"Really?" I hadn't meant to ask out loud, but it just slipped out. I mean, I'd always thought that he was way more into Bea than me.

He laughed softly.Sitting back until his shoulders rested against the wall, he seemed to be trying to get a good look at me. "Yeah, really . I told you I had a crush. Why are you so surprised?"

I rubbed my bare arms, feeling the sudden chill in the absence of our body heat. "I figured you were out of my league." I shrugged. "Anyway, the spooky eye can be kind of a handicap."

Shaking his head, he said, "Are you kidding? That's what makes you so d.a.m.n hot."

Hot? Me?

The way he looked at me, I knew he was quite serious.

Then he very slowly, cautiously leaned in to give me another peck on the lips.

I let him.

When he lingered there, hopeful, I nudged his mouth open with mine. A little more timidly, he kissed me again. This time I initiated the exploration, and I discovered he tasted good. Not like blood, but still warm and alive.

Hm?

Still, as strange as it was, my heartbeat quickened at that thought. My kiss became more desperate. I wanted to devour him.

A painful stab and a strange clicking sensation warned me to pull away just as my fangs descended.

"Oops," I said, putting my hand in front of my mouth to shield him from my transformation. I mumbled, "My turn to get carried away. Sorry."

He glanced at me from under his lashes and flashed what could only be a come-hither smile. "No need to stop."

Yeah, but now I wanted to bite him. How awkward was that?

"Um, I need to . . . uh, go to the bathroom. I'll be right back." And with that, I bolted to the stairs and stumbled down them before he could even utter a word of protest.

Finding the bathroom, I shut the door. I didn't even bother with the light. Nervously, I checked myself in the mirror. Yep. There they were. My canine teeth had elongated and, somehow, sharpened to deadly looking points. At least my eyes hadn't gone all cat-reflect-y.

This was certainly a disturbing development. I couldn't even kiss a boy without wanting to bite him. To say the least, this was going to be h.e.l.l on my love life. Closing the toilet seat, I sat down dejectedly with my head in my hands. The second my palms. .h.i.t my cheeks, my d.a.m.n fangs bit my tongue. "Ow. G.o.dd.a.m.n it!"

There was a soft knock at the door. "Are you okay in there?"

"No, this sucks! I bit my own stupid tongue." Okay, I could have edited that to make more sense, but I was startled by his sudden presence and incredibly frustrated by this situation. Did I ask to be a vampire? No. In fact, I hadn't even considered it an option until yesterday. Now everything was fangs, blood, and weird caves. I just wanted to make out a little more with a cool, cute boy.

"Can I help?" Nikolai asked from the other side of the door. Great. Just great. I wiped the well of tears from the corner of my eye. "I mean . . . you can tell me if you think I'm a lousy kisser or whatever."

I whipped open the door, nearly pulling it from the hinges. "No! I like you! I . . ." I faltered because he'd been trying to peer through the keyhole and he stood up suddenly, guiltily.

His eyes were wide and he pointed at my mouth. "Your, um, fangs are showing."

"Oh." My hand flew to cover my mouth. "Oh, c.r.a.p."

I slammed the door shut. It banged loudly. Awkwardly. My first date with Nikolai was not going at all the way I'd hoped. I could just cry.

"Can we just go bowling? I thought you wanted to bowl," I shouted.

There was a stunned silence from the other side of the door, followed by a chuckle. "Actually, yeah, that sounds like an awesome idea."

ONCE MY FANGS HAD TUCKED themselves away and Nikolai made a few calls to friends, I cautiously let myself out of the bathroom. I was expecting him to act as embarra.s.sed as I felt, but he seemed to have gained a sense of purpose. He offered me my coat at the door and gave me a peck on the cheek. "Let's start over, okay?"

I nodded, grateful for both the suggestion and the kiss. My shoulders dropped the tension I didn't even know I'd been holding. I think I'd been worried he'd want to forgo all the romance and we'd end up just strained friends. I gave him a quick hug. "Thanks," I said. "For understanding."

