The talk with the Queen was brief. She flashed us a sarcastic, "I told you so" smile, and didn't spare me a look. We returned to the lab accompanied by a single vamp.

Thirteen was pinning pale and trembling Francesco to the wall. With her back to us, she ignored our entry. Over her arm, the man's eyes were wide with fear and helpless anger. He shot us a pleading look, and the green light on his collar blinked frantically as if it glitched. Lily smiled and put a hand on my shoulder.

"You can have your fun with him when we get the hell away from here," the leech stated.

The bald woman jerked her head, looked around, and turned away from Francesco, revealing that she'd unfastened his belt. He pushed himself off the wall with a sigh.

"You should appreciate your master's attention," Lily mocked Francesco, licking her lips.

"Raze off," he spat, clenching his fists, which only made her cackle. My savior didn't interfere.

"Say your goodbyes and we're off," Lily waved at me and positioned herself by the door, motionless like a surveillance camera.

I found Milena at a desk, scribbling in a notebook. She looked up at me and gave me a faint smile.

"We'll find him, and get you out of here," I sobbed, my eyes fogging.

She stood up and planted a kiss on my forehead.

"I know you will. Just keep safe," she soothed me, wiping the tears from my cheeks with her thumb.

"I will. Look, I still have it," I said, fishing the golden cross from my pocket and showing it to her.

She jumped back with a hiss, her eyes flashing red, her fangs barred.

"The vampires don't like holy objects," Thirteen said, covering the cross with her hand and making me put it back in my pocket.

Milena relaxed a little, but wouldn't approach me. My heart broke, but we had to go.

The vampire guide sent by the Queen took us to the outskirts of the city before sunrise. I looked back at the looming skyscrapers in the first morning rays, and we were on our way.

The plan was simple. With Roman and Iza, we'd had a meeting point established, in case something bad happened to any of us. Of course, they could already be too out of their minds to be checking the spot, but I held onto hope.

For the next few days, we marched and foraged, mostly in silence. When we stopped for the night, Francesco put his sleeping bag as far as he could, watching the women gloomily from time to time. With his parasite dormant, he was waking the thirst in one and lust in the other. Time and again, I caught the huntress watching Francesco with a mixture of desire and cruelty that made my skin crawl.

Thirteen again chose an abandoned school for our resting place. This time, we set up our small camp in the cafeteria, so we had the luxury of eating our meager supper at the table.

"Sit with us," Thirteen said and patted the chair beside her when Francesco chose a table at the other end of the room.

He clenched his teeth and took the place she'd pointed, shifting his chair away from his mistress as far as he could. Not far enough. He stiffened when she put her left hand on his thigh.

"You used to be a cook," I ventured, averting Thirteen's attention from her victim. Francesco drank his tea, the mug trembling in his hand.

"I worked in a school kitchen, much like the one here, I guess," she said, her eyes lighting up with joy.

"It's hard to imagine," I muttered.

"It feels like it was ages ago," she sighed.

"Why did you become a cook?" I asked, striving to keep her busy. My conversational skills were level 0. Lame.

"I wasn't planning on that. I was supposed to be a lawyer, like my mum," she mused. "But she got killed, and I didn't have the heart to study. So I switched to vocational school," Thirteen explained.

"I'm sorry. About your mother," I stammered.

"She was a prosecutor. The bad guys didn't like that," Thirteen pondered and got up. She hadn't finished her meal. "I'll check out the kitchen," she said as she left.

Lily appeared behind Francesco, blocking his chair. "The Huntress should have left you to the emojis," she whispered into his ear.

"Raze off," he spat, recoiling from the leech.

"You could at least make yourself useful," the bloodsucker licked the side of his neck.

Francesco struggled to get up, but the vamp held him down.

"How did you become an emissary?" I blurted out of context. Fleck. I seriously should level up my charisma.

Lily shot me a surprised look. "I was appointed by my matriarch."

"Matriarch?" I needed to keep her talking.

"Each vampire coven is ruled by a matriarch. The Queen is the matriarch of the Bloody Court," she explained, rubbing Francesco's shoulder. The tormented man tried to push her hand away, but failed.

