“Rowena!” Julian shouted from the foyer.

I came to a halting stop at the top of the stairs. The scent of coppery blood was thick in the air. I was able to pinpoint where it was coming from immediately. A couple stood together at the base of the stairs, the woman’s hand was cupped against her neck. Blood trickled between her fingers from an open wound, dripping down her arm and onto the floor where a puddle was beginning to form.

“Can we get some help?” the man beside her asked. His voice shook when he spoke. “I think she needs help.” His face was pale and his eyes wide. It was clear the sight of blood made him squeamish. He looked as though he were on the verge of passing out any second.

A few days ago, Benji had been squeamish at the sight of blood too. Now, he craved it. How was it possible things had changed so much in such a short span of time?

“Mina, a little help,” Julian insisted.

I darted down the stairs, heading to where he had Benji pressed against the wall. Guests who’d previously been occupied piled into the foyer to see what the commotion was. Where had everyone been earlier? Out for dinner?

I hoped no one called nine-one-one. The last thing we needed was an audience. How would we explain the things they were sure to see?

“Oh my word! What happened?” an older woman asked.

The man beside the bleeding woman swayed on his feet. It was unclear which of the two was holding the other up at this point.

“We went for a hike on the trail behind the inn after dinner,” he said. He smoothed a hand over his clammy face. “There was something out there. It-it attacked her!”

“What was it?” I asked.

“An animal. It had to be.” Confusion laced his words.

My wolf’s attention piqued. I was sure we were both thinking the same thing—was it Roman? Goose bumps prickled across my skin at the mere thought of him. Why would he be close to here?

“Okay, Lucy, let’s get you to the kitchen. I need to see how bad the bite is,” Rowena said in a calm tone. She ushered the couple to the kitchen, but her eyes remained on Benji.

“What kind of animal could have done something like that?” the older woman asked. Her silver brows furrowed. “We should report this to animal control. What if it’s something rabid?”

Lucy seemed to squirm at the thought. The old woman wasn’t making the situation any better.

A clatter came from the kitchen. I focused my attention there, hoping Roman hadn’t found a way inside. My stomach flipped as my wolf’s fur bristled. She was on edge and wanted free because of it. There were too many unpredictable pieces to the present situation for her liking.

Rowena’s daughter, Raven, stepped into view.

“I’ll put some tea on,” she said.

Rowena nodded. “That’s a good idea.”

“Mina, grab my cell from my back pocket and send a text to my sisters,” Julian said through gritted teeth. He looked as though it was taking everything he had to hold Benji still. “Tell them we need more blood. Also, mention I need to borrow Ivette’s gift for a bit.”

If the old woman peering into the kitchen to watch Rowena tend to Lucy’s wound heard what Julian said, she didn’t let on. I was thankful.

“Mina, my cell,” Julian repeated.

“Yeah.” I moved to where he still had Benji pressed against the wall and grabbed his cell. I shot a text to Octavia and Ivette. It took them each half a second to respond. Had they been on standby?

“Let me go! I’m starvin’!” Benji bucked against Julian, but he held him in place.

“Should I let Eli know what’s going on? Maybe he can send someone over to help too,” I said. “The pack should probably search the area for whatever attacked that woman.”

“That might be a good idea,” Julian said.

I pulled my cell out and attempted to send Eli a text but realized my phone had died. Great. I hoped he hadn’t tried to contact me. I imagined him freaking out when he couldn’t reach me.

“My cell is dead,” I said. “Can I use yours?”

“Sure.” The word barely had time to slip from Julian’s lips before Benji bucked against him again. This time Julian went flying backward.

He slammed against the opposite wall, leaving a dent in the drywall and shaking pictures loose from their nails. Benji bolted for the kitchen—heading straight for Lucy’s bleeding neck.

Julian was on his feet, soaring to the kitchen before I had time to react. He made it to Benji before he could do any harm to the woman. I rushed to help him secure Benji. My wolf was pissed he was trying to hurt someone, that he wasn’t the same Benji we once knew.

“Breathe. Focus on me. You can fight this. Just like you did upstairs,” Julian insisted. He gripped Benji’s shoulders, holding him in place.

“I can’t, damn it! I’m hungry. Her blood smells so good. I can’t win this time,” Benji muttered. His words were muffled, and I knew it was because of his fangs. They were completely descended.

“You can.” I gripped Benji harder, digging my nails into his arm.

The old woman stepped closer, her gaze focused on Benji. A gasp escaped her. I knew it was because she’d either seen his fangs or his black eyes—possibly both.

“What’s wrong with that boy?” she demanded. Benji lunged at her, making it clear he was willing to feed on any human, not just one who was injured. “He’s a demon. There’s a devil inside that boy trying to get out!”

I contemplated releasing my grip on Benji and securing her in place instead, at least until Ivette got here and could wipe her memory and send her on her way.

