide what our next best step is.” “Does that mean we’re taking another step soon?” Aurora asked. We all turned and looked at her for a moment; it wasn’t like her to be rude. Her face went a shade slightly lighter than her hair, and she realized she’d messed up. “Sorry.” “No, that’s okay,” Aaron replied. “I know we’ve been dragging our feet a little bit—I’ve been dragging my feet a lot lately. Yes, that’s about to be remedied.” He gave her a reassuring smile, and Aurora nodded, probably still wishing she hadn’t said anything, but at least he hadn’t yelled at her. He might’ve if he still had that gunk around his brain. “Cass, do you want to explain what you’ve got in front of you?”

I hadn’t expected to go first, so I wasn’t prepared. In fact, I wasn’t sure I was going to be doing anything other than transporting the papers to Aaron, but maybe he’d noticed I was on to something. He’s very observant like that. “Well,” I began, my eyes locked on the notes in front of me. “I have Mom’s data, and I think it’s pretty obvious what we missed.” I glanced up and saw that everyone was slightly confused, like they had no idea why my mom had data. “Communication logs and a map from Melbourne,” Aaron briefly explained, and there were some nods around the table, though plenty of pairs of eyes still looked like they weren’t caught up. “What is it?” Elliott asked. I wasn’t sure if he was asking what the logs were or what it was that I’d discovered. Since I didn’t feel like describing what my mom had been working on for the last several hours, I decided it would be better to just tell him what I’d figured out. “If you check back through the communication log, you can see that Becky and Patsy are about to clear a place called Larundel at 2:17, but as soon as Becky makes the call over the IAC, Jeb transmits to her and Patsy that he and Steph had already cleared it.” I was talking super-fast, and I wasn’t sure everyone was keeping up. But Aaron and Cadence nodded at me, and they were the only two that mattered. “But when you go back over Jeb and Steph’s log,” I continued, “they never noted that they cleared this place. It’s not mentioned at all, and in fact, they are on the other end of the search zone from Larundel. So....” I paused, not quite sure how to word what I thought had happened. My sister jumped in. “You don’t think they actually searched it at all.” I shook my head. That’s exactly what I thought—no one had searched it. “But why would they say they’d done so if they hadn’t?” Alex’s voice caught me off guard, and I turned my eyes in his direction, not sure what to say. I didn’t know what he was aware of concerning Holland or if he knew how she was capable of interfering with our communications. While I was still trying to formulate a complete sentence, Jamie replied. “Our

IACs have been wacky. We know Holland can mess with them. So I think Cass is saying she thinks that message didn’t actually come from Jeb.” That was exactly what I was trying to say. Eventually, my mouth was working again. “Right. I think that was Holland messing with the IACs, and I think it hasn’t come back up again because Jeb and Steph don’t even know that Becky and Patsy thought they’d cleared it.” “And if fake Jeb told her it had been cleared already, did Becky even bother to tell them she and Patsy were not going in after all?” Hannah asked me from the far end of the table. I shook my head. “No, she just said, ‘Affirmative,’ and there’s a good chance Jeb didn’t receive that transmission if Holland was intentionally screwing around with them. So, whatever that place is, I think we need to look at it.” There was another round of nods before Christian’s annoying voice cut through my reverie of being correct. “You don’t know what it is?” I turned to look across Brandon at him and thought his eyes looked a little more beady than usual. “Should I?” I asked, pressing my lips together so more didn’t come out. I didn’t need to embarrass myself by getting into it with Christian— again. A snarky smile spread across his face. “I would’ve thought you’d checked, what with your dream and all.” Taking a deep breath, I attempted to turn my attitude down, though when I opened my mouth, some of it still came out. “Well, I went through this stuff a minute ago and haven’t had much of a chance to do anything else.” I flashed him a fake smile that did not show my fangs, even though I wouldn’t have minded if they’d popped out, and felt Jamie’s foot nudge against mine beneath the table. “What is it?” That sounded like a calm inquiry—I decided. An amused expression overcame the tech guy, and I realized he was about to launch into one of his stories that is neither amusing nor important. He seems to think he can dazzle us with his sense of history when all I really needed was a one word answer. If he was trying to say this was the asylum I’d seen in my dreams, then that would do. Instead, he embarked on a journey back in time that none of the rest of us wanted to accompany him on but had no choice because

everyone else is too polite to interrupt, and I was trying to be nice. Jamie’s shoe told me I had to be. “Larundel was originally conceived in the late 1930s, but due to World War II, building didn’t begin until the 1940s. Even with that, it wasn’t until 1953 that it opened its doors.” I wondered if he’d just pulled up a Wikipedia page and was reading it to us—slowly, in the most ridiculously annoying voice ever conceived. I glanced around the room. Aaron wasn’t paying any attention to Christian at all, which was a shame because he was likely the only one who could get him to stop talking. I decided he probably already knew everything Christian was saying and was trying to figure out how he’d missed this. My sister was grinding her teeth. She wanted to make Christian shut up, too, I could tell, but she didn’t. Elliott was literally scowling at the tech guy. They don’t get along. Everyone else was listening politely, except Brandon who was staring at Alex. “It was only open for about forty years, but during that time, thousands of psychiatric patients resided there, some of the worst cases imaginable, too. Schizophrenics, the criminally insane. It’s really not a very nice place. Now, paranormal investigators flock to the site because of all of the activity. Well, they did anyway. I imagine if Holland is holed up there, they wouldn’t be coming in droves anymore.” Christian finished with a satisfied little chuckle, like he’d just enlightened us, and we could all thank him for imparting his wisdom upon us. No one else said anything, which I found irritating. Narrowing my eyes at Christian, I asked the obvious. “So you think the place I saw in my dream, the asylum, is Larundel, and that’s where Holland is?” He really could’ve said that very statement and saved us all the drama. “Yes.” Now he chooses to be brief. Brandon leaned forward slightly. “Then why in the world are you just now mentioning this?” It was a good question. If Christian was aware that I had seen an asylum and there was a giant one this close to where we’d found Paul, he could’ve said something. Of course, he hadn’t been there with us during the operation. Maybe that was why. Maybe he was still mad he hadn’t gotten to go. Christian shrugged. “No one asked me.” It seemed like the lamest reason a

person could ever give. I wanted to swivel my head down to Aaron to see his reaction, but before I could move, Christian continued. “Besides, I figured it was clear.” That was more like it. The thought hadn’t actually occurred to him. He’s such a windbag. “If Jeb said he’d checked it, I thought it couldn’t be the place. Even though it sounded right by Cassidy’s description.” I wasn’t sure what to say and ed my mother’s advice about being nice, so I only said, “Thanks for that.” Christian snickered, like this was all a game to him, and I was about to say something less polite when I ed that Alex was in the room, and I decided not to look like a little sniveling teenager in front of him. Besides, Aaron interjected then, and there was no reason for anyone else to say anything. “I think it’s safe to say that we messed this up, and we need to go have a look around.” I ripped my eyes off of Christian and turned to face the Leader just as he said my name. “Cass, do you have any idea who Holland’s left in charge in her absence or how many Vampires we might be talking about?” Frustration overcame me as I was put in a position to it my weakness in front of the whole group, but I had to be honest. No matter how many times I’d tried, I hadn’t been able to figure out who else was working with Holland, other than Hines. “I don’t know. I’ve tried to find out numbers, but it’s hard because they’re always adding to their army. And Holland being away has left it difficult for me to zero in on anyone who is still there.” I didn’t mention that I also didn’t have a location on where Holland had actually gone, though I was certain it was Europe. I didn’t know why she was there or what she was doing. I was a mess— I needed to find a way to make my powers more helpful. “Okay.” Aaron smiled at me like it wasn’t a big deal. “We’ll just have to send Paul’s team in and see what happens.” That sounded like a terrible idea to me, but what could I say? We really didn’t have an alternative. At least we knew Holland and Hines were still absent. I could confirm that before Paul went in. “What are their numbers like in Melbourne now?” Elliott asked. “You sent them quite a few Guardians, didn’t you?” “I did,” Aaron replied. “They’ve got about fifty extra Guardians, which on paper

sounds good, but I’m not sure what Holland’s up to. And if she’s truly trying to find a way to kill us, we need to be cautious.” The thought sent chills down my spine as I thought about all of the work Hines had been putting in, trying to come up with some sort of an injection that would either kill the Guardians or turn them back to humans which would allow them to be killed. He was close, and there were times when he seemed to think he had it. “Can’t happen.” Christian’s muttering stung my ears like a swarm of hornets. I did my best not to turn and look at him for fear I’d lose control of my teeth. Luckily, I wasn’t the only one who thought his comment was ridiculous and offensive. Beside me, Jamie said, “Actually, there is something she could do.” We all turned to look at the doctor, and I was so glad he was not only smart but also my friend because if I had to handle Christian on my own, I would probably rip his throat out. I’m pretty sure I could do that if I wanted to. Jamie continued. “If Hines has figured out what we know about how to turn Guardians back into humans, then he could do that, and then kill us. It wouldn’t be quick, but it is a possibility.” Those were my thoughts exactly. If we had cracked that code, and it seemed like we had, although we hadn’t done any trials yet, why not think that Hines could, too? Christian was shaking his head. “There’s no way she could figure that out so quickly. Hines can’t possibly know as much about genetics and our DNA makeup as Dr. Morrow, and it’s taken him decades to get this far.” Dr. Morrow was a Guardian from Roatan, and Christian had recently started working with him to finish off the formula. It was Christian who’d messed the whole thing up enough that Aaron almost killed himself trying to use it. If Christian was half as smart as he thought he was, maybe I could give him a little credit, but the fact that he thinks he knows so much when he’s often wrong drives me insane. So I asked, “Why can’t Hines know?” “Because Dr. Morrow is at the top of his field. He’s a genius. Hines is a quack.” He was smirking at me like I was just a stupid teenager.

I fully turned to face him now, leering across Brandon and totally forgetting there was anyone else in the room. “And Holland can read minds, you moron!” I spat at Christian whose eyes widened. Brandon pressed on my shoulder, and my bottom hit my chair. But I wasn’t done. “What makes you think she couldn’t just go for a little stroll around Morrow’s head—or yours—and come up with whatever information she needed?” Brandon’s hand was still firm on my shoulder, and Jamie had my other arm, pulling me back into the chair. I continued to glare at Christian, but Alex cleared his throat, and I glanced over at him. His eyes were even wider than Christian’s, and I realized I’d done precisely what I had been trying not to do—let my dramatic teenage-self rear her impulsive head. Christian’s response was about the only thing a person could say in that position. “We’d know,” he insisted. I didn’t have to answer. “We wouldn’t know.” I turned and looked at Aaron, and if there was any chance that Christian had been considering a counter argument, it had to stay trapped in his throat. Aaron’s eyes made a point no one could argue with, even if they had no idea that Holland had been camping out in the Guardian Leader’s mind for at least a month. There was a long pause while everyone tried to how to breathe. The thought that Holland could just visit our minds whenever she wanted to and take what she needed wasn’t pleasant. I heard Jamie’s voice before I realize he was talking to me. “Would it be possible for Hines to do that? Could he get into someone’s head and figure out what we know?” I shrugged and thought for a moment before I answered, trying my best to sound more civil now that I was no longer addressing the idiot on the other side of my boyfriend. It was a legitimate question and one I’d asked myself a dozen times. “I don’t see why not. I think all Vampires can do it. They just don’t all care to.” It wasn’t easy walking around in someone else’s thoughts. It was draining and scary. There was no reason for Hines to do it when Holland could easily do it for him. “All right, we’ll have to be particularly careful when Paul’s team moves in, make sure he knows the risks.” Aaron seemed to have decided this conversation was about over with. “If anyone will understand that necessity, it’s him.” He was right of course; Paul was the first, and hopefully only, Guardian to be caught and

tortured by Hines. “Maybe they should wait. Maybe we should get ourselves back over there first.” Elliott’s voice caught me off guard. He’d been so quiet thus far. Normally, if I get into it with Christian, he’s one of the first ones to jump in and shut us up. But today, he’d been a little off. I wondered if it had anything at all to do with the situation Brandon had been worried about the last few days. Or maybe he was still mad at Aaron for packing his stuff up. Cadence answered him. “Holland could be back any moment. It would be better for Paul to go before she returns.” My sister was right. Elliott nodded and then returned to his solemn state, and I silently wondered if he was okay. It crossed my mind that Holland might be messing with him, but I didn’t think that was the problem. It was something else.... Aurora’s voice had heads turning again. “Do we know where she is or why?” I was really hoping no one would throw this one at me because I had no idea. When Aaron nodded, I let out a sigh of relief. “We know she’s somewhere near Linz, or at least that’s where her planes still are. What she’s doing there, we have no idea, though we were hoping maybe Alex could provide some insight.” So many questions popped into my head at the same time, I wasn’t sure where to start. I was glad they’d been able to track the planes since I hadn’t been able to help with that. But why was she in Linz? That’s where Lucy, Emma, and I had tracked Giovani. Was there something there that kept attracting these goons? And what would Alex know about any of this? He was wondering the same thing. “Me?” he asked, looking around at all of us as we peered in his direction. “While I am flattered, I’m not sure why you may think that. I’ve hardly any dealings in that part of Europe.” Cadence cleared her throat. “We were hoping maybe some legend, some legacy would come to you.” My sister’s eyes flickered to Christian, and I bit back a smile. He was the one who usually had the role of enlightening us with his theatrical presentations from history, and here my sister and Aaron had gone and recruited someone else.

Unfortunately, the idea didn’t seem to be panning out. Alex replied, “I’m afraid I won’t be of much use to you. But there is someone who might be able to help.” He was up out of his chair, and Aaron and Cadence exchanged bewildered glances. “Who might that be?” Aaron asked. At least it wasn’t Christian he was referring to.... “Fellow by the name of Schmitz,” Alex replied with a nod. “He’s older than me. A gentle soul, that one. Grew up near the Austrian border. I’ll fetch him.” There was no question Alex was headed out of the office now, regardless of what my sister or Aaron had intended to happen next. The door opened and closed quickly, and Alex was off, leaving the rest of us looking after him. Clearly, he hadn’t been comfortable here, and I wondered if there was something I could’ve done to make him feel better—like maybe not attempting to rip Christian’s head off. Aaron paused for a moment, obviously as caught off guard as the rest of us. But he continued like he knew exactly where he meant to take the conversation next, even if he didn’t. “Cadence and I are going to go ahead and let the other areas move out and destroy those pockets Holland was organizing around the eight largest headquarters.” There was a collective sigh of relief. Everyone had been waiting for this announcement since the Roatan Guardians had arrived and been distributed to said headquarters. “We will be treating Melbourne separately, considering the stakes there, but the other eight will be left in the hands of the Area Leaders. They have all been heavily reinforced with Guardians from Roatan, and thanks to Cassidy’s surveillance and the eyes we have on the ground, mostly Independent Hunters and Guardians, we have enough information available for our teams to move in and destroy them.” I appreciated the shout out, but I didn’t really feel like I’d done that much to help, not recently anyway. He continued, “We are asking that those who can coordinate in similar time zones do so since it should be more difficult for Holland to control that way.” “And it will be harder for her to strengthen everyone at the same time,” my sister added. It made sense to me. Holland seemed distracted now anyway, what with her

expanding abdomen and being away from home searching for something.... Maybe Schmitz could let us know what that might be. “So they have permission to attack whenever they feel ready,” Aaron concluded. Everyone seemed happy to hear that, but there was more that needed to be said. Surprisingly, it was Meagan who asked the million dollar question. “And us?” My eyes didn’t leave Aaron’s face even when Meagan’s voice hit my ears. Thankfully, he didn’t waiver. “And we will be moving forward as well.” Again, there was a collective sigh of relief. “There are four pockets of concern to us, now that Spittle and his men have been taken out. Something else we need to decide in this meeting is how to go about attacking all of them at the same time.” “We’ve got a few ideas,” Cadence chimed in. I had a feeling she had more than that—they’d been talking about this for most of the time that Aaron had been back, I imagined. “But we wanted to run it by all of you first.” The team seemed happy that they’d get to have some input. Aaron leaned back in his chair and tapped a pen on the table a few times, a signal to me that he didn’t necessarily want to bring up the next topic yet, but without Alex and/or Schmitz to resume the previous conversation, we were moving on. “The other topic we need to discuss is who else, if anyone, is going to go through the process Elliott and Cadence just underwent.” Tingles spread up my arms as I thought about the possibility. If I had the sort of power that Cadence and Tara had, who knows what I might be able to do? I was sure it would enhance my ability to access Holland’s thoughts and see what the Vampires were planning even more clearly. Before I could speak, Christian’s irritating voice assaulted my ears. “I am,” he said, like he didn’t need permission. “I worked a long time on the Retransformation serum, so I figure I’ve earned an enhancement.” I stifled a guffaw. As far as I was concerned, there was no connection between the Retransformation serum and the “enhancement” as Christian put it. And it was Christian who had screwed everything up so royally. But it wasn’t my call. Aaron said, “That’s fine with me. But we’ll need to schedule it quickly so that you don’t miss the attack, assuming you want to be part of that.”

