"Justin, are you okay?"

I nodded as the sick feeling in my stomach subsided, and the cold bite of the vampling curse faded in my leg. "It's getting worse. The visions. The anger. We've got to get to Maximus and stop him before I go over the edge." The small horns on my forehead clattered to the floor as my body reverted from its half-demon form to normal.

She leaned her head on my shoulder. "We will." Her arms wrapped tight around me and we held each other in the darkness.

Chapter 35

Nyte and Ash returned later, having dropped Nathan and pals at a bus stop. They had hot pizza with them, probably hoping it would serve as a peace offering and save them from mine, Katie’s, and Elyssa's wrath. While we were shocked at the abrupt change in our friends from Goths to vampires, it was hard to blame them for wanting payback for all the cruel things Nathan and his goons had done to us. So instead of yelling or making a big deal out of the whole kidnapping, assault, and revealing the secrets of the Overworld to noms, we accepted the pizza.

Besides, it had mushrooms and olives on it—my favorites.

"I don't even want to think about how many times they crapped themselves," Nyte said, laughing as he passed out paper cups.

Ash giggled like a little kid. "Join the Chess Club? Classic! Can you imagine those morons trying to figure out how to play?"

Elyssa wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I think making them protect the other nerds from bullies was a nice touch. But do you really think they're going to keep it up?"

Nyte looked at me with wonder. "Man, if growing horns out of your forehead and roaring like a demon doesn't keep them straight, I don't know what will."

"Yeah, about that," I said, scratching my forehead where the aforementioned horns had been. "I guess it's time to tell you two everything."

"All this time you've been holding out," Ash said. "Not cool, guys." He looked at Katie. "And you knew?"

She nodded. "I found out by accident. But I was sworn to secrecy." Her green eyes regarded him, traces of hurt or disappointment still evident.

"We had our reasons to keep it quiet." Elyssa gave them pointed looks. "Maybe you'll agree once we're done explaining."

We gave them the short version, taking turns, from the time I'd discovered my incubus abilities, to Elyssa's duties as an undercover Templar, sent to apprehend vampires preying on unsuspecting noms at our high school. It was hard to believe all we'd been through in the past few months.

Ash and Nyte looked absolutely flummoxed.

"Whoa, whoa, wait!" Ash said, a horrified look on his face. "Are you saying we joined the bad guys?"

Nyte's eyes grew worried. "Did we go to the dark side?"

"How did Maximus turn you?" I said, my heart chilled at the thought the rogue vampire might have infected them with the vampling curse.

"We injected ourselves." Ash pulled out two vials of a clear red substance with a bluish glow. "The recruiter told us we'd made the final cut and gave us vials like this. He had a bundle of them, so Nyte distracted him while I stole a couple, thinking we'd give them to you guys." He shrugged. "Obviously, you don't even need them."

I took one of the vials and examined it in the dim light. "Why is it glowing blue?"

"Oh, god," Elyssa said. "Maximus had time to make a batch with your blood, Justin." She peered at Nyte's eyes. "I knew something was off. Look at their irises."

I leaned in and spotted the anomaly right away. Although his and Ash's eyes had the standard red irises of vampires, they were edged by a soft blue tint. "Let me see your hand," I told Nyte.

He raised an eyebrow, but held it out. His hand was warm. I motioned for Elyssa to touch it.

She gasped. "Most vampires have a low body temperature. They're not cold, but they definitely aren't warm." Her eyes met mine. "But they aren't like dhampyrs either. This would explain why we didn't sense them as vampires."

"Dhampyrs have violet eyes?" Ash said. "And I always thought you were wearing contacts."

Elyssa squeezed his hand. "Have you had human blood yet?"

Ash and Nyte looked warily at each other.

"This is important, guys," she said. "Have you drunk blood from a human?"

Nyte winced. "Well, not exactly from a human. We drank from some blood packs right after, because the recruiter didn't want us jumping any classmates. We were supposed to go to an orientation tonight where they'd teach us how to hunt properly, you know, without killing people."

"Oh, and how to control blood urges, and what to do if we get the munchies," Ash added.

"How does daylight feel?" Elyssa asked.

"Uh, normal." Ash shrugged. "The recruiter told us we'd feel sluggish and tired in daylight, but he was wrong."