Lily crashed into the wall, plaster flaking off around her. "I told you not to touch him," Thirteen snarled, ready to hit the vampire again.

Francesco shot up from his seat, his chair hitting the floor with a metallic clatter.

"I haven't hurt him," the leech muttered, wiping the blood from her cut lip and scrambling to her feet. More plaster flaked off the wall.

"That's why you still have your head," Thirteen said, her voice calm and cold. "I won't warn you again," she threatened.

"I get it. His yours," the leech panted and limped to sit in a corner.

"I'm nobody's property," Francesco barked, his face dark.

"I own you," Thirteen said, whirling to face her prisoner.

He shot her a defiant look. "Turning into an emoji will be a blessing," he said, and started unrolling his sleeping bag.

"I'll never let it happen," Thirteen stated.

Was it a promise or a threat?

* * *

We reached the rendezvous point in the early afternoon. The sky was clear and the sunlight still warm, but the wind brought the bitter cold of November. An old concrete bunker was barely visible under dried grass and heaps of colorful, fallen leaves.

I carefully slid into the entrance. For the life of me, I would not go deeper into the dark cavern. Hubert had picked this place because it was practical, and he wanted me to overcome my fears. We had a deal. If any of us got separated from the rest, they could count on the others to come here and give their position. I felt the wall for a note from my friends, but there was nothing. My stomach clenched.

A howl reverberated from the crumbling, concrete walls. I stumbled outside, my heartbeat faster. Iza and Roman, in their half-human forms, were crouching opposite my companions. I stepped back, stumbled, and landed hard on my butt. The image of Hubert's mingled body flooded my mind. Francesco came closer to me, his short knife flashing in his hand.

"Stay back, boys," Thirteen said, shielding us from the wolves. Lily joined her with a sigh.

The huntress turned the axe to strike with the blunt end. Roman and Iza weren't fully shifted. They hadn't completely changed into emojis either. My unfortunate friends weren't at their full strength, so the frightening ladies made short work of knocking them unconscious.

Thirteen pulled me to my feet as if I weighed nothing.

"Give them the shots," the Huntress said, handing Lily two syringes. The vampire rolled up Roman's sleeve and inserted the needle. As the leech was slowly injecting the suppressant, Iza opened her eyes and launched at Francesco. The huntress intercepted her mid-flight and struck her down with a powerful punch to the jaw. The ground shook under my feet when Iza hit it with a loud thump. Lily gave her the shot a second later.

I hugged myself, watching my unconscious friends. Their features were turning back to their human form, but I still felt sick at the memory of their monstrous snouts dripping with saliva, and beastly eyes flashing with madness.

Roman was the first one to come to his senses, his bruises healing as we watched.

"What the raze?" he mumbled, shaking his head to clear his vision. Then he noticed me and paled. "I... Hubert... Oh, fleck," he stammered and hid his face in his palms.

What was I to tell him? I took a step closer to him and stopped. He needed a hug, but I couldn't bring myself to touch him.

"It's not your fault," I mumbled, sounding false even to my own ears. "It's the worm."

Roman looked up at me, tears welling in his eyes. "I shouldn't have hidden it," he sniffed and rubbed his left arm.

"What are you talking about?" I questioned, my gut tightening. Was he going to tell me how he cheated on Iza?

"One of them scratched me. I thought it was nothing. Too small to infect..." his voice faltered.

Fleck. How could he have been so stupid?

"Damn you," I sobbed and turned away.

"I'm sorry," Roman muttered, but I didn't want to listen.

Francesco patted me on the back. Lily let out an exasperated sigh.

"Remember why we came here," Thirteen said, her voice quiet and warm.

I took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes. Yes, I should focus on the quest.

"We need your help," I said, as I turned back to Roman and gazed away. I still couldn't look at his face.

I explained the situation as simply as I could, his eyes going wider with every event I recounted. Iza woke up during my speech, so I had to start all over. The sun was down before I finished.

"And that is why we need to speak to your alpha." I finished my tirade. The wolves' faces went dark.

"There's no way she's going to help you. Hell, I doubt you'll even be able to speak to her," Roman's voice was gloomy. Iza nodded in agreement.

"And why is that?" Thirteen interfered with a scowl.

"Because, right now, she's looking for her fated mate."