“Of course I do. I’m ready when Jamie is.” Christian looked past me at Jamie, who didn’t turn to make eye with the tech guy. “Actually,” Jamie said, staring at Aaron, “I want to do it, too.” I don’t think I’ve ever seen Aaron’s eyes any wider. “Jamie....” he began, and I quickly imagined a world where Jamie was broken and couldn’t fix me should something go wrong. Panic set in for a moment until I reminded myself I was being silly. Surely, Aaron wouldn’t let him go through with it. He’d already told him no once before. “I know you’re worried I’ll lose something in the transition,” the Healer said, his hands folded in front of him, and it was obvious he’d gone over what he was going to say before the topic had even come up. “But that doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t think that will be the case. What if it allows me to heal faster or without wiping myself out? I trust Martin enough to keep me safe while I’m under.” Jamie’s argument was convincing, and we all turned to the Guardian Leader to see how he might respond. It actually looked to me like Aaron was considering approving the request, but he only said, “Let me think about it, okay?” Reluctantly, Jamie nodded and said, “Okay.” I felt like the request had gotten further than expected. Maybe there was a chance that Aaron would let Jamie go through with the procedure after all. Hannah’s quiet voice caught me by surprise. “I want to do it, too.” Our heads all flipped around to face her. I was surprised. She does more directing than actual fighting most of the time, being the second in command and all, but I could see why the speed might help her. Aaron agreed, and then it seemed like everyone wanted in. Aurora said she wanted to do it, and then Meagan said both her and Shane were ready as well. I thought about the possibility of something going horribly wrong and Shane ending up a mutated troll on the outside, like he is on the inside, and I was okay with this. I kept my imagination to myself. Feeling brave, I decided to jump in as well. “Can I?” I asked my sister. Obviously, I already knew what the answer was going to be, but when she just glared at me, I shrugged and said, “Worth a shot.” My sister and Aaron had

already both told me no. I should’ve known better than to ask, but since everyone else was throwing their names in the hat, why not? “Dad?” Brandon asked, and Elliott’s eyes widened. He, too, had already said no to his offspring. Brandon made a better argument than I had. “You know it’s safe. You did it.” “I’m willing to gamble a little bit with my own rear end, Son, but not with yours,” Elliott replied, shaking his head. But I could see in his eyes he was actually contemplating the possibility. I wasn’t sure what to think about this. What if Brandon did it—and he’s the one that turned into the mutated troll? “It’s not a gamble, Dad,” Brandon pressed on. “Jamie won’t let anything happen to me.” Even though I was turned toward Brandon, I could feel Jamie’s eyes on the back of my head. I didn’t think he liked being brought into the conversation, but Brandon had a good point. Jamie wouldn’t let anything happen to me either. “What if it enhances my powers?” I asked. I felt sort of like Ralphie blurting out that he wants a Red Ryder BB gun in A Christmas Story. That was the last argument I had for myself. I really felt like I would be so much better at ing Vampires, building shields, everything, if only they’d let me go through with it. I should’ve held onto my cards a little longer, gotten Aaron alone—or Jamie— where I could reason with them without an audience. It was much too easy for them to say no in front of everyone else. I had tried to build on Brandon’s momentum and failed. Aaron said, “Tell you what, Cass, you get Liz Findley to sign a release form, and we’ll chat.” Dead in the water, I dropped my head. My dad, maybe. My mom? No way. “Dad?” Brandon asked again, and I saw a flicker in Elliott’s eyes once more, like he was considering it. “I don’t know, boy,” he said, defeat setting in. “Let me talk to your mom.” Instantly, Brandon’s mood brightened, and I thought about how unfair that was. His mom was supposed to be the crazy, abusive one—but she was likely to say

yes to this because she had already basically turned Brandon over to his dad. My mom was the one at headquarters where she could actually see how much of an enhancement the procedure created. And she would absolutely say no. Aaron moved the conversation forward, talking about how we would attack the four bands of Vampires as soon as Jamie was done with the procedures. Once I realized they were talking about how all of that would go down, I tuned back in. Maybe there would be another opportunity if I played my cards better. Jamie was saying, “We still have the makeshift hospital ward set up in the tagging facility. I think there are about fifteen beds in there. I should be able to handle the room at capacity. I’ll get Martin and the other Healers to help, and Kathy can assist, too, since she’s got nothing else going on these days.” Kathy was the one I’d brought Bonnie to, one of the Guardian’s who’d gotten her throat ripped open because the baby Vampire I’d trusted had turned out to be a monster. I felt terrible for her and had already apologized and made her a batch of her favorite cookies. She said she knew it wasn’t my fault, but I still blamed myself for the horrible events of that night. Hearing Jamie bring them up again made it difficult to concentrate, but I did my best. “Are you sure you can handle all of that?” Aaron was asking him. “What if something goes wrong?” “All I’ve had to do is monitor. We should be good.” Jamie was confident in his statement, and I was convinced there really was nothing to be afraid of. Sure, the procedure clearly hurt like nothing else. I ed my sister crying and how red Elliott’s face had gotten. But it wasn’t going to hurt anyone; I was sure of it. “I’ll do everyone else first, and then if you’ll let me, once they’re awake, I’ll go.” Jamie sure has a way of slipping things in there. I thought Aaron was about to agree, but the office door opened, and the doctor was left without an answer once again. I turned to see Alex escorting in a short man with dark hair and a mustache. I recognized him now that I saw him again. I’d met Schmitz when the Roatan Guardians had first arrived. He was very quiet and hadn’t said much. To look at him now, it was clear he was terrified and really didn’t want to be here at all, even more so than Alex.

“Pardon us,” Alex said, giving a regal little bow. “This is my good friend Michael Schmitz.” Aaron was up and around the end of the table faster than my eyes could track him, which made me long for that sort of power once again. “Yes, of course,” he was saying, shaking Schmitz’s hand. “It’s nice to see you again.” The newcomer released Aaron’s hand, still looking terrified, and then took the seat Alex had occupied earlier as Aaron moved back to his own chair. Alex took up a position next to the door, like he was guarding it or trying to leak into the wall, and I did my best to forget he was standing there. Schmitz squeezed his elbows together on top of the table as if he was willing his arms not to shake. “Alexander said you might have some questions for me?” “Yes, we were hoping you could help us. We know that Holland is somewhere near Linz,” Aaron explained, “but we don’t know why she’s there. Giovani went there, too, right before he traveled to Philadelphia to create Gibbon in an attempt to destroy Cadence.” Ah, more good memories. The day I almost died.... “Do you happen to know why Holland might be in that part of Europe? Is there anyone you can think of she might be visiting? Or a location she might be staying at for some reason?” As Aaron spoke, all of the color in Schmitz’s face slowly drained until he was almost as white as the sheets of paper in front of me. “Linz?” he asked. Aaron nodded, and Schmitz took a few deep breaths before reaching up and running a hand through his thinning hair. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone who is practically immortal look so frightened, not even when faced with a vicious Vampire. “What is it?” I asked quietly, wondering how much longer we could all stare at each other. He swallowed so hard I could see the lump in his throat from the other end of the table. I glanced over at Elliott, and even he looked concerned. That didn’t sit well with me, and I was glad when Brandon’s hand slid down to my knee beneath the table. Schmitz cleared his throat, and when he began to speak, his voice was shaking. “Back in my day, there was a legend about a mysterious creature who resided in

the hills near the small town of Klet.” I knew that Klet was a mountain near Linz because of the work I’d done to find Giovani. “Even though most of my family had Transformed as young as possible, none of us were ever foolish enough to wander alone in those woods. They said....” He paused again, his eyes glancing around the table, catching each of ours for a brief moment before moving on. “They said that the monster who lived there had a way about him, that even if you were a Guardian, he had powers that could influence, powers that could destroy. I never actually knew of anyone who saw him with their own eyes, but the legends went back to well before my great-great-grandparents’ time.” Everyone was quiet as we considered what he was saying. Was this even possible? Could a creature like that even exist? It was clear to me why Holland would be there if what Schmitz said was true. If she could find someone that powerful, someone who could potentially wipe out Guardians, that creature would be invaluable to her. She wouldn’t need Hines any more. It was no wonder Giovani had been there, too. He must’ve been looking for the same monster. My sister’s voice cut through the stillness. “Do you know what they called him?” Schmitz nodded, but he didn’t answer aloud, and I wondered if maybe he sent her an IAC message with the answer, but then my sister asked, “Can you tell us?” Immediately, the nod turned into a negative, a quick shake back and forth that couldn’t be misunderstood. We were all puzzled. Aaron asked, “You can’t tell us? Why is that?” Finding his voice again, Schmitz replied, “Speaking his name is said to draw him out, and even though I am certain he cannot manifest here, I’m not willing to take the chance.” I was shocked to see him so frightened by someone who was reputedly located on another continent and realized I needed to know what this thing was so I could try to find out as much as I could about him. “Can you write it down?” Cadence asked, her voice bordering on losing the touch of understanding she’d originally spoken with when she asked him the monster’s name the first time.

Schmitz sucked in a deep breath and then reluctantly nodded. Hannah ed him a pad of paper and a pen, and he breathed in deeply again before sprawling a few letters on the top page and flipping the pad over, his hand over top of it protectively. “Will you wait until I leave before you read it?” “Certainly,” Aaron replied quickly, likely thankful just to have the information he needed at last. “Well, if there’s nothing more you wish to tell us, I suppose you can go.” I thought it was a little strange how Aaron was suddenly showing his own age. He was starting to sound a little like Alex. “That’s all,” Schmitz said, already pushing his chair back. “Just be cautious. We don’t know what he can do. But it’s not typical.” “Yes, of course. Thank you,” Aaron said with a smile, and Schmitz was out of the room before anyone else could even say goodbye. “Shall I accompany him?” Alex asked, obviously wanting to get out of our meeting, too. I was relieved when Aaron said he could leave as well. As much as I like Alex, I don’t really feel like I can be myself when he’s around. I constantly feel like I’m having to try to impress him. He gave a bow, as he always does, and then slipped out the door as well. We sat in silence for a long moment before Hannah pulled the pad of paper back in front of herself and asked, “Are we all ready for me to read it?” “Nope,” Elliott said, and we all turned to look at him. “Let me get my aluminum foil hat on.” I couldn’t help but chuckle. Most everyone else did, too. The serious tone was cut out of the air, and the team all settled back a bit as Hannah read the name. “Daunator.” Immediately, Christian’s ears perked up. “Daunator?” he repeated. “You know him?” Aaron asked. I wondered if he was thinking the same thing I was. If Christian knew this guy, why hadn’t he said anything? Or was he just trying to make us all think he knew when he really didn’t have a clue? “I should say I’ve heard of him, I guess,” Christian said with a shrug. “He is legendary. I’m surprised you haven’t heard of him.” He was talking to Aaron,

and the comment seemed disrespectful to me, but Aaron didn’t even flinch. I guess he doesn’t know everyone after all. “Enlighten us, Captain Henry,” Elliott said, taking the pressure off of Aaron and giving Christian the opportunity to do what he loves to do most—talk. He cleared his throat, and I settled back in my seat, thinking this would be round two of storytelling. “There isn’t much to say. Just... yeah... I’ve heard he knows a lot, that he has powers beyond your typical Vampire, a lot like Holland. Except, he is said to be able to transcend time and space. I have never heard that he knows how to kill Guardians, but if that’s what she’s looking for....” He stopped talking abruptly, and we all waited for him to finish the sentence. He didn’t. Brandon asked, “So you do think it’s possible?” Christian had already said in this very meeting that he didn’t think it could happen. Was he switching horses midstream? “No.” Christian answered quickly but not convincingly. “But if it were, he would know it.” His answer didn’t even make any sense. I kept my mouth shut for once, though. It was someone else’s turn to try to make sense out of Christian’s ridiculousness. “Okay,” my sister said. “Is there anything we can do about her looking for this guy?” She wasn’t talking to anyone in particular from what I could tell. “I doubt it,” Aaron answered. “If she’s been searching for him for this long, she’s probably found him by now.” “Especially if you only have to say his name for him to show up.” Elliott’s comment brought a few snickers. Brandon added, “Thank goodness Winona Ryder isn’t with her,” and everyone started laughing except for Meagan, who just looked confused. I laughed, too, but I wasn’t sure I got the joke. I just didn’t want to look stupid. My boyfriend must’ve realized I didn’t understand because through his IAC, he sent me a picture from the movie Beetlejuice, and I fully got it. In that movie, Winona Ryder summoned the demon Beetlejuice by saying his name three times. It was a pretty good joke—now that I understood it.

“We’ll have to assume Holland knows something the rest of us don’t know,” Aaron was saying. “Maybe you can find something out, Cass?” At the mention of my name, my head jerked in his direction. Since I’d already planned on doing just that, I nodded. “I’ll try.” “Good. That’s one more mystery we need to unravel about Holland. We know she has Sam and Laura, and we’re assuming that’s because she hopes they know something she can use, though I doubt they do. I ed Laura’s sister, Laney, this morning, and let her know.” “How did she handle that?” Hannah asked, her sympathetic counselor’s tone coming through. “Not well,” Aaron itted. “She asked for a leave of absence so she could go speak to their parents, which Cadence granted.” I wondered what it might be like to have your ex turned into a Vampire. It seemed to be weighing on Aaron, even if it had been a long time since he and Laura had been a couple. And she had tried to kill him in the interim. This meeting had already been a long one, and clearly there was more on the agenda, so we left the topic of Daunator in my hands, and Aaron suggested we look at attack groups for the infiltration. “Let’s assume this whole Transformation serum process takes two days. That means we can plan on moving in on Saturday night/Sunday morning. Unless something goes wrong with this serum situation, in which case we may need more time to make some alterations to the plan. I’ll let all four of the teams handle getting their people together for the pre-hunt meeting, unless you feel like you need me or Cadence there.” He looked around at the other three designated leaders—Elliott, Hannah, and Aurora—and all three of them shook their heads. I had no doubt Elliott and Hannah could handle their teams, but I didn’t think Aurora had ever done anything like this before. She looked a little nervous. I assumed my sister had pulled for one of the leaders to be a Hunter, and that was the only reason it was her and not, say, Christian, who was obviously irritated that he hadn’t gotten the call. “You’ll be working with a lot of people you’re not used to hunting with, so make sure you know who you’ve got,” Aaron said, still checking with each of the three

of them visually as he spoke. I wondered who I was assigned to. I hadn’t been told, and I couldn’t read Aaron’s papers from here, assuming one of them said who was with who. I figured someone would tell me eventually. They had to be taking me. They couldn’t pull this off without me. “You’ll all have plenty of Christian’s grenades and titanium bullets,” Cadence added. “The grenades worked great the other night when we went after Spittle.” She smiled at the tech guy, but he continued to glower. I had to give my sister credit for trying, but in my opinion, Christian was a lost cause. Aurora asked, “Will you be shipping any of them to the other areas? They might need them, too.” “The grenades, yes,” Aaron answered her. “But not the titanium bullets. There’s too much of a risk with them. Melbourne still has some from when we were there a few months ago, though.” “Oh, goody,” Elliott said sarcastically. “We’re the only ones who might accidentally blow each other’s brains out.” I didn’t think it was so funny since he’d already been through that. My sister said, “Seems ironic coming from you, considering that’s happened to you before.” Before I could even agree, Christian muttered, “And no one ever put them back.” The room went quiet again, and my eyes doubled in size as I prepared to hurl myself over Brandon and grab Christian by the throat. But I didn’t get a chance to do that because Elliott burst out laughing. We all stared at him, confused. “Now, that was a good one, Henry,” he said, literally holding his side as he continued to laugh. “We set you up pretty good on that one.” While it was nice to hear Elliott actually able to laugh at such a rude comment, I was still angry at Christian. He didn’t get to say things like that to my Elliott. Shaking his head in disbelief, Aaron said, “Let’s just all be cautious, okay? We don’t want to have to put anyone’s internal organs back inside of them.”

Without missing a beat, Jamie said, “Yeah, with this dry weather we’re having, my hands are all chapped.” I gawked at him for a moment, taking in his deadpan expression, before we all started laughing again. I think Aaron was over it, though. “All right. You all go assemble your teams. Let me know if you have any questions.” At his nod of dismissal, practically everyone jumped out of their seats. I didn’t move, though. There was a tiny thread of hope I was hanging on to that I could somehow talk them into letting me go through with the procedure. Brandon and Elliott were still glued to their seats, too. My boyfriend said, “Did you hear him, Dad? Go get your team together. And call Mom.” “I will, I will,” Elliott said, still not getting up. “I just want to make sure we are all on the same page, that’s all.” “I believe that’s something you’re supposed to do during the meeting,” I teased, narrowing my eyes at him. “Listen, lil girl, I don’t asking you. Don’t you have some Vampires to spy on or something?” He was right—I did. I was eager to see what I could discover about this Daunator. And it was pretty clear I wasn’t getting anywhere with the procedure. I’d have to regroup and think of something else. “Sadly, yes. Let me see what I can find out about Larundel and Daunator.” “You’re going to be busy,” Cadence said with a smile that let me know she appreciated me. She’d appreciate me more if I had super powers. I didn’t remark on that, though, only muttered, “Story of my life.” I pushed my chair back, and Brandon stood as well. Another thought occurred to me. “This will count as my last observation, right? So after this hunt, I don’t have to train with Roar anymore? I’m good on my own?” “That’s right,” Cadence said, looking a little frightened by the possibility. “Good.” I didn’t know how much more I could take of training, particularly with Shane. I was not a fan.

