"Um, sure," I mutter, feeling stupid and lame and out of place. "Congrats, I guess."

Jayden beams. "Maybe I'm not such a vampire failure after all, huh?"

"Failure!?" Elizabeth and Katie and Susan squeal all at once. "As if!"

"You make an amazing vampire!" Susan insists. "It just takes time," adds Katie. "And training."

"And we're just the girls to teach you," Elizabeth finishes, possessively putting an arm around his shoulders. "Stick with us, kid. We'll make you into a super vamp."

"Super vamp!" Jayden exclaims. "I like the sound of that."

I feel sick to my stomach as I watch Elizabeth nuzzle up against him, as if he's her boyfriend or something. I know I have no right to say anything- Jayden and I are just friends-and I have Magnus. But at the same time, I have to admit it's killing me to see him so happy with another girl. I mean, it's not like I want him to be unhappy, of course. It's just...

Oh G.o.d, I'm totally losing it.

"Well, that's all fine and good," I manage to say, trying to push all the unwelcomed thoughts from my head. "But Jayden isn't going to need any of these lessons. 'Cause he's going to become mortal again-just as soon as Magnus brings back the Grail from j.a.pan."

"If," Jayden corrects. "And I think that's a big if. To be honest, Sun, I don't think I'm very high on the guy's priority list."

My shoulders slump. I've been trying to keep the doubts from my head-trying to trust Magnus as he claims he deserves to be trusted. But at the same time, logic keeps rearing its ugly head. After all, even with the best intentions, could Magnus just tell the Consortium to shove their orders because he's still on the quest for the Holy Grail? I mean, that's like vampire treason. And as much as I want Jayden to have the chance to regain his humanity, I don't want Magnus to get in trouble, either. 'Cause I'm pretty sure the punishment for outright treason is death by stake.

It's not fair to put him in that position. To distract him from his important duties. Not when someone else could easily take over the task, freeing him up to concentrate on the war at hand.

Someone like the McDonald twins, for example. "Jayden, can I talk to you for a minute?" I ask.

"Alone?"

He looks up, surprised. "Of course," he says as he rises from his seat.

But Elizabeth stops him. "I don't think that's a good idea," she says. "After all, we were specifically told by your bodyguard not to let the two of you alone."

"In fact, if I remember right, I believe it was decided you should stay in your room," adds Katie. "Until morning."

c.r.a.p. In all the excitement, I forgot that I was still technically a prisoner. "Oh, right," I say quickly, before they can alert Rufus or the professor. "They let me out for a bathroom break. But I best be getting back! Sorry to disturb you guys. Have fun! I'll catch you later!"

Jayden looks at me, confused. "But, Sunny-"

I cut him off with a loud laugh. "Good luck with your lessons!" I tell him as I back out of the room. The girls watch me go with suspicious eyes, but thankfully none of them make a move to stop me. Once I'm far enough away for comfort I break out into a run, back toward the dusty parlor I came in from, to try to contemplate my next move.

How the h.e.l.l am I going to get us out of here? I mean, just getting Jayden away from his own attractive jailers will be hard enough. And we probably aren't going to be able to just walk out the front door without being noticed. I'd use the window, but my friend Cujo is still outside, patiently awaiting my return. And while, once my wings are dry, I'll be able to fly again, that doesn't help Jayden at all. And I can't leave him here. Without my blood transfusions, he'll have no hope at all.

Voices in the hall interrupt my troubled thoughts. I duck behind a dusty armchair and hold my breath, praying they won't enter. But my prayers, it seems, are definitely not reaching the big guy tonight because a moment later the room floods with light and two vampires walk in and sit down.

And my ankle starts bleeding again.

10.

"Are you sure you need to do this?" I hear the first vampire, who sounds like Professor Lucedio, ask the second as I try to put pressure on the wound. Vampires can smell blood a mile away, after all. Luckily, the professor is currently smoking a pipe, which is evidently masking the smell. But for how long?

I glance around for an exit, but the only one (besides the dogguarded window) is across the room, past the two vampires. I'm basically stuck here until they leave. Or, you know, smell me and drain me dry.

I turn back to the conversation, not knowing what else to do. "After all, he's made great strides with the girls tonight," the professor is adding. "Maybe it's not too late to pull him in. I'm sure they would adopt the boy into their ranks. They seem quite fond of him, after all."

