“So do the humans know?” I asked as Addie dabbed at my tattoo with a tissue.

“Not most of them, but some do. Keeping the secret is paramount to our existence and the town’s.”

I nodded. “Same number one rule I learned when I first turned: protect the secret.”

“Well, actually, around here, law number one is don’t kill the humans.” She stopped working and leaned over to look at me. “But that should have always been your number one rule.”

I grimaced. “Um . . . not that I have, I almost did but was able to stop myself and it’s most definitely a rule for myself, but, well, where I come from . . . some of the vampires just didn’t give a shit. Said it was their right as a superior race. Not that I agreed with them or anything,” I quickly added.

She rolled her eyes and snorted. “Damn vampires and their fucking arrogance.”

“Hey!”

“Sorry. Not you. I know you wouldn’t. Your kind can’t. But some types are just . . . ugh. Some I just can’t stand.” She inhaled a deep breath, then said, “Okay, I need a moment.”

She placed her palm against the fresh ink and closed her eyes as her lips moved. A warm tingling sensation entered my skin through the tattoo and spread into my blood and throughout my body.

She dropped her hand and opened her eyes. She smiled with an excited twinkle in her brown eyes. “It’s done. And just in time.”

She nodded toward the same set of French doors I’d come through at the back of the inn. The pitch black outside was no longer pitch black. I jumped up and rushed to the glass. The sky over the top of the eastern mountain was beginning to lighten.

“Oh, my god!” I threw open the doors and ran outside but barely stopped myself at the top of the porch steps, still under the cover of the roof, as I looked up.

Slowly the lighter blue bled into the darker hue of the night sky, and the few clouds glowed deep pinks and reds. It was beautiful, colorful, and full of promise of a fresh beginning. A second chance. A new day.

In a heartbeat, I was back inside.

How could I have been so stupid? So trusting? So naïve? I knew better! But I’d let my guard down, so eager to live in the daytime again.

“It’s okay. It really works,” Addie urged.

I spun and glared at her. “How stupid do you think I am? I don’t even know you, what kind of person you are, or how you get your shits and grins. How do I know you’re not trying to kill me?”

She flinched as though I’d slapped her, but watched me with steady eyes. “One day you will apologize for that. One day you’ll see that it’s like we’ve known each other forever. For now, you just have to trust me.”

“Like that’s gonna happen,” I muttered. “Look, I have no idea what games you’re playing and why, but I do know if there was a way for vamps to become day-walkers, they’d be all over this place. I don’t care what your laws are. Vampires aren’t exactly law-abiding citizens. There’s no way in hell this would stay a secret.”

I eyed my cottage through the glass doors and wondered if I could make it there without losing too many layers of skin. I had to get to safety and far away from this chick and her psychotic lies. Either she was delusional or she was a heartless bitch. But I was the fool, the dumbass who believed her childish stories of magic.

The back of my shoulder prickled and stung, a reminder of the tattoo, and heat coursed through my veins. A reminder of the magic? I shook my head. I couldn’t fall for it. Again. Maybe that was the true secret ingredient of the ink—hallucinogens. This was Colorado, after all. Could have been cannabis oil in that bottle.

“You’ll find out the truth soon enough,” she said. “So just get it done with. Test it with a hand. Or, hell, even a finger. Surely you can recuperate from that if I’m lying?”

Nope. Not gonna happen.

“Oh, for shit’s sake.” She grabbed my arm and yanked me toward the doors. When I tried to fight back, an electric charge traveled through my body. I had no choice but to stumble along her side. “This is really stupid of me, but you’ve always preferred showing over telling, haven’t you? Did you know there are only a few ways to kill a witch? And do you know what one of them is?”

“I’d sure like to find out,” I snarled.

“A pissed off vampire,” she said, and I tripped over my feet, startled that she’d tell me her weakness. Then I straightened, realizing what she meant, as we passed through the doors. “Of course, you have to be super fast, faster than I can cast off a spell, but it’s been known to happen.” She tugged me across the porch. “So, I’ve already provoked you and now I’m about to throw your ass out into the sun, which will hurt, and probably piss you off, right? But I know your specific type doesn’t explode into flames right away, so I know there’s time for you to do your worst on me. Yet, here I am. Trusting you. Because I know you won’t do anything but thank me.”

And with that, she shoved me down the stairs.