“Let me know what you find out,” Cadence said as Brandon and I walked out the door. I nodded over my shoulder and headed out of there, hoping I could find time to do everything she’d asked and still get my stupid homework done. We waited for the elevator, which took a moment because it had just gone down with the others. “You think your dad’s gonna let you do it?” I asked, nervous to hear Brandon’s answer. “Yeah, I think so,” he said optimistically. “I’m pretty sure my mom will say he can do whatever he thinks is best, and he’ll cave.” I nodded in agreement. I thought he was on track with that thinking. A pang of jealousy hit me as we boarded the elevator. “It’s too bad you can’t do it, too,” Brandon added. “But I think it’s for the best I go through it first. I’m not sure I could handle watching you lie there again so soon.” Once again, I agreed nonverbally. Even though we hadn’t been a couple when I’d Transformed, Brandon hadn’t left my side the entire time I was out. I squeezed his hand now. I knew it would be hard on him to watch me go through this, too, and it would be difficult for me to watch him. But that was likely going to happen soon. If only I could find a way to him. Maybe if I gave it further thought, I could think of a convincing argument. I took a deep breath and walked out of the elevator, wishing I could find the words to convince my mother, but I had nothing, and with homework and assignments, I doubted anything would come to me. That wouldn’t stop me from trying.

Chapter 12

My mom was dusting when I got home, and since the apartment is so small she can dust the entire space in less than an hour, I figured she was just nervous. Still upset about our fight, I managed a small smile, but it probably looked forced, and I headed toward my room, thinking I needed to empty my gym bag and get started on my homework so I could do what Cadence and Aaron had asked me to do. If she wanted me to tell her about the meeting, she’d have to ask. I wasn’t the one who’d asked her to look over the data. “Well?” Mom inquired, following me into my bedroom. I was leaned over, picking up my bag, and zipped past her out the door to dump my dirty clothes in the hamper for really stinky clothes I keep in the bathroom. “Well what?” I asked, flying back around her before she even moved out of my room. “Well, how did the meeting go? Did I do it right? Is that what they needed?” “Yeah, it was fine,” I assured her, picking up my laptop off of my desk and walking toward my bed. “I’m sure Cadence or Aaron will let you know.” “I doubt it,” she muttered, folding her arms despite still holding on to her dust cloth and can of Pledge. “Why do you say that?” I asked, sitting cross-legged with my laptop in front of me. I was glad to see I didn’t have too many assignments for the day. “No reason. I just... don’t get a lot of .” I looked up at her. I could imagine Cadence wouldn’t be one to think of going back to tell my mom she was a good secretary, but I was surprised Aaron didn’t let her know how she was doing. But then, he hadn’t quite been himself lately. “We’re pretty sure it’s Larundel, that Holland’s people are operating out of there. Aaron said he’d send Paul in to check it out.”

“Oh, good.” My mom looked relieved. Part of me wanted to point out that I was the one who’d actually figured that out, not her, but there was no reason to. She stood in my doorway a lot longer than necessary as I flipped to my Biology II notes. Eventually, I looked up at her expectantly without asking anything, and she said, “I’m sorry about this morning, Cassidy. I was trying to do something nice for you, and I didn’t feel like you appreciated it.” I drew in a deep breath, thinking I should do whatever I could to avoid a fight right now. “I’m sorry I got upset at you, Mom, but I’m trying to do my best at being an independent adult here, and I feel like every time I turn around, I’m treated like a child.” “But you are a child,” she countered, and my eyes bulged out of my head. “You’re only sixteen.” “But I’m not a child.” I closed my laptop, probably harder than I needed to. “Aaron will tell you, once you Transform, age doesn’t matter anymore.” “It does to me.” Her arms were still folded, but she adjusted them like she wanted to fold them again but couldn’t because they already were. “You are my child, Cassidy Elizabeth. And I will treat you as such until you are an adult.” “And when will that be? When I’m seventeen? Eighteen? Twenty-one?” I uncrossed my legs and jumped up, folding my own arms at her. “However long it takes for you to stop acting like a child!” she shouted. My mom hardly ever raises her voice, so I knew she was angry. “Cassidy, do you ever stop and think about what you’ve done? What could’ve happened?” “Of course I do, Mom, all the time! But I didn’t die!” “But you could have—easily! And then there’s Bonnie.” “Bonnie?” “Yes! It was your poor judgment that brought that abomination here, wasn’t it? Tara could’ve died. Think of all the horrible pain so many people had to go through because you made a bad decision!” I stared at her, rage boiling through my veins. “Do you honestly think that I

haven’t completely blamed myself for all of that? Ever since it happened? Of course I have! But everyone who was actually there will tell you it wasn’t my fault, Mom!” “Then maybe you haven’t accepted responsibility after all.” A thousand responses jumbled through my head—how dare she, she had no idea what it was like to be me, maybe she shouldn’t talk about things she knows nothing about--but the only thing that actually came out of my mouth was, “Get out! I have homework—get out!” “Don’t you take that tone with me, Cassidy!” my mom shouted, but she was backing to the door. “I sure hope your sister isn’t plan on taking you anywhere tonight because you are grounded.” “Get out!” I wished that I could pick her up and move her the last foot out into the hallway. “If you shout at me one more time, I’m going to Christian and ask him to turn that eye computer off! Or at least make it so you can’t talk to any of your friends. I’m your mother!” Her threats were empty—even if Christian could do something like that, I could still use my telepathy. She should’ve known that. The fact that she didn’t irritated me even more. “Get. Out.” My mom crossed the threshold into the hallway and slammed the door behind her, leaving the entire room rocking slightly, and for a moment, I thought maybe she was the one with superpowers. I settled back into my bed, taking in deep breaths. She’d come in to try to make amends and had only made things much, much worse. I hated yelling at my mom —but I also hated the fact that she kept trying to control me even more. Had I made some bad decisions? Absolutely. Had everything worked out in the end? So far. If Aaron and Tara didn’t blame me for bringing Bonnie here, why should my mom, who had nothing to do with anything, be so hung up on it? Frankly, it was none of her business. I decided to do something I never do anymore. I used my IAC to do all of my homework and got it done in about ten minutes. I knew absolutely nothing about

the dissection I was supposed to have studied, but I didn’t care. I needed to get it out of the way so I could do my real work. Closing my laptop, I tried to calm myself down. My heart rate was still faster than normal, even though I was over the initial wave of adrenaline the fight had caused. In the silence around me, I could easily hear the rest of the apartment. My mom was in the other room crying. Part of me wanted to run out and tell her I’m sorry, that I’m still her little girl, and I didn’t mean to be such a horrible brat. Part of me was glad she was so upset. She deserved it, after all. There was no reason for her to stick her nose in my business all the time. I turned on some soothing music to cover the sounds of my mother’s soft sobs and closed my eyes. I needed to figure out who this Daunator person was, and I needed to reach out to Larundel and see if I could find any Vampires that were still there. When Paul attacked, I wanted him to have as much information as possible. Not only was he my cousin, but we were linked now that I had been in his mind so frequently, particularly when he was being tortured. With my eyes closed tightly, I stretched my mind, concentrating on the name Daunator. If he could be summoned through his name, perhaps I could find him that way as well. I felt the world fading around me, the music disappeared, the feel of the bed beneath me faded away, and I felt as if I were floating through time and space. I was in a cave. It was pitch black, and I could smell the scent of mineral laden water dripping against the rocks. Not a flicker of light was present here, but I could sense I wasn’t alone. Off in the distance, there was a male being. His power pulsated out around him like a dark web of energy. There was no way I was getting inside of his mind. Traversing my way through this energy field would’ve been impossible and made that barrier of black goo Holland had built around Aaron seem like Silly String. Whatever this creature was, he was at least a hundred times more powerful than Holland. And he knew I was there. Standing across from him in the darkness, I had the urge to fade away as quickly as I’d come. I knew better than to stick around, to try to probe deeper into the labyrinth, but my feet seemed anchored, and I couldn’t get myself to pull back. It occurred to me that perhaps he was holding me here, that he was doing some

probing himself, and I wondered if he could read all of my thoughts instantaneously, just because I’d entered his territory. A resounding, “Yes,” echoed in my head, and I immediately pulled away, but by then, the damage was done. He knew everything that I knew, and if my senses were correct, he would be able to flip back and forth through the pages of my mind over and over again any time he liked, accessing all of my memories, everything I knew about the Ternion, all of my thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This was not good. Thankfully, there wasn’t much in there that was top secret information. I didn’t even know enough about the attacks for that to be useful. I opened my eyes before I pressed on to Larundel. It was late afternoon; I could tell by the fading light through my blinds. A glance at the clock told me I’d actually been under for two hours. I took another deep breath—that didn’t seem possible. I had four message on my IAC. Two from Brandon, one from Cadence, and one from Elliott. I probably needed to tell my sister what had happened, but I couldn’t imagine how I’d start that conversation. Besides, they needed to know about Larundel, too. I decided I’d have more control over that investigation and closed my eyes again, ready to travel to Melbourne. Once again, it didn’t take long for me to settle into a trance. My room disappeared from around me, and I found myself standing in the desert next to Larundel, which looked the same as it had in my dream. I knew the desert setting wasn’t right having seen the area around the building, so I wasn’t sure why my mind continued to place me here whenever I thought of this place, but it must be linked to Holland somehow. I took a few careful steps toward the building, but before I got very far at all, the ground in front of me started to quake and rumble. I jumped back just as a large, iron wall shot out of the ground, high up into the sky so far I couldn’t see the top. It reminded me a bit of the wall I’d been too afraid to jump over at Eastern State, but this one was different. I took a step closer and saw that it was covered in razor blades. It was impenetrable, at least by the usual means. But I had different resources at my fingertips, so I closed my eyes and imagined myself on the other side of the wall, thinking it should be easy. It wasn’t. No

matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to get through it. The information my team needed was behind this barrier, but I wasn’t strong enough to access it. Frustrated, I took a deep breath and reached out in front of me. As soon as my fingers made with the wall, I pulled my hand away with a shriek. Blood covered my fingertips, and even though I was aware I was in a trance, the pain was real. I couldn’t climb it, I couldn’t leap over it, and I couldn’t envision myself on the other side of it. Whatever Holland had done to put this wall here, I wasn’t powerful enough to get through it. The thought was more than frustrating. I had thought my powers were growing, that I was nearly as strong as Holland now, but clearly I was wrong. Perhaps it was because she’d constructed this wall while at Larundel that made it so strong compared to everything else I’d been able to destroy, but there was no getting through this. With an angry sigh, I opened my eyes, taking myself back to my bed. The pain in my hand faded away, but the frustration lingered. A knock on my bedroom door startled me, and I realized I had heard it with my ears, and it wasn’t some mind trick. “Yeah?” I asked. When my sister stuck her head in, I was relieved. At least it wasn’t my mom. “Hey? You all right? I’ve sent you a couple of messages.” She walked in and flipped on the light switch. It had gotten darker while I was in Melbourne, though the clock told me it had only taken a half hour this time. “I’m fine. Just....” I shook my head, not sure how to tell her everything. “I couldn’t get anything useful.” “Oh.” She was disappointed. She smiled and nodded, but I knew the team had gotten used to having me as a resource, and I’d failed them. “Daunator may have stolen all of my thoughts, and Holland has some giant wall around Larundel.” “Yeah, we’ve seen it from surveillance footage,” she replied, misunderstanding. “I don’t mean an actual wall, although I’m not surprised she has one of those, too. But I mean she’s build some sort of contraption I can’t get through.” I was relieved she hadn’t been too alarmed about my comment regarding Daunator reading my thoughts. I didn’t plan on mentioning that again. “If I was stronger....”

“It’s all right, Cass. Paul’s a pro. He’ll be able to get in there easily enough without Holland there to stop him.” “Is she still in Linz?” I hadn’t even checked on her. I needed to. “Her planes are still there. So you couldn’t tell if she was able to find Daunator?” “No, but if I was able to reach him, I’m sure she could, too. He’s unlike anything I’ve ever encountered, Cadey. Powerful and dark.” I shook my head, ing how evil had seemed to ebb off of him. If he ever did decide it was time to come for us, it would take everything we have and then some to defeat him. I had no idea a Vampire that powerful could even exist. “We’ll just have to keep an eye on it.” She was trying to sound nonchalant, but I could hear the concern in her voice. “Okay, well, the procedure is happening tomorrow morning, so you should probably get to bed early tonight. I’m sure Brandon will want you there if his parents decided to let him go through with it.” I raised my eyebrows at her. “I think I may be grounded for the rest of my life.” I was hoping Brandon’s message was to tell me that his parents had said yes, but apparently that hadn’t happened yet if Cadence didn’t know. “What did you do now?” Cadence asked, and I was relieved that my mom hadn’t said anything. “We got into an argument.” I shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “Mom said she thought what happened with Bonnie was all my fault. Maybe she’s right.” My sister sighed and folded her arms. She thought for a moment before she quietly said, “Mom doesn’t know what it’s like to be in our world, Cass. She’s here, and she’s helping, but she’s not one of us. She’s just trying to keep you safe, and sometimes she’s a little extreme.” I considered her explanation. I couldn’t blame Mom for wanting to keep me from getting hurt, but it was time for her to realize that wasn’t her job. There were much more powerful people whose sole purpose was to do just that. I shook my head and ran my hand through my hair. “I know it’s my fault Bonnie was here....”

“But it’s not your fault she did what she did, Cass. We’ve been over this. There were lots of contributing factors. If I’d had any idea she was capable of doing... that... I wouldn’t have approved it. Ultimately, Aaron and I are responsible for everything that happens with this team, so it’s just as much our fault as it is yours. No one blames you.” “Except for Mom.” It was an ugly thing to say, but it made me feel better. So did hearing that no one thought Bonnie’s tantrum was all my fault. It occurred to me that I’d gotten into very little trouble for the horrible decisions I’d made, and then another thought popped into my head. I kept it to myself, though. My sister didn’t need to know I was pondering yet another bad choice. “I’ve gotta go. Aaron and I are trying to get all of the other areas in line for attacks. We’ve got intel for our own operations to get in line, too. I think I’m going to send you with Aurora since she’s the only Hunter in charge of a group, and you could probably help her.” “Okay,” I said, surprised to hear that. I’d never gone on a hunt without Brandon and Elliott, and I knew that Elliott had his own team. I couldn’t imagine Brandon wouldn’t be with him. “Get some rest,” my sister said, and she patted me on the arm before she left. I heard her talking to my mom for a few minutes before the apartment door opened and closed. A few seconds later, there was a knock on my door. “Yeah?” I said again, not really wanting to talk to my mom but thinking it was going to happen eventually. It wasn’t her, though. It was my dad. “Hey. You wanna come eat some dinner?” His voice was chipper, like he’d been sent to make the peace, and he wasn’t on anyone’s side except for family tranquility’s. “I’m not really hungry,” I lied. “Too bad. I came home early just to make my famous homemade pizza.” There’s no way I could turn that down. “Fine,” I said, trying not to sound too enthusiastic. I shot Brandon and Elliott a quick message to let them know I was okay, and I’d get back to them soon then followed my dad into the dining room. Mom was setting the table, and she managed a small smile in my direction, but I

could tell her eyes were puffy from crying earlier, and I instantly felt like a spoiled brat again. As I sat and wolfed down several pieces of my dad’s pizza, it occurred to me that, if the thought I’d had earlier continued to linger, and if I actually went through with the idea that had entered my mind, I’d be making my mom cry again soon enough. I’d just have to decide whether or not it was worth it.