"I didn't say I wasn't confused." He smiled down at me, our faces close enough for another kiss. I should have let go, but I didn't want to. "You're very hot and cold, but I can be patient."

"And the fangs?"

I let him out of the hug because I wasn't sure I was going to like this answer as much, but he grasped my hands before I could step away.

"They're weird," he admitted. "A little cute, and very, very naughty."

That confused me. "Naughty?"

"I'm an apprentice fang buster," he said. "Vamps are supposed to be off-limits."

"What about half ones?"

"I guess I'm making an exception."

His eyes were intense and I felt heat rising between us. I hopped up on my tiptoes to peck him on the nose. "Good." I smiled. "Now let's bowl."

BOWLING, IT TURNED OUT, WAS my sport. By the time Nikolai's friends joined us, I had already won two out of three games.

I was raring to take on the new blood, but Nik called for mercy. "Food break," he suggested. "Let's grab some pizza."

The alley that Nikolai had taken me to was Bryant-Lake Bowl. The front half was a sw.a.n.ky Uptown Minneapolis bar/ restaurant and the back end was a bowling alley. Apparently, somewhere there was also the entrance to a theater because I saw playbills for upcoming shows all over the walls.

"I'm Stevie," said a tall woman with reddish blond hair, a broad, freckled nose, and an easy smile. I honestly would never have pegged her as the nerd. No horn-rims or braces or poor social skills there. She wore the uniform of a college student--T-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes--but had a relaxed confidence that instantly put me at ease. "This is my boyfriend, John. Mike is stuck in Western Civilization."

"Aren't we all?" commented John, who, really, with that joke seemed much more the geek, though he was clearly trying for intellectual chic. He had round Harry Potter gla.s.ses and a thin face dotted with stubble.

Nikolai introduced me by my full first name, which he said with a surprising grace, though he added his own Romany accent. I smiled at the sound of it on his lips, but added, "Just call me Ana. It's easier."

"No, no, Anastasija is lovely," John insisted. "It's regal."

"You're thinking of the Romanovs," Stevie said. "Maybe Ana doesn't appreciate the a.s.sociation. I mean, things ended badly for them."

While the two of them argued over my name, Nikolai found a table large enough to accommodate the four of us. Before we even settled, a waitress deposited menus and gla.s.ses of water. She hurried off to the next table before I could even thank her.

"Are you Russian like Nikolai?" John asked.

No, I thought, vampire. Instead, I just shook my head. "English, I think."

"Ah, then we're bitter enemies," John said with a smile. Hooking a thumb at his chest, he said, "Irish."

"And I'm half French and part Finnish and some Bulgarian," Stevie said with a roll of her eyes, and a hearty laugh. "Are we done with the ethnic identification? I'm starving!"

"Be serious," John muttered. "You're not Bulgarian."

"Says who?" She poked him in the ribs.

"Are they always like this?" I asked Nikolai.

He nodded. "Pretty much, except when they're having s.e.x. Then they argue louder."

"Nice," Stevie said, but she was smiling.

Meanwhile, I was glad the restaurant had muted lighting. It hid my blush.

My phone rang. It was Mom. Everyone was watching me, so I stood up to excuse myself. "I'd better take this," I said.

As I put the phone to my ear, I expected the worst. Instead, she said, "Are you okay?"

The question stunned me, as did my reaction. "It's been a weird day," I admitted, surprising myself by wanting to hear her rea.s.suring tone. The bar was noisy. I moved toward the bowling alley in my slippery-soled shoes. I sat down on one of the plastic swivel seats near an empty lane. "I licked this guy at school I don't even really like, although now everyone thinks I do. I ran out of school. Then Elias came and we ended up underground, and now I'm bowling."

I left out the part where Nikolai and I made out, because, well, I thought she might have a heart attack as it was.