I stumbled a few steps onto the dormant lawn before catching myself. I was about to spin and attack—how the hell did she know so much and who did she think she was? But the light of dawn paralyzed me. As the realization that I wasn’t sizzling and smoking settled in, I slowly lifted my gaze to the sky. My breath caught, trapped in my lungs, and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever breathe again. Is this really happening?

The bright hues over the mountains lightened, and my heart rate went from 0 to 180 in an instant. A lump formed in my throat as tears welled in my eyes. Then, there it was. A bright yellow ball climbing over the jagged peaks, spilling its light down the mountainside and over the town like liquid gold. I gasped. My whole body trembled. And the tears spilled over. This is really happening!

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen the sun rise. I’d rarely woken up early enough before, and by the time I knew what I was missing, it was too late. I clapped a hand over my mouth and the other over my still-racing heart as disbelief and awe for such beauty filled me.

When the orb finally made its full appearance over the ridge, I ran farther out on the lawn, threw my head back, and soaked in the sun as I spun in circles like a child. I thought I’d never again feel the kiss of the sun’s rays without immediately blistering. I thought I’d live forever, yet never again be able to see the various blue shades above and the fluffiness of the clouds except through a window, peeking from behind the security of a blackout curtain. My heart swelled. The tears fell relentlessly, but laughter bubbled up and out as I continued spinning. Then I fell to my back on the grass and laughed hysterically while never taking my gaze from the sky.

I knew I was being watched, but assumed it was Addie. After another long moment, I reluctantly pulled my eyes from the sky and turned my head to see a large male body in the shadows. He leaned on his forearms against the railing as though he’d been there for a while. Had he been watching me? Our gazes locked, and I swore I could see something appreciative in his. A shiver ran through me, although I couldn’t say if he caused it or the cold air did.

He cleared his throat. “She’s asking for you.”

Before I could respond, he turned and went back inside. Well, turned out he was just as cold as the air.

I didn’t have to ask who “she” was. Addie sat on the porch steps, and there was only one other “she” who’d want to see me. I glanced up at the sky one more time and pinched myself. I’d spent years indoors or out only in the dark. I didn’t want to go in yet. What if the spell broke? What if this temporary ink was really, really temporary? What if I’d been a fool treating Addie like I had and she rescinded her magic? What if this was my last chance to feel the sun caressing my skin? I didn’t know it last time. This time I wanted to make the most of it.

“You can come outside any time you like,” Addie said. “Now, do you have something to tell me?”

I sat up and looked at her, giving her a sheepish grin. “Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

She nodded and grinned back. “And?”

“I’m sorry.”

She shrugged and waved her ring-covered fingers, as though she hadn’t practically demanded the apology. “Don’t worry about it. You’re not the first to call me a liar when it comes to this. In fact, I’d wondered what kind of stupid you were when you almost charged right out into the sun the moment you saw it. Now, come inside and take care of business, and I promise we can go to the park later as long as you wear a coat.”

“I can’t wait to tell Sindi,” I nearly squealed as I sprang to my feet, partially out of excitement and partially in response to the way she’d spoken that last phrase, as though I was a small child with a new toy. That’s exactly how I felt.

Addie’s tone immediately flipped, becoming dark and harsh. “You have to wait.”

I stopped at the bottom of the steps. “But—”

“Number two rule, remember?”

“But she’s my best friend!” I didn’t even mean to sound like a child now, but I heard the whine in my own voice.

Addie didn’t respond at first, and I looked up at her expectantly. Sadness filled her expression. Her lips pressed together.

“She’ll keep the secret,” I promised. “I trust her more than anyone. She helped me when I needed her most. I can’t possibly not tell her!”

Addie’s throat worked as she swallowed. “Just . . . we have to follow certain protocol when we invite people to town. Even the tourists are handled a certain way. Otherwise . . . could you imagine all the supernaturals who’d swarm our town? And all the human lookie-loos? And then the carnage that would follow?”

The visions came clearly. I hadn’t been making shit up before—every vampire in the world would be here if it meant seeing the sun again. And she’d said every supe gets inked, so they all gained something from it. I couldn’t imagine how the others benefitted that could be as good as being a day-walking vampire, but it must have been just as life-changing.

I suddenly understood all of the secrecy and strangeness of the job offer, the scarce information available on the internet about Havenwood Falls, and the inconvenience of traveling here. They purposely made the town difficult to find.

“So why can’t they all come, get the tattoo and leave? Or why don’t you tell other witches about the spell or potion or whatever it is you use? There are other witches outside this town, right? Do you know how valuable this is?”