Chapter 13

Islept well that night, despite the research I’d done regarding my newest scheme. Brandon and I hadn’t chatted for long because he was still trying to convince his dad to let him go through with the procedure. I knew Elliott would cave, so when I woke up to a message that Brandon would meet me at 7:30 to walk over to the facility to get it done, I wasn’t surprised at all. My mom was dusting again when I came out of the bathroom, towel drying my hair. I wondered if we should buy stock in Pledge. “Good morning, honey. You’re up awfully early.” “Yeah, no training today,” I replied. “Aurora is having her procedure done. So is Brandon.” “Oh.” I was surprised my sister hadn’t mentioned any of this to my parents. “Are you going over there, then?” “If that’s all right,” I replied, thinking it wouldn’t hurt to be polite. I was still upset at her, but considering what I was about to do, I may as well be nice now. She’d want to kill me later. “Okay. Just come home once it’s over so you can do your homework.” “All right. Thanks.” I walked into my bedroom with a fake smile on my face and then let out a deep breath. I definitely wouldn’t be coming home to do homework, even if my plan went sideways. I wasn’t leaving Brandon’s side while he was under. If I got my way, I wouldn’t be able to. I dressed in a comfy pair of jeans and a short-sleeved black T-shirt. I gathered my hair up into a bun on the top of my head, deciding it could dry by itself. I had to go back into the bathroom to put on my makeup, and when I came out, my mom was still cleaning, but she was humming, so I was under the impression she was feeling better. For now. That was about to change. I shoveled some frozen waffles down my throat and washed them down with a

protein shake. By the time Brandon arrived at my door, I was ready. I felt confident. Sometimes we have to do difficult things, even if they are scary, because they are for the best. I took a deep breath, told my mom I’d see her later, and grabbed Brandon’s hand. “You okay?” he asked as we headed to the elevator. “You seem nervous. It’s not you who’s going through the procedure, you know?” I laughed. Who was the mind reader here? “I know. I’m fine. Just nervous for you and everyone else who’s about to get poked.” I ed my sister crying and Elliott turning bright red and wondered just how badly it hurt. I imagined it was pretty awful. “Are you scared?” “Nah,” he replied, but I can always tell when he’s lying. It was obvious he was. “It’ll be worth it.” I nodded. It definitely would be. “Have you spoken to Dax?” “Yeah. He’s doing it, too. Him and Tara will meet us over there.” “Wow.” I was shocked to hear that. I had no idea Dax was going to be allowed to undergo the procedure and wondered when that decision had been made. “So are Ashley and Mickey” That didn’t surprise me nearly as much as Dax. Ashley was Jamie’s girlfriend, after all, so he could probably swing that. And Mickey almost always worked with her, so he may as well be as fast. Brandon chattered on about who he thought would break first, cry the loudest, etc., and I listened, commenting occasionally, but I know when he’s anxious about something, he would rather I listen and let him talk. Besides, I was reminding myself of the research I’d done the night before regarding the veins that run through the midsection of one’s arm and how best to access them. When we arrived at the tracking center, the Guardians at the gate were expecting both of us and let us in, despite the fact that I’m considered a Hunter and normally can’t go there. Stepping through the doorway, I had a flashback to the night Bonnie had caused so much chaos, and Brandon squeezed my hand. We’d been at odds at the time, and I was happy that was in the past.

Our footsteps echoed down the hallway. Now clean and white, it had once been crimson and sticky. I tried not to think about it, but it was hard after the accusations my mom had made the night before. Brandon pushed the door open and held it for me to go through. “Good morning,” Jamie called from across the room. He was readying a number of syringes, Sicilia, another Healer with short, dark hair, was standing next to him. Hannah was carrying on a conversation with Dr. Morrow and Christian across the room, and since I had nothing nice to say to Christian I decided to stay as far away from that conversation as possible. I wondered where everyone else was. Since when did two teenagers arrive before professional adults? Ashley walked in just as I was about to ask Brandon if he knew where his dad was. I thought Elliott would be here for this. She greeted us and then shot across the room to hug Jamie. “They’re just adorable,” I said, a big sappy grin on my face. “Yeah, I guess so.” Brandon sank down on the end of the gurney closest to the door. I could tell he was nervous and no longer wanted to talk. “You’ll be fine.” “Yeah.” He didn’t say anything else. I took his hand and said nothing. One by one, the others who would be having the procedure done got there. Aaron came in as well and told Brandon not to worry. The other Healers and Kathy arrived shortly after that. Dax looked almost as nervous as Brandon when he made his way across the room to an empty bed with a, “See you on the other side,” to Brandon. By the time my sister walked in, everyone was on their cots, and the Healers were meeting in the back of the room, talking about who would ister what to whom. I heard Jamie mention he had some extra syringes, just in case something happened, like a spill or a drop. “It can get a little violent,” he said, and I wondered what made him say that—until I realized how ferocious my own Transformation had been. I realized Tara’s had been, too, though Cadence and Elliott had undergone theirs with some form of grace. I had an idea Aaron’s had been pretty vicious, too. “How are you?” Cadence asked Brandon.

“Never better,” my boyfriend replied dryly. “You’ll be fine.” He nodded and looked at the door. I was about to ask Cadence if she had any idea where Elliott was when it flew open and he rushed in. “Sorry I’m late,” he said, stopping next to Brandon’s bed. “Got my arm caught in a vending machine again.” Brandon laughed, and the tension on my hand lessened slightly. “It’s okay. Nothing has happened yet.” Elliott’s green eyes traced around the room. Landing on Jamie and the others, he asked, “They havin’ a medical powwow over there?” “Yep. Trying to figure out the best way to not kill anyone,” I replied, watching Jamie carefully. He had the syringes divided up so that there were four in each container. Except for the one he still had his hands on, which I assumed was his. That one had six or eight in it. I couldn’t quite tell from where I was standing. “Good luck, buddy,” Cadence said to Brandon, drawing my eyes only briefly. “It’s really not that bad. After the pain subsides.” Brandon wasn’t fooled. “Uh, I was there when you underwent yours, so I’m gonna call bull on that one. But thanks.” “Hey, it didn’t hurt me at all,” Elliott lied. Cadence looked at him like he was crazy. “Well, not much anyway,” he amended. “Not like you, cry baby.” My sister punched him hard in the arm and then leaned down to hug Brandon. “We’ll be right here.” She kissed him on the cheek and then moved on to the next bed, which happened to be Aurora. She had been silent since she arrived, only mumbling a hello when she came in the door, and I imagined she was scared. I couldn’t blame her. I was scared, too. Cadence went from one bed to the next as Jamie continued to answer questions, and Brandon’s grip on my hand increased. Elliott launched into a story we hadn’t heard before, something about a Vampire at the zoo, and I pretended to listen. The rest of the room was fairly still until Lucy and Tara came in. They were laughing loudly, but when they saw our stoic faces, they went quiet.

“Sorry,” Lucy muttered. “It’s all right,” I assured her. I hadn’t heard Lucy laugh enough lately, so I didn’t mind that she was doing so at an inappropriate time, and I don’t think anyone else did either. “You okay, Brandon?” Lucy asked, giving him a ive smile. “I’m great.” He flashed a thumbs up and then settled back against his pillows. I think she could tell he didn’t mean it, and he’d rather be alone. “See you when you wake up.” She took a few steps toward Dax’s bed, and Tara bent over and hugged Brandon telling him it’d be over before he knew it, and then she headed over to her boyfriend as well. Cadence was still making her rounds, and Jamie was divvying up the containers with the serum in it. I tried to look through his hands at the one he was carrying our direction to make sure I’d counted correctly, but I didn’t know for sure how many there were. I thought there were at least two extra, though, and that’s all I really needed. That, and a distraction. Elliott was talking again, which was nothing new, and once again, my mind wandered off. I was glad Jamie would be the one giving Brandon his shots, and I figured that was arranged by Elliott. It was convenient for me. I felt a little bad about what I was about to do, but if they had any idea what we were up against in a creature like Daunator, they’d understand. I watched my sister cross over to Christian, which I thought was weird. She didn’t stand there very long before she walked over to the front of the room where she could see everyone. Jamie was next to me now, and my heart rate doubled. I glanced over his shoulder to see he was setting up the shots on a little table placed between Aurora and Brandon, and I figured that meant these two patients were his. Trying to sound nonchalant, I asked the doctor, “So what happens if you don’t hit a vein?” “I don’t know,” Jamie replied, distracted. “But I wouldn’t want to find out.” I had read online that it depended upon the substance being injected, but of

course WebMD had no answer for Transformation serum. “Do you think it would kill the person?” I continued, undeterred by his first answer. “I don’t know,” he repeated. “But we’re not going to find out.” I realized I was in his way, so I moved aside, repositioning myself on the far side of Brandon’s bed. I took his hand as Jamie readied the first syringe, and I concluded I was more nervous about Brandon undergoing the procedure than I was about what I was trying to pull off. I ed how Elliott and Cadence had reacted and knew Brandon was afraid of looking weak in front of me, but something told me there would be no way to avoid tears of some sort with the intense pain this procedure entailed. I hated to see him that way not because I found it a weakness but because the thought of him suffering killed me inside. “You ready, Brandon?” Jamie asked in a soothing tone, and he nodded but didn’t look at the Healer. “Look at me,” I said, standing right in his line of vision. “You’re going to be just fine, okay? It’ll hurt for a bit, but then it’ll all be over.” He nodded, and then his face changed dramatically as I realized Jamie was putting the first shot in. Brandon sucked in air through his teeth and then closed his eyes tightly. His eyes were watering, and I felt my heart lurch within my chest. I reached up and smoothed back his hair. “You’re all right. You’re all right,” I said over and over again, not realizing until I’d said it several times that it was exactly what my mom used to say to me whenever I’d fall and skin my knee or hit my head. She’d rock me gently in her arms, run her hands through my hair, kiss my head and tell me I was all right. I had been a real jerk to my mom lately, and ing that made me wish I could change it. Instead, I was contemplating doing something else that would tear her world apart. I couldn’t think about that at the moment because Jamie put in the second dose, and Brandon began to jerk around violently on the table. Elliott jumped up to his other side and we both tried to hold him still. He didn’t actually make a sound, though. Part of me wanted him to just scream that it hurt, to let it out, but instead he vibrated on the bed, similarly to the way that Tara had. Tears streamed down my face as I did my best to remind him I was there with him, and he was going to be okay. Jamie looked sympathetic, but he had to move on to Aurora who muttered,

“Great,” as soon as she saw Brandon’s reaction. I couldn’t blame her. I would’ve felt the same way if I wasn’t so focused on the benefits of this procedure. Across the room, a bloodcurdling scream cut through the relative silence, and I looked over to see Meagan thrashing around uncontrollably. My sister moved to help, as well as Shane, who hadn’t undergone the procedure yet, and everyone shifted that direction. Brandon settled down about the same time that Aurora started crying. Since Jamie was preoccupied with the disturbance around Meagan and Ashley, who wasn’t screaming, but was shaking, I took a few steps around the end of Brandon’s bed undetected. The entire room erupted into chaos as one by one the patients burst into sobs, violent shaking, or screaming. While it made me want to smile to see Christian crying, I tried not to focus on that. When Jamie looked away concerned about Meagan and Shane, I had my opportunity. Meagan was starting to calm when Dr. Morrow injected Shane. The bulky Guardian knocked the physician across the room, and Jamie hurried over to keep him from hitting the ground. It was then that I reached into that basket on the bottom shelf of the table where Jamie had prepared the syringes for Brandon and Aurora, pulled one out, and took the cap off. No one was looking at me at all. This was my chance. I knew it would hurt—a lot. And I also wasn’t even sure if I could give it to myself. I’d read all about how to find a vein and where the largest ones were, but the fact that I wasn’t using a tourniquet and I’d never done this before told me the chance that I’d actually get it right the first time wasn’t likely. I didn’t think I could die, not from this anyway. I knew that Jamie and Christian had tried experiments with Transformation serum on the samples they’d taken from me. I didn’t know what the results had been, but they weren’t cell break down and death because they’d both told me that none of my cells had died from anything they’d tried. So, with a deep breath, I climbed into bed next to Brandon, happy that there was enough room, and took a look at my arm. I thought I saw a sliver of blue, there in the middle of my elbow. I had been examining it carefully the night before and even this morning. I thought I could get the first shot in myself. I’d need help with the second one, but as I’d just

heard Dr. Morrow remind Jamie, they didn’t know what just one shot would do. They were all fighting to get a second shot into Shane when I stuck the needle into my arm and pushed the plunger down before I had a chance to dwell on it. Instantly, I regretted what I had done. I vividly the pain from my first Transformation procedure. That was nothing compared to this. A searing sting shot up my arm, taking my breath away. I felt like I’d fallen through a plate glass window, and every cell of my body had been sliced in half simultaneously. I couldn’t draw in a deep breath, and the world was growing hazy around the edges. And that was just the first shot. I had to have the second one, and it needed to be soon, or else no one knew what might happen. To go through this and have no change just wouldn’t do. So I needed someone to ister the second round. There was only one person I could think of who would help me without screaming at me. So I quietly began to call his name, praying that the rest of the room would settle down enough for him to hear me. “Jamie? Jamie?” I had no idea if anyone could hear me at all, and it didn’t occur to me that my IAC might’ve been better. The periphery of my vision was growing hazy, and I momentarily forgot I even had an IAC—or telepathy for that matter. It was my sister who noticed first. She’d gone flying across the room a bit ago when Shane was angry. Now, Martin was fixing her face from where Shane had busted it, and even in my silent misery, I recognized that she was looking at me in horror. I called Jamie’s name again, but my sister was on her way to me, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her more afraid or angry in her whole life. “You have got to be kidding me!” Cadence shouted, flashing over to me so fast my eyes didn’t it. “Sicilia! You got another injection?” she yelled, and I wondered why she wasn’t getting Jamie. Maybe he’d had to heal someone, too, like Martin, and he was zapped. Before Sicilia answered, Elliott was beside my sister. “What did she do?” he demanded. Cadence didn’t answer. She didn’t need to. He knew. “Oh, my gosh!” Sicilia said the second she saw what I had done. I had no idea where the spent syringe had gone to. It had fallen out of my hand when I’d finished with it, but she could figure it out, like my sister had. “Jamie!”

Hearing his voice made the pain subside momentarily. At least he was able to give directions, even if he couldn’t save me himself this time. “On the shelf, under the table.” A few seconds later, Sicilia was back at my side, feeling around on my arm. I heard my sister tell her to wait, and then she told her to move the syringe a little bit to one side before she said, “There you go.” It didn’t at the time that my sister was using her X-ray vision to help Sicilia position the needle in my arm. Once Sicilia had the needle right, she pressed down on the plunger, and I felt my eyes roll to the back of my head as my body went into convulsions. I’ve never felt anything like it before. It was the most intense pain I could possibly imagine, and I realized then why Meagan had been begging to die earlier. But as my sister and Elliott held me down on the bed, their hands felt comforting, and I tried to focus on that until the pain subsided. Then, all I felt was warmth, a surge of unbelievable power, and everything went black.

Chapter 14

I’ve never been in one of those sensory deprivation chambers—the ones where people float around in salt water so they can use their superpowers, or just get in touch with their inner self—but I imagined this is what that must feel like. Coming back to my body after the second Transformation serum application can only be described as otherworldly. Every fiber of my being seemed to be vibrating on a higher plane. It was both religious and supernatural at the same time. I was aware of voices before I even opened my eyes, and it caught my attention that they sounded alarmed. I could hear Brandon and my sister for certain, and then Jamie and Elliott. In the back of my mind, I was aware that I would likely be in huge trouble for what I’d just done, but before I was even fully conscious, I knew it was worth it. Something had changed... everything had changed. And it was for the better. I can’t describe how powerful I felt, but I knew the next time I faced Holland, possibly even Daunator, the walls they’d built would not be able to keep me out. Opening my eyes, I saw the ceiling of the makeshift operating room, which is what I expected to see. I took my time sitting up because I assumed my strength and speed had increased, and I didn’t want to rocket off of the gurney. Once I was fully upright, I looked around at four astonished faces and tried to decipher their bewilderment, but I had no idea what was causing them to look at me the way that they were. After a moment of gaping at each other in silence, I asked, “Why are you all staring at me?” “Cass...?” I was still a little groggy despite my increased power, and I didn’t get what Brandon was referring to until he pressed down on my leg. Even after I dropped a couple of inches and my rear end made with the mattress, it took me a moment to figure it out. “Wait—what?” I asked, looking at the others.

Jamie used his doctor voice to explain to me, “You were levitating.” My eyebrows shot up as if they had the power to defy gravity themselves. “I was what? Levitating? But how?” It was hard to take in, and I didn’t know if I should be scared or overjoyed. “That is the million dollar question,” Elliott replied at the foot of my bed. The idea settled over me quickly that this would be a very powerful tool. I wondered if I was capable of making other objects, other people, levitate. I wondered how heavy of an object I could lift, how far I could move it, how high I could fly. Until I heard a stirring on the bed next to me and turned my head to see my mother’s sleeping form. And she was waking up. I ed then that we’d had a huge fight before I decided to take matters into my own hands again. She was not going to be happy. “Oh, no....” “Yeah, you think?” Cadence exclaimed, her arms crossed. She was shaking her head at me, and I realized that all of these people were probably super upset at me. Not nearly as angry as my parents were going to be, though. I watched my mom slowly reanimate. Her eyes opened eventually, and she muttered, “Oh, dear,” as if she hadn’t even meant to fall asleep. I imagined she’d been sitting in one of the chairs next to my bed for most of the night and then Cadence had moved her when she couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore. I didn’t know what time it was, but I could tell by my sister’s disheveled appearance it was late enough to be early. Once Liz Findley ed where she had been, she shot out of the cot and came to stand next to me. “Cassidy Elizabeth Findley!” Getting full-named is a sure sign you’re in massive trouble. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Seeing her face, I genuinely felt bad for having deceived her, for having tricked all of them. “I’m sorry, Mom.” I meant it. It was impossible for me to explain to her in a few moments why I had done what I did—why I needed this extra power--so I went with the route that had gotten me forgiven before, even if it wasn’t quite accurate. “I just didn’t want to be left out.” It didn’t work. “I may have accepted that answer when you no longer wanted to

attend high school or when you wanted us to let you start your training early, but this is exactly the sort of thing that I’ve been afraid of all along, that you would do something so completely dangerous—again.” She hardly even paused to take a breath, and the others all took a step back, possibly frightened themselves. “Do you have any idea what you could’ve done to yourself? Do we even know if she’s all right?” Jamie seemed a little startled that the last question was actually aimed at him since it was also hurled out of my mom’s mouth like a titanium bullet. “I actually haven’t had the opportunity to examine her yet,” he replied, his voice a little jittery. My mom might actually be scarier than the monsters we face when she’s this mad. “I know you have all been here for an eternity waiting for her to wake up, but I think it might be best if I checked her over alone, and then I’ll let you back in the room, okay?” I assumed he wanted to check my powers in solitude, and maybe he was being nice and giving me a moment away from my mother, although I doubted it. Jamie didn’t look too happy with me either, and I ed his procedure was also supposed to be that night. If they’d all been waiting on me much longer than the others, then it was my fault he was delayed. I did feel bad about that. Everyone walked out into the hallway, though it took more than a nudge from my sister to get my mother walking in the right direction. Once they were gone, I swung my feet over the side of the bed, and Jamie took out his stethoscope. He paused to shake his head, I assumed at me at first, but then my sister asked for visuals through my IAC, and I thought perhaps he was telling her no. I allowed it. I needed to know someone was with me right now, and even though I love Jamie, he’s not my family. I was about to see if this was as worth it as I thought it was. Jamie listened to my heart and took my pulse, listened to me breathe, whatever doctors do with stethoscopes, and then he said, “Your pulse is a little slower than usual, but everything sounds okay. How do you feel?” “Weird,” I itted. I moved my hand in front of my face, expecting the super speed I’d seen from the others who had undergone this procedure, and while mine was moving faster than normal, it also rippled through the air, like it wasn’t ever in an exact location. It was odd—but it matched how I was feeling.