Nyte nodded. "I'm just glad I don't have to worry about bursting into flames or having a hot girl stab me in the chest with a stake."

"So they're not normal vampires?" Katie said, looking somewhat relieved.

"Not entirely," Elyssa said. She asked them several more questions, probably straight out of the Templar handbook for identifying vampires, and mulled over their answers before asking one last question. "And how many vials did you say this guy has?"

"Probably thirty or forty," Ash said. "No telling how many others he's already juiced with the stuff."

Elyssa stood and brushed the dust off her jeans. "We've got to get those vials."

"The orientation is at the same place they took your dad," Ash said, looking at me. "The dude gave us a pass phrase to get in the front door. Supposedly, we're gonna meet Maximus, too."

"Has he added any security?" I asked.

"We only went one time before," Nyte said, an apologetic look on his face. "The recruiter took us in to meet a British guy. We didn't think to look for cameras or anything."

"We didn't even know they were vampires," Ash said. "They told us the meeting was about finding new meaning or some crap like that. The British guy asked us a lot of questions."

Nyte shuddered. "And he shook our hands in a really creepy way, too."

"Did he have a monocle and an oiled mustache?" I asked.

Nyte gave a vigorous nod. "Yeah, exactly. Accent like Sherlock Holmes."

"The Master," I said. "Maximus's sire."

"Didn't you say Felicia needs Maximus's blood?" Nyte said.

"She needs the blood of her sire, whoever that is," I replied. I flicked my gaze to Elyssa. "It must be the Master, right? I mean, who else could it be? Unless Maximus has more than one elder vampire helping him."

Elyssa pulled a ring from her pocket, crowned with a tiny red gem. "Meghan made this to help. She charmed it with Felicia's blood so when we're within a few yards of her sire, it'll glow. The closer we are, the brighter the glow."

Nyte oohed. "A magic ring?"

She smiled. "Yep. Not much else to it, though."

"I wish I could do magic," Ash said, looking glum.

I stared at the ring, my mind wandering in a thousand different directions.

"You've got that look," Elyssa said, crossing her arms.

I turned to Nyte. "When is the orientation?"

He checked the time. "At midnight, a couple of hours from now."

"Please tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking," Elyssa said, a note of alarm in her voice.

"Your father won't even be ready to attack for a couple of days," I said. "By then, it might be too late for Felicia." I sighed. "It might be too late for me."

"We'll do whatever it takes," Ash said.

Nyte nodded. "No matter what, guys, we'll help."

"If I can help, I will," Katie said, giving Ash a concerned look.

I took Elyssa's hand. "Trust me, babe, I have a plan." My stomach, heaved. Apparently, it didn't think my plan was so great. I grinned to cover my nerves. "Where's a good Goth store?"

An hour later, I stood before a mirror, a man transformed. My eyes gleamed red. Fake fangs protruded beneath my lips. But the biggest difference was my hair. Elyssa's mom, whose day job was hair styling, cropped my hair close and bleached it blonde. By the time I put on the designer jeans and long-sleeve button-up shirt, I looked like a vampire who'd escaped a steamy romance novel.

"Your father doesn't like this plan one bit," Leia said, looking me over, and preening my eyelashes.

Elyssa took a towel and brushed something off my ear. "We don't have time to wait for him to be ready."

Leia looked at her daughter. "He promised not to get in your way, but he is sending a squad of his best people to go along."

"As long as he doesn't storm the castle," I said. "We don't need a bloodbath."

"Why do you think he hasn't gone in already?" Leia said. She took Elyssa's hands. "I'm not saying the plan is a bad one. Just be careful."

Elyssa offered her mother a smile. Nodded. "We will."

Her mother turned to me. "Bring my daughter back, Justin."

It was hard meeting her eyes, but I forced myself to do it. "Yes Ma'am."

Someone knocked on the door. Elyssa opened it. Adam Nosti stood outside, tablet in hand.

"I did some digging and found some background on Maximus and the Master." He stepped inside. Gave a nod to Leia. "Want to see?"

"Let's save it for the group," I said, motioning toward the door. "No sense in repeating it."

"You don't look half bad as a blonde," Elyssa said, running a hand through my short hair as we stepped into the hallway. "Will you be able to mask yourself from the vampires?"

"I did it the last time," I said. "Considering all the freaks after me, it's a matter of pure survival."