“You could’ve fooled me. You’ve been acting like a kid all morning.” He took a moment and then reconsidered. “Actually, I think you were more mature when you were four.”
“Whatever.” Sami wiggled her legs. “Let me down.”
“We used to have tea parties when you were four.” He grinned. “You insisted we dunk licorice in the tea because you once saw your mother do it. Only you didn’t like black licorice so you did it with Red Vines. It was the cutest thing I ever saw.”
“Ugh. I’m so mad.” Sami smacked at his back. Then, out of nowhere, her voice cracked. “I’m afraid.”
Aric’s expression instantly softened. “I know, kid.” He lowered her to the ground and moved his thumbs to her cheeks to wipe away her tears. “I know you’re afraid. We’re going to figure it out. I promise.”
“No, we’re not.” Sami vehemently shook her head. “Mom won’t even try. She can do that tracking spell. I know she can. She won’t do it for Rafael, even though he’s risked himself for us a lot of times.”
Aric opened his mouth to respond and then flicked his eyes to Zoe. “I think you need to tell her.”
Zoe scowled at him. “You always do this. The minute she cries, you turn into a big pile of goo. I hate it.”
“I turn into goo for you, too.”
“Yes, but I like that.” Zoe held his gaze and then threw up her hands. “Fine. If we’re going to kowtow to a fourteen-year-old, let’s go whole hog, shall we?” She strode over to Sami and stared evenly at the girl. “As soon as it’s dark, I’m going after him.”
“Why do you have to wait until dark?” Sami whined. “Why does he have to wait that long?”
“You know why.” Zoe was calm under pressure and didn’t falter even as Sami started making complaining noises deep in her throat. “It will be easier for me to move at night. That’s simply the way it is.”
Sami shook her head. “So we’re going at dark? How do you know where to look?”
“I didn’t say ‘we’.” Zoe cocked her head. “I’m going. You’re staying behind, most likely with your father.”
Sami balked, which was to be expected. “I’m going with you!”
“You’re not.” Zoe’s tone turned icy. “I can’t take you with me. I’ll be too worried. That means your father will have to stay with you. I’ll be going for Rafael on my own.”
I stirred. “Wait, I—”
Sami didn’t give me a chance to finish my thought. “No! He’s my vampire. I’m going.”
“You’re not going. And stop saying he’s your vampire.” Zoe’s eyes fired with annoyance. “He’s my vampire. Mine.” She thumped her chest. “I knew him long before you were even a speck of dust in our lives. That means he’s my vampire.”
“Hold up.” Aric shifted from one foot to the other. “I don’t want to encourage this ‘he’s my vampire, no he’s my vampire’ crap, but why is he your vampire?”
Zoe blinked several times and held out her hands. “I met him first. Schoolyard rules are in effect. He’s my vampire.”
“No, I’m your shifter. He’s just this dude we hang out with occasionally.”
Suddenly, I found myself tired of their antics. As entertaining as they were on a regular basis, we had other things to worry about. “You’re not going for the vampire alone,” I said, drawing Zoe’s attention to me. “That’s an incredibly stupid idea. I’ll be going with you.”
I thought she might argue but she nodded. “That will be helpful. You and I can work as a team and Aric and Gunner can work as a team in case they split up and try to grab Sami again.”
“No way.” Gunner’s face was suddenly alive with fury. “I’m not staying behind.”
“You are,” I shot back. “Zoe and I will be able to move quicker if it’s just the two of us.”
“You can make us invisible. You’ve done it before.”
“Yes, and you saw how quickly it wiped me out. I don’t think that’s going to be an option this time.”
“You can make people invisible?” Zoe looked intrigued despite herself. “Like ... you create a dome?”
“I guess. Well, kind of. It’s more that I glamour anyone who might be around into seeing nothing.”
“That sounds helpful in a pinch.” She tapped her chin. “We won’t be using that method tonight since I’ll be utilizing a dome. Once we get to our destination, though, your trick might come in handy, even if we can only use it a few seconds.”
I was onboard for whatever she had planned. “Just tell me what you want me to do.”
“We’ll come up with a plan.” Her eyes went back to Sami. “As for you ...”
“You can’t cut me out.” Tears streamed down the teenager’s face, making her look younger and more vulnerable than she did only seconds before. “I won’t let you do it. I can’t. You’ll need me.”
“Sami, I’ll always need you,” Zoe said, taking a soft tack. “You’re my child, and you’re so strong that you can do anything ... except apparently hear me when I tell you to empty the dishwasher.”
“Funny,” Aric joked, “I know someone else who has that problem.”
Zoe ignored him. “We’re going to figure this out. I’m going to get Rafael back. Scout is going to go with me. I was never going to leave him out there, no matter what you think. I had to wait until I could find a trail.”
“You found it?”
Zoe hesitated and shook her head. “No, but I think with Scout and I working together, there’s nothing we can’t do. I need you to be patient.”
“But—.”
“No.” Zoe shook her head. “You need to stay with your father. He needs someone to protect him.”
“Knock it off.” Aric flicked her ear. “Still, your mother is right, Sami. We’re tackling this particular problem in a strategic manner. I know that’s not what you want to hear but it is
