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The party’s not set to start until seven, but the first guests begin arriving soon after six I’ about where their coats should go, if there’s enough food and drink, if anyone’s s they shouldn’t have But as hter and buzz of voices increase, I begin to relax as I realise people are having fun

Not everyone who co I can do about that If I turned them away, I’d sour the atmosphere A fe-ins have to be expected at any party

Loch and Frank help (Leon can’tnewco others around the uests I love leading the out weapons on the walls, explaining the house’s bloody history, showing them the hall of portraits and the faces of the dead

"How co the paintings and photos

"We’re an adventuresorow old We e"

"They leave good looking corpses though," Reni says and giggles sweetly when I blush

Bill-E arrives at a quarter to eight I’ down the stairs when he enters, adlad you could co his hand, which Bill-E predictably-and, I ly-tries to shake "Sucker!"

But even Loch’s teasing can’t spoil the mood Bill-E breezes past him, feathers only mildly ruffled, and makes for the nearest pile of food Tenafter roup on a tour By midway he’s taken over-he knows ends than I do and is better at telling the stories I don’t mind It’s nice to see him come out of his shell I wish he was like this all the tie Nauseous, dizzy, the roo oddly out of focus My breath is heavy in my ears and my stomach and chest ache if I ht booze-but maybe somebody spiked the soft drinks with a spoon of nasty powder or a pill

"Are you OK?" Reni asks, spottingtowards the kitchen

"A bit weird" I gasp, having to sit on the floor a couple of metres shy of the kitchen door

Reni squats beside ood," she says and feels , have you?" I shake s?" Her voice is hard

"Not that I know about," I wheeze "I was going to the kitchen to check Think soht have spiked the drinks"

"They’d better bloody not," Reni growls, surging to her feet "I’ll have them arrested if they have! You wait here" She storate Five or ten minutes later-hard to keep track of ti so much-she returns, calmer "Everyone else is fine I don’t think the drinks have been tampered with"

"Maybe I’m just sick," I mutter

"That’s what it looks like," she says, then grabs et you outside Fresh air will do you a world of good"

She steers ainst the wall and stands watch beside me as I take deep breaths and try to focus After a few minutes my head clears a little andmy eyes

"Good as new," I smile

Reni leans towards me, a serious look in her eyes I tense Will this be our first kiss? I hope I don’t ue or just lips? But at the last moment her expression crinkles and she kisses me quickly on the nose instead of themy hands "It’s too cold out here for monkey business"

"What about inside?" Ithe line out without starins and heads back in I follow in high spirits, feeling o It’s only e reach the kitchen door that I stop and feel a stab of real panic

The light’s been switched off inside the kitchen I can see the reflection of the sky in the dark glass of the door Letting go of Reni’s hand, turning slowly, I look up at the cloudless heavens and fix erously near to full

Locked inside Dervish’s study Breath coht Bill-E changed, the beast he becae him up to protect people from hi into a olf?

I don’t know The sickness and dizziness are still there, but theyelse Maybe it’s just worry that’s turnedlike a hu them steady After a while they obey me Then I force myself to breathe normally, evenly When I feel like I’m in control, I study ns around the eyes and lips-that’s where theThe same lines and creases Eyes a bit wilder than normal-which is understandable-but mine Not clouded over or animalistic

I wish Dervish was here I consider calling his mobile He isn’t that far away The speed he drives, he could be here in a couple of hours I dig my phone out ofmy thumb down over the dial button then stop

"I’ so scared "It’s after ten" I check ht of its powers If I was going to change, it would have happened by now"

But maybe it’s the start, a voice within me whispers, a voice I last heard in Slawter ht It’s a gradual process, spread out over a fewof the end

"Maybe," I agree, refusing to panic "But I’ to fear fro Dervish back"

But if it’s the change If your time as a human is limited

"All the h viciously, then o downstairs, sht co home, a few collected by their parents By half past, only those who are sleeping over remain-Loch, Frank, Leon, Charlie, Robbie, Bill-E, Reni, Mary and a few others who’ve begged a bed for the night (OK, I lied to Dervish about only boys staying, but what he doesn’t know can’t hurt hiht?)

"Do you want er to wind the party down, still feeling sick

"The hell with sleep," Frank laughs "Tiood-natured groans, nobody objects, so five est of the party roo in a nervous circle around an e of lips I do a quick head count-nine boys, four girls

"How are we going to work this?" I ask Frank

"We each take a turn spinning," he says, rubbing his hands together eagerly "When it points to a member of the opposite sex-hoobah!"

"But there’s more of us than them," I object

"So?" he frowns

"Well Ito have to kissanyone other than hs "That’s hoorks, et plenty of action"

"Only siues, not unless both want to Clear?"

"Of course, of course!" Frank says quickly, leering

"We mean it," Reni says "If one of you breaks the rules, that’s it, end of ga his eyes "We get the e Noho first?"

"It’s Grubbs’s party," Loch says

"That’s OK," I cough, getting cold feet "I think Bill-E should have first shot"

"I second the hs, rabs the bottle and spins itto stop But finally it does-and it’s pointing at Reni

Bill-E grins "Sorry, ao, but the bottle decides"

I feel my temper rise as Bill-E and Reni meet in the middle of the circle to a series of whistles and crude re to bubble over all night forces its way up my throat But then Reni pecks him on the lips and they both sit down I relax, s the voahs when one of the boys spins and it ends up pointing to another boy Lewd giggles when that happens to the girls Most of the kisses are like the first, quick pecks But a few are stronger, where the pair are attracted to each other-Robbie and Mary, Leon and Nina Duffy

I get to kiss Mary twice, Nina three tily), before Reni finally spins and the bottle ends up pointing at me

"Whoo-hoo!" Frank chortles