Dinner with Gran was awkward, but only because Dad was still passed out on the couch, snoring. I could tell it bothered Gran, but she was trying hard to act as though it didn’t. It bothered me too, but I wasn’t as good at hiding it. It embarrassed me too much. I couldn’t imagine what Eli thought. Of course my dad’s alcoholism was something he’d encountered before, but this felt different somehow. More intimate.

Tonight was the last evening I’d be able to spend with my family before giving myself over to Regina’s vampire goons, and I wanted the meal to go well. Gran did too. However, Dad was ruining it. Why couldn’t he be sober?

“So, Eli,” Gran said, attempting to start a conversation. “How is that trailer of yours coming along? Have everything you need, or are you still sparse on stuff?”

“It’s coming along nicely. I don’t have everything I need yet. I’m hopeful I’ll get it all soon enough. Thanks to Mina, I’m about to start a job with Betty Sue, helping to remodel her house.”

I’d forgotten I had volunteered his services forever ago to help her with repairs on her house once the piece of property beside it sold.

“Well, that’s nice of you. That old house has seen better days.” Gran nodded. “It’ll take some work to spruce it up again, but I’m sure you can do it.”

“Thanks. I’m glad to be able to help her restore it,” Eli said before he shoved a forkful of greens into his mouth.

I made a mental note to ask him if he liked greens, or if he was only eating like he hadn’t in days because he’d been living off macaroni and cheese.

“His place is coming together nice,” I said. “It was bare when he first moved in, but he has AC and a couch now,” I teased, hoping to lighten the mood even more.

“AC? I should come hang out there. It’s too hot in here all the time,” Gracie said as she tried to toss scraps to Winston under the table.

“What are you talking about? It’s not too hot in here. We have AC,” Gran insisted. “And you need to quit feeding that dog table scraps. I already told you once before. You’re going to spoil him, and then he won’t eat his dog food.”

“He’s not going to get spoiled. I don’t do it often enough. Besides, he really likes his dog food,” Gracie insisted. It was the first time I’d ever heard her buck up against Gran.

Maybe being thirteen was finally starting to get the best of her.

“Do not feed him from the table again,” Gran said with wild eyes. “I don’t want him learning to go to the table and beg for food every time he sees us sitting down to eat.”

Awesome. Now not only was the background noise to our dinner my drunk dad snoring but also my sister and grandmother arguing with one another.

“Okay. I’m sorry,” Gracie whispered as she stabbed at a piece of chicken.

Gran’s cold stare shifted to me. Apparently whatever good mood she’d been in had evaporated.

“When can I expect to see you again after this meal?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I answered.

“What do you mean? You’re going to see her later.” Gracie’s eyebrows lifted. “Well maybe not later, considering she’s spent nearly every night with Eli lately, but probably sometime tomorrow.”

Gran’s gaze never wavered from mine. She knew Gracie’s words weren’t true. She knew what I was doing once darkness fell.

I couldn’t look at her. Too much hurt and worry swirled in her eyes, and I knew I was the cause of it. The last thing I wanted was to hurt her, but what else could I do? I had to do this. It couldn’t be anyone else besides me because I wouldn’t allow anyone else.

The rest of our dinner dragged on. An unshakable tension festered between each of us. I didn’t think I’d ever been happier for a family dinner to end.

“You never answered me,” Gran insisted as I helped her wash the dishes before I left with Eli.

I swallowed hard, knowing what she was talking about without asking her to repeat the question. “I don’t know when you’ll see me again. I hope I’m back tomorrow,” I said.

It wasn’t likely, but it could happen. Right?

“I’ll make whatever you want for dinner,” Gran said without looking at me.

“Nachos.”

“We haven’t had those in a while,” Gran insisted. “Sure. I’ll make some for you. Tomorrow night.”

“Okay.” It wasn’t a promise I’d be here. We both knew that. However, it was better than nothing.

* * *

“Are you ready for my next surprise?” Eli asked as we walked from my trailer to his hand-in-hand.

“Yeah,” I said.

He gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “Really? You don’t seem excited.”

“I am,” I said. “My mind is just a little preoccupied. I can’t stand seeing Gran so upset because of me.”

“I know that’s got to be tough, but she has every right to worry about you. Hell, I’m worried about you too.”

“I know, but I wish you wouldn’t be. This is something I need to do. It’s a battle I have to fight myself.” This was how I was viewing it from now on.

“No.” His sharp tone startled me. “It’s not. This is our battle. Our pack matters as much to me, Tate, and Dorian as it does to you.”

I licked my lips. “That’s not what I meant. It’s…more than that to me. This vampire chick, Regina, took my mom, and because of that my family was destroyed. She ruined my family, Eli. My dad might have never spiraled so out of control with his drinking and pills if my mom had been there to help him through everything. Gracie wouldn’t have had to grow up without a mom. Gran wouldn’t have had to take on so much taking care of us all.”