The Healer saw it, too. “Why don’t you stand up for me for a minute? Be careful getting up.” He offered his hand, and I took it, but I felt more steady than most people looked after they’d been lying in the same position for so long. I stood there for a few seconds before he asked, “Do you feel okay?” “Yeah, just a little fuzzy,” I replied. “It’s weird. It’s like I’m vibrating on a different plane.” I shook my head, thinking he would probably write down “Cass is crazy” on my chart, but he just nodded along with me. “I don’t think that probably makes much sense, but it’s like I’m moving through the air differently.” “I think I understand,” he said, writing something down. It seemed like more words than my prediction. “Take a few steps.” I did as instructed and then decided to test out my speed. I was just as fast as everyone else, I could tell, but there was something odd even about running now. It was like the air was splitting around me, like I wasn’t going through it, but around it somehow. I wasn’t sure how to describe it, but when I came back to Jamie, he was writing again, and he seemed to notice it, too. He didn’t comment on that, though. He asked, “Do you think you can levitate just by thinking about it?” “I can try,” I replied. I was pretty certain I could. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. Using my mind’s eye, I imagined myself lifting off of the floor, and instantaneously, I felt my feet leave the tiles. It was exhilarating, and I wasn’t at all afraid. When I opened my eyes, Jamie was staring at me in disbelief. I slowly lowered myself back to the ground. “Interesting.” He wrote that down, too. “Did you come down because you wanted to?” “Yes.” “Do you think you could go higher or stay up longer?” I didn’t feel any drain on my power at all while I was floating. It felt like an endless stream of energy. “I’m pretty sure I can.” “Okay. Why don’t you sit back down on the bed for a second?” He made another note as I did as instructed. “There’s something else I’d like to check.”

I hoped he wanted me to see if I could float something else, but that’s not what he asked me to do. My sister was so quiet in my head, I almost forgot she was there. I couldn’t see the others because I didn’t have her visuals, but I was sure that Brandon was pacing, and my mom was probably really upset. When Jamie had finished writing, he said, “Okay, I want you to try reaching out to Holland. I want to see if it’s the same or if it’s easier now.” I nodded and closed my eyes again. It wasn’t like it’d been before. In a rush, I was in a room with Holland. She was in a lot of pain, and she was scared. In the back of her mind, I detected that she was vaguely aware that something wasn’t right in Melbourne, but she couldn’t think about that at all. It seemed like maybe she was unconscious or someone had given her something very strong for the pain. All I could truly detect from her was worry about her unborn child. I felt the baby moving, something I’d never experienced before, and it freaked me out. I decided to jump to Hines. He had a thousand thoughts rushing through his mind, not the least of which was that he hadn’t delivered a baby before. He was also worried about Melbourne and the fact that, without Holland available, he would be in charge of whatever was going down there. I could feel the worry rolling off of him and got the impression he had had an opportunity to try his serum, which made my heart flutter a bit. I had missed the attack—I had wanted to help Paul, but it seems like he’d gone in without me, while I was out. I hoped everything was okay, but while I was in Hines’s head, all I could think about was the baby. He had a surgical bag in front of him and was looking at different tools, as if he couldn’t decide what he needed to use to help Holland. I noticed a shiny scalpel and decided it would be interesting to see exactly what I could do now. With all of my strength, I willed him to take it out, to pull up a section of his hair, and cut it off. He did it, much to my amusement, and to his horror. It was exhilarating, but as soon as I was done, I decided I needed to get out of his head. He was outraged and beginning to realize he wasn’t alone, and I didn’t need them to know I could infiltrate their minds more deeply than I had been able to before, so I ducked out, coming back to my body. When I opened my eyes, Jamie looked concerned, and I glanced down, realizing I was clutching my abdomen. I imagined my arm had moved into that position while I was in Holland’s head. I wondered how long I had been gone. “Are you

okay?” Jamie asked. “I’m okay,” I assured him. “But Holland isn’t. She’s having the baby. She’s unconscious right now, but while I was in her head, I could feel it. That’s never happened before. Also, I spent some time with Hines. It’s different now. I can access their thoughts a lot more quickly than I could before. I tried making him do something.” Jamie didn’t speak, but his eyebrows shot up in curiosity. “He looked like he was getting ready to do a surgical procedure, like maybe he was going to deliver the baby, and I wanted to see if I could get him to do what I wanted, so I had him take one of the scalpels and cut a hunk of his hair off. It really freaked him out.” I almost laughed, thinking of his surprise. I kept myself together. “I think maybe I can influence them the way that Holland was influencing Aaron.” It was a bold statement, to say maybe my powers were as strong as hers, but if I could make Hines do that, maybe I could do more. Jamie stared at me for a long moment before he finally said, “Okay. Well, that might come in handy.” “Yeah, as soon as he realized he wasn’t alone, he regained control, but it was neat while it lasted. I wonder if there’s anything else I could do.” I thought about the endless possibilities this new power presented. “I don’t know,” Jamie itted, “but be careful. You don’t want to get stuck over there or anything.” Once again, I wanted to giggle. The idea that I could get trapped in one of their heads seemed ridiculous to me. It had been so easy to get in and get out this time. I wondered if I could even do that to Daunator. I realized Jamie might know more about this than I’d given him credit for, so I said, “I don’t think that could happen. Do you?” He shrugged. “Maybe I can use this to make her stop, or to probe into their minds and make them all stop.” The thought of ending all of this, of making them come to us, was appealing. “Maybe I’ll be able to access information more quickly.” Really, there was no end to the possibilities. The doctor seemed more leery than I felt. “Maybe. But I think you should take it easy for now. In fact, I think you should probably go back to your apartment now. I’m pretty sure your mom wants to talk to you about how this happened.” I wasn’t ready to face the consequences, not yet, not when I knew my mom would never be able to contextualize why this was worth it. She’d be focused on

the risk, not the outcome. But he was right. I’d have to face it eventually. With a deep breath, I said, “Okay. But there’s just one more thing. I wonder....” I didn’t finish my sentence. Instead, I held my hand out in front of me like I’ve seen superheroes do on the movies. Across the room, one of the medical trays began to float up off of the ground. It was exactly what I was trying to do. The idea that I could make things float was unbelievable to me! I couldn’t help but laugh as I put it back down. The possibilities truly were endless! Glancing at Jamie, I could see how alarmed he was. So... I did the only thing I could in that moment. I imagined Jamie lifting off of the floor, and instantly, he began to float. He was not amused. “All right, Cass, put me down.” “Are you sure?” I teased. “It’s kind of fun.” “I’m sure.” There was no doubt I was freaking him out. He probably realized I’d be hard to control now. I envisioned floating my parents around the apartment. “Put me down. And don’t do that to people.” I did as he asked, but pointed out, “That should come in handy, don’t you think?” If I could float people, I could float our enemies. “I’m sure it will, but I recommend you save it for the Vampires.” He was shaking his head at me, but I was still amused and couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face, despite knowing I was about to be grounded for the rest of eternity. Jamie made one final note on my chart before he set it aside. “I don’t see any reason to keep you here. I think you can go. But Cassidy, , with great power comes great responsibility.” “Are you quoting Voltaire—or Uncle Ben from Spiderman?” I asked, grinning at him. He shook his head. “Does it matter?” I didn’t really have an answer for that, but I decided I needed a little more fun before the punishment came. As we approached the door, I concentrated on my sister, easily stepping into her mind without using the IACs. I saw her standing

right outside in the hallway, and I lifted her off of the ground. “Cassidy! Put me down!” I could hear her screech before I even opened the door. I lowered her back to the floor. I walked out into the hallway to see them all staring at me, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. Brandon had his hand over his mouth but slowly pulled it away as I stopped in front of him. “Good news. I can infiltrate Vampire minds like never before.” I couldn’t help but smile, despite my mother’s scowl. “And float people,” my boyfriend added. “Yeah, that, too. You wanna try? It’s fun.” “No!” It hurt my feelings a little that he didn’t seem to trust me to pick him up, but I kept my mouth shut. “I told her not to do that,” Jamie noted. Cadence was still shaking her head. “I heard you. Right before my feet came off of the floor.” She looked so angry, I couldn’t help but giggle. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I felt more mischievous than normal. I shrugged at her. “Gotta have a little fun, don’t I?” Before the hammer drops. “No, you don’t,” my mom chimed in. In her best parent voice, she stepped up in front of me, wagged her finger in my face and declared, “You are grounded!” “Oh, Mom....” The idea that she actually thought she could control me now seemed more than a little amusing. “I’m serious. Don’t think that just because you have some sort of magical powers that means I can’t punish you, young lady.” I almost laughed at her use of ‘young lady.’ She grabbed me by my upper arm and started moving us down the hall. I went along. Clearly, she was more than a little angry. I turned to see Brandon was following us, but he kept his distance, and I couldn’t

blame him. My mom continued her rant. “This has gone far enough. When we get back to the house... apartment... you are going to your room. You will do your homework and stay there until I say so!” “It’s Saturday,” I mentioned. Granted, I still had Friday’s assignments, but I felt like being contrary. “You will do as I say!” I swallowed another laugh. I wasn’t sure why it was so amusing to me that my mom thought this hadn’t changed anything. “Cass, seriously, get a grip,” Brandon said in my head. “We were all really worried about you, especially your mom. I’m sure learning you have the kind of powers most people only dream about is making you a little giddy, but you need to get it together.” He was right. Maybe my mom could no longer stop me from doing whatever I wanted, but I had scared a lot of people—and not for the first time. The grin left my face, and I straightened up. I would do my assignments from Friday, and I needed to check in on Paul. And we had a hunt coming up. I could use the time in my room to prepare for that as well. I also realized I could potentially do a more thorough search for Heather now that I had these powers. Before, I hadn’t been able to find anything else about the other Hybrid, the one Mina had insisted existed. Maybe now I could. I wasn’t used to walking this slowly, and now that I could zip along, the fact that I had to pace myself to my mom was excruciating. But I did it. When we reached the elevator, Brandon said he needed to go talk to someone, and he’d see me later. “She will not be leaving her room for the rest of the evening, so don’t bother coming over,” my mom reminded him, as if he’d done something wrong, and the elevator doors closed. “Mom, you don’t have to be rude to Brandon. He didn’t do this.” “You mean to tell me you didn’t mention this to him before you went through with it?” she asked, finally releasing me, now that the elevator had me sufficiently contained.

“No, I didn’t tell anyone.” It was the truth. There was no way Brandon, or anyone else, would’ve let me go through with it. “This was all me.” She didn’t say anything else. The elevator reached our floor, and I followed her to our apartment. My dad jumped up off of the sofa as soon as we walked in. “There she is! Cass, how are you, honey? I’ve been worried sick.” I was a little surprised he was awake. The sun was just peeking over the horizon as we’d made our way across campus. Maybe he’d been sleeping on the couch. “I’m fine, Dad,” I said. I’d let my mom explain everything else to him. “Go to your room,” she commanded, and I obliged. If she needed some time to get over this, I’d give it to her. I couldn’t blame them for being mad. But they were both going to have to accept the fact that things were different now. I wanted this to be a smooth transition, for them to come to the conclusion on their own. So I went off to my room, closing the door behind me with my mind, and sat down on the bed. I could hear them, of course, even though they started out trying to keep their voices low. My mom told my dad everything I could do now—sort of. She didn’t know the half of it. And he was shocked. This was not what they’d signed up for. I got it. By the time the conversation was moving into their bedroom on the other side of the apartment, I was done listening. It didn’t matter. I knew who I was and what I had done. And I knew that the power I had just gained was going to change things in a way our enemies couldn’t possibly imagine.

Chapter 15

Finding out information about Daunator was still tricky. I’d tried jumping back into his head, and though the black cave wasn’t as dark, it was obvious I hadn’t begun to scratch the surface of his power, which was disappointing. He wasn’t our biggest concern right now, however, since he wasn’t a threat, so I didn’t spend too much time trying to break down any barriers. Instead, I jumped right over to Holland and got the surprise of my life. And that’s saying something considering I was hovering a few inches above my bed as I did my investigation. Her baby wasn’t a baby at all—not in any sense I’d ever imagined. It was blood red, with no hair, and looked to be the size of a large two-year-old. Its mouth was full of razor sharp teeth, and all it did was screech, eat, and tear things up. I couldn’t blame the other Vampires for locking it in a cage while Holland was still out, and when she’d tried to take it up to her room with her, it had been a disaster. She’d returned it to the safety of what appeared to be a dungeon. I got the impression she didn’t even know I was in her head, which was odd. I thought, maybe she wouldn’t be able to force me out, either, though I didn’t care to announce my presence in order to find out. I leapt over to Hines, who was frantic, and it made me smile to see him in such a tizzy. His thoughts were muddled, and I was having a hard time following any one train. He was concerned about Melbourne, despite the fact that he’d gotten part of what he wanted; five Guardians were being held captive in cages in the basement. I needed to get on that right away. But there was something else—he didn’t think his people could do anything with them. He was fairly certain the concoction he’d come up with wouldn’t work. And he wasn’t there to ister it, so he thought it was doomed to failure. He was worried Holland wouldn’t let him try again. For a moment, his thoughts flickered to something he’d seen in a book in the library there, wherever they were in, in Linz. Something about a age. I saw a group of people dressed in black trapped somewhere in this tunnel, all in his imagination, and then the thought that summer couldn’t come fast enough. I had no idea what this might mean, but I knew it was important, and I needed to mention it to my sister.

There’s nothing simple about navigating Hines’s head. I could get around it more quickly now, but it was just as disorganized as before. I caught a quick thought about a plane and realized he was thinking about Laura and Sam. I understood that they were on their way back to the US, though I couldn’t catch where they were going. I needed a name—someone in Melbourne whose mind I could latch on to. Without a name, I was wandering around in the dark. Even with a location, I needed a person. Shifting my thoughts to my cousin Paul didn’t help in that department. He was standing outside of Larundel, most of his troops still assembled around him. I’d missed the important part of the battle, and it wasn’t just Guardians who had been captured. His second in command, Becky, a Hunter, someone I’d met when I was in Melbourne not long ago, had been captured in one of those cells and executed. Paul was beside himself on the inside but trying to keep up the appearance that all was well on the outside so that his team didn’t falter. I understood his sentiment, and I couldn’t blame him for either emotion. Poor Becky, she was such a sweet girl. I didn’t think I needed to know how she died, but I did dig back through Paul’s thoughts, with his permission—he knew I was there—in order to study the inside of Larundel. It was the best I could do without being able to access the thoughts of a Vampire on the inside. It became clear to me pretty quickly that there was a door behind the walls that led down some stairs to a basement, and that’s where the Guardians were being held. I dug through some online archives as quickly as I could until I found a blueprint of Larundel. It’s not hard to find that sort of thing if you know where to look, and if I could thank Christian for anything it would be for teaching me that. The blueprints certainly didn’t match what I was looking at now, and out of nowhere, the memory of a short man with a construction hat walking these halls entered my head. I thought I must still be accessing Hines’s memories, or Holland’s, even without directly being in their thoughts. So... they had remodeled the interior to meet their needs. They’d also done some landscaping. Paul’s memories were full of recent interactions with a moat, some tall barbed wire, razor sharp walls, and a few monsters I would rather not see in person if I could avoid it. I thought I heard a knock on my door and wondered how long I’d been out. My

parents were going to bed when I went into this trance. Surely, they weren’t up already. I ed losing all track of time the last time I’d been in Daunator’s lair, though. Maybe it had happened again. “Cass? Can you hear me?” I opened my eyes, falling back to the bed at the same time. I hated being interrupted, even if I had found pretty much everything I’d been looking for, or at least found out I wasn’t going to be able to access it. “What?” I asked, realizing it was my sister. I glanced at the time and saw I’d been gone a long time—hours. “Nice to see you, too,” Cadence muttered. “Sorry to interrupt, but I need to know if you figured anything out about Melbourne.” “Not much,” I itted with a shrug. “I can see that the stairwell is hidden behind the wall, that there’s a sliding that leads to it, but I have no idea how to tell Paul where to look for it, other than that it’s at the back of the building.” It was frustrating. Maybe I could make him understand if I was in his head when they went back in, assuming that was the plan. “Have you tried looking at blueprints of the original Larundel?” Cadence asked, sitting on the foot of my bed. “Yes. But they hired a Vampire carpenter, and he’s essentially redone the entire bottom two floors. So it didn’t help any.” My sister sighed and ran her hand through her hair. I knew the feeling. “All right. What about the cells?” I hadn’t spent a lot of time studying them, but when I thought about them, I realized I was able to access some information about them anyway, possibly from Hines’s thoughts. “There are ten of them. They’re made of some sort of reinforced steel with concrete outer walls a few feet thick, so even if the Guardians managed to hammer their way through, which theoretically they could do if given enough hours, they would have a lot harder time getting through the steel rebar.” I could even see a familiar face in there trying to pound his way out now. I had no idea Tanner had been taken. I pushed the thought aside and tried to stay with my sister. I couldn’t help him right now, but maybe in a few minutes I could at least calm him down if he knew I was there.

