Much to my surprise, Andrew Larsen and several other vampires I didn't recognize were waiting for us when we arrived at John's house. Andrew rushed to our aid as we stumbled through the door, Olivia's limp form caught between us.

"Dear God," Andrew said. "What happened to this girl?"

"Margaret happened," I said.

"Margaret bit her," John clarified. "Thomas changed her."

Andrew peered more closely at Olivia, bringing his nose to the slope of her neck and inhaling her scent. His mouth tightened. "As I recall, she did not have a compatible blood type when she was human."

My grip around Olivia's waist tightened. "Will that be a problem, Mr. Larsen?"

"The girl will become a liability to us all," Andrew replied. "She must be dealt with."

I bared my fangs and lunged without premeditation, sending Andrew crashing into the wood paneling behind him. Before he could recover, I threw myself against him again, crushing his windpipe with my forearm to press my point. "You will not touch her!"

Andrew's eyes widened, his surprise slowly giving way to a lopsided grin. "You continue to impress me, Miss Ehlert," he rasped. "I didn't think you had it in you."

"Then you underestimated me." I pushed harder on his throat before finally releasing him.

Andrew brought a hand to his neck, holding my stare as he straightened his shirt and tie. "It's a mistake I will not make again, I assure you."

Heart pounding, I turned and glared at every other vampire in the room. "Does anyone else have a problem with my best friend being a vampire?" No one came forward or said anything. "Help me carry her upstairs," I said to John. "She'll be more comfortable in a bed."

After getting Olivia settled, John and I returned downstairs to face the roomful of vampires. "For those who don't know, my name is Blake," I said to the group, getting straight to the point. "And this is Ian. He's the one who informed me about the vampires that want to return to the days of hunter and prey."

"And like a disease," Andrew said, nodding at me in solidarity, "this faction's reach has touched and infected our jurisdiction, introduced by our very own Conrad Abernathy."

Andrew stopped, his eyes lighting on each vampire in the room as he gave them time to digest what we had said. "Conrad Abernathy is not acting alone. Head Watchers in other jurisdictions have issued similar price increases on blood under the guise of a dwindling supply. These questions remain: from who are they receiving their orders, and what are we prepared to do about it?"

"It will be us against them," I said. "And our numbers are growing."

"We have Thomas Abernathy on our side now," John chimed in.

"How do you know he's on our side?" someone asked. "What if he claims he is and it's nothing more than a ruse to gain our confidence?"

"I know Thomas," John replied. "We can trust him."

"I don't trust any of them, not even Thomas!" said another vampire, which raised a chorus of agreement that climbed in volume until I was forced to put my hands over my ears to drown out the noise.

"Quiet!" Andrew shouted. When the discord had died down, he continued in a more subdued voice. "If Blake and John say Thomas is with us, I believe them."

I made my way to the center of the room. "Earlier today I was drugged and taken against my will to the Abernathy mansion. There, I was forced to drink incompatible blood and then paralyzed with compulsion. It was Margaret Abernathy who attacked my friend Olivia, but it was Thomas who saved her and helped us escape. What other proof do you need?"

"Aye," Ian said, speaking up for the first time. "Thomas is his own man. He does what he knows is right."

"But what evidence, other than his testimony," someone said, pointing a finger at Ian, "do we have that Conrad Abernathy is involved in this supposed plot to return to the old ways? Vampires have been civilized for more than a century now."

There was an unexpected knock at the door. John put his finger to his lips as he went to investigate. The entire room fell silent as we waited with bated breath to find out if it was safe, or if the vampires would have to suddenly flee.

"It's okay," John said as he opened the door. "It's Thomas."

Thomas entered with a trembling June trailing behind him. I bared my teeth and advanced on the human traitor. "What is she doing here?"

"I didn't want to do it," June said, her words rushing out in a mixed torrent of remorse and terror. "I didn't want to hurt you."

"Then why did you?"

Thomas stepped between June and me, shielding her with his body. "Please listen, Blake. Let her explain."

"She jabbed a needle in my arm and drugged me! What's there to explain?"

"Margaret threatened Thomas!" June's voice shook as she eyed the roomful of vampires. "His life means more to me than my own. Surely you, of all people, understand that kind of love."

I opened my mouth to protest but then shut it. I knew only too well the kind of love that would drive you to do things you never imagined you'd do.

Like willingly become a vampire.

June must have seen the realization cross my face because she stepped away from the safety of Thomas and came to stand before me. "I will love him until I take my last breath. I would do anything to protect him."

"Including hurting me."

"I had no choice," she said.

"Then stand with him now," I challenged. "Stand with us."

Her brow wrinkled. "What?"

The vampires were silent as they listened. "How long have you been Mr. Abernathy's assistant?" I asked.

"Most of my life," June replied.

"I'm sure you hear things Mr. Abernathy doesn't think you hear. You could help us."

June's already pale face blanched even whiter. "You mean you want me to spy?"

"Yes."

"But if he finds out . . ."

"Either you agree to help us," John said, "or I can compel you to do as I say."

"Compulsion won't be necessary," Thomas said. He touched June's arm. "Standing against my family and any who wish to disrupt our way of life will not be easy. For all our sakes, and for the sake of our human friends and family, we must do what's right. Will you help us?"

