In his account the physician noted that after the ritual had been completed, the prince took on a much younger appearance, as if infusing himself with the victim’s blood had somehow reversed the aging process. There was a terrible price for tapping this ghastly fountain of youth, however, for over time the prince became addicted to blood, and could not eat or drink as other mortals did. Nor could he tolerate the heat or light from the sun. Force to live in the bowels of his father’s palace by day, the prince would roam freely at night, terrorizing the city and surrounding villages in his endless quest for more victims

upon whom he could feed.

Not a great deal is known about this ancient vampire prince, except that shortly after his evil practices were discovered he vanished, and all mention of him was removed from the royal family’s records and tombs. To this day, no one knows his name, or what became of him.

I set down the book and took out the letter Julian had left inside it. I have recovered some of the blood belonging to the immortal girl, and tonight I plan to use it in an ancient ritual of rebirth. I glanced at my list, and then realized what might connect all of the events together.

“You look very serious.”

I clapped my hand over my mouth to smother a shriek, and then rushed to Jesse, who stood holding a white rose in his hand. I wanted to yell at him for scaring me, but I was too happy to see him. “Thank goodness you’re here.” I hugged him, and accepted a kiss along with the rose. “I need to know something, and this is going to be a very weird question, but bear with me, okay?”

He smiled. “You can ask me anything.”

“Then here goes,” I warned. “If someone took some of your blood, and injected it in their own veins, would it change them from human to vampire?”

He looked bewildered. “I would never give anyone my blood, Catlyn. It is too dangerous to humans.”

“I know that. I’m not saying you did,” I assured him. “But if someone found some of your blood, and did that, what would happen to them?”

“It would poison them, and they would die,” he said, frowning. “Catlyn, why are you asking me this?”

“I’ll explain, but just one more question,” I begged. “What if the person was already dying when they injected your blood? Would it change them?”

“It is unlikely.” He thought for a minute. “To create a vampire, you must first kill them as a human. This person would have to be very close to death for the process of change to be triggered. They would have to be within moments of dying.”

I thought of the bottle of pills we’d found scattered in the bottom of the hidden closet. “Like someone who was having a heart attack because he deliberately didn’t take his medication.”

“Now will you explain this to me?” Jesse asked.

“I think you’d better read this first.” I handed him the letter.

Once Jesse read the letter, I showed him the passage in the book, and then the list of events that I’d written.

It only took Jesse a few seconds to put it all together. “Julian took my blood from the boathouse that night.”

I nodded. “He somehow knew how to re-create the ritual that the Egyptian prince used. Julian didn’t die on Halloween night, Jesse. He used your blood to turn himself into a vampire.”

Sixteen

On the morning of Christmas Eve I stayed in the kitchen baking my gifts for my brothers while they were out doing their usual frantic last-minute shopping. I hadn’t been able to think of anything new to do for them, so I fell back on what I did every year. I also made some mini red velvet cupcakes to take to Kari’s party, which boosted my festive mood a little. I’d be able to give Jesse his gift tonight.

For Gray I baked a big batch of chocolate chip cookies, and put them in a basket with a football-shaped mug, some hot chocolate mix and a copy of Glass Houses by Rachel Caine. For Trick I broke with my tradition and made up a pan of old-fashioned gingerbread, a little jar of lemon glaze and some packets of decaf coffee stuffed in a Harley mug. I also gave him a copy of Carrie by Stephen King.

I knew the tone of my gifts would worry them, which gave me a certain amount of sour amusement. I didn’t think I could keep my secret much longer anyway, not now that Sheriff Yamah knew Jesse and I were together.

While I baked and basketed and gift-wrapped, I hummed “Deck the Halls” under my breath. I would have sung it if I’d known all the words to it, but humming worked nicely to keep my mind on task.

Using the impending holiday as a way to keep from thinking about Julian Hargraves and the missing girls felt pretty cowardly, but there was nothing I personally could do about it. Jesse had taken everything I’d found along with my list to the sheriff. He’d also been going out with Prince at night to search Julian’s property and check the basements of empty houses and every other place a vampire might use as a sanctuary.

“You are the one Julian has been hunting,” he had told me when I’d offered to go with him. “Until James and I find him, you are in danger.”

