“You don’t have to do that,” he told her. “I’m alone.”

“Forgive me if I don’t entirely trust your motives,” she shot back grimly. “You tried to kill my best friend.”

“I did not!” he exclaimed hotly. Lucy had the ability to make most guys revert to being ten years old. That should’ve been in their stupid field guide. “She wasn’t even out in the garden.”

“Technicality,” Lucy grumbled. “You came for the bounty.”

“Yeah. It’s my job.”

“You should get a new one. Your boss sucks.”

“Here’s your book,” I said quietly, handing him the guide before they started to pull each other’s hair.

“Thanks.” Neither of us said anything else. I was starting to hope Lucy would snap at him again, when he finally glanced away. “Why’d you want to meet?”

“You have to know we didn’t break the treaty.”

“Look, like I told your mental friend here, I don’t make the rules. I just graduated.

And anyway, isn’t it all part of your coup? To be queen?”

“Is that what they’re telling you?”

“You don’t want to be queen?”

“No,” I said emphatically. “I don’t. Look, I’m the first girl born to the House of Drake. That’s all. It’s only a big deal because of people like you. I didn’t ask for this.”

“Then don’t let them turn you into a vampire.”

“Oh, sure, she’ll just die instead,” Lucy said waspishly. “Nice plan.” He blinked at me. “You really would? That’s not a myth about the ancient families?”

“No, it’s not a myth. And I really don’t want my family being hunted because of me.

Can’t you do anything?” I wasn’t sure why I was asking him for help; I only knew that we really had no other options. I had to do something and this was it. Problem was, he didn’t look entirely convinced. “If you really believe we should be hunted down, why don’t you just kill me now?” I took a step closer to him, opening my arms.

“Don’t be stupid.” He took a startled step back, as if I was the one covered in weapons.

“Why not? It’s what you do, isn’t it?”

“It’s not like that. Besides, you’re human. Mostly.”

“For now. Does that mean you’ll kill me after my birthday?”

“No! Maybe. I don’t know. I just want to find the one who killed my dad.”

“You were so convinced it was one of us.” I stepped even closer, could see the way his pupils dilated.

“Solange,” Lucy said nervously.

I didn’t look away from Kieran. “So go ahead.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Nicholas stalked out of the woods, fuming. I was half- surprised smoke wasn’t coming out of his ears. Kieran reached for one of the stakes on his belt.

“Don’t,” I said, stepping in front of him. “Please.”

“Solange, get inside,” Nicholas ordered through his teeth, forcibly lifting Lucy up off the ground and setting her out of his way when she tried to stop him. She clung to his arm like a monkey.

“We know what we’re doing,” she insisted, her feet dragging in the long grass.

“Stop it, Nicholas.”

“We won’t bother you again,” I told Kieran, and for some reason my voice came out sounding sad. I turned away from him. “Nick, let’s go.” I marched across the field knowing Nicholas would follow me, no matter how much he wanted to hang around to punch Kieran.

I didn’t look back to see what Kieran was doing.

Logan was in the back garden when we got back to the house.

“I knew something was up with you two,” he said, seething.

“They had a secret date with Kieran frigging Black,” Nicholas informed him stonily.

“Oh, it wasn’t like that,” Lucy retorted. “Give me a break.”

“What is wrong with you?” Logan’s mouth dropped open. I pushed past him to go inside and then wished I hadn’t. Quinn, Connor, Marcus, and Duncan were waiting in the sunroom, and each of them started yelling at once. Lucy winced, stepping up beside me.

“She’s fine,” she said. “She’s fine!” She yelled at the top of her lungs. My brothers paused. The sudden silence was broken by a bell ringing from the basement. Quinn and Connor took off at a run. By the time we stepped into the hall toward the kitchen, they were already leading someone up the steps.

“London,” I said in surprise. She was a distant cousin and we rarely saw her. She was slim and pale and looked just like her name, with black hair so sleek it always looked as if she’d been walking in the rain. There were silver studs in her ears, seventeen at last count, one in her nose, and another in her left eyebrow. She wore tight black clothing, as always. “What are you doing here?” I asked.

“You’ve been summoned.”

“Our parents aren’t here,” I said.

“I know,” she replied. “It’s not your parents who’ve been summoned, only you.”

“By who?”

“Madame Veronique.”

I stepped back. “I don’t want to go.”

“You can’t exactly refuse.”

“Why does she want to see me?” Veronique never saw any of us before the bloodchange. Ever.