Blackness. I couldn’t escape. It followed me. Hunted me. I could say that the demons hadn’t affected me and the Vampires couldn’t hurt me all I wanted, but Tori could tear me apart. The ground rose under me in an instant, but I still clung to her. Wanting to silence the voices that screamed for me, at me.

People were shouting. Running. They had followed us. I summoned a wall around us, and squeezed my eyes shut. Trying to escape my nightmare. I needed to wake up.

“Selena,” Tori whispered.

I didn’t respond. Couldn’t. Darkness was coming for me.

“Selena, you have to stop. We’re safe,” she coaxed.

Just enough for me to look up. Darkness. Purple and black energy encased us in a dome. Impenetrable. Unyielding. This wasn’t her, though. This was me. I had summoned power, and it bent to my will.

“Selena!”

The voice shook me to my core.

My shield shattered.

Lucas was here.

We were safe.

The power withdrew into me as I came back to my senses, taking in the world around me. The wind blew softly, gently kissing my cheeks, calming my thundering heart. And standing before me was the very man I’d avoided for three months.

His hair was longer and his tan deeper, making his eyes seem brighter. Smoldering. Last time I saw him, we were both closed off and guarded, neither wanting to yield. This time, he was nothing but emotion. And I wanted him.

He cocked his head to the side, and his eyes flared. Reality hit me, and I slammed down my walls, closing him out once more. I could deal with my traitorous body later. Tori’s blood dripped down my hand, and I turned my attention back to her, vaguely aware of the other Supernaturals surrounding us, who I could only assume were her parents. She shuddered and fell apart in my arms. I breathed in the smell of her hair and exhaled deeply. The scent of blood and fear wafted from her. She succumbed to tears as I rocked her.

“What happened?” Mrs. Hunter asked.

“We were attacked by vampires. One of them bit her before we escaped.” Someone was after me, and they were getting desperate. Today’s fight had been sloppy. Maybe they’d hoped I wouldn’t make a scene and just go with them, but sending Vampires after me in broad daylight was unwise.

“Oh my god.” She stumbled toward us, reaching for her daughter, who I had no intention of releasing. I’d heard enough about this woman from Lucas and Tori that I didn’t trust her as far as I could throw her.

“She’ll be okay. They didn’t kill her, which means she won’t transition as long as she lives.” I moved to inspect her bite. There were two somewhat large incisions on the inside of her upper arm. They continued to bleed, but it was slowing.

“We need to get her inside. Tonight will be rough. Her body will begin the transition, but in a few days, she’ll be back to normal.” I stood, pulling her with me.

Her shuddering was getting worse, though, and she teetered into me.

“I can take her—” Her dad stepped forward, but I’d already scooped her up in my arms. She weighed almost nothing.

“I got it. Where’s somewhere quiet with no windows?”

“My room,” Lucas said instantly.

His parents followed as he led me into their massive log cabin. I took note of the high-beamed ceilings and skylights as we descended into the darkness of a stairwell. His parents hung back as the light of the sun faded, giving way to dim lighting that was still more than enough for any Supernatural.

Part of me wanted to see whatever secrets he hid down here—a part I kept shoving down because I wanted to hit her on the head for being a hormonal idiot. My attention needed to be elsewhere. Still, I had to focus on Tori to keep from gaping when the basement opened to a massive library—not of books, but music. Artists from every age lined the wall in front of me, all the way from Beethoven to the Beatles. I turned away to follow Lucas deeper into his room. Boxing equipment littered the floor, a more expected sight, really, given his commitment to the sport, and pride swelled in me. Misplaced pride. He wasn’t mine. I didn’t have a right to be proud of him. I cursed the attraction I was struggling to fight and forced myself forward.

On the opposite wall from the albums was his bed. It was massive, yet simple. Black wood made up the frame and gray sheets adorned it. I laid Tori down, and my gaze skimmed over his couches for a heavier blanket. He appeared at my side, throwing one over his sister. Her shuddering eased, and she started to drift into sleep. I hoped for her sake that she stayed that way for the next two days. The transition wasn’t kind to the body, and with her being in shock, it was likely to be worse.

I turned away from her, only to come face-to-face with Lucas. His eyes burned with emotion. I was on edge, though, and this wasn’t the time.

“Lucas, I don’t have time for thi—”

He stopped me, and my words fell short at the anguish in his eyes. His jaw was hard, set, and he was far too close. Thinking of him over the summer had been one thing, but being near him caused a constriction in my chest so sharp that I didn’t know how to respond when he grazed my cheek with his fingertips—scattering my sanity until I was only holding on by a thread. This wasn’t how I was supposed to act, but when he spoke, I couldn’t keep from being pulled in.

“Do you know I’ve waited three months to hear you say my name?”

I opened my mouth. Closed it. Now was when I ran. I had to run. I needed to. He wasn’t giving up so easily, though, and he reached out to stop me as I turned to leave.

“I know what you did today. I know you’re struggling. You saved my sister from a fate worse than death. I can never repay that. Let me help you, Selena.” His touch on my wrist drove me crazy. This unexplainable urge to touch, to feel, overwhelmed me.

I leaned into him, and the scent of the outdoors ensnared me. His scent.

He inhaled sharply, and I cursed myself.

“Stay away from me.” I threw up my walls and turned to flee. Back to safety, back to light, back to his parents who were waiting to hear what had happened to their daughter.

“Anything but that,” he whispered.

I heard it halfway up the stairs.