Wait-are they talking about Jayden?

The second vampire, who I realize is Tanner, the Blood Coven bodyguard, shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "I'm just following the Master's orders," he replies.

Ah, I get it. Professor Lucedio thinks Jayden should remain a vampire and join the English coven. But Tanner's telling him that Magnus instructed him to keep Jayden half human by giving him the blood transfusions until we find the cure. Good, Tanner. Play by the rules. Don't let those English vampires let you stray from the Master's orders...

"It just seems like such a waste," Lucedio adds. "A nice young vampire like that. And the girls have really taken to him, as well. Especially Elizabeth."

I scowl. Elizabeth doesn't deserve a nice vampire like Jayden. And Jayden would never go for a girl like her.

At least I hope not... Anyway, she won't have a chance, because I'm going to spring Jayden and we're going to find the Holy Grail and make him human again.

"I know, I know," Tanner replies. "But the situation is... complicated, as you know. In the end it'll be better this way."

Wait a second. What was that? I crane my neck, trying to determine what the vampires are doing. I catch a glimpse of Tanner, leaning over a coffee table, slipping a vial of clear liquid into a gla.s.s of blood.

What the-?

"And this will work?" Lecedio asks. "I don't want a big mess on my hands, you know. It'll disturb the other guests and I can't afford a big black mark on my Yelp rating in this economy."

Tanner stirs the blood. "It'll work, all right. And the autopsy will determine that his body simply rejected the transfusion and overtaxed itself fighting off enemy cells. His heart gives out, the abomination dies, and everyone can move on with their lives."

I clamp a hand over my mouth to stop my scream. They're going to kill Jayden and make it look like an accident. How could Tanner do something like this? And... wait... didn't he say he was following his Master's orders? But Magnus wouldn't do something so cold. Not after promising me he'd do everything he could to save Jayden's life...

"Well, it sounds like you have everything under control," Lucedio replies.

"I am only following Lord Magnus's orders," Tanner replies humbly. "He wanted a way to take care of the... problem... without upsetting... well, you know who."

My heart wrenches so hard for a moment I think it's going to break in two. Oh G.o.d. How could he? How could he lie to me like this? Tell me he's off to find the Grail and save Jayden's life while secretly instructing his bodyguard to kill the boy and make it look like an accident so I'd never suspect a thing.

And then having the nerve to lecture me about my trust issues.

Lucedio rises to his feet. "Speaking of the girl, I should go check on her. Poor thing. She's going to be devastated when she finds out her little friend is no more. She has quite a loyalty to the boy."

"Too much," Tanner adds bitterly. "Which is why we need to take care of this tonight."

The two vampires rise from their seats and start toward the door, leaving me shaking in fright. I have to get it together. Before they discover I'm missing and Tanner feeds Jayden the poisoned blood. I can be heartbroken at the betrayal later, once Jayden and I are safe. Right now I have to act.

Oh, Magnus, how could you? After all you said. After you begged me to trust you...

I shove the thoughts from my brain and start racking it for a solution. I can't fight them-I'm outnumbered and don't have vampire strength. I need to use fairy cunning instead.

And suddenly I realize exactly what I have to do.

11.

"Hey, chaps, how's it b.l.o.o.d.y going?" I ask as I waltz into the library and don my best English accent. I plop down onto the sofa next to Jayden and grab a magazine off the coffee table, all casual-like. "What's Bonnie Prince Charles been up to these days, that jolly old hooligan? And oy, is that David Beckham hot or wot?"

Everyone stares at me and I do my best not to squirm, praying they can't see through my disguise. "Um, Elizabeth, have you been sampling the LSD- infused blood again?" asks Susan cautiously.

Good. They're buying it. Well, sort of. "Who, me?" I scoff. "Please. I don't need drugs to achieve this natural high."

"Darling, remember, what your sponsor said," Katie reminds me. "Denial is the first sign you have a problem. Do we need to get you to a meeting?"

Oh, Elizabeth has a problem, all right. But it has nothing to do with drugs. At least not at the moment. "Trust me, girls," I a.s.sure them, "it's all good in the hood. Drug-free is the way to be. Up with hope, down with dope. PCP is bad for me. And pot makes your brain rot, so I'd rather not." Ha. Wit is so my anti-drug.