To my sister, I said, “The cells are equipped with vents that allow the Vampires to gas them with the same chemical Hines injected into Paul. It doesn’t look good.” That was their intention—gas them, move them, inject them, kill them. Cadence looked disheartened. “We need to be over there,” she muttered, still dragging her hands through her hair. “That would be exactly what Holland wants, you know?” I said before I even realized where the thought had come from. I was still channeling some of her thinking, too. “She didn’t let Hines build those cages for just anyone. She wants you guys—and me.” I hope she understood who I meant. In Holland’s mind, she didn’t know the names of everyone she wanted to capture, I just got a feeling for who they were. The brown-haired girl, Cadence, whose name she knew but chose not to speak. Of course she knew Aaron. Then, there was his friend who’d died once already and his son, the Healer, and “the little one who sneaks around in my head”—that would be me. I could tell by Cadence’s expression she understood what I was telling her, but she didn’t get the seriousness of the situation. Speaking of seriousness, I was reminded of Hines’s other idea. “By the way, Hines thinks he’s come up with something else, some sort of age he can use somehow to transport Guardians. He didn’t explain it to her, so I’m not sure what he’s talking about, but he said it won’t work until late summer, and walking around in his head is kind of like sorting spaghetti noodles. It’s slippery, and it doesn’t ever lead where you think it should.” Cadence raised an eyebrow at me, like she was imagining me with said pasta. “Well, we can worry about that later.” I agreed, but I felt like I needed to tell her now before it slipped my mind. “Can you relay everything you just told me to Aaron? I’m going to go check on Jamie, and then I’ll hunt Aaron down and see what we need to do.” I ed that Jamie was having his procedure after mine and thought I should’ve checked on him by now, too. “Yeah, I’ll let Aaron know, but listen, Sam and Laura are on a plane, and I think they’re on their way back here.” “Perfect,” my sister said, though I could tell by her tone she didn’t mean that. I did something I’d just as soon avoid for the rest of my life and popped in on Christian. I wasn’t surprised to see he’d just discovered Holland’s plane was

moving. He was in his lab with Dr. Morrow, staring at blips on a screen. I had what I needed and got out. “Christian is tracking the tail number. Why would they bother? Do they really want us to kill them again?” Clearly, my sister was done with me. “I don’t really have an answer for that, Cass.” Her tone was dismissive. I felt like I needed to rush to tell her everything else I’d discovered before she took off. “Holland’s baby is a disgusting demon who looks a lot like a blood-red version of Sméagol.” That had her attention. “Say what now?” “Yeah, she thinks that being a demonic Vampire allowed her and Carter to create a demon baby. It’s really gross and could probably do a lot of damage if it gets out of its cage.” “She’s keeping her baby in a cage?” I nodded. “The other Vampires locked him up while she was still out of it. It had to be a C-section because he was so ginormous.” Cadence opened her mouth but then closed it before she said anything, and I could get where she was coming from. Eventually, she said, “Thank you for all of the information.” She patted my knee like I was a good girl. I thought she was leaving, but she didn’t get up yet. She glanced at her hand as she pulled it away, like something was wrong with it since she touched me. I expected her next statement to explain her expression, but it didn’t. She just said, “You know, you’re freaking Mom and Dad out, though, right?” I was a little startled that she’d gone there. I was hoping she was planning on letting our parental units handle the whole discipline thing, which so far had just been a grounding. “I know,” I replied. “I can’t help it. I’m not trying to.” It was true—I wasn’t intentionally trying to worry them. “Why did you....” Cadence didn’t finish the question. I didn’t have an answer beyond what I’d already said. With a deep breath, I tried to explain my rationale in as abstract a statement as possible. “Sometimes, my impulses outweigh my ability to make rational decisions.” That would have to

do for now. “And what is your consequence?” my sister asked, not that it was any of her business. I thought about some of the things my mother had yelled at me and accidentally entered her mind for a few moments. She was still irate. I hopped back out. “I mean, what can they do, really?” I asked, not trying to sound like a brat but realizing that’s exactly what I sounded like. “I’m not allowed to see Brandon outside of work for a month, but that won’t last. He has to help me with my algebra, or I’ll fail, and they won’t like that.” That seemed like a pretty light punishment considering what I’d done. If that’s all my mom threw at me, I’d gotten off easy. “Okay, Cass. I guess they can’t do much to you,” my sister said, shaking her head. “But I’m your boss. I can.” I didn’t appreciate the face she was making at me, so I folded my arms and looked her straight in the eyes. “What are you going to do, Cadence? Not let me go on the hunt? That would be really stupid on your part because you know no one else can do what I can.” Surely, she wouldn’t keep me out of my final hunt or try to make me take additional training. This was not hunt related. I wondered aloud what else she might do. “Not take me to Melbourne if you go? Of course you will. how idiotic Aaron was for not letting you take enough Guardians to Lexington? You won’t be that stupid.” I realized about halfway through that statement how horrible I sounded and wasn’t sure where it was coming from. Something seemed really odd about the way words were coming out of my mouth. And my sister was ticked. “That wasn’t Aaron,” she snapped. I wanted to apologize, but the snarkiness welling up inside of me made it difficult. “I mean, I know it wasn’t actually his decision,” I said by way of an apology. “But he still said it. Anyway, you know you can’t do that.” She puckered up her face and stared at me for a long time, and I assumed she was going to say something like, “Watch me,” and I’d just talked my way out of my last hunt. But when she opened her mouth again, she said, “Look, I’ve got a million things to do.” She stood and turned to the door, but before she took a step, she looked at me over her shoulder. “Why don’t you go pretend to be your

old sweet self and clean the kitchen or something?” I ignored the part about me not being sweet anymore and imagined the dishes whirling around the kitchen. “Sure. That sounds like fun, actually.” I jumped off of the bed, waiting for her to move so I could get to it. “What do you mean?” my sister asked. Neither of us has ever been the type to voluntarily do chores. I noticed a pair of jeans I’d meant to throw in the not-so-stinky clothes hamper the day before were still lying on the bedroom floor. I picked them up with my mind, and moved them across the room, opening the lid, and dropping them in, flashing my sister a somewhat-evil smile. “You are such a weirdo.” My sister shook her head at me and started to walk out the door. I knew she was teasing, but that was the same sort of thing she’d call Christian, so I didn’t appreciate it. I picked her up. “Put me down!” “Say you’re sorry,” I replied in a calm voice. “You’re sorry.” That was not what I had in mind, so I kept her about two feet off of the floor. Somehow, Cadence managed to make her way to the door, open it, and float out into the living room. My parents were sitting on the sofa, their hands over their mouths. “Fine. Let’s find out your range, little sis, shall we?” Cadence asked, still managing to move away from me, though it was slow going. I knew I could pull her back toward me if I wanted to, but it was amusing to watch her paddle her way through the air, half walking, half swimming. She made it over to the door, opened it, ducked under the doorway, and closed the door behind her. I stayed with her until she was almost to the elevator, and then I decided there were better ways to use my power, so I put her down. My parents said nothing, only stared at me, and I walked into the kitchen to see about doing those dishes. While I worked, I dropped in on Jamie. “How was your procedure?” “Great! You will not believe what I can do now. It’s not as cool as what you can

do, but it does involve blue lights shooting out of my hands, so there’s that.” I couldn’t ever hearing him so giddy in my life and was relieved he didn’t seem angry at me anymore. “Cool! Let me see,” I said, floating a pan into the dishwasher. He gave me visuals, and I saw a streak of blue light come out of one hand, form a ball in the air, and land in the other palm before disintegrating. “That should come in handy. I can shoot it across the room. And I think my battery is endless now.” “Amazing!” I said. I couldn’t imagine a Jamie who didn’t fall asleep as soon as he healed someone. A knock on his office door took his attention away from me, and when my sister stuck her head in, I decided it was time to go. “See ya,” I said, clocking out before he could respond. I’d had enough Cadence for a while. I needed to do what she asked, though, so I sent a message to Aaron telling him I needed to talk to him. It took him a few moments to get back to me, and by then, the kitchen was clean, the dishwasher was running, and my protein shake was in the blender. It was past lunchtime, but it sounded good, so I was going to drink it anyway. “You should’ve waited to run the dishwasher until after you made that!” my mom shouted at me. I ignored her as I went through everything I’d already told Cadence, wondering how come she couldn’t just tell Aaron herself. When I got to the part about the wall, he asked me if I thought someone with X-ray vision would be able to see the seams. I immediately ed I should have that now and turned to the wall that separates the living room from the kitchen. There’s a through, but other than that, I was looking at cabinets and a counter. Using my new skill, I could see my parents sitting on the couch. It was odd—it looked nothing like those slides you see at the doctor. Everything was in color, and it wasn’t just their bones. I could see their clothes. I wondered if I pushed further if I could access their bone structure but thought that might be a little creepy. Instead, I just said, “I think so.” As far as I knew, no one in Melbourne had X-ray vision, but I imagined there was something he knew that I didn’t. “Good. I’m sending Margie and Grant over to help, and they’re both undergoing the procedure on the way from Perth.”

“Ah, I see,” I replied. That made sense. Margie is Jamie’s sister, and while she’s not a Healer, she is a beast. Grant is her boyfriend—I think—and he is also a savage. They would definitely be able to help Paul, even without having undergone the procedure, but that would be a huge help to him. “Cass, when you get a chance, will you see if you can throw a screen over Melbourne, see if you can keep Holland out of there when Paul goes back in?” I felt for Paul again, thinking it would help if I knew what he was up against. I ed the monsters from earlier and realized Holland wasn’t currently shifting those things. She’d already done it. “Yeah, I’ll see what I can do. I can’t stop the monsters that are already in the moat that way, though.” “Okay. Just do your best.” “Will do.” I took a gulp of my protein shake, glad it was Saturday so I didn’t have any extra assignments other than the ones I’d missed yesterday, which I’d rush through as soon as I had a chance. This would take all of my concentration. And there was still a hunt that night. “Thanks, Cass,” Aaron said. “Hey, I think what you did was really stupid, careless, dangerous, and not very kind to your parents. But I have a feeling it’s going to be very beneficial for us. Just stop being an idiot, okay?” I realized he wasn’t being too hard on me probably because I’d just saved him from Holland. “Okay.” That was all I could say. I couldn’t even think of another stupid thing I could do right now if I wanted to. “All right. Good luck with the screen.” “Thanks. Good luck coordinating all the attacks.” “Yeah, I’m gonna need it. By the way, do you know Cadence has you assigned to Aurora tonight?” I made a noise in the back of my throat. I knew that because she’d told me, but I didn’t like it. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted it to change. I wondered why he was telling me and decided to see what I could do. “I need to be with Brandon,” I said. “I’m only allowed to see him during hunts.”

“Maybe that’s part of your punishment?” “Maybe I’ll be too distracted to do my job if I’m not with him?” I threatened. “I’ll see what I can do.” And he was gone. I smiled, knowing he’d get me switched. I finished my shake, rinsed the cup out, and the blender, and headed back toward the living room, thinking I’d better get on that shield. “Cassidy, your mother and I would like to speak to you,” my dad called as I walked back into the living room. I tried not to huff. “Okay, but I just talked to Aaron, and he has an assignment for me that can’t wait. I need to help out in Melbourne.” My mom was shaking her head, and I could see tears in her eyes. “This is all just a game to you, isn’t it?” “Paul has five Guardians trapped in cells beneath the floor of an insane asylum, and a mad scientist is trying to turn them back into humans so he can destroy them. My job is to interfere with Holland so she can’t send any messages to the Vampires she’s left behind in Melbourne, so no, that’s not a game. That’s five people who might die if I don’t do my job.” I knew Margie wasn’t even there yet, I had a feeling she was a few hours out, but my parents didn’t know that. “Fine,” my mom said. “We’ll make it quick. You’re grounded. For a month. You don’t see Brandon outside of work, or your other friends, not even Lucy. Do you understand?” Sarcastic me wanted to point out that I couldn’t see Lucy at work because she doesn’t work here yet, but I just nodded at them. They could say what they wanted; they couldn’t keep Brandon out of my head. “And no IAC with any of them either,” my father added. My eyes enlarged. “That will have to be the honor system, of course, but we’ve spoken to Elliott, and he agrees that he will monitor it on his end.” I almost laughed, but I kept it in my throat. There was no way anyone could monitor that. “Whatever,” I said, turning to head toward my bedroom. “Cassidy Elizabeth!” my mom shouted, and when I turned back, she was on her

feet. “We’re serious. Say you won’t use that thing to your friends!” “Mom, I have to them. We work together!” I tried to keep my voice even, but it still came out a screech. “You can talk to them about work only.” “Fine!” I shouted, knowing there was nothing she could do anyway. I walked into my room and slammed the door without touching it, finding a spot on my bed with a growl. I could hear them. My dad thought they’d been too harsh; my mom thought they hadn’t been harsh enough. “Hey, I can only talk to you about work, so how are you feeling about the hunt tonight?” I asked Brandon, sarcasm dripping from my voice. “Oh, are you out of your trance now?” he replied. “I tried to get you a few times earlier, but you didn’t answer. I figured you were doing a different kind of hunting.” “Yeah, I was. I need to get back to Paul soon. I think he’s going back inside the asylum in a bit, and I said I’d try to keep Holland out.” I checked in on Paul. Margie still wasn’t there, and they weren’t moving yet. “Can’t you multitask now that you can make things float and jump in and out of people’s minds on a whim?” I laughed. “Yeah, I can. But I should probably give that everything I’ve got, at least until the attack is over. Not that it’s started yet.” “I hear you’re not going with me tonight. Kinda bummed about that. Think your sister did that on purpose?” “No, she didn’t. She wanted me with Aurora because she’s the only Hunter leading an attack.” That rationale didn’t quite make sense to me. “But I’m pretty sure I’ll be going with you. I talked to Aaron.” “Cool. Even if it keeps me out of the hunt, at least I’ll get to see you. Sounds like you’re going to be in prison for a while.”

I knew he was joking around, but it seemed too close to the truth to be funny. “Your dad agreed to monitoring whether or not we’re talking to each other?” “Not exactly. Your mom called the house phone, which was hilarious, because Dad was like, ‘I hear a ringing, and I have no idea where it’s coming from. Do you hear that?’ and I didn’t know either. He finally realized what it was after it rang, like, twelve times. Anyway, I heard his side of the conversation, and she asked him to do his best to keep us from talking about non-work related activities, and he said he’d try. But as soon as he hung up, he said, ‘Don’t talk to Cass except for about work,’ and I asked, ‘How are you going to monitor that exactly?’ and he shrugged and said he was going to the gym. So... I think we’re okay.” “Man!” I exclaimed, shaking my head. “I am not used to having the lame parents! My parents used to be cool and lax, and we could get away with anything.” I was so jealous that Brandon’s dad let him do whatever he wanted. “I know. But your parents are used to a human world where bad things can happen to their kids if they aren’t careful.” “My dad grew up here,” I reminded him. “True. Maybe it’s just your mom, then. Listen, Cass, I know it’s frustrating, but once you’re older and on your own, you’ll see they were just doing it to try to protect you. Because they love you.” He was right, and I could rationally see that, but it didn’t make me like it any more. “I think I should try to rest a little bit before I have to help in Melbourne.” I felt like my battery was fully charged, but I didn’t want to talk about work anymore, and there wasn’t really anything else to say at the moment. “All right. Take a nap. I’ll see you in a few hours.” “See you,” I said before clicking off. A nap sounded good not because I needed the rest but because I needed to not think about reality for a while. I left my IAC on so that Paul wouldn’t have any trouble at all accessing me and so that if Aaron tried to push me awake, he’d be able to. Something told me I’d be aware of what was going on even if I did doze off. I turned on some music so I wouldn’t have to hear my parents chatting in the

living room and closed my eyes. The last time I’d gone to sleep, I’d awoken to a whole new world. This time, the changes wouldn’t be so drastic, but I knew I’d feel different when I opened my eyes again because I’d become even more of a weapon than I had been before. Daunator might still have a level or two on me, but Holland was going down, and I couldn’t wait for the moment when she realized she had no way of stopping me.

