“And if you don’t do your job, I’m supposed to tell him about it.”

“Fine,” I said through my teeth. “I already posted my hours so chill, already.”

“My family’s just as good as yours,” she snapped suddenly.

It was my turn to blink at her. “Okay.” I didn’t know what else to say to that.

“I mean it.”

“I’m sure you do.”

I was so glad we weren’t roommates anymore. I’d rather have Chloe throwing stuff at my head any day. I heard one of the doors creak open. “You, in room 403!” I snapped. “Always check for creaky hinges before you try to listen in on someone. It’s a dead giveaway.” There was a gasp and the door slammed shut, followed by stifled giggles. I rolled my eyes. “So’s that,” I muttered.

“Look, I don’t need your help,” Courtney insisted hotly.

“You need some kind of help,” I said, turning on my heel and going back downstairs. I was on the landing when my phone vibrated in my pocket as a text message came through.

Hel-Blar attack. All 12th-grade students
to town line rendezvous.

I took the rest of the steps at a dead run.

Spencer was already in my room when I got there. Chloe was shoving a stake through one of her belt loops. She looked excited. She never looked excited about drills and outright runs.

“You got the message?” Spencer flicked me a glance.

I nodded, reaching for my jacket. I secured the tear-gas pen, altered to hold Hypnos powder, in my cuff. “Hel-Blar on the outskirts of town again?” I asked. “That’s twice in one week.”

“And enough of them this time to call us all in,” Spencer added grimly as we thundered down the hall. The front door was already open. A cluster of Niners stood on the stairs watching the dorms empty of twelfth-grade students, armed to the teeth.

Courtney shoved past them, stakes lined up on her designer leather belt. “Hunter,” she smirked at me. “Someone has to stay behind and babysit the girls, as you so kindly pointed out.”

I did not like where this was going.

“So you stay,” I replied tersely. “You’re the floor monitor.”

“You’re my assistant,” she strode past me. “So assist.”

I grabbed her elbow. “You said you didn’t need help, remember?”

She shrugged me off. “Let go. You’re the one who was all worried about them.” She jerked her head toward the lane, visible through the open door. “There goes York. Should we ask him?”

Crap.

“Why do you have to be such a bitch, Courtney?” Chloe snapped. “Is it your superpower or something?”

“Shut up.” She flounced out, hurrying to catch up with York.

“Sucks,” Spencer said. “Want me to stay?”

I shook my head. “Sounds like they need you.” My teeth were clenched so tight it was hard to speak.

Chloe made a face. “Sorry,” she said, shutting the door behind them.

I was left standing in the foyer under the dusty chandelier, covered in stakes, with night-vision goggles pushed up on my head like a headband.

Talk about being all dressed up with no place to go.

The Niners were whispering excitedly to themselves, a few brave ones coming down to press their noses to the windows. Jason, who was the boys’ ninth-grade monitor, turned to me sympathetically. “You’re having a hell of a year so far, aren’t you?”

I had to grin, even if it was only faintly. “Maybe I should have Spencer check me for curses.”

“Wouldn’t hurt,” he said before turning to the nervous students. “Everyone back upstairs. Now.”

They went reluctantly, but they went.

“Did you tell them their common room windows have a better view of the vans leaving campus?” I asked, remembering how we used to sneak out of bed and cram ourselves into the window seats, jockeying for the best position to watch the official runs and middle-of-the-night drills in the woods.

“No way,” Jason said. “I might lose my spot.” He slung an arm over my tight shoulders. “Come on, Wild, let’s go watch reruns of Warriors on the History Channel and wait up like little old ladies left out of all the fun.”

I let him lead me up the creaky old staircase, dragging my feet a little.

“I can’t believe I’m missing the first real vamp takedown of the semester,” I said glumly.

The chandelier flickered once and then all the lights went out.

I whirled just in time to see a shadow pass by one of the front windows.

“Or not,” I amended.

Chapter 8

Hunter

Jason was already upstairs when the first Hel-Blar crashed into the foyer, shattering the glass. I was still on the landing and the only one properly armed.

“Go!” I yelled up to Jason. “Trip the alarms.”

He hesitated.

“Just go!” I insisted before leaping off the landing. I grabbed the chandelier and used it to swing forward, gaining enough momentum to catch the Hel-Blar in the chest with my heels. He was swept off his feet just as the chandelier chain snapped and dumped me in the center of the foyer. The crystal beads rained down on our heads, skittering into the broken glass from the window. The Hel-Blar didn’t stay sprawled on the ground for long. The smell of wet mushrooms was overpowering. He snapped his teeth at me, all pointed and needle-sharp. I shoved a stake through his chest and he crumbled into ash, leaving behind an empty pile of clothes.