“You don’t have a dungeon, do you? Because I expect a guest room.” She showed her teeth in a bare approximation of a smile. “As a show of good faith, of course.” Hart met Liam’s grim gaze, returned it with his own. “I expect her to be safe here.” Liam inclined his head. “As long as our daughter is safe.” Hart barely suppressed a wince. “I’ll do my best,” he said.

“If your best isn’t good enough?” Helena said softly, silkily. “I will personally drain every single person in your league. Understood?”

He nodded stiffly.

“Your mom rocks,” I muttered. “You know he’s totally shaking under all that suave sophistication.”

Bruno showed Hart outside, trailed by the dogs, except for Byron, who kept sniffing suspiciously at Hope. Geoffrey nodded his head at the stairs.

“Your room is this way.”

Nicholas and I scrambled to our feet. He pulled me down the hall, his fingers like a vise around mine. We leaped into Solange’s room just as Geoffrey led Hope to one of the guest rooms with its own bathroom. He shut the door behind her and locked it, with an ominous click that seemed to reverberate. He paused on the other side of Solange’s door, and I half expected him to lock us in as well.

“Get to sleep, you two,” he muttered before walking away.

I turned back to Nicholas, who was already stretched out on Solange’s bed, his head resting on the Hello Kitty pillow I’d given her for her ninth birthday.

“What do we do now?” I asked. My eyes felt gritty and dry. I’d been awake for nearly twenty-four hours. I felt a little lightheaded. Nicholas didn’t even open his eyes.

“I have to sleep.” His words were slurred. I sat down next to him, touched his forehead. There was an unhealthy pallor to his skin. “Save Solange.” He didn’t say anything else for a long time. I poked him once.

“Nicholas?”

Nothing.

It felt wrong to sleep when my best friend was out there at the mercy of rogue vampire hunters. Buffy wouldn’t have slept.

Of course, Buffy had supernatural powers.

Me?

Not so much.

“Shut up about Buffy already,” Nicholas muttered. I hadn’t even realized I’d spoken out loud. He didn’t open his eyes, only reached out and yanked my sleeve until I fell over, sprawled next to him. “Go to sleep.” The bed was soft and smelled like vanilla fabric softener. Nicholas was a comforting presence against me. He was already asleep again. He wouldn’t notice if I snuggled in just a little bit closer.

For safety’s sake, of course. There were bad guys everywhere, after all. One couldn’t be too careful.

He shifted midsnore and pulled me closer.

I fell asleep feeling better than I had all week.

CHAPTER 17

Solange

“Get lost, Black, this doesn’t concern you.” The agent in the lead tensed. His shoulders knotted and his hand strayed to the hilt of his weapon. Sunlight glinted off his night-vision goggles, pushed up on his head. The others exchanged wary glances. There was something in the air, some secret I didn’t know about.

“Like hell it doesn’t,” Kieran said.

“Look, we don’t need you, kid. Go home.”

“Go to hell,” Kieran shot back. “I’m a full agent and deserve a cut.” What ever was sizzling around us seemed to relax slightly.

“What are you saying, Black?”

“I’m saying the bounty’s enough for all of us.”

Someone snorted. “Your uncle know you’re doing this? Or haven’t you heard?

Helios called us off.”

“What?” I asked. “Then what the hell are you doing with me?” Kieran ignored me. Black nose plugs hung around his neck and stakes lined the leather strap across his chest.

“Vampire queen’s still got a bounty on her, doesn’t she? I want in,” he repeated.

I hadn’t known that, either. I was starting to hate my sixteenth birthday. A poufy white dress and a cake with roses made out of pink icing and awkward dancing with boys in awkward suits was starting to sound like a great alternative. Seriously. Sign me up. I wouldn’t even complain.

“You’ll have to prove yourself.”

Kieran shoved up his sleeve, showing his sun tattoo. “I’ve proven myself, thanks.”

“We’re taking out more than one little girl, no matter how freaky she might be.”

“Whatever, look, I just want the money.” He pushed toward me. The woods seemed to glow so brightly, I shaded my face. My vision was more sensitive than it had ever been. The trees might as well have been carved out of emeralds and filled with sunlight. His eyes were soothingly dark.

And glaring at me pointedly.

I glared back.

He broke contact only long enough to glance to his right, brief as a lightning bug’s flash. My glare lost some of its oomph as I tried to figure out what was going on. The agents were spread out slightly on his right. Not enough to make an escape, but almost. Kieran tripped over a tree root, his elbow catching one of the guards in the sternum. He stumbled back. The gap widened. Kieran grabbed my hand and tossed me through the brief opening. I could feel him at my back, pushing me on. Behind us the agents hollered. A shot rang out, pinged bark off a pine tree not a foot from my head. Kieran shoved me. “Run faster.”

“Trying,” I gasped. Only adrenaline kept me going, and it was starting to make me feel sick. There was nothing quiet or vampiric about the way I was crashing through the woods. A deaf and blind kitten could have followed my trail.