Chapter 16

Margie Joplin is the sort of beast I aspire to be one day. Sure, my sister’s fierce, but seeing that tiny woman with the blue hair rip through Vampires like they were unsuspecting customers standing in line for a corny dog at the state fair gets me excited every time. Now that she has X-ray vision and can move faster than lightning, it was even more stellar. The second Paul led his team into Larundel with Margie right behind him, I had no doubt they were going to get the Guardians out okay. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be, though. I figured out whose head I needed to be in too late to do anything with that information. Apparently, Holland’s next in command after Hines is a guy named Bossley. By the time Paul and Margie located the basement cells, he and some other Vampire nurse chick had already istered both shots to the five Guardians. Thanks to Jamie and Sicilia’s help over the IAC, it looked like they were all going to be okay, though there was one Guardian, a guy from Roatan named Stanley, who was having a lot of trouble recovering. He was still not out of the woods when we arrived at our destination in Wichita for the hunt. I had to turn my attention to matters closer to home, which was difficult because I was very caught up in the hunt at Larundel, but at least Bossley and that nurse had met their demise, and Paul seemed to have matters under control. I wasn’t sure if my shield had helped or if Holland was just distracted, but no one shifted inside the asylum while I was using it. “Okay, kids. Welcome to Walley World. Looks closed. If only there was a forest creature out front who could’ve given us a heads up.” Elliott was laughing at his own joke, which I didn’t really understand. Of course the amusement park was closed. It had been abandoned for years. And it wasn’t called Walley World.... “Dad, you’re the lamest person I’ve ever met,” Brandon said beside me as he unbuckled his seatbelt. I looked at him questioningly, and he said, “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” through his IAC, only to me. I nodded, thinking I needed to watch that movie again because I didn’t get it. “Why are we so far away?” I asked Elliott as we got out of the SUV. He sighed

like he wished I’d gone with my sister. Behind us, another SUV full of Roatan Guardians came to a stop, and a group of six whose names I knew but that was about all, also piled out. “We parked out here so they don’t see us coming,” he said. I knew that—but we were way, way out here, like at the edge of the parking lot. “There are only about five or six Vampires here, our sources say, but this is a huge area to cover, and there are only eighteen of us, so taking them by surprise would be great.” The final SUV pulled to a stop about a hundred yards away. More Roatan Guardians. With that many Guardians, Meagan and myself, the only two Hunters, should be safe, theoretically. “Also,” Elliott continued, that look on his face that let me know he was joking again, “this way we’ll be the first to the exit when the park closes.” Brandon looked at me, and we both shook our heads. Elliott mumbled something about kids these days, and we all started walking toward the entrance. Along with Brandon, Meagan and Elliott, Jamie, and another Guardian named Smith—who is useless—had been assigned to this location. Of course, I was supposed to be with Hannah somewhere on the other side of Kansas instead of here in Wichita, but Aaron had worked his magic, and I was glad to be along on this one. “Awesome,” I said, looking off in the distance at a rickety old rollercoaster that probably hadn’t been ridden in a decade. “Abandoned amusement parks are the best.” No one said anything. Everyone was distracted. Jamie had been helping in Melbourne, but even though he’d also bowed out of that situation a few minutes before we arrived, he was still either looking in on what was going on, or he was talking with Ashley. She was with Hannah, and I’m sure he wished they were together, but that’s not how the cookie crumbled this time. I knew he was eager to see what he could do now, as was I. Maybe he was thinking about that, too. We spread out, far away from each other. Except for Brandon and me. I was still observing after all, and he’d been assigned to keep me safe. Elliott stayed with us, too, because he’d have to find some place to put me. I thought the whole thing was a little silly and had a feeling in my bones that I was getting in on this hunt tonight, one way or another, but I planned on behaving myself for as long as necessary.

The gates appeared in front of us. It was easy to imagine lines of people waiting to get into this place at one time. Now, it was obvious it hadn’t been used for years. The sign above us was missing most of its letters so it no longer read Happyland, which was kind of sad. I had no idea why it had shut down, but it did make me want to go to a functioning amusement park again soon. I tried to drop in on my sister before any action started. She was in Osceola with Aaron, Martin, and Alex, as well as some other people. But for some reason, I couldn’t get her IAC. It was strange—it wasn’t like she wasn’t letting me in. It was as if she didn’t even know I was asking. I decided to check in on Aaron and could see he was in the middle of a shootout in the warehouse they’d been infiltrating, but I didn’t see my sister anywhere. A tangle formed in the pit of my stomach, and I hoped she was okay. Surely, if she’d been wounded, I’d be able to tell by Aaron’s countenance. Right now, he just seemed to be in a hurry. “Cass, what’s up with your sister’s IAC?” Elliott asked. He must’ve had the same idea as I did. “I can see Aaron, but not her.” “I’m not sure,” I itted. I took a deep breath and sent out a signal to try to shield Cadence from Holland, but there was definitely something odd going on. “I’m trying to block Holland and get Cadence back on, but I feel like she’s focusing everything she’s got on disrupting Cadence right now.” It didn’t make any sense. Maybe if I was closer to Cadence, I’d be able to do something. I should be stronger than Holland. Or maybe I just couldn’t focus. Either way, my concern was growing. I decided to pay attention to what was in front of me now and worry about my sister if Aaron said I needed to. We made our way through the entrance, and Elliott stopped in front of a small ticket booth that looked like maybe it was part of guest relations at one point. Elliott easily broke the lock off the small, dilapidated building and announced, “This is where I leave you. Be careful.” Brandon placed both hands on his hips. “I wish I was in on this,” he said, shaking his head. “I’d happily swap you out for Smith, but I don’t think that would be in Cass’s best interest,” his dad replied. “Or you could just let me go in.” I smiled up at him and batted my eyelashes, and Elliott narrowed his green eyes at me.

To Brandon, he said, “If she moves, shoot her.” He shook his head at me, and I knew he was just joking, but it was irritating that he wouldn’t just let me go. I’d find a way—eventually. I was too valuable a weapon to hang out in a little shack while all the important stuff was going on in the amusement park. I stole a glance through Jamie’s IAC and saw that he was moving closer to the rollercoaster. How cool would it be to chase a Vampire up there? I took a seat in what used to be a chair, and Brandon began his pacing. The door was closed, but not relocked since the padlock was broken. I didn’t care— nothing here could kill either one of us, I was pretty sure. Besides, it would make getting out a lot easier. Through Elliott’s IAC, I watched him approach an old funhouse, one of those kinds meant to scare little kids, with clowns everywhere. I imagined the inside would have those weird mirrors that made you look really wide on the bottom or really tall. Meagan was waiting in the shadows for Elliott to team up with her, and it occurred to me this was exactly the pair that had gotten shot by Cowboy Sam at Sierraville. Across the park, Jamie was in pursuit of a group of Vampires now, the Roatan Guardians alongside him. I watched in awe as he scaled the side of the rollercoaster, propelling himself up over one railing to the next until he was hundreds of feet in the sky. I was impressed and jealous. Elsewhere, Smith was being lured over to the kiddy rides by a Vampire disguised as a clown. I had been doing my best to prevent any shapeshifting, but that one was just too funny to interfere with, so I let it go. It wasn’t as if Smith was going to be helpful anyway. I just hoped he didn’t get stuck in one of those flying elephant cars. Meagan stopped her advance toward the funhouse abruptly, and I sucked in my breath. She’d seen something. I missed it, but whatever it was, she was scared. Through his IAC, I heard Elliott ask her aloud, “What is it, Meag?” and Brandon and I exchanged glances. He hadn’t seen it either. “I thought I saw... something,” was all she said. She was visibly shaken, and I slid to the edge of my seat. Something wasn’t right. “What did you see?” Elliott asked, now in front of her. He had his Beretta out, and they entered the building, slowly, cautiously.

“I’m not sure,” Meagan itted, but there was definitely an edge to her voice. I’d seen the woman get shot a couple of times myself, and she’s not a baby. Whatever she saw must’ve been terrifying. “Well, let’s investigate,” Elliott suggested, choosing one of the hallways to proceed down. The inside was dark, and the floorboards were uneven. They squeaked with each step, alerting anything that might’ve been hiding that they were no longer alone. I knew Elliott and Meagan could see because of their enhanced vision, but I felt like I was watching a scary movie where a ghost or demon was about to jump out of the shadows at any turn. The hallways broke in different directions, one of them slanting at an unusual angle. I imagined it was for effect when this place was originally built, but now it just seemed to go along with its uninhabitable state. I stood up. There was a creaking sound down the hall from where they were walking, and Elliott moved his gun in that direction, but when he looked ahead, there was nothing there. And then Elliott saw what Meagan had seen. We all gasped at the same time. The figure turned the corner, disappearing into the shadows, but we had all seen his familiar gray hair and wrinkly face. Elliott said it first, spat it out of his mouth like it was a curse. “Sam.” It made sense that he would be here if Holland could figure out where to send him since both of his victims were here--together. How she’d figured it out was beyond me, but one thing was for sure. Sam wasn’t walking out of here alive. At the moment, Sam was a distraction, though, and before any of us realized what was happening, something was wrong with Elliott. He didn’t see it himself, and neither did Meagan, but the next thing I knew, my friend was falling to the floor unconscious. Feeling around in his brain, I picked up the same sensations I had when Paul had been drugged and imagined a Vampire must’ve snuck up on him while he was looking at Sam. Meagan screamed his name, and Brandon shouted, “Dad!” I assume both out loud and through his IAC, but it made no difference. Elliott was out—and Meagan was all alone in a funhouse with the man who shot her, no Guardian to protect her.

I scanned my IAC quickly to try to find anyone who could come and help her, but there was no one. It was obvious Meagan was starting to lose it. She darted away from Elliott’s limp body and tried to find a place to hide. I hated that Sam had that effect on her, that she was so terrified she was beginning to shake. “We’ve gotta go help her,” I said, taking a few steps toward Brandon. “I’m not supposed to let you out of here. Just give him a minute.” Through my IAC, I tried to Elliott but got nothing. I tried something else —my telepathy. “He’s going to get Meagan if you don’t get up off of the floor! Go! Go get Sam!” I was shocked when Elliott’s voice sounded in my head. “Where... is... Jamie?” He was clearly still out of it, but at least he could communicate—sort of. I answered, “Across the park, over by the rollercoaster, heavily engaged. He can’t get there in time. You’re going to have to do it, or I’m sending Brandon.” That got a stir out of him, but it seemed like there was nothing he could do. He was trying to open his eyes. I saw a flicker on the IAC, but his eyes never sprang open. Before I could demand Brandon go help, there was another problem. I was still standing in the middle of my hidey-hole, trying to decide whether or not to just head to the funhouse when I got a frantic message from my sister. “Cass can you put a block on for me?” Part of me was relieved to know she was all right. But I didn’t have time to mess with her right now, not if I was going to save Meagan. “No, I can’t,” I itted. “Somehow, she’s screwing with what I can do. What’s going on with your IAC?” I realized I was pacing. “I don’t know.” My sister didn’t sound any calmer. “It’s not working. Did I shoot Aaron?” I stopped walking, and Brandon took a few steps toward me before he realized I wasn’t with him. I had to check to see what had happened, so I popped into Aaron’s head, no IAC required. He was in a lot of pain. That was all I needed to know. “Cadence! Put your gun away!”

My sister replied, “How do I know you’re you?” I really didn’t have time for this right now. Neither did she, apparently. I had no idea what she’d done, but if she shot him again, it might be deadly. There was one story I could think of off the top of my head only I would know. “When you were in eighth grade, you tripped in the hallway at school and on your way down, you accidentally kissed your friend Jon, and he thought you were his girlfriend for three weeks. Put the gun down and get Martin!” My sister disappeared from my IAC, and I had no way of getting her back. I prayed Aaron would be okay, and then I started pacing again. Brandon was staring at me with a questioning expression, but there was no time to explain. I heard shots out in the night and hoped they weren’t coming from the funhouse. “What’s the plan?” Brandon asked, staring at me like I was the one in charge. “You’ve gotta go!” I shouted at him. He turned and looked toward the door and then back at me. “I’m not leaving you.” “Then I’ll go with you. I can help. I’m not a baby.” “You’re observing,” he reminded me. I picked him up off of the ground a few inches, watching his eyes bulge, and then dropped him, saying, “Observe that.” Brandon shook his head at me. “You have got to stay with me the whole time, got it?” “Yes, sir,” I replied, but I didn’t think that was practical. We headed out of the ticket booth as quickly as we could, running alongside each other at breakneck speed. It only took a few seconds for us to see the funhouse up ahead. As we approached the structure, I could hear scurrying footsteps inside, but Meagan’s IAC was practically useless. She was standing in the shadows, trembling so badly she could’ve caused motion sickness in someone with a weaker stomach. “Go find Meag. I’ll get your dad up.”

Brandon looked at me questioningly. “How are you going to do that?” “I have my ways.” “Let’s find him together first, and then I’ll go.” I decided that would work, too. He took another few steps and stopped. “Cass?” I was headed up the steps but I stopped and looked at him. “Yeah?” “Be careful.” “You, too.” “I love you.” My insides melted a little bit. “I love you, too. Now let’s go!” He smiled at me and we headed inside the funhouse, side by side, a couple of rule breakers. As we walked along, I checked in on Jamie and saw he was closing in on the Vampires at the top of the rollercoaster, but he wouldn’t be able to help us for a while. The flooring was uneven, and I tripped, falling forward, but Brandon caught me before I hit the floor. I thanked him and then, having had enough of the rotten wood beneath me, I picked myself up an inch off of the floor and began to levitate instead. Off in the distance, we heard more scuffling, and I could see through Meagan’s IAC that she was trying to hide from something. I assumed it was Sam. We needed to split up. “Go help Meagan,” I whispered. “I’ll find your dad.” “What if there are more Vampires here?” he asked, reluctant to go. “Then I’ll kill them.” He shook his head at me like I was his disobedient child. But he didn’t argue this time. He kissed me quickly and then headed off toward Meagan. I watched Jamie shoot several Vampires in a rollercoaster cart, their bodies disintegrating into ash before they hit the ground. And then the Healer leapt over

a hundred feet to the ground. The building around me shifted from the quake of him making with the earth again, but he was just fine. And ahead of me I saw Elliott. We could be superheroes, too, but first he needed to wake up.

Chapter 17

Elliott was still lying where he’d fallen, which was actually a good thing. If the Vampires intended to take him away somewhere to conduct experiments on him, they hadn’t tried to move him yet. I bent down next to him, seeing the spent syringe now. I was certain we were alone and used both my IAC and telepathy to shout at him. “Elliott! Wake up!” I must’ve shouted it a dozen times as I shook him. He was out of it, that was for sure. So, I decided there was only one thing I could do to get him where he needed to be. I put myself back on the floor and lifted him up off of it, rotating him so that he appeared to be standing. He cracked one eye and looked at me, confused. “I thought I told you to stay put.” “I’m not known for listening or following directions,” I replied with a shrug. He was in no position to argue with me. Across the building, I heard a gunshot. We were running out of time. I floated his Glock into his hand and strapped his Beretta back on him. Elliott managed to glance down at his gun. “If only I could move it.” “Tell you what, I’ll move you, and you put everything you’ve got into aiming that gun, okay? I’m pretty sure the stuff in your DNA that won’t let you die can combat whatever was in that syringe. You just gotta want it.” I had no idea if what I was saying made any sense scientifically or not, but I saw him actually nod his head, so I was satisfied that this might work. I could kill Sam myself, and I would if I had to, but it would be so much more gratifying to see Elliott kill the guy who’d killed him. “You sound like a fitness commercial,” Elliott muttered. “All right. Let’s go.” I smiled and we started moving in the direction I thought would take us to Sam and Meagan. They were together now. I could see them through my IAC. Apparently, she is not good at finding hiding places. Sam had her by the neck,

and Brandon was pointing his Glock at the Vampire, but Sam was still trying to negotiate for some reason. “Cass, I’m on my way,” Jamie said in my head. “Be careful.” “Always am,” I replied. He knew better. To Elliott, I said, “Jamie’s less than a minute out.” He said nothing, and then we rounded the corner and were part of the main attraction. Meagan was pulling down on Sam’s arm, tears in her eyes, but I could tell she felt helpless. I had no idea what Sam was hesitating for. I supposed he thought no one would kill him so long as he had Meagan there, but he hadn’t given a second thought about shooting her last time. “Well, if it isn’t Dr. Sanderson,” Sam said as we stopped inside the doorway. “Is this a case of ‘physician, heal thyself’ or what?” I don’t know if he thought he was being funny or something, but he wasn’t. I realized then that Meagan was bleeding. So maybe he had shot her. Or scratched her or something. She looked like a pin cushion without any pins there were so many holes in her. When Elliott actually spoke, I was stunned. I could tell he was still out of it. Otherwise, he’d probably be standing in front of me to shield me instead of off to the side. “You think this is some sort of a sadistic game, Sam? Pretty sure I owe you a bullet to the head.” The fact that he was only pointing his gun because I was holding it up for him wasn’t something Sam needed to know. “I know I can’t kill you again,” Sam said to Elliott. “But it’s a shame you managed to get up. Maybe I can kill her.” Before Elliott or Brandon realized what Sam was doing, he turned the gun toward me and fired a single bullet in my direction. I could see both of the Guardian’s eyes bulge. They’d been so distracted, they hadn’t even been thinking about me standing here exposed. I didn’t think Sam could kill me, so I wasn’t too concerned about it. And then, I was also pretty sure his bullet would never reach me anyway. I caught it in the air, two feet away, as Elliott tried to move in front of me. He froze, staring at it in disbelief. I let it drop to the floor unspent. “That all you got?” I asked, folding my arms and cocking my head to the side like some sort of gangsta.

