Whispering woke me. I opened my eyes and listened to Brad and Anzide talking as quietly as they could manage.

When my eyes began to focus, I understood why. Brad was severely sunburned.

"So, I take it that the inner vampire is winning the battle?"

"It appears to be the case," Anzide said.

He held out his hand, helping me off the top bunk.

It was cold this morning, odd considering that it was insanely hot yesterday but not that surprising considering that this bizarre little town was never consistent with its weather. Pulling on a jumper, I sat at the table and looked at the pink man that was groaning into his coffee.

"What's the plan for this nonsense?"

Anzide sat down beside me, and Brad looked up. It was then that I saw that his face was puffed, looking as if he was having an allergic reaction.

"Jeez, stop drinking the coffee. Clearly you're progressing to a blood diet."

"I don't want to," he complained.

The cup was full, looking as if Brad had taken one sip. He could barely see out his eyes, just narrow slits in the puffed-up mess.

"He needs blood."

"That's true, but we have a few problems with that. No fangs, no teacher to guide him, daylight, and I would suggest that going out looking like that would not be ideal."

Brad's fingers pushed the mug over the narrow table. It sounded like he was whimpering at the loss.

"You know, when Niko first escaped the wall, he couldn't get up from the ground. He fed on me, and it was enough to get him up and walking. Not completely everything, but I was able to get him to the victim."

"Evie," Brad groaned.

"Look, I know what I know from experience. You don't have fangs, but I can cut a wound and let you drink it. A little bit of blood might be enough to make the swelling go down. Then we can reassess what you need."

"She's right,"

Brad shook his head. Anzide looked at me, I gave him a nod, and he retrieved the utility knife that was in the top drawer.

Taking my arm, Anzide nicked the skin. Brad groaned again, shifting in his seat. It was like he wanted to move but couldn't.

Holding out my arm, I hoped that it would be what he needed.

"You needn't fear hurting Evelyn. She is an Eternal. You cannot kill her or cause injury. This is what you need and it is the best option at the moment. Take what is offered and do what is necessary."

"Fangs,"

The mumbled word was barely coherent. His lips puffed, and he could barely move.

"Suck the skin. You don't have time for this. It is getting worse. Feed to heal yourself before it becomes uncontrollable."

Brad hesitated. Anzide's anger grew a little as he rose from his seat. Shifting next to Brad, he reached out and took my arm, dragging me closer.

"Feed, I will ensure that she is safe. You have my word."

He nodded, then took my arm. I was now sitting on the table, leaning in an awkward position that was incredibly uncomfortable. Brad had better be grateful.

His lips pressed to the skin, opening to let the blood weep into his mouth. The grip tightened as Brad began to draw the blood out. I looked at Anzide, tilting my head with a frown. Anzide turned to watch closely.

Something sharp dug into the flesh. I winced and tried to pull my arm away. Brad hissed, looking up at me. No longer the puffed-up pink monster, he was a different kind of creature. His bloodshot eyes had changed, now orange instead of the green that all our family had. And I could see them completely.

His skin was pale, no longer pink. Luminous, powdery white skin that was perfect. The scar that sat just under the hairline was gone. His hair that was always untamed first thing in the morning, it had changed. Now it looked like he'd spent hours in front of the mirror, ensuring that the view was perfect.

Everything that I could see had changed.

He was definitely a vampire.

Anzide gently pushed Brad back, giving him a stern look when he tried to resist.

"Bradley, we discussed this. You will listen to me. The feed is over. You mustn't take anymore."

He let go, sitting back in the seat. Blood coated his lips and teeth. The fangs were there, prominent, and they looked incredibly sharp. Of course, I knew how sharp.

"Well, no more sun for you," Anzide said as he inspected the fangs. "Not for many years, I'm afraid. For a few years, you may be able to manage small sections if you are wise and careful."

The top lip was pushed up, and Brad looked at him with disdain.

Slowly I slipped back into my seat, then put pressure on the wound. It was already starting to heal, no longer weeping blood.

"Hungry," Brad grumbled.

"Yeah, me too," I said, taking the coffee.

I'd never drunk it until today, but right now, I needed a pick me up.

"Now what?"

Anzide assessed Brad again, then gave me a grim smile.

"He needs a proper feed to return to the more coherent person we're used to. This person, he's only thinking of one thing, and if we try to ignore it, he'll run off and do something stupid. My concern is that not only would he risk the sun, which is clearly a problem for him at the moment, but he could be seen. If he runs off and does this on his own, he will go to something that seems natural to him. Almost like something that calls to him."

"You mean a person, right?"

Anzide nodded.

"That woman?"

"Yes, she would be his target. Unintentionally, of course. The coherent vampire will always pick something other than their physical desires, and I'm sure the coherent Brad would like this woman alive. So, we help him find someone not on his potential girlfriend list."

"But the sun is an issue."

Brad was like a statue, sitting at the table silently and unmoving. He stared ahead, somewhere to the side of me. It looked like he was dead.

"It is. As for his victim, I think that we are going to have to assist."

Great. Helping another vampire kill a person. I always wanted to be an accomplice to murder. Again.

Because Brad had an aversion to light, we walked through the forest and emerged on the other side. There was a large housing estate but very few houses were actually built. It was like a certain demon was influencing but not catching his little fishies like he wanted.

