Eternal

Cece leaned back in her chair, folding her arms across her chest. “I think she’s secretly into him but afraid to tell us. Which is too bad, because I think she’d be good for him.”

“Sophie is the redhead, right?” Whitney asked, and Cece and I nodded. “Yeah, I’ve noticed the way she watches him. I’m pretty sure she’s crushing hard.”

Cece gave me a pointed look. “See? Tyler just needs to step up and—oops, speak of the devil. On your left,” she warned as Tyler approached our table.

“Hey, birthday girl,” he drawled, reaching for my hand. “Come dance with me.”

“You think you can handle me?” I asked with a grin.

“Well, why don’t we find out?” he shot back.

Laughing, I took his hand and followed him out to the center of the floor.

* * *

An hour later, I returned to the table where I’d stashed my bag and shoes and collapsed into a chair, exhausted. I’d been dancing nonstop, making my way around the dance floor from group to group.

Mostly, Aidan just watched, claiming me only for the slow songs. But when he held me in his arms, the heated look in his gaze promised more—much more. I couldn’t stop thinking about that silk blindfold in his pocket, his teasing words about later. My skin tingled all over, just thinking about it.

As far as I was concerned, later couldn’t come fast enough. I was feeling brave—reckless, even. My mind wandered back to that day in his room, the day he’d returned. Skin against skin, his body beneath mine.

I had to pick up a glass of water from the table and press it against the side of my face to cool my heated cheeks as I considered the possibilities.

Just then, Matthew dropped into the seat beside me, his eyes shadowed with concern. “Hey,” he said. “Having fun?”

“Yeah, I’m having a great time. Why?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. I thought I felt . . . a disturbance in the force or something. You suddenly felt . . . off to me.”

Oh, man. I sure hoped he couldn’t read my mind now that I’d turned eighteen. We probably should have tested it earlier, while we were out getting my tattoo. The last thing I needed was Matthew knowing what I’d been thinking about just before he sat down.

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” I said with a shrug, going for casual. “The party’s great. It looks like everyone’s having fun, right?”

“Wait,” he said, going suddenly still, his gaze fixed on my bracelet. “Was it doing that before?”

I glanced down at my wrist, suddenly aware of a sharp, burning sensation. Even more ominous, my bracelet’s center stone, one of the bloodstones, seemed to be swirling, the black and red roiling like an angry storm cloud. “That’s not good,” I muttered.

“What does it mean?” Matthew asked, his gaze meeting mine.

I swallowed hard before replying. “It means vampire. Bad vampire.”

I stood so abruptly that my chair tipped over backward. Quickly, I reached for my shoes and slipped my swollen feet into them. “Look around,” I said. “Make sure everyone’s here, accounted for. We’ve got to keep everyone inside.”

“That vision,” Matthew said quietly, his thoughts traveling the same route as mine. “Jack.”

We both scanned the room, searching for his tall, athletic frame, his blond hair. “I don’t see him,” I said.

Matthew shook his head. “Me either.”

“Let’s find Kate, then,” I said, pushing my way through the crowd, Matthew at my heels. I found her sitting at a table on the edge of the dance floor, holding her cell phone in one hand. “Where’s Jack?” I called out breathlessly, bracing my hands on the back of a chair. “C’mon, Kate, where is he?”

She looked up and shrugged. “I don’t know. We had a fight. I think he might have gone outside for some air.”

I turned toward Matthew and saw my own terror mirrored there in his eyes.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath. “Listen, Kate. You’ve got to stay here, but if you see Jack, you make sure he stays put, understand me? You cannot let him go outside. This is important, okay? I’m talking life or death here.”

“What’s going on?” she asked, her voice rising shrilly. “Violet?” Her pale blue eyes were wide as saucers, her bottom lip trembling. “You’ve got to tell me what’s happening!”

I shook my head. “There’s no time. Just . . . if you find him, don’t let him go outside.” The heat against my wrist intensified, the bloodstone glowing now. “Crap, Matthew, we’ve got to hurry!”

“Let’s go,” he said, taking my hand.

From across the room, I saw Aidan watching us, saw his eyes narrow a fraction.

What’s wrong? he asked telepathically.

Follow us out, I answered, hurrying to keep pace with Matthew’s longer strides. We’ve got to find Jack. Now!

I had no idea how much of a head start we had, how much warning the Daughter’s Eye provided. I knew only that we had to hurry. I led Matthew through the tables toward the rear exit, the one marked “emergency exit only.” As soon as we stepped outside and skimmed down the stairs, Aidan caught up with us.

“Vampire,” Aidan said, jerking his chin upward, his gaze scanning the horizon. “Not Luc. A stranger.”

I held up my wrist, showing him the glowing reddish black stone. “We already figured that out. And holy crap, I don’t have my stake.”

Matthew crouched down, pushing up one pant leg. “I’ve got you covered,” he said, retrieving a lethal-looking stake from a sheath strapped to his calf. “But you’re supposed to be carrying one at all times,” he snapped. “This isn’t a game, Violet.”

Gratefully, I took the weapon from him, wrapping my hand around the smooth, satiny shaft. “I know. I’m sorry.”

I watched in silence as he unbuttoned the top few buttons on his shirt and reached inside for his baselard. I felt it then, the energy between the dagger and my stake, like a pulsating force.

“Which way?” Matthew asked me.

I took a deep breath and looked around, unsure. Directly behind us stretched the club’s driving range and golf course. Over to the right was the pool. To our left, there was nothing but dense woods.

And a vampire, my senses told me. “That way,” I said, tipping my head toward the woods.

Matthew raked a hand through his hair. “Damn it, just like the vision. I don’t like this. Where the hell is Jack?”

“We’ll find him,” I said, taking a deep, calming breath. “We have to, before it’s too late.”

“Jack!” came a high-pitched voice off to our left, echoing off the trees.

Our heads all swiveled toward it in unison.

“Okay, what was that?” Matthew asked.

“Oh no.” My heart sank in recognition. “That was Kate. How did she get out there?” I cupped my hands around my mouth. “Kate!” I hollered, but there was no response.

“Let’s go,” Matthew said, and we took off at a sprint.

We hadn’t made it twenty yards into the moonlit woods before we heard a bloodcurdling scream from somewhere up ahead.

No! Please, God, no.

“We’ve got to move faster,” Aidan said, grabbing my hand and stopping me dead in my tracks. “My way, Vi. Hold on tight.” He held out his other hand toward Matthew. “Dr. Byrne, you too.”

Matthew looked slightly confused, but he took Aidan’s hand anyway. And then . . . the entire world seemed to tumble, a dark kaleidoscope of sensations.

In the blink of an eye, we were there, in the clearing I’d seen in my vision. A female vampire stood not ten feet away, clutching a body to her chest, its neck bent at an improbable angle.