Sam’s confusion crinkled his face. It was the perfect opportunity for Elliott to come back to life and shoot him. The bullet hit low in Sam’s gut, right underneath the arm he had used to shoot me. Meagan threw an elbow and then kicked him, hard, before she flung herself at Brandon, who caught her and started moving her out of harm’s way. Cowboy Sam fired multiple times in Meagan’s direction, but I caught every bullet and let them fall to the ground like confetti. They tinkled as they rolled along the wood and disappeared through cracks in the floorboards. Sam seemed to realize I was far too powerful to mess with. He took off running, abandoning his plan to kill Meagan. At the same time, Elliott regained the ability to walk on his own, and I set him down as he followed after the man who’d recently sent him to oblivion. A trail of smoke and ashes followed the Vampire from the gunshot wound in his abdomen. Meagan jumped at the sound of hurried footsteps approaching, and Brandon steadied her. A look of relief washed over her as Jamie hit her with a beam of blue, healing light as soon as he entered the room. It was pretty cool to see his energy stretch out across the room and heal her before he even touched her. “Stay here, Cass,” Jamie said to me, taking a few steps in the same direction that Elliott had run off to. “No, wait,” Meagan said, still steadying herself against Brandon’s arm. “Let me go.” Jamie had a question mark hanging over his head, but he didn’t argue. We could all see through Elliott’s IAC that Sam was cornered. He was in a room full of distressed mirrors, the kind that make you look like something else. I thought it was ironic in an Alanis Morissette sort of way. Sam didn’t look like himself at all—and he would die the same sort of creature he’d spent centuries destroying. “Whatcha gonna do with me?” Sam was shouting at Elliott just before the mirror behind him exploded into a thousand shards of glass. He ducked and covered his face, but it was too late. Elliott had his Glock pointed right at the old man’s head. “I don’t know,” Elliott replied. He was aware that Meagan was on her way, I could tell by the way his eyes were shifting toward the hallway, like he was waiting for her. But he continued to taunt Sam. “Maybe I’ll keep you in a cage in

my apartment where I can torture you. Not sure.” Meagan rounded the corner, and Elliott added, “Actually, I’m pretty sure it’s not up to me.” Sam looked up then, his bloodshot, gray eyes full of anguish. “What do you mean?” Emerging from the shadows, Meagan opened fire, hitting Sam at least a half a dozen times, driving him back into the glass. Sam exploded into ash which mingled with the glass fragments littered all over the floor. “Take that, scumbag!” Meagan said, wiping her lip on her blood soaked shirt. The two of them stood together for a few moments, staring down at the ashes, and I could only imagine how they felt. Relieved. Vindicated. Like a nightmare was over. Even if Sam couldn’t hurt Elliott anymore, he was still a threat until the very moment he became a pile of dust on the floor. This was a final send off for Sam. There would be no coming back from the dead for him. “Come on, Meag. Let’s go home,” Elliott said, his arm slung across her shoulders. He didn’t have to tell her twice. The two of them walked back to us, and I could see Elliott still wasn’t quite himself, but we were all going to be just fine. The rest of the team ed up with us in the parking lot. We’d gotten all of the Vampires, which was a relief. I was hoping for a relaxing drive back to headquarters. As soon as I was strapped into the back seat next to Brandon, I checked my IAC and was shocked to see that my sister was lying unconscious on the ground outside of the warehouse they’d just cleared. I still couldn’t access her IAC, but it wasn’t because Holland was messing with it; it was because she was out cold. I was looking at her through Aaron’s, and even though he was the one who’d been shot, Cadence was more in need of Martin’s healing powers right now. “What happened?” I screeched, not sure if she was going to be okay. “She’s all right,” Aaron said, though there was a lilt in his voice. “You seeing this, Cass?” Elliott asked me from the enger seat. Jamie had decided to drive since Elliott was still recovering from the injection.

“Yeah, I’m seeing it.” Brandon squeezed my hand. Back to Aaron, I repeated my previous question. “What happened?” “One of Holland’s cronies, a guy by the name of Fergus, snuck up on her. He hit her in the head with the butt of his gun a few times, but Alex took him out. She’ll be okay. Martin’s working on controlling the blood right now, and then he’ll wake her up.” I took a few deep breaths, glad to hear exactly what had taken place. It did sound like Cadence would be just fine. As soon as her eyes started to flutter open, I sat back in my seat, glad to see she was okay but also thinking she might want to be left alone for a bit. I kept Aaron’s visuals on but didn’t ask Cadence for hers yet. Instead, I decided to drop in on Paul. It had been a while since I checked on the Guardians who had been injected in Melbourne. He was in the process of moving them back to headquarters, which I thought was a good idea. I heard him say, “Keep giving them aspirin. The transfusions seem to be working. Even Stanley is doing better.” Once again, I decided not to interfere, but I was glad to hear it seemed like all of them would be coming through this unscathed. I quickly checked on the other two teams. Aurora’s and Hannah’s teams had both cleared their locations of all Vampires without losing anyone. In fact, in the operations all across the globe my sister and Aaron had organized, we had been very successful. There were some fatalities, a few Hunters lost along the way, but the amount of Vampire cells loyal to Holland we’d taken out all in one night was impressive. I imagined she was beside herself over in Linz, trying to figure out if she should even go back to Melbourne. The last thing Paul did before he loaded up his vehicles was light a match and toss it on what was left of Larundel. Jamie doesn’t drive as fast or recklessly as Elliott, but we still made good time. Osceola is a lot closer to Kansas City than Wichita, where we were coming from, so by the time we pulled to a stop in front of Jamie’s office, Cadence and Aaron were already inside his small operating room waiting for the Healer to take a look at them. I hurried along behind him, wanting to see my sister with my own eyes. Brandon and Elliott came with me. Cadence looked awful. Her skin was pale, there was blood all down the side of her jacket to her jeans, and she was missing some hair. Aaron didn’t look much better, but they didn’t seem to be in too much pain. “I think I can fix this pretty

quickly,” Jamie said, though he did actually place his hands on them, rather than just shooting a ball of energy across the room at each of their wounds. I was relieved Alex wasn’t here. I needed to thank him for taking out the guy who’d tried to kill my sister, but now probably wasn’t the best time. I had to sort out the way I was feeling about him. I was certain it was just fascination with an historical character, but if it was bothering Brandon, it was a problem. Ashley came in a few minutes before Jamie finished, and Cadence was polite, but I saw her roll her eyes. I guess the two of them still aren’t getting along. Jamie’s girlfriend waited with her arm wrapped around me, and when the doctor took a step back and nodded his head, only a few moments after he began, she started to applaud. “I’m dating a superhero,” she said with a wink, and I couldn’t help but giggle. “Just one more thing,” Jamie said. He took a lock of my sister’s hair, one right next to the bald spot she had on the side of her head, and pulled it over slightly so it was covering up her exposed scalp. It seemed to take a little bit of effort, but somehow, Jamie managed to make the hair spread and regenerate so that the bald spot was gone, and Cadence’s hair looked the same as it had before she left for the hunt. “How did you do that?” I asked as we all gaped in awe. “I don’t know,” he shrugged. “But I did.” “Wow—imagine if that works with limbs,” Brandon said, shaking his head. “I could use another arm if you wanna try it,” Elliott offered. I didn’t think that was quite what Brandon had in mind. “Uh, not tonight.” Jamie looked at Ashley, like he’d rather be hanging out with his girlfriend than creating three-armed versions of his friends. “You guys both feeling okay now?” he asked the Leaders. “Yeah, thank you,” Aaron said, patting his shoulder. “Glad you talked me into letting you go through with this.” “I know, it’s pretty cool, isn’t it?” Jamie laughed like a teenager.

“Thanks, Jame,” my sister said. She was still exhausted and leaned back on the cot she’d been sitting on with heavy eyes. Jamie and Ashley left, along with Martin who’d been here with the Leaders when we’d arrived. “So... what happened?” I asked Cadence, hoping she had enough energy to tell me what I didn’t already know. “Yeah, what happened?” Aaron asked, spinning around to face her, his legs dangling off of the bed between them. “You don’t know either?” Elliott asked. “Not exactly. I saw her take off, followed her, she shot me, then she disappeared for a while, got taken hostage, and Alex shot the guy. We spent the whole ride back trying not to out from loss of blood. So....” “Well, that pretty much sums it up,” Cadence replied, closing her eyes. We weren’t letting her get away with that. “How did you manage to shoot him?” Elliott asked, a hint of amusement in his voice, now that we were all sure Aaron was okay. Cadence grumbled. “It wasn’t me. It was Holland. I thought you were supposed to be blocking her or something, Cass. She was more powerful tonight than ever.” “Don’t try to blame this on me,” I said, trying to keep my tone playful even though I didn’t quite feel that way. “I wasn’t even with you.” She huffed again. “I thought I saw Drew.” We all stared at her, not sure what to say. Drew was her friend who died at the Eidolon Festival, the night Cadence first found out about Vampires and this whole crazy world. “I chased her down the hall. But it wasn’t her.” “It was Laura,” Aaron explained. I was almost as shocked to hear that—but then I figured Laura had to have shown up somewhere since Sam did. “What happened?” I asked my sister for the hundredth time. “Did you kill her?”

Cadence nodded her head, her expression solemn. It had to have been difficult to kill a former Hunter, even if Laura had shot my sister first, months ago. The woman was also Aaron’s ex-girlfriend, and she’d been the one to put the plot together at Sierraville. “And when Aaron finally caught up to me, Holland had made him look like a Vampire.” “So you shot him.” Elliott filled in the blanks. “Yep,” Aaron said, his eyes narrowed at Cadence, though it was obvious he wasn’t really mad at her. “I’m sorry!” she exclaimed. “What would you have done?” “This is just me,” Elliott began, folding his arms across his chest with a thoughtful expression. “But... maybe not shoot my fiancé? I mean—not on purpose anyhow.” “Yeah, that’s probably what I would’ve done, too,” Brandon agreed. “You can all leave now,” Cadence said, rolling over and hiding her face. “I didn’t mean to shoot him. This time.” Aaron reached over and shoved her playfully on the shoulder. “I know you didn’t. We’re just giving you a hard time. We do need to figure out a way to make sure Holland can’t do that anymore.” Everyone swiveled to look at me. “Uh, I’ll see what I can do,” I stammered. I thought I had this figured out, that I was stronger than her now, but she must’ve been drawing on power from somewhere else. “Good. Now that we’ve eradicated most of her cells, she’ll either scramble or roll over in defeat,” Aaron said thoughtfully. Elliott put his hands on his hips. “I’m gonna go with door number one. Doesn’t seem like Holland to give up so easily. She did come all the way back from the dead just to try to kill you two after all.” “I think she won’t be happy until we’re all dead—or she is,” Brandon added. “She won’t be happy if she’s dead,” I clarified, shrugging. “Just sayin’.”

“Let’s sleep on it, take Sunday off, and get together Monday morning to see what the situation is,” Aaron proposed. “Wait a minute—you’re going to take the day off?” Elliott asked. “Who are you? Did someone take over your brain again?” “I didn’t say I was going to take the day off.” He slid off of the gurney and stepped over to help Cadence sit up. She was clearly exhausted, as was I. “But I might.” Elliott couldn’t control his laughter. “I’ll believe it when I see it.” “All right. I guess I’ll head back to my prison now,” I said, trying not to sound like a baby and failing. Brandon put his arm around my shoulders as my sister made it to her feet. “At least you don’t have to go to training anymore,” Cadence reminded me, her voice sounding even more tired than it had when we arrived. “That’s true, but you know Mom isn’t going to let me see the light of day except for when we’re on hunts or I’m needed for a meeting.” “Maybe you’ll think about that the next time you do something stupid,” Elliott said behind me as we all headed for the door. “Hey, my stupidity floated you right over to Sam tonight,” I reminded him without turning around. “True—but it also almost got you shot.” My sister and Aaron turned around to look at us. “I need to hear this story. In the morning,” Cadence said, and I nodded. At least I’d get to speak to someone other than my parents. We made it to the apartment building in silence and onto the elevator. My floor was first. I told them all goodnight and gave Brandon a kiss on the cheek before I headed back to my cell. Even though it was the middle of the night, I had a feeling my mom would be awake. She was. I opened the door just a crack and saw her sitting on the sofa, a book in

her hand and the lamp on the table next to the couch turned on low. “How was it?” she asked me, setting the book aside. “Everyone okay?” “Thanks to Martin and Jamie, yes. Cadence got hurt, but she’s all right now. I’m fine.” I figured my sister could fill her in later, and she didn’t really need to know that Aaron and Meagan had also been injured. She looked worried about my sister but had learned that was part of the job description for being the Hunter Leader. “Did you fight?” “No,” I said quickly. “But I had to help Elliott get up.” I took a few steps further into the room. “They used a sedative on him. I floated him over to Sam so he could kill him. Meagan ended up shooting him instead.” I could see she was having trouble following. “The same Sam that shot Elliott? He’s a Vampire now?” “Yeah, he was. Now, he’s a pile of ash in a funhouse in a rundown amusement park in Wichita.” “I see.” She probably didn’t. I lingered for a moment longer, thinking there was something else she wanted to say to me, but when she didn’t, I said, “I’m exhausted. I’m going to take a shower and go to bed.” “All right, Cassidy. Have a good night.” Somehow, I managed a smile and headed to the bathroom. Maybe someday I’d have kids who did this for a living, and then I’d understand how it felt to sit on a sofa and pretend to read a book while my daughters or sons were out fighting the undead, but for now, all I could see was that this apartment building was a cage, and my mom was the zookeeper. Later that night in my bed, I reached out to Holland. She was distraught, which made me happy. Thoughts of everything she lost played over and over in her head, and she didn’t even seem to care that I could see them. She thought of her lost love, Carter, of Larundel, her fortress, of all the forces she’d lost, and perhaps what stung most of all, that my sister had won again. I knew then, no matter how much despair Holland was in, she wouldn’t give up. She’d forge

another plan, dig deeper, maybe go back to Daunator. She’d keep fighting until Cadence was dead--or she was. It was my duty to be in her head as much as I could to see what she had coming. There wouldn’t be as many hunts now that there weren’t so many Vampires. We had a wedding to plan. Lucy would go through her Transformation process in a few weeks, and I’d help train her because she’s one of my best friends. I’d continue to try to find ways to win my freedom and probably end up getting myself more constricted because that’s what I did best. I’d have to find a way to assure Brandon he’s the only one for me without pushing Alex completely out of my life since he probably won’t be around much longer now that we’ve essentially completed the task we’d asked the Roatan Guardians to help with, though I was hopeful he’d stick around at least until Holland was gone. If she was ever gone.... When the sun came up again, millions of people around the world would be safer than they could’ve possibly imagined. The threat the Vampires posed on the innocent was nearly annihilated, and we would continue to stomp out what numbers they had left as quickly as we could. Those people would never know the lengths we went to or the sacrifices we made to make them safe. But that’s what we do here. We fight Vampires. We kill Vampires. Someday, maybe there won’t be any Vampires left, and then I’ll have to find something else to do with my life, but for now, I’m Cassidy Findley, teenager, high school student, halfVampire, half-Hunter, and I’ll sleep with one eye open, my hazel one, so you don’t have to.

The End Keep reading! Find Book 7, Gone Guardian, on your favorite retailor now!

A Note from the Author

Hi there! Thanks so much for reading Vampires Bite and Other Life Lessons. I hope you enjoyed reading about all the ways Cass gets herself in trouble, but kids, don’t try this at home! If you liked this book, please leave a quick review on the retailer where you purchased it. Your reviews help other readers decide if this book is for them. What do you think of the new covers, huh? Pretty snazzy, right? Gone Guardian, Book 7, is now available as is Book 8, Death Does Not Become Her. That will bring our ride with Cass to an end. While it’s sad that the series is over, it’s time to let Cass and Brandon get on with their lives. When you sign up for my newsletter, you can dowload several of my books for free, including Saving Cadence, a novelette about the Eidolon Festival strictly from Aaron’s perspective. Find Saving Cadence, free novels, and previews when you sign up here: https://books.bookfunnel.com/idjohnsonnewsletter My newsletter comes out twice a month and always has free and discounted books as well as information about what I’m working on. Thanks again for reading! ID Johnson

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