When the old woman passed out and fell to the floor from the sight of Benji, I released the breath I’d been holding. Roughing up old ladies was not something I ever wanted to add to the list of crazy things I’d done since becoming moon kissed. Gran would definitely not approve.

“Is that kid on drugs?” the guy next to the bleeding woman asked. “I knew we shouldn’t have stayed in this town.”

Benji thrashed to free himself from mine and Julian’s grip.

“I’m fine!” he insisted, but anyone with half a brain could tell he was nowhere near being fine. He was still locked in bloodlust.

Someone dropped something, and my attention snapped to Rowena and Lucy.

“It isn’t as bad as I initially thought,” Rowena said. She continued to clean the wound. “It looked worse than it was. I think you’re a bleeder.” She chuckled. So did Lucy, but no one else. I glanced at Lucy’s boyfriend, or husband, whoever he was to her. He leaned against the counter, his face still pale and slick with sweat.

Raven offered him a glass of water and then pointed to a stool beside Lucy. He took the water and carefully situated himself on the stool. His hands shook as he brought the glass to his lips, spilling it on the front of his shirt.

He was a bigger mess than Lucy, and she was the one who’d been bitten.

Julian’s cell vibrated in my hand. I glanced at the screen. It was a text from Octavia.

We’re here.

“Your sisters are here,” I said. “Got him?”

Julian nodded at the same time Benji said, “Or you could just let me go. I said I’m fine.” His last words came out in a hiss that had the hairs along the back of my neck standing on end.

“Ridley, go with Mina and fill Julian’s sisters in on what’s happened so they know how to help best,” Rowena insisted. She applied a honey-colored paste to the woman’s neck. I had no idea what it was but thought it looked sticky.

“Are they paramedics? Because I think I could use one,” Lucy said.

Rowena ignored her and directed her attention to Ridley instead. “Go.”

“Okay,” Ridley said in a monotone.

Was she in shock?

“Breathe,” Julian coaxed Benji as I started to the front door. “Gain control back. Block out everything else.”

I hoped Julian’s sisters had brought more than a single bag of blood with them. Benji seemed as though it was going to take a lot to sedate his hunger. He was ravenous as hell.

“You can open the door, but I have to be the one to invite them in,” Ridley said. Her tone was still off. This situation was obviously stressing her out to the max. I felt for her.

“Why?” I thought that was a vampire myth. None of the Montevallos had ever needed to be formally invited into our trailer.

“It’s a spell. One my family placed on the house ages ago for protection.”

I followed Ridley through the front door. Octavia and Ivette stood at the bottom of the porch steps. Octavia had a black tote bag slung over her shoulder, which I assumed housed Benji’s meal.

“I take it he woke finally,” Octavia muttered. “We brought him the equivalent of a vampire buffet.”

What she’d said would have been funny if I wasn’t worried about everyone inside being Benji’s second course.

“Tell me what I’m looking for when I wipe the guests’ minds,” Ivette said.

Ridley filled them in while I kept an eye on Julian and Benji through the open front door, waiting to see if he’d break free again. I hated to admit it, but I didn’t trust him. Neither did my wolf.

“Please, come inside.” Ridley stepped in the house and motioned for Octavia and Ivette to do the same.

“Don’t worry.” Ivette slipped past me and stepped into the house. Her hand came to Ridley’s shoulder. “He’s going to be okay. We’ll take care of everything.”

“Actually,” Octavia said. She paused in the threshold of the house and held the black tote bag out to her sister. “You go ahead and take care of all that. I think I’m going to check the woods. I have a feeling this is Roman’s work. He’s toying with us again.”

I’d thought the same. At least someone was on the same page as me.

“I’ll come with you,” I insisted.

“Do you think that’s a good idea?” Concern flared through Ridley’s voice.

“I’ll be fine. I’ve been searching for him since he stepped foot in Mirror Lake anyway. This is no different.”

It wasn’t. Besides, if what happened to Lucy was because of Roman, there was a good chance he was still around here somewhere. Maybe this was our shot at finding him.

Ridley adjusted her glasses, but her eyes remained fixed on me. “Be careful, okay?”

“I will.” I nodded toward Benji. “You too.”

A small, sad smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

I headed down the porch steps and removed my silver jewelry. If I was going to search for Roman, I wasn’t doing it in human form this time. Excitement burst through my wolf as she realized what I was doing.

“You ready for this, wolf girl?” Octavia asked in her dry, sharp tone. “I’m ninety-nine percent sure my brother is still around here somewhere. This has to be his work. It reeks of him. He enjoys screwing with people like this too much for it not to be. Chances are this stunt was meant to unhinge your newly turned friend in there. It was all for his amusement, I’m sure. He turns into such an ass when he lets his bloodlust take over.” I didn’t have to be looking at her to know she’d rolled her eyes. It was implied in her tone.

“So, are you?” Octavia pressed. She shifted to look at me and placed a hand on her hip.

“Am I what?”

“Ready.”

I slipped out of my clothes and tossed them onto the brittle grass. “Yeah. Let’s go.”