AS IT TURNED out, Finn couldn't turn it off.

The next several hours were spent tucked away in the back of the library, fervently attempting to figure out how to make her mark stop glowing. Finn retraced his steps, repeating the actions he'd taken before her mark started to glow. He tried out similar curses that he'd found in old scrolls. He tried everything that he could think of —and so did Sophie.

"I'm not sure what else to do," Finn admitted hesitantly, after they both realized that nothing could be done. His gaze was transfixed on Sophie's face, watching her reaction. "If you would like, I can go get a scarf. That might conceal it for now. At least until I can discuss this with some colleges of mine. I feel strongly that they may be able to help us stop the glowing. It will just take some time before they respond."

Sophie squeezed her eyes shut. "I look like a night-light. How long exactly is this going to take?"

Finn fiddled with his fingers. "Possibly a day or two. Three at most. My colleges are an older coven of witches. They reside in the north, and don't use telephones. I'll have to enlist the help of another witch here in order to get in contact with them."

"Great."

He smiled apologetically. "I'm really sorry for the inconvenience. On the bright side, now you know that you'd look very cute as a night-light!"

"Just go get that stupid scarf," she muttered grumpily. She had no clue how she was going to explain her throat to Eli. Hopefully, he wouldn't freak out about it too much.

Finn stood and walked off. While he was away, Sophie sunk down lower into her seat and continued to read her own book. She through a few more pages and then Finn returned, a thick black scarf in hand. She eyed it cautiously, trying her best to hide her grimace. "That looks like it is going to be hot," she remarked.

He held it out to her, another apologetic smile plastered to his face. "Unfortunately, it is meant for winter. It probably will be. It's fairly thick though, so it should prevent the light from shining through."

"Fabulous." Sophie could hardly muster up enough enthusiasm to sound genuine.

She took the scarf and started to wrap it around her neck. The blinding light that shimmered in her peripheral vision died out. She lowered her hands and glared at Finn. She was already starting to sweat.

"You look great!" Finn beamed. He reached out and gently touched the edge of her scarf. His fingers played with the dark fabric. "I always thought it looked nice. It looks phenomenal on you."

"Your compliments aren't going to make this scarf any cooler." She scowled sourly and prodded at the bundle of fabric around her neck. "It's kind of itchy too."

Finn sighed. He released the edge of her scarf, his hand retreating back to his side. "I'm really sorry, Sophie. Had I known that your mark was going to react this way, I never would have messed with it."

"It's alright," she muttered. "You didn't know."

"I will let you know the moment I find out any information," he assured her. "I promise."

Sophie collected her things and stood. She flashed Finn a smile that she hoped came across as grateful. "Thank you. I need to probably go find Eli now. I was supposed to meet him for dinner."

"Oh," Finn said. He straightened slightly and his gaze lowered to the table. "Right. Eli. Well, have fun. Are we still meeting tomorrow?"

She nodded. That seemed to satisfy him. She waved to Finn and strolled out of the library, her scarf bouncing against her chest. She heaved a small sigh and toyed with the frayed edges while she walked.

It was hot.

Unbearably hot.

As she weaved through the halls, making her way toward the other side of campus, she slowly became more and more aware of the sweat that pooled around her throat. It soaked through the material and made her hair cling to the sides of her face. She grit her teeth and continued on. She seriously hoped that vampires couldn't actually suffer from heatstroke.

Eli was waiting for her inside their apartment. He was sitting on the couch, absently scrolling through Netflix, when she walked in. When the door shut behind her, he stood, a big grin on his face. "Hey! How did everything go?"

She smiled a little uneasily as he approached her. His eyes immediately found the scarf. He tugged at the edge of her scarf. It didn't budge. "Aren't you hot in that thing? It looks so thick."

She tried to distract him. "That's what she said."

It didn't work. Eli laughed and shook his head. "Soph, I can see the sweat on your forehead. You've got to take this off before you pass out."

"I can't," Sophie admitted.

He quirked a brow. "Why not?"

She pursed her lips. "Because..."

"Because why?" he pressed.

She shifted around nervously, unsure how to break it to him. Her gaze lifted to meet his, uncertain. He waited, a patient smile on his face, for her to explain. Finally, she let out a sigh. "Well, you obviously know how I have been meeting with Finn."

His smile immediately faltered. Suspicion entered his gaze as he scanned over her scarf again.

"Well, he did something to my mark. And we don't really know what he did —or how to turn it off."

Eli blinked. "Turn it off?"

Sophie slowly unraveled her scarf, revealing the bright light that emanated from the base of her throat. "Surprise!" she said weakly. "Now you have your own personal night-light!"

"Holy crow," he whispered. His eyes grew rounder than dinner plates. He reached out, his fingertips tracing along her scarred, glowing skin. "This is insane. I've never seen anything like this."

She nodded. "Neither had Finn. He is going to try to contact an old coven of witches that he knows, apparently. He's hoping that they may be able to help us. It could be a few days though before he reaches them."

"And you have to wear this scarf until then?" Eli frowned at her. He pinched the fabric between two fingers and examined it. "I'm pretty sure that you'll die of heatstroke before then."

"That's what I said," she mumbled, defeated.

He sighed and dropped the scarf. His mismatched eyes flickered toward her face, taking in her expression. A small, reassuring smile appeared on his face. "It could probably be worse," he said.

His hands found her hips and he pulled her closer. She curled her arms around his neck. "Oh? How so?"

"It could be oozing something. Or it could have changed colors."

She rolled her eyes. "Gross. But I still think those two would be much easier to explain. Or at least hide."

"Maybe we can stick you in with all the scared children," Eli mused. "You can be their beacon of light. At least while they are wandering the hallways in search of a bathroom."

"Eli, that's not funny!"

He laughed at her and kissed her nose. "Oh man," he said, leaning away from her. "Even when I close my eyes, I can still see your throat glowing."

Sophie pouted. Then she cracked a half smile. "At least I'm not human anymore. Imagine a human having a glowing light around their throat —it would be like one of those weird, ugly fish with the lights dangling in front of their mouths. Only instead of luring in the prey, the human would lure in their hunter."

"A homing beacon for vampires," Eli snickered. He moved closer, his lips brushing against hers. She giggled as his kisses trailed down toward her neck.

Her mouth opened to say something, but a sharp, piercing sound interrupted her. A shudder tore through her. It reminded her of nails scraping against a chalkboard.

Eli twisted toward the door. "What was that?"

"I don't know," she said, listening carefully. Her gaze skirted around the room, searching.

Then she saw it. In the window, right next to their front door, was a pair of clouded eyes watching them through the thin, fragile glass.