“Of course we do! And the reasons are nearly endless for not sharing, starting with the survival of humanity. There are wards on the town. Precautions in place. Limitations,” Addie said as we headed inside.

“Such as?”

“Such as, the protection from the sun is only good while you’re within the town’s wards. If you go outside of town more than twenty-five miles, the tattoo vanishes and so does the magic.”

“Well, that’s good to know. No leaving town in the day or I fry.”

“You can leave town. Just not the immediate area.”

“Okay. 25 miles. Got it.” We reached the lobby and began climbing the steps. “What else?”

My name came softly from Madame Luiza’s room, and whatever else there was would have to wait.

“Michaela, dear,” Madame Luiza whispered when I entered her room. My jaw ticked at hearing the wrong name again, but this time it was laced with a heavy accent, sounding more like Me-HAY-la. As I chose to not make a big deal of it as this elderly woman lay on her deathbed, it occurred to me that I must have reminded them all of someone named Michaela and having a similar name didn’t help matters. Maybe she’d even worked here before, making it easy to slip up. Regardless, I sat on the bed next to her and took her outreached hand. “Listen to me, dear.”

I nodded. “Of course. What can I do for you?”

“Just that. You can listen. Listen and not react. Because . . . I have much . . . to tell you.” Her words paused as she struggled to simply breathe. I reached for her glass of water, but she shook her head. “Water won’t help me now.”

“It could make you more comfortable.”

“I don’t . . . have time . . . to be comfortable.” She paused again to catch her breath, and I noticed little beads of sweat on her forehead. “You have a home here. You . . . always . . . have a home.”

I gave her a small smile. “Please don’t waste another ounce of energy worrying about me. I’ll find another job. Another place to live.”

“I always worry about you. You’ve always had a . . . special place.” I thought she was losing her bearings again, but then she became completely lucid as her gray eyes hardened. “I mean it, Mehayla. This place . . . is yours. Take care . . . of it.” Her voice faded, and her eyes began to drift closed, but she jerked herself out of it to pierce me with another hard look. “Take care of them. They don’t know it, but they need you. And you need . . . them.” Her gaze slid toward the door, as though she thought they might be standing there. Her voice came out softer when she spoke again. “You be careful . . . with those . . . Rocas. I know your heart . . . I know what it wants . . . but be wary, dear. They’ve gone . . . far . . . this time. But you . . . you are strong . . . you can change . . . everything.”

I studied her face, trying to decipher anything of what she’d just said as her eyes fluttered closed and stayed that way. With her small hand still held between mine, I watched and waited for her to wake up again. A definitive peace spread over her face, slackening it, causing her mouth to curve into what appeared to be a secretive smile.

With soft steps, Addie came in and stood over us. She placed her palm against Madame Luiza’s cheek and closed her eyes. When she reopened them a few moments later, they glistened. She bent over and kissed the old lady’s forehead.

“Good night, Mammie,” she whispered. “See you on the other side.”

Addie must have heard the little gasp in my throat. She turned to me with a sad smile and gave my shoulder a squeeze. “It’ll be soon, I’m sure. She’s been hanging on for a long time, but now that you’re here, she can go with peace. I need to go inform the Court. And don’t worry. She’s right. You always have a home here.”

I returned her sad smile and nodded, then she left. Left me alone with a dying woman I barely knew and none of her own family around. Left me in an inn with nobody else to take care of it.

Left me to pick up the pieces, but to what I didn’t know.

Madame Luiza never awoke. She drifted away peacefully the next night. I’d stayed by her side almost the entire time except to tend to guests—it turned out we did have a few—and to shower. When I’d returned from cleaning myself up, I could tell visitors had been in to see her. I’d only “met” Aurelia in passing that once, but I recognized her scent. Addie came and sat with us and was there when the old lady passed. I sensed Xandru nearby, too, lurking in the shadows. Others weren’t far, but for some reason never came in.

Not until she was gone and Addie informed the Court.

Then suddenly people seemed to flood through the doors. Not knowing any of them and not wanting to deal with the awkwardness of being a stranger in such a personal situation, I slipped out to my cottage. I thought I heard my name whispered as I left, but figured they’d come get me if they needed my help. Nobody did for two days, and at first, I’d planned to stay holed up in my cottage until the commotion died down and I could slip away for good. But then I remembered the gift Addie had given me—the one Madame Luiza had insisted I receive right away—and I spent as much time outdoors during the day as I could.