Stopping short of the tree line, we looked at the choices. The houses were far apart in certain sections, but in this area, there was a cluster of about ten.

"Too many eyes," Anzide grumbled.

We turned and walked along the tree line.

Brad's movements were robotic. He seemed so lifeless. This was nothing like what I'd gone through with Niko. He was fluid, moving easily. He knew what he wanted and how to get it. I suppose that was experience. Brad was probably struggling.

Reaching the next section, there were three houses. One was visibly empty, and the other two weren't. The closest house had a small family that was leaving. It appeared as if they were going camping.

While the father went and checked the windows on the lower level, the mother ushered the children into the car. The car was packed to the brim, a trailer stacked tight, and the dog was on the back seat barking at them.

"Well, that's a relief," Anzide murmured. "Four sets of eyes, leaving right now."

We watched as the nearest neighbor moved to the fence to see what all the fuss was. Dressed only in a skimpy bikini, she adjusted the outfit and the goods and then waited. She cheerily waved to the father as he emerged from the house. The mother scowled at her partner.

"Ah, the politics of suburbia," I said humorously. "Bet he's porkin' her."

"Porking?"

"Yeah,"

I looked at Anzide with a wicked smirk, then remembered my statue of an uncle was within earshot.

"Sex."

"I see."

His gaze returned to the woman who was now alone. The smile increased, and Anzide glanced back at me. With a flick of his head, Anzide gestured to the view.

The woman was stretched out on the sun lounge, topless and soaking in the rays. I have to say, it was not a bad idea. Get in the rays before the clouds and rain return.

Brad was strained, pulling forward in a desperate attempt to be let free. Anzide held his shirt collar, holding him back. Soft growls began to emerge. I shifted slightly and saw that he was paler than he'd ever been, and his eyes were a luminous orange.

"Are we sure about this?"

"The instincts take over. He will be fine, and if not, I can alter from afar."

"Brad,"

His gaze turned to me. The top lip rippled as he growled.

"Good lord, he's like a rabid dog," I muttered. "Listen to me. Keep it quiet, don't let her scream. And be respectable. Just because the goods are out doesn't mean that you get a free feel. Alright?"

His nose twitched as the growl deepened.

"I mean it. Niko would expect that you are a refined and well-behaved vampire. You will not disrespect her."

Even if he was taking her life.

"You've got one chance, and if you screw this up, we're going to make some serious changes that you won't like. You've got freedom, do it properly and respectfully."

Giving Anzide a nod, I held tight and hoped that Brad didn't lash out. He was still for a moment, then took off. I saw nothing but a blur, and seconds later, the woman was pushed off the chair and onto the ground.

There was no sound, not a cry for help, not even a whimper. I stood, silent and stunned. Brad fed without issue.

We knew he was done when he stood and turned around.

"What about the body?"

"We can leave her in this forest. Close to her home, the cop will think that she," Anzide sighed. "Well, we know what the cop will think. He'll tell Drakkus, and then he'll know that there's another vampire in town. The less he knows about what is going on, the better. We clearly can't leave the body too exposed."

Brad was turning pink.

"Get out of the sun," I called out.

He whipped through to the darkness, stopping just short of us. Brad looked, well, normal, I guess. His eyes were slowly returning to green, wickedly glinting as if he was at his happiest at this very moment. Brad looked like he was out of breath. His chest rose and fell in short and sharp movements.

Anzide disappeared, leaving me with Brad.

"Feeling better?"

He nodded.

"What do you think about it?"

"I don't know. There are no thoughts in my mind about it. Just do what is necessary, and that's it. Makes me wonder about mom and Nancy."

"Maybe they were more shapeshifters than vampires."

"But your mother went out every night. What if she wasn't a prostitute, and the two of you lived off the inheritance? What if she went out every night to feed and ensure she didn't attack you?"

"It's possible, I suppose. Doesn't explain why she was so horrible to me, though."

Brad stepped forward, gripping my shoulders.

"Maybe it does. What if she couldn't feed and had to go without? She would struggle not to attack you. I know how difficult it was to sit across from you when I was hungry. The thoughts in my mind said one thing, but my hunger begged me to do the opposite. Look, I have no idea what the deal was with your mother. When I saw her, she was fine. It was during the day. She didn't turn pink. She ate and drank like a human would and never said anything, but I guess I wouldn't expect her to. Mom never said anything about vampires or shapeshifters."

Maybe she didn't know? Would her mother have told her or kept her in the dark about it?

Anzide reappeared, giving me a grim smile.

"It's done. We're going to have to figure out a plan for the immediate future. Hades has a lot of residents, and they're all oblivious, but I wonder if some of them aren't as clueless as we think."

"Ryan being one of them," I muttered.

Something clicked inside my mind, and I looked at Brad with a heavy frown.

"Hey, isn't Ryan supposed to be the only builder in this town?"

"According to him, yes, but it's not the case. Ange had a list of builders that I could use."

"Was Henry on that list?"

Brad pulled several pieces of paper out of his back pocket, looking at them.

"Not on Ange's list, but he's on mine that I got from the local paper."

Comparing the two, they were almost the same. Brad's list was the actual trades listing from the paper, and Ryan's business was the largest ad on the page. Ange's list was missing two, and Henry was one of them.

It might mean nothing, but I was dubious.