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Victoria sighed and peered over at the body of her father Which meant Aden peered over at her father He considered the charred re had looked like before Tall and strong, surely Had he possessed blue eyes like Victoria? Or green like Stephanie?

Vlad’s fingers curled into a fist

Aden stilled, sure he’d just hallucinated And he must have, he rationalized, because Victoria had not see event and he’d watched through her eyes

Vlad’s fingers uncurled

Once again, Aden stilled, waiting, gauging, heart thuined that He couldn’t have iers twitched as if trying to make another fist Moveht?

Why hadn’t Victoria noticed? Why hadn’t anyone? Maybe they were too lost to their grief Orthe last hints of his existence Either way, Victoria needed to be told what he’d seen

Victoria, Aden projected, desperate to gain her attention

Nothing No response

Victoria!

She petted Vlad’s arest of the vampires to carry him inside for burial preparation Obviously, she didn’t hear hined, darkness closing in around hiht Blue-white flames covered D hi as left of him

This time, Aden did scream

He did thrash

He also died

ONE

MARY ANN GRAY STUDIED HERSELF in the full-length ht and unsle Perhaps even, dare she think it? Silky Clothes--an unwrinkled lacy T-shirt and clean skinny jeans Shoes--hiking boots She’d replaced the plain white laces with thick pink ones, giving them a feminine flair

Okay, then She was officially ready

Breathing deeply, shaking a little, she gathered her books, stuffed the that pack over her shoulder and headed downstairs toward the kitchen Where her dad aiting With breakfast she would be required to eat

Her stomach churned in protest She’d have to fake-eat because she doubted she would be able to keep a single bite down She was si roo into the sink and athe final corner and leaned her shoulder against the wall, losing herself to her thoughts A feeeks ago, she and her dad had entered new territory Ugly, deceitful territory We’ll always be honest with each other, he used to tell her All The Ti her lies about her birth iven birth to her, but had in fact been her aunt

In truth, her real er versions of herself, yet he’d refused to believe her, had considered her unstable She couldn’t prove otherwise, either, because she was dead and her spirit had moved on Lost to Mary Ann forever

God, the loss still hurt

Mary Ann had gotten to spend one day with her One a, wonderful day because Eve, her mother, had been one of the souls trapped inside her friend Aden’s head Then, booone

Tears burned Mary Ann’s eyes as she re, but she blinked them back She couldn’t allow herself to cry Her mascara would run, and then she’d look like a domestic abuse victim when Riley arrived to pick her up

Riley

My boyfriend Yes, she’d think about hi in the past Her lips even curled into a small smile as her heart raced uncontrollably She hadn’t seen hiether, when his king had been n Not that Aden wanted the title--or the responsibilities that would surely come with it