I hated being left out, but I knew he was right. I wanted to help find the girls, and stop Julian, but if we were right he might attack me the moment he saw me. Jesse could heal from almost any type of injury; I couldn’t.

I knew all that in my head, but my heart still argued with me. I’m the vampire hunter. What if I’m the only one who is able to find him? What if those girls die because I’m too afraid to try?

“I don’t even know how to try,” I told my whiny heart as I picked up my gift baskets and took them up to my room. Once I hid them in my closet, I took out the shoebox where I’d put Jesse’s gift.

I’d found an old map in one of the National Geographic magazines Trick had thrown in the recycle bin, and used that as the wrapping paper. I didn’t have any ribbon that matched, so I tied it with a piece of jute and tucked in the knot a twig of Florida holly from the bush that grew out near the fence between his land and ours.

I went out to the barn to check on Rika, and ended up saddling Sali and taking her for a ride. Frost had turned all of our pastures brown, and some of the trees had shed nearly all their leaves. I knew when spring came everything would green up again, but until then our land would remain bleak and depressing.

I needed to go somewhere else, somewhere I felt happy. “Let’s ride out to the lake cabin, girl.” I touched my heels to her sides.

Eager as always, Sali took off toward the front gate.

Following the path Jesse and I had ridden so many times by myself felt odd, but the sunlight streaming through the canopy of trees lit up the woods and brought out the colors I could never see as well at night. We passed a miniature maple, and the blazing red of its tiny leaves against a cluster of nobby-trunked, deep green pines made me smile. Even nature found a way to dress up for the holidays.

I dismounted as the trail narrowed and led Sali the rest of the way to the little lake. In the sunlight the cabin looked much older, but now I could see how strong the walls had been built, and even the remnants of a little stone path that led around the lake.

I tied Sali out front before I went inside. The light that came through the windows formed glowing, slanted columns that interlaced with each other over the split-log floor.

Jacob and his lady had lived all alone out here. I didn’t know how I knew that, only that it felt right. No family, no friends, and probably no children. Like me and Jesse, all they had needed was each other. I could sense the love that had dwelled in this place; I had from the first time we had come here.

I went to the hearth, and touched the heart carved into the mantle. “I’m afraid,” I whispered. “I don’t know if we can do what you did. Leave everyone behind to be together, just me and him. It’s one thing to say it, but to actually go, and never come back, never see them again … I don’t know if we’re that strong.”

I pressed my forehead against the mantle, and blinked back the tears. I wasn’t going to cry, not in this place. When my eyes cleared, the sunlight crept around me, causing the ashes in the hearth to glow like a little girl’s blush.

Ashes aren’t pink.

I knelt down and reached into the ashes, stirring them until I found a bit of burned cloth. Then I found part of a sleeve, and a melted piece of fake white fur, and some blackened metal buttons.

Someone had brought Sunny Johnson’s jacket here, to our cabin. Someone who had burned it.

I lifted the sleeve, blowing off the ash before I examined it. A dark splotch marred the fabric, and when I touched it the stain flaked off onto my finger, leaving behind a lighter spot on the fabric. It looked like an old blood stain.

Vampires can use blood to see the past. My parents and I can do the same in a more limited way. Since your father was like us, he must have passed on his ability to you.

I curled my fingers over the stain and closed my eyes, drawing on my anger and focusing it on the fabric in my hand as power surged inside me.

This time the vision came in a blur of movement and color that slowly coalesced into shapes: A teenage girl wearing a pink jacket. The streetlight that shone down on her dark hair. A pay phone. The purse through which the girl searched for something.

A voice echoed inside my head, scratchy but kind. Do you need some change for the phone, Miss?

I thought I had some. The girl sounded nervous.

Her fear pleased me, and made me feel stronger. My eyes fixed on the girl’s throat.

The old voice said, I can give you what you need, my dear. A gnarled hand offered some quarters.

The girl drew back. Thanks, but I think I’ll just walk down to the sheriff’s station and call my mom from there.

An ugly anger rose inside me. She wasn’t supposed to resist. Don’t you recognize me?

No, sir. She turned as if she meant to run off.

I couldn’t let her get away, not until I was sure.

Don’t do that. The old hand seized the girl’s arm, the long fingernails scraping over her forearm. Stop fighting me. You want to go with me. Don’t you?

The fear faded from the girl’s expression, and her voice went flat and dull. I want to go with you.