“I’ll never let it go.”

Lucas held up one of the brown paper bags and said, “Water.” Then he held up the other and said, “not water.”

He could even joke about giving me blood. With a grin, I reached into that sack and pulled out a bag of blood, fresh from the hospital freezer and deliciously cool. Normally I liked my blood close to body temperature, but on a hot day like this, something cold would be perfect.

“Huh,” Lucas said, furrowing his forehead. “I didn’t think about getting, like, a straw.”

“I can bite through with my fangs,” I said, then thought better of it. “Or just poke a hole with your knife.”

“Why not fangs?”

“You really don’t mind seeing me like that?” I glanced up at him through lowered eyelids.

“Considering how hot and heavy we’ve been every time I saw your fangs, I have to say I kinda like seeing you like that.”

He was almost daring me. I enjoyed this. “Okay,” I said. “Watch.”

With the blood right there in my hands, it wasn’t hard to give into it—the familiar ache in my jaw, then the extension of what looked like my canine teeth. When the points jutted into my mouth, I covered my lips with one hand, then let that hand drop.

“There,” I said, letting him look at me. I felt so exposed, until he smiled, and then I felt—invincible.

“Go on,” he said. “Eat.”

I bit into the bag, welcoming the cool rush of blood into my mouth. Lucas had only been able to grab a single pint, so I went slow, making it last. Closing my eyes to savor it better, I swallowed once, twice—

“Oh, my God.”

It was Raquel’s voice.

My eyes flew open as Lucas and I whirled around to see Dana and Raquel, who had just come down into the tunnel. Eliza had said others might come later, but they were here early. Here now. Watching me drink blood.

Chapter Eleven

“WAIT,” I SAID, HOLDING OUT MY HANDS. “HEAR us out.”

Raquel and Dana didn’t run, but they didn’t look like they were going to listen, either. They were both frozen, shock-still, staring at me—at the friend who had just been revealed as a vampire, the creature they hated most in the world.

The bag of blood fell from my trembling hands. Red droplets spattered onto the dust and gravel. I felt like I might plunge to the ground with it at any second. My fangs slid back up into my jaw as though they were trying to hide.

Why hadn’t I heard them? My vampire senses should’ve warned me. But I’d been feeling weak—and Lucas had distracted me—and here we were.

For what felt like eternity, we faced one another. Everyone was breathing hard. When I looked into Raquel’s eyes and saw the na**d hurt and terror there, I wanted to cry, but I held it together.

Dana broke the silence. “You had better start explaining.”

“No,” Raquel said.

“I know how this feels,” Dana said to her. “Believe me, baby, I know. But we better learn what we can.”

“Please,” I began, but Raquel stared down at her sandals.

Lucas and I shared a look. He probably stood a better chance of explaining to Dana than I had of explaining to Raquel. He began, “You want the long version or the short version?”

“I’m gonna want both versions,” Dana said. “And you can top them off with the long-ass director’s cut version when those are done. How about starting with the short version?”

“Bianca was born to two vampires.” When Dana frowned, Lucas continued, “Yeah, I know. It turns out vampires can have children—doesn’t happen a whole lot, but it happens. Her whole life, they told her they’d turn her into a vampire someday and she accepted it, because that’s what you do when you’re a little kid and your parents tell you how things are supposed to be. Then she went to Evernight, and we met, and she wised up about what vampires are capable of. So she left with me and joined us. She’s not a full vampire and she won’t ever be.”

That left out some key elements of the truth, but they were the elements I wanted to discuss least right now. Lucas had done a good job, I thought.

I couldn’t tell if Dana agreed. She remained still, her long braids hanging past her shoulders, one hand on the stake in her belt. “Funny how she’s drinking blood if she’s not a vampire.”

“I need blood as well as food,” I said. “I’m part vampire. That’s not something I can change.”

“What’s the difference between a part vampire and a full vampire?” Dana demanded. “Because if they both have fangs and drink blood, I’m not seeing how I ought to spend time with either kind.”

I stepped forward hesitantly. Raquel backed up, a move that felt like a slap across my face. But I continued forward, taking it slow, grateful for Lucas walking directly behind me. “The difference is that I’m alive,” I said. “You can feel my pulse, if you need proof. Go ahead.”

It felt so scary, stretching out my hand.

Dana took it like it was no big deal, her fingers pressing into my wrist. I wondered if she could tell, from the speed of my pulse, how frightened I was.

Her eyes flickered over to Lucas. “How long have you known about this?”

“Since halfway through my time at Evernight Academy. I found out pretty much the same way you just did.” Lucas put one hand on the small of my back, comforting me. “Then Bianca came clean and told me the story. I realized—how I felt about her—because of who she was, it didn’t matter what she was.”