“You don’t know that,” Eli insisted in a soft tone.

“Trust me, I do. I hear my dad mumble about Mom all the time. He thinks she left because of him, because he never fully recovered from the accident. Thinking that all these years has destroyed him.”

“I know.” Eli frowned. “All I’m saying is you’re not in this alone, Mina. This is not just your battle. Please, don’t ever think that. I’ll be there with you tonight. So will Dorian and Tate. We’re going figure out a way to bring down Regina. Together.”

“I swear, I don’t think there will ever come a day when I grow tired of seeing the two of you together,” the youngest Bell sister said as we passed their trailer. They were on their porch with fancy Asian fans cooling their faces as they sipped lemonade with pink umbrellas decorating the glasses. “You two have got to be the cutest couple I have ever seen.”

“Oh, I know,” the oldest Bell sister agreed with a nod. Her eyes rolled back into her head, and I knew there were more than lemons, sugar, and water in her lemonade. “I’m so glad you finally stopped fighting what’s been building between you two for years and gave it a shot.”

My cheeks heated. I had no idea what to say. What could I say? The Bell sisters were sipping spiked lemonade while chatting about mine and Eli’s relationship to our faces. It was strange.

Then again stranger things had happened in the Mirror Lake Trailer Park.

“Thanks, ladies,” Eli said as he flashed them both a charming smile. When the sisters fanned themselves harder and let out a little sigh, I wondered if sitting outside in the hot sun while drinking was the brightest idea. “Have a good evening.” Eli started walking again, pulling me along with him.

“You handled that well,” I said once we reached the stairs to Eli’s trailer.

“Sometimes all you have to do when they’ve been drinking is flash them a wide smile and say a couple of nice words. I figured that out a long time ago.”

“Nice, but I doubt that would work so well with me. I’ll keep it in mind, though,” I said as I started up the steps and let myself into his place. “All right, so is this where we’re hanging out the remainder of the night?” I hoped so. Snuggling with him on the couch and watching a movie sounded nice. Spending time rolling around between his sheets with him sounded even better, though.

“Nope. I have something else planned.” Eli grinned. “This is just a pit stop.”

When he grabbed the backpack from earlier and emptied out its contents only to refill it with other things from inside the fridge my skin tingled with excitement.

Were we going on another hike?

“I think that’s everything,” Eli said as he slung the backpack over his shoulder. “You ready?”

I nodded and followed him out of the trailer and down the wooden steps. When he cut a right into the woods instead of heading to his truck, I knew exactly where he was taking me. My insides warmed again because of how well he knew me.

Not only had Eli taken me on my favorite hike of all-time today, but he was also taking me to my favorite place ever—the lake.

As we made our way through the woods, tiny pinpricks of anxiety shuffled along the surface of my skin. Was Shane here somewhere, watching us? I knew Alec said he would keep him occupied, but still.

“He’s not here,” Eli said, surprising me. “I sent a text to Dorian during dinner to have him check the woods and make sure Alec hadn’t brought Shane near here.”

Relief fluttered through me, but I thought I hid it well.

“So that was who you were texting during dinner,” I said.

“Yeah. I thought Gran was going to stab me with her fork when I pulled out my cell.” Eli chuckled.

“I did too.” I laughed. “She has a strict no cell phones at the table rule. You’re lucky she let you get away with it without a lecture on manners.”

“I’ll remember that next time,” Eli insisted as he pushed a few low-hanging branches out of his way.

A smile graced my lips. He’d said the words next time. There would be a next time. I would make it through tonight, or however many nights I needed to in order to rescue my pack, kill Regina, and burn her place to the ground.

My motivation was strong.

We broke through the woods and entered the clearing that surrounded the lake. God, this place was beautiful. Not as beautiful as the sights we’d seen earlier while hiking Whiteside Mountain, but still beautiful.

“You already look relaxed,” Eli said. The ghost of a smile twisted the corners of his lips. “I’m glad. I know how much you enjoy coming here before a full moon. You said once before it helps center you, so I figured maybe you’d want to visit the lake before we head out tonight. Hope you don’t mind having a little company, though.”

“Thanks,” I said as I shifted my gaze from him to the rippling waters of the lake. “I don’t mind having company at all.”

“You know, you don’t have to go through with this tonight. You don’t have to leave with Regina’s vampires.”

I frowned, hating the moment I was feeling was already being ruined. How many times were we going to have this conversation? “But, I do. We’ve already discussed this. There’s no alternative, Eli.”

“There is,” he insisted as he shifted to face me fully. “We can still show up. We can still plan everything exactly as we have except we don’t let them leave with you. We ambush them instead. Kill one and keep the other alive so he can tell us where our pack members are being held in the city. One seemed to be the boss, while the other was more of a sidekick. If we kill the boss, the one with the scar, the sidekick will talk. He’ll be too afraid not to.”