"When are you coming home?"

That was it? No yelling?

"What have you done with my mother?" I asked the alien on the phone.

"I'm just glad you're safe," Mom said, and she sounded sincere. I cradled the phone to my ear. "I got the automated notice about your truancy on the machine. I called Helena to find out what Bea knew, and she just said there was an accident in gym cla.s.s."

"Thompson got hit in the face with a hockey puck."

"But you're okay?"

"No, Mom, not really," I said.

"What's wrong, honey?"

I looked over where Nikolai and his friends sat. They were laughing about something and Stevie jabbed poor John in the ribs again. That guy must have a constant bruise in that spot.

"I'm out with Nikolai," I said in lieu of answering. I wanted to spill everything again, in greater detail, but Mom was a witch. She hated vampires. She wasn't going to tell me it would all be okay, like I desperately wanted her to, even if she was acting conciliatory. "He asked me out bowling with some of his friends."

"Nikolai Kirov? From the coven?"

I could hear the smile in her tone. I knew she'd approve. She'd wanted me to hook up with a witch boy since middle school. Most of the time I found it deeply embarra.s.sing; it was nice to finally use it to my advantage. "Yeah, he gave me a ride home last night and we really hit it off."

"Do be careful," she started, and I rolled my eyes in antic.i.p.ation of the "safe s.e.x" lecture. Instead, she said, "His family hunts vampires."

By chance, I glanced over at Nik at the very instant he looked for me. Our eyes met. "No," I told her. "He said he's making an exception."

There was silence on the other end for a moment. "You should come home. It's a school night."

I checked the wall clock; it wasn't even dinnertime. And anyway, I still wasn't sure I was going home, plus I'd promised Elias I'd show up for the debut thingie, so I said, "I love you. Got to run. Good-bye!"

I had the phone clicked shut and shoved into my pocket before she even said good-bye. I didn't want a fight to ruin everything. My face must have betrayed something when I got to the table because Nik asked, "Everything okay?" He stood up to let me back into the seat nearest the window.

"Yeah. Just my mom checking in," I explained.

"We ordered appetizers. I hope that's okay," Stevie said.

"You eat meat, don't you?" John asked.

"Yeah, I do," I said, wedging myself back into my seat. Everyone had a drink of some kind. From what I could tell, everyone was having pop. I pointed at my gla.s.s and looked at Nikolai.

"I got you a c.o.ke. Regular. I hope that's okay?"

I smiled. Ah, normal. Friends out for the evening. No one talking about Initiations or vampires. Just what I needed. I let their conversation about their professors and blue books drift around me. Nikolai reached out and held my hand under the table. I gave him a gentle squeeze. This was great.

Which was why I nearly jumped out of my bowling shoes when I saw Elias watching me from across the room.

Eighteen.

Okay, new question. Elias Constantine: (a) dashing vampire protector or (b) creepy stalker guy?

What would have been an easy "a" ten minutes ago now had me wondering. Maybe it was the way the light caught his unblinking, steady gaze that seemed to bore right through me, or the fact that I was hyperaware that I held Nikolai's hand under the table.

But something about Elias's presence in the darkened bar made me swallow nervously.

Trust the other girl at the table to notice my distraction. Stevie swiveled to try to see who'd caught my eye. As the boys continued to discuss the merits of retaking a failed thermal-physics cla.s.s, she leaned in conspiratorially. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

No, I wanted to say, a vampire.

But when I started to point to where Elias had been sitting a second ago, he was gone. "That's weird," I said, scanning the bar to try to spot where he went. But I saw no sign of him. "He was there a minute ago."

"Who?" Nikolai asked.

"That's what I was trying to find out," Stevie chided.

"Some guy I met the other night," I said distractedly. Had he slipped off to the bathroom? Where did Elias go?

"The other night? " Nikolai asked anxiously. "You mean, like, last night?"

"Did something happen last night?" Stevie asked.