We both stood frozen, staring at each other for seconds that stretched into eons. His face was turned down, causing a lock of his dark hair, combed back from his face, to fall forward by his temple. His narrowed eyes gazed up at me, almost accusingly, through thick, black lashes. His dark brows were pinched together, forming two vertical lines between them and several creases across his forehead. My fingers twitched with the desire to smooth them out, to relieve the pain he was obviously in.

The longer we stared, the more I felt like he was trying to reach into my soul and claim it. Or maybe that he already had. My heart beat erratically, and my mouth and throat went dry. The room suddenly became too small for the both of us. For him. And not just because he was far over six feet tall and built like an Olympian. His very presence filled the room completely . . . started to fill me.

“I’ll, uh, let you—” I stammered at the same time as he said, “You need to go . . .”

His angry tone made me flinch, and he sounded like he wanted to say more, but then looked like he couldn’t be bothered. Another long, awkward moment passed before I could finally will my feet to move. I shuffled forward, and he stepped to the side, and things became even more awkward as we did some strange dance to move around each other in the small space without daring to touch. As though that would scar us for life. Maybe it would.

Somehow I made it out of that room without even brushing against his arm or, you know, accidentally falling on top of his very nicely formed body.

Finally out of the room, I felt like the temperature dropped ten degrees. I had to pause to take a few breaths and settle my speeding heart. Before heading down the hallway to the stairs, I looked over my shoulder to see the god-like figure bending over and planting a kiss on Madame Luiza’s forehead. For a fleeting moment, I felt jealousy for her. Get a grip, Kae. You know nothing about him.

Except, something way in the back, dark corners of my mind niggled at me, saying I did.

Once I finally gathered my wits back about me, I went down the stairs to meet the mysterious Adelaide who supposedly could answer all my questions. Because of the way Madame Luiza had spoken of her, and maybe also because of her name, I expected to find an older woman, smartly dressed and full of wisdom. Even if it was a ridiculous time of night, or early morning, for such a woman to be out making house calls. What I found was a young woman about my age, wearing a dark purple sweater, ripped up jeans, and knee-high boots. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a messy bun, she wore a diamond stone in her nose, and black-framed glasses added a studious touch to her otherwise edgy appearance. Several rings decorated her fingers.

“Michaela!” she gasped as a hand flew to her mouth. She let out another squeal, this one muffled. “I mean, Kaela, right?”

I blinked. That was the second time someone in this town had called me Michaela. What was wrong with them?

“Um, yeah, Kaela. You must be Adelaide?”

Her mouth twitched as though she fought a frown. “Addie. Please.” Her voice dropped and filled with sorrow. “How is Mammie?”

My head cocked to the side.

“Madame Luiza?” she corrected.

I bit my lip. “Not well. I don’t know what happened. I think she collapsed from exhaustion, but she’s fading so quickly . . . Gabe is up there with her.”

Addie’s brows jumped up to her hairline. “Gabe is here? I thought he was at my house. The poor kid. What did he do when he saw you? And what about Aurelia? They’ve been through so much. It’s good that you’re here . . . Hey, what happened to Xandru? I thought he went up there to get you.”

I tried to follow her questions, but they confused me. “Wait. Gabe’s a kid?”

Now it was her turn to cock her head and blink at me. “Uh, yeah, he’s twelve. I thought you said—”

I pressed my fingers to my temples. “I’m sorry. I don’t know anybody here yet. I thought that was Gabe. He was here earlier with Aurelia, but they both took off, looking for an Isabella . . . I’m so confused.”

Addie crossed the room to stand in front of me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay, Mich—I mean, Kaela. You’ll get it soon, I’m sure of it.”

“So who’s up there with Madame Luiza now?” A blush crept across my skin just at the thought of him.

One side of her face pulled up in a knowing smirk. “Judging by the look on your face, that was definitely Xandru. Alexandru Roca, but we call him Xandru or Xan. I’m surprised you don’t . . .”

She trailed off, and I waited for her to continue, but she shook her head before gesturing me into the nearby seating area.