I thought I’d explore the entire town, but simply standing at the inn’s corner, the town square a diamond at this angle, sent tingles down my spine every time I saw something that felt familiar—which was pretty much everywhere I looked. Stores, restaurants, and bars lined three sides of the square, streets with parking separating them from the park setting at the center of town. A gazebo stood in the square’s corner nearest to me, large and wooden with a round roof, nothing like the Bird Cage gazebo in Atlanta, but nonetheless I felt emotionally tied to it. A large, brick building lined the north side of the square, across from me, its clock tower pointing to the blue sky. It was clearly City Hall, but from here, tall pine trees blocked both buildings flanking it, yet I knew they were the Chamber of Commerce and the police station. But how do I know?

Forcing myself to keep going, I’d barely made it down one side of the square when the feelings became too much. The eerie sensations. The visions that popped in my head when I saw the Coffee Haven sign and the Shelf Indulgence storefront with a scene from The Secret Garden artfully displayed in the window. The ache of nostalgia in my heart when I stopped across from the middle of the square, staring down its bench-lined walkway to the fountain in the center. I somehow knew its sparkling interior came from real gold flakes in the paint, and I knew just as well that something significant had happened there. But what? And then there were the stares of people, strangers, as I passed by. Being out here no longer felt like freedom as the world seemed to be closing in on me.

I turned on my heel and hurried back toward the inn and the warmth and refuge of my cottage.

The next day I went east instead of west, away from the square, and found a large park in the corner of town, at the base of two mountains. It brought images of warmer days with music fests and movies in the park. At the far end was a trailhead that I followed a little ways up the mountain. But even in the middle of nature, with white aspen trunks and pine trees surrounding me and when I stood on the bank of the partially frozen river, I couldn’t rid my mind of the visions. Couldn’t dismiss the odd feeling that they weren’t fiction created by imagination, but memories I hadn’t known I’d possessed.

“This place is seriously fucking with me,” I muttered to myself when I walked back into my cottage. “I should probably get out of here before I lose my insanity.”

I restarted my fire and was warming my backside when there was a knock on my door. I found Addie on the other side.

“I don’t know if you want to go or not, but the funeral is tomorrow,” she said. “They’re trying to beat this storm that’s coming. I think she would have wanted you to be there.”

Not until my feet carried me across town did I know if I was going or not. I followed a procession through a pretty cemetery to the back, then up a hill and through a stone-pillared passageway into another, separate and secluded area that appeared to be much older than the main section. We stopped in front of a stone building, where a man in a black suit placed an urn on a podium. I felt the bristle of Aurelia and the boy by her side who I assumed was Gabe, so I stayed back, huddled next to a large tree with my hat pulled tightly down over my ears. I could feel the colder air and smell the approaching storm Addie had mentioned. When the crowd cleared, I said my goodbyes silently as the funeral director took the urn inside what I presumed to be a columbarium.

As I walked back to the inn only a few blocks away, I solidified my plans to figure out what needed to be done before I could pack up and return to Atlanta. I hoped Sindi wouldn’t mind. I hadn’t even been able to talk to her yet, once unable to find a good signal and the next time connecting to her voicemail. No internet at my cottage meant no email. I’d sent her a couple of texts, but she hadn’t replied. Maybe she’d gone on with life, already forgetting about me. Maybe I wouldn’t return to Atlanta with all of its memories and pain, after all, but would find a new place for a fresh start.

Which Havenwood Falls was supposed to have been.

But the longer I stayed here, the more I began to believe that it too contained many memories and much more pain. And even as I planned to leave, I also felt compelled to stay. One reason was to figure out the mystery of why Madame Luiza had taken to me so quickly and what she’d been trying to tell me with her last words. Were they irrational statements of a dying woman, or did she expend the last of her energy trying to tell me something?

And, hello, day-walking. I’d lose that as soon as I left.

Then there was the greatest pull keeping me here: the lone figure standing in front of my cottage when I returned, casually leaning against the post in a thick army-green coat over his formal funeral attire, with a look that made me want to undress right there and then. Fuck the cold.

“Everybody else thinks you’re fragile and will break with what you need to know, but I know you better,” Xandru said, and I could only nod because he was right. I didn’t yet know how, but I couldn’t deny the truth ringing through my soul: He knew me better than anyone.