June's mouth trembled, but she nodded. "I will."

"Good," Thomas said. He looked at John, Andrew, and me—the unofficial leaders of the group. "What will you have me do?"

John nodded, satisfied. "Be on your guard."

"Margaret has an unhealthy taste for incompatible blood," Andrew added. "She's unstable, which she demonstrated tonight when she attacked Olivia. We don't need for her to go on a killing spree, so you must keep your eye on her."

Thomas shook his head. "I don't like to believe these atrocities about my own family, but I cannot ignore what is staring me in the face."

"Then we do what we originally intended to do," I said. "We vow to stop Mr. Abernathy. In the meantime, we will teach vampires how to resist compulsion."

Andrew began handing out pints of blood to the vampires, who had since lost interest in us and started talking amongst themselves. "Are there any other Compellers in the area?" I asked John. "We could use all the help we can get."

A shadow seemed to fall over his face and he hesitated before responding. "Aside from Margaret, I know of only one other Compeller. Her name is Hannah."

"Great!" I said. "How do we get in touch with her?"

Thomas balked. "Surely you aren't thinking of asking her to help."

I split a look between them. "Is there something wrong with her?"

"Hannah was once a member of the family," Thomas said.

"She left not long after I came on board," John explained. And then he added somewhat more reluctantly, "We've had our issues."

The way he said the word "issues" put me instantly on edge. "And by issues you mean?"

"A volatile love affair," Thomas supplied with a grin.

I threw my hands in the air. "The only other Compeller you know happens to be your ex-girlfriend? Fantastic."

"You have nothing to worry about, Blake."

"Because a decade of passionate love is no cause for alarm," Ian muttered with a smirk.

John's lips thinned. "Bugger off, Ian. You're not helping." Ian held up his hands, still smiling, and wandered off to help himself to one of Andrew Larsen's pints of blood.

"There is history between Hannah and me," John admitted. "But history is all it is."

"It's okay," I said, with a wave of my hand. "How do we get in touch with her?"

"Hannah works in one of the jurisdictions near Syracuse," Andrew said. "I can arrange a meeting with the area Seeker."

"Good. Let me know when and I'll go with you," I said. "I'll tell my parents we've got a class field trip. They'll totally buy it."

"This is something that Andrew and I should do alone," John said.

I opened my mouth to protest, but John held up his hand. "I'm only saying that because you going along might raise suspicion, whereas Andrew and I can write it off as a business call for the Donor program."

"We can't be too careful," Thomas agreed.

"You're right," I reluctantly admitted, though it was just one more reminder that the only thing I had going for me was a strong will and a stubborn streak. I wasn't a Seeker or a Compeller. I was just a basic vampire.

"If I may," came a small voice from behind me.

Turning, I spied a vampire who appeared to be no older than a child. In all the commotion with Olivia and June, I had completely missed her among the group. "Who are you?" I asked.

"I'm Bridget," she replied.

"But you're so—"

"Little?" She pinched her lips together.

I looked to someone—anyone—for an explanation. How had she been made a vampire? She couldn't be any older than ten in human years. She was still in braids!

"They don't usually survive very long," Thomas said, not even attempting to lower his voice in deference to the little girl standing before us. "Bridget, however, is older even than I. She has unusually refined survival skills for someone so outwardly immature. It's amazing, really."

Bridget clasped Thomas's hand in apparent friendship. How many hundreds of years had those blue eyes seen? "It's good to see you after all this time, Thomas, but I do regret the present circumstances."

Thomas smiled. "It's very good to see you, too. Tell me, how is our friend Mary?"

The girl frowned, her freckled nose wrinkling. "Dead, I'm afraid. Five years ago. There was an uprising in the west, which Mary had the misfortune of getting caught up in. The Queen squelched the riot before it could get out of hand, but not before poor Mary was killed."

"The Queen?" I said.

Bridget turned her smile on me, showing a significant gap between her two front teeth. "Yes, the Queen." She turned to Thomas. "This one is quite young, is she not?"

Thomas bowed his head in an attempt to hide a smile. "Less than a week."

"You said there was an uprising five years ago," John said.

"Yes," Bridget replied, dimpling at John. "Very similar to what is happening now. The rumors being spread here are but a tremor yet, perceptible only to those who know what to look for. I came to warn old friends," she said, looking at Thomas, "so that what happened to Mary does not happen to them. I did not expect to find Conrad Abernathy at the center. If what I have heard is true—"

"What have you heard?" I asked.

Bridget grinned, and I could tell she wasn't about to part with her information easily. "Do you have any chocolate, by chance?

"What?" I asked, confused by the abrupt change of subject.

Thomas rolled his eyes. "I don't believe anyone here eats chocolate."

The smile fell from the little vampire's face. "A shame."

"Mr. Larsen brought a supply of bagged blood," John said. "Feel free to help yourself."

"Blood does not satisfy my sweet tooth," she replied, her cheek dimpling once more.

Thomas chuckled under his breath. Pulling hiswallet from his back pocket, he stuck a wad of bills in John's hand. "Go to thestore. Buy all the chocolate you can. This could be a very long night." 

*****

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