“Never mind. Let’s get you all taken care of before the sun rises so you can do what you need to do and not have to worry about those pesky UV rays.”

She produced an old leather satchel I hadn’t noticed before and set it on the floor next to a large cushioned chair that she motioned for me to sit on. I stood in place as she disappeared through a doorway behind the front desk and returned a moment later pushing an office chair on wheels. She sat on it and proceeded to pull what looked like a tattoo kit out of her bag.

“Come on,” she said, once again gesturing at the bigger chair. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of needles.”

“No, and I’m not against tattoos or anything, but, um . . . are you freaking serious? I just got to town, just met you people, and you expect me to sit down and say, ‘Okay, sure, ink me up. I don’t give a shit what you to do my body. That I have to live with for . . . forever. Literally! And let’s do it right now, even though your new boss is upstairs dying, and who knows what will happen to this place if she does, so you might not even stay, so here, this will give you something to remember your very short visit with us.”

“Nobody remembers Havenwood Falls,” she muttered.

“What?” That was her response to my rant?

She blew out a sigh. “Calm down, Kaela. It’s not what you think. You can tell me whatever design you want, where you want it. Anywhere. I’ve done it all. If you feel more comfortable in a private room, we can go upstairs.”

I let out a humorless laugh and threw up my hands. “Unbelievable! You don’t get it. What in the fuck makes you think I want a damn tattoo?”

She looked up at me and said flatly, “Because it’ll allow you to walk in the daylight.”

I froze and stared at her, my mouth partially open. She gazed back at me with a brow lifted and her arms crossed, as though challenging me. In less than a heartbeat, I stood right in front of her and snarled, fangs out.

“If you know what I am, then you know you shouldn’t fuck with me.”

She stood, her face right in front of mine, and her eyes narrowed as her fingers flicked. I was suddenly on my knees, doubled over in pain as though I’d been stabbed in the gut. Then as quickly as it came, the sensation was gone. I slowly stood up and glared at her.

“Did you do that?” I whispered.

“Yeah, and I’ll do a lot worse if you ever threaten me again. We’re friends, Kaela. I’m on your side.” She sat back down and picked up a bottle of ink. “Now, are we going to do this or not?”

“Not.”

She looked up in surprise. “You don’t want to be able to walk outside in the sun? See the world again in the light of day? Live a little more normally?”

“More than anything,” I admitted. “But not until you explain how.”

“How what?”

“How . . . everything. How you know what I am. How you did that to me. How your tattoo can allow me to walk in the sun. Oh, and maybe how I feel like I know weird, random things about this town.”

She exhaled a long breath. “Fine, I will. As long as you sit down and give me some kind of idea of what you want your tattoo to look like so I can come up with a design.”

When she obviously wouldn’t say anything else yet, my head tilted to the side. “It’ll really allow me to go outside in the day?”

“Yes, and your skin won’t burn up or anything. You’ll be just like a human in that regard.”

“And you know this because . . .”

“Because we give these things out almost every week.”

My eyes widened. “There are that many vampires? Here?”

She shrugged. “Well, not all vampires. Other supernaturals, too. They all get marked when they come to town. Everyone gets a benefit from it, but that’s how you sign into the Registry so the Court knows who’s in town. If they’re only visiting, they get temporary ink.”

“What’s this Court? Madame Luiza kept talking about it.”

“I’ll explain, I promise. Just sit down already.”

After another moment, I dropped into the lumpy chair. “So why can’t I get temporary ink?”

Her eyes narrowed. “I guess you can if that’s what you want, but you’ll just have to get it redone in a couple of weeks.”

I considered for this moment, then nodded. “Okay, then, that’s what I want. Just in case.”

“In case of what?”

My turn to shrug. “In case you’re lying.” I frowned. “Or in case she doesn’t make it and I don’t have a job.”

“Pft. You have a job as long as you want one.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Trust me. I do.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t trust you.”

“You will. Now, can we do this?”

I gnawed on the inside of my cheek for a long moment as I stared out the picture window behind her. It was dark now, but how beautiful would that view be in the morning?