The girls roll their eyes. "Whatever," Susan says. "But then what happened to the bottle of Edgar Allen Poe you were going to score us down in the blood cellar? The one we were going to use to teach Jayden the art of blood tasting?"

Oops. "Oh, right," I reply quickly. "Sorry, I forgot." Susan shakes her head. "Great," she mutters. "I guess I'll go get it."

"No, no!" I interrupt quickly. The last thing I need is for them to go down there and discover the unconscious real Elizabeth tied up in the bas.e.m.e.nt and realize that the girl they've been giving an intervention to is actually a shape-shifting fairy with bad acting skills and no drug problem whatsoever. "I'll get it." I turn to Jayden, who is creeping me out by staring at me with big puppy-dog eyes. It's a look I'm well familiar with because he used to use it only when looking at me. I mean, yes, technically he's still only looking at me this time around. But, like, Elizabeth me, not me, me.

Which, truth be told, makes me a little sad.

"Do you girls smell something?" Katie asks suddenly, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "It smells like... blood."

Susan nods. "Really sweet blood."

c.r.a.p. My ankle wound probably broke open again. Thankfully they can't see it, due to my disguise...

"Oh, I think that stupid fairy girl is wandering around again," I reply breezily. "Maybe you two should go after her and put her in her place."

The two girls look at one another. "Maybe we should..." Susan says.

"Yeah, she can't be just waltzing around here with an open sore like that," I remind them. "It's so not hygienic."

"Do you want to come with?" Katie asks me, as she rises from her seat. But I wave her off.

"No, no. I'll stay with Jayden here," I reply. "Keep him company."

The girls erupt into knowing giggles. "I bet you will," Susan teases.

"Have... fun..." adds Katie.

And with that, thankfully the two girls are out the door, leaving me alone with Jayden.

I turn to him. "Hey," I say, dropping the accent. "So we need to get-"

But I can't finish my sentence. Namely because suddenly I find Jayden's mouth on top of my own. Oh my G.o.d. He's kissing me. He's really kissing me. His soft lips hungrily moving against my own, exploring, tasting, sending shivers down to my very core. His hands reach into my hair, his fingers tangling in my curls.

Except I don't really have curls. And the lips he thinks he's kissing are not my own.

I shove him backward with such a force that he falls off the sofa. He looks up at me with wounded eyes as I rise to my feet, my hands on my hips, glaring down at him with fury.

"So, what? Are you guys, like, a couple now?" I demand, a flurry of emotions raging through me, too many to reconcile.

He scrambles to his feet, his face blazing. "I'm sorry," he babbles. "I just thought... from what you said before... I mean, I didn't mean to..."

It's all I can do not to shove him again. So hard he never gets up. "You dumba.s.s," I rage. "I'm Sunny, not your girlfriend, Elizabeth."

He squints at me, uncomprehending. G.o.d, boys are so stupid. Always thinking with their you-know- whats.

"Sunny?" he repeats dumbly, his eyes still glazed over and lips still puffy from our kiss.

I shake my head, disgusted. "Yes. It's me. I just shape-shifted into Elizabeth so I could get the other girls to leave. It's one of my fairy powers."

"But... why?"

"'Cause you're in danger, Jayden. And I've got to get you out of here."

"What? No, I'm not. Everything's fine. In fact, it's been more than fine. The girls are so nice and I've been learning all about becoming a vampire..."

"Are you listening to a word I say?" I cry. "Your life is in danger. If you don't leave with me now, you'll be killed."

"But I thought vampires were immortal..."

I grit my teeth. Half of me just wants to leave him here at this point. But no. I have to be the bigger person.

"Look, lover boy, let's just say this so-called safe house isn't as safe as one might think," I reply, trying to still my temper. After all, he's not doing anything wrong. He's a single guy who likes a single girl and wants to hook up with her.

So why do I feel so betrayed?

I shake my head, trying to stay focused. "Any minute now, Tanner is going to come in here with your blood transfusion. Except this one will be laced with poison." I pause, then add, "They want to kill you, Jayden."

"But why would they want to do that? Why not just let me become a vampire?" he asks. "I mean, Elizabeth's already suggested I come stay with them up north and join their coven."

Of course she has. "You just have to trust me," I reply. "We can talk more once we're free of this place."

He's silent, and for a moment I truly think he's going to turn down my offer of rescue. But eventually he nods his head, though still not looking me in the eye. "Okay," he says. "Lead the way."