He shrugged and held out a piece of paper folded in half and closed with a wax seal. “I’m just the messenger tonight. Don’t bite my head off.”

I snatched the paper from him and ripped the seal open.

We need to talk. You know where to find me.

Remo

Maybe he was going to tell me about the council? I scrunched the paper back up and handed it to Max. “You can give him this, as it is, and tell him it’s too darn late for begging. I think it will get my reply across clearly.”

Max glanced at the balled-up piece of paper in his hand. “Seriously, he has been known to shoot the messenger.”

I brushed past him. “Then don’t work for him, Max.”

“And who would I work for? You killed Santos,” he said. Wow, word traveled faster than even I thought it would.

I glared at him and arched an eyebrow, feeling more confidence than I’d had in years. “Someone had to do it, and apparently it wasn’t going to be Remo. And you can tell him that too.”

His eyes popped wide, and behind me Dahlia gasped.

Well, it had to be said. Even if my stomach was tied in knots like a belly full of snakes that had wrapped around one another. “I’m not trying to be a jerk,” I amended, even though I already knew it was too late. The look on Max’s face said it all. Then again, what should I care? I steeled my shoulders and stood tall. “He left me on my own, so I dealt with a problem that came my way. It’s not my fault he has his panties in a twist over it.”

Max continued to stare. Dahlia cleared her throat. “You realize that this will put you on Remo’s enemy list?”

“You don’t know that,” Tad said. “She just took care of a major issue for him. Hell, she saved his bacon.”

“Yes,” Dahlia snapped. “But right when every high-ranking vampire on the continent has shown up to see just what the hell is going on in Remo’s territory. None of them wanted Santos around; he’s broken too many of our laws. They would have dealt with him. But by killing Santos, Alena made Remo look weak. Worse, it could put a target on her back from the council because of her strength. They don’t like not being at the top of the food chain.”

Honey puffs, Dahlia was too smart for her own good. “It doesn’t matter. We already know that is the case.”

“What?” she shrieked. “When were you going to tell me?”

Tad took her hand. “We just found out.”

She huffed several times, her green eyes flashing, but she did settle down. “So, what are you going to do?”

I raised my hand, stopping her. “Enough. I can’t change things. I can’t take it back. Max”—I turned to him—“you have my answer; give it to Remo in private if you can.”

He looked down at the crumpled piece of paper in his hand. “Damn.” With that he turned, and so did I. I pushed the door of house number thirteen open and then paused. This was one of the vampire safe houses. Which meant it belonged to Remo. Right now I needed distance from him, for both our sakes. A tiny piece of my heart broke—this had been my safe haven since I’d been turned into a Super Duper. I didn’t want to leave it.

“Dahlia, I’ll pack my stuff,” I said.

“That might be best,” she said, and it hurt to hear her echo my own thoughts. “I can’t protect you from him if he is pissed, or the council, for that matter.” She shook her head and brushed past me.

I made my way up the stairs to the bedrooms. I listened for a heartbeat that would tell me Sandy was around. There it was, a flutter like the beat of wings in the air, soft and at a speed that was faster than any human or other Super Duper I’d dealt with so far. I went to her room and paused before I knocked. Since Beth had been killed by Theseus, Sandy had not been herself. Then again, it hadn’t been that long, only a little over a week. Most nights she cried herself to sleep; I could hear her through the thin walls, sobbing softly. I’d been reluctant to say anything. Beth had died because of Theseus; he’d taken her head in a single swipe of his sword. But I’d bitten her, my venom driving into her veins. I’m not sure she would have survived that, which meant maybe her death was my fault too.

“I can hear you out there, Alena,” she said. “You can come in.”

I opened the door and stepped in. “Hey. I . . . I think I made it so we can’t stay here anymore.”

Her eyes widened, and I swiftly filled her in on the day’s events so far.

“Do we have a place to go?” she asked.

I smiled. “Yeah, it’s time to go home. To my grandparents’ home. I’d . . . I’d like it if you came with me. If you want to, that is.” The last thing I wanted was for her to feel pressured into staying with me.

She nodded. “I don’t have a lot to pack. Maybe . . . maybe we can try that new recipe when we get there? The cream cheese–filled cupcakes, the ones with the saffron icing?”

I smiled. “Yeah, let’s do that.”

She walked over to me and slid her arms around my waist. “Don’t be hard on yourself, Alena. Please. I . . . I don’t blame you for anything.”

I hugged her back, doing my best not to cry. “Stop reading my mind.”

She laughed and pushed me away gently. “If only it were that easy. Don’t avoid me, please. You’re my friend, and I know . . . I know that you were trying to save her. I know you were.”