“Fine. Temporary ink only,” I said out of bull-headedness. “Give me a sun, since that’s what this is all about.” I paused. “No, wait. A moon. Because I’ve come to love it.”

“How about both?” She pulled a small pad out of her bag and a pencil and quickly sketched out a beautiful image of half a sun and half a moon with a swirly design around it.

“Wow. You’re very talented.”

“Thanks. I do a lot with suns and moons, because they’re such a big part of our lives, you know? With how they affect so many of us, especially here in Havenwood Falls.”

I didn’t miss her use of “us.” She wasn’t human, either. But what was she?

She traced over the image with a purple pen, then tore the page off the pad. “Where do you want it?”

I pulled my sweater off, revealing a tank top underneath, and tapped on the back of my right shoulder. “So I’m doing this. Now tell me more. How does this work?”

She sprayed the paper with what I presumed to be water before pressing it against my skin. “The ink is infused with magic.”

“Excuse me?” I twisted to stare at her, my mouth again partially open.

“Be still!” She pulled the paper off, wiped my skin, then tried again. I stayed still so it wouldn’t smudge this time. “Yes, I said magic. I’m a witch. That’s how I brought you to your knees.”

“Whoa,” I breathed out. “For real?”

“For real. I’m a Beaumont, one of the founding families of the Luna Coven, the main one here in Havenwood Falls.” She started setting up her tools and bottles. The black ink shimmered with silver streaks.

“There’s more than one coven?”

“Oh, yes. Not everyone wants to do what we have to do, considering our role with the town and the Court.” She pushed her sleeves up, revealing tattoos on both forearms, stretched and wiggled her fingers, and then picked up her tool and dipped it in the shimmery ink. “It can get so political. I hate that part, too, but I can’t really leave it.”

“Why not?”

“I’m being groomed for the High Council. Some day. In probably a few hundred years.”

I snickered, thinking she was joking.

“I’m not quite next in line, thank goddess. There’s a couple of generations to get through, and we live extremely long lives.”

Wow. My questions paused as I considered that. Were there really others, besides Sindi, whom I could possibly be friends with and not have to worry about them growing old when I didn’t? Speaking of Sindi, I couldn’t wait to call her! She was going to freak. And then be out here in a heartbeat. I knew she should have just come with me. Although, she’d be all over Xandru, and I couldn’t let that happen. Maybe I wouldn’t tell her right away. At least give myself a chance to be humiliated with rejection before she came out and dug her claws in. Of course, he seemed to be more her type anyway—kind of an asshole.

“So,” I continued as the needle worked the ink into my skin, “you’re a witch. And there are other supernaturals in this town? Such as . . . ?”

“Mmm . . . such as pretty much all kinds of species and sub-species. Shifters, vampires, mages, fae, sirens, gargoyles, various kinds of magically touched . . . Even hunters.”

“And they’re all here? In this little town? Are there any humans?”

She nodded. “About half the population. But we seem to be a magnet for the non-humans. We do everything we can to keep the town secret, but too many still find us all on their own. The town’s always been that way, according to legend.” She paused, and I sensed there was more, something she didn’t want to, or maybe couldn’t, say. “Hence, the reason for having to sign into the Registry. The Court wants to know who—and what—we have in town.”

“And everyone gets along? Even with hunters?”

“Ha! Now that’s funny.” She fell silent for a moment, and the hum of the tattoo needle filled the silence. “We’re supposed to. That’s what the Court of the Sun and the Moon is for—to make sure everyone plays nicely together. But, as you can imagine, that doesn’t always happen.”

“Sounds like the sun has become the least of my worries. Hunters? Really?”

She chuckled. “Unless you lose control of your thirst, you don’t need to worry about them. It really isn’t so bad here. In fact, it’s nice to be surrounded by some of your own. Maybe not everyone’s exactly like you, but we get you. You’ll see.”

“A whole town of supernaturals. Wow.” I shook my head as I tried to absorb it all. “This . . . this is kind of insane.”

“This is Havenwood Falls. Welcome home.”