“Are you going to hurt my friend?” I asked him softly.

He finally, with effort, tore his gaze from mine to sweep a glance over the blonde shivering next to me. “Kissed anyone yet?”

“No.” I looked at her.

“No,” she confirmed. “No kissing. Stephen warned me it would only make my hunger harder to deal with.”

“He should know,” I grumbled.

“Found two tonight so far who met my dagger. Out of control.” Bishop gave Carly another hard look. “Don’t kiss or you’ll be sorry.”

She mock-saluted. “Yes, sir.”

I cringed at her fearless sarcasm. I found that I was reaching forward to take Bishop’s hand in mine, but I faltered just before I touched him. He hadn’t asked me to do this. That was our deal—when he needed me to touch him, he’d ask me.

I met his eyes. Ask me to touch you right now.

His gaze sank into me, his dark brows drawn tightly together, but he didn’t say a word.

I crossed my arms over my chest and fought against the pull. “Do you have everything under control?”

He seemed to fight for clarity and to find his words. “We’re doing our best. For some reason, those with the most severe hunger come out only at night. It’ll be better when I find the Source.” He gazed past me at the club. “Have you met her yet?”

The truth froze on my tongue. Something stopped me from spilling everything. If Natalie had been an out-of-control monster who was forming an army and wanted to wreak havoc citywide and hurt people, I might tell him everything. But she wasn’t. And I needed more answers before I’d know for sure who to trust.

I didn’t know her. But I didn’t really know Bishop, either.

“No,” I said, forcing myself to look into his eyes again. Give me time, I thought. I might be able to find something out to help you.

Or to help myself.

Hopefully both.

I was book smart, but I had to be street smart now, too. I couldn’t give Bishop every ounce of my trust—not when he hadn’t been totally open with me in return.

Carly eyed Kraven with distaste. “Let me get this straight. You two run around town killing people?”

“Only the monsters.” Kraven gave her a dark grin. “Even if they have bouncy blond hair and pretty blue eyes. So you better stay on your new diet, honey.”

“Such a hero,” Carly said with disgust. “You think you’re doing the right thing? Like you’re some sort of savior to mankind stomping out anything that’s a little different?”

Kraven let out a humorless laugh. “Nah. I’m way more of an opportunist.” When Carly rolled her eyes, he said, “You think I’m lying?”

“Whatever. Come on, Sam. We’re out of here.” Carly grabbed my arm and started dragging me past them.

I looked over my shoulder at Bishop and my heart twisted. “Wait…I have to…”

“To what? These guys are trouble.” She glared back at Kraven. “Unless you’re going to try to stop us?”

He smiled, an expression that didn’t come close to touching his eyes. “Have a good evening, girls. And nice meeting you…Carly, right?”

Carly physically shoved me into the passenger seat of her car and got in, started it and pulled out of the parking spot. In the rearview mirror I saw Kraven and Bishop watch us drive away. Only then did I realize I was shaking.

“I know that Bishop guy gets to you big-time,” she said. “You started losing it there for a second. Thought you might ditch me again and run off with him.”

That almost made me laugh. “No, I—I’m not ditching you.” He did get to me, though. Even now I wanted to go back and touch him, help him, but I stayed firmly in my seat and forced myself not to ask her to turn around. I played with the edge of my skirt and tried to breathe normally. I had half a mind to go back into the club and warn Natalie that they were there, but she wasn’t stupid. She knew enough to be wary of Bishop. I had a funny feeling that if she didn’t want him to find her, he wouldn’t. Not easily, anyway.

“Not sure why you’re so crazy about him,” Carly continued. “I mean, he’s definitely gorgeous, but he seems like a complete wacko. And that other guy—he’s hot, but a total asshole, isn’t he? And you said they’re brothers?”

“Yeah.” I wanted to tell Carly everything, unburden myself of all my problems from the past few days. Tell her the truth about who and what Kraven and Bishop really were, beyond their confusing biological relationship. I mean, I trusted her. And now we were in this together, no matter what.

But I still kept my mouth shut.

She eyed me after a couple of minutes. “Feeling all right?”

“I’m fine.” Hungry and cold, but that was nothing new.

“Can I do anything to help?

“Yeah, you can give me a little bit of your self-confidence. Not sure why I didn’t get that gift with purchase when Stephen kissed me.” I actually managed a smile, remembering how she’d faced off with Kraven. “You’re kind of a force to be reckoned with now.”

She grinned. “I know, right? Fake it till you make it, isn’t that what they say? If I’d been all shy and demure, I think they might have given us a harder time.”

“You’re probably right.” I went quiet, lost in my thoughts, until she finally pulled into my driveway.