Damn, he’d really thought this through.

In order to save me from having to sacrifice myself, Eli was willing to kill. Again.

I thought about everything he’d suggested. It was an alternative, but the only problem was it wasn’t as foolproof as the plan we’d crafted with Dorian and Tate. No one would be hurt if I went peacefully with the vampires. Well, no one except Peter maybe, but his life was out of our hands once I was handed over.

Eli’s new plan had the potential for him to get hurt, which made it a no-deal in my book.

“No,” I said.

Eli closed his eyes, exhaled a long breath, and tipped this head toward the sky. He had to have already known that would be my answer, but it was clear how annoyed he was with it still.

“It’s a much better alternative.” He sighed.

“Better than what? Me going peacefully with them? No one fighting? It’s not better, Eli. It’s worse. It has the potential for dangerous things to happen. You don’t know how strong those vampires are, especially the one who seemed to be in charge. Vampires are deceiving. He could be older than dirt and powerful as hell. Going up against the two of them is not a good idea.”

“It is. Besides, it will be three against two. Four if we count Tate. He might hear the commotion and come. We have good odds of pulling my plan off.”

“You can’t know that for sure. You know nothing about these vampires,” I insisted as I ran my fingers through my hair.

“Exactly. Which is why I can’t let you go with them,” he said. His voice was raw and caught somewhere between a plea and a demand. His emotions were getting the best of him.

I understood.

I reached for him, taking his hands in mine. “I’m not going to be alone. You said so yourself. As soon as I leave in their vehicle, you and Dorian will be right behind me with Tate driving your truck. You’ll follow us.”

Eli shook his head. “It’s not good enough.”

“It has to be,” I insisted, pinning him in place with my stare. “Dorian can’t be okay with your new plan. You would’ve said something earlier if you guys had decided to change it up.”

“I didn’t mention it to him yet.”

“You know he’s not going to agree to that, Eli. We already have a plan. We need to stick to it.” I squeezed his hands in mine. Fear he’d botch everything by continuing with his plan rushed through me. “Promise me you’ll stick to the plan we already talked about with Dorian and Tate. Promise me you won’t try to attack the vampires on your own.”

Eli chewed the inside of his cheek without meeting my gaze.

“I mean it, Eli,” I snapped. “Promise me.”

“I don’t know that I can.”

My heart skipped a beat. “You have to. If you don’t, all hell will break loose and someone will get hurt. You, Dorian, me. You can’t ambush them.”

“I can’t let you be put in a vehicle with them and watch as they drive away either.” His gaze locked with mine. He was scared. Scared he’d never see me again. “I just…I can’t.”

I lifted up to the tips of my toes and pressed my lips against his. My fingers intertwined with the hair at the nape of his neck as I moved my mouth across his. He responded instantly, placing his hands on my hips and pulling me close. For a moment, time seemed to stand still as I poured all of my emotions into our kiss.

I love you.

I understand what you’re saying.

Goodbye.

When I pulled away, Eli leaned his forehead against mine. His hands came up to cup my face.

“I love you, Mina,” he whispered.

“I love you too, but you have to trust me. I’ll be okay. The plan we talked about with Dorian is the only one we need to follow tonight.”

Eli nodded. “Okay. I trust you. Just know I’ll do everything in my power to make sure we get you out of there as soon as we can. And know if one of those fucking vampires lays a hand on you, I will kill them.” His entire body shook with the treat of his words.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” I grinned.

“Mina Ryan, you are one tough-as-nails woman,” he said as he released me and took off his backpack.

“Don’t you ever forget it,” I said, sounding braver than I felt. Inside I was a quivering mess. A scared little girl hiding in the corner.

“Oh, I won’t. Trust me,” Eli insisted. He set his backpack down on the ground and pulled out a glass jar. “Now it’s time to stick with tradition. I know we’re not necessarily ending a night together, instead we’re beginning a hellacious one, but we are ending our night together right now. So, let’s do it right. How about a shot of some moonshine?” He wiggled his eyebrows up-and-down.

I chewed my bottom lip, eyeing the jar in his hand. “Sure, what the heck? Might as well have a little liquid courage in my system for tonight.”

Eli’s grin wavered. Maybe my words would’ve been better left unsaid, but we both knew it was what each of us was thinking.

“Here,” Eli said. He cleared his throat and twisted off the lid before handing the jar to me. “You first.”

I took the jar from him and placed it to my lips. “Bottoms up.”

The liquid fire scorched my throat on the way down, warming me from the inside out. I coughed and tried hard not to inhale, knowing it would only fan the fire, before I passed the jar to Eli. He took a swig and then sat down on the grassy area near the edge of the lake. I sat beside him and stared out at the setting sun. My head rested on Eli’s shoulder as I took in all the pretty colors. He kissed the crown of my head, and I filed the moment away inside the vault of my memory as one I wanted to hold on to forever.