"It's a little weird, to be honest," I say. Because I'm still feeling that no-lie thing hardcore. "How did you-"

"Oh my G.o.d! There's Peter! He's soooo cute!" Sunny interrupts excitedly. Everyone turns to look at the Alpha, who's limping over to the head table to join the girls. He shoots me a dirty look and I turn away.

Sunny turns back to her friends. "He totally saved my life last night from the evil fairies who were trying to kill us," she gushes. "Want to hear the story?"

Of course everyone does. And so I sit, completely baffled, as she starts recounting our night as if it were a really cool Michael Bay film.

What is wrong with her? She should have been scared out of her mind and yet she's making it out to be some big adventure. Does she have any idea I almost lost my life in the fray? That I had to pretty much sell my soul to the devil to survive the experience? I guess she doesn't, but still ... something about this is just not right.

"So then Peter jumps in front of the creature and ..."

And what's with this Peter thing? Why is she suddenly fixated on the Alpha? I mean, just yesterday the girl couldn't get out of bed because she missed her boyfriend so much. She can't now suddenly be crushing on another guy, can she?

G.o.d, if so, Hamlet was right about the whole frailty your name is woman thing. Poor Magnus.

"And look at him now, all injured and stuff. All because he was protecting me," Sunny says and her followers all sigh dreamily. "I'm going to go over there. Maybe a back ma.s.sage will make him feel better."

And without further ado, my sister leaps from the table, bounding over to the Alphas. She reaches around to cover Peter's eyes in a "guess who" kind of way. He turns around, sees her, and starts laughing. Plopping herself down at the empty seat next to him, she starts rubbing his shoulders. I just shake my head in disbelief.

Who is this girl and what have they done with my sister?

My stomach growls, dragging my attention away from Sunny's flirtation and back to my own much more worrisome problem. I swallow hard, trying to ignore the gnawing emptiness inside, growing by the minute. If only I hadn't tried it once, I'm sure I could have staved it off a little longer. But now that I've had a taste-now that I know what I'm missing-I'm having a really hard time controlling my bloodl.u.s.t.

Well, you're going to have to wait. It's not like there's just a bunch of donors hanging around the slay school- "Rayne! There you are. I've been searching everywhere for you!"

I look up to see Corbin standing in front of me, dressed all in black, save a white bandage at his neck. His hooded emerald eyes lock onto mine with unshielded desire. My mind flashes back to last night in the cave-my lips at his throat, sucking down his sweet, syrupy blood as he moans in ecstasy. My face flushes and my stomach flip-flops in memory.

Oh G.o.d, this is not good. I need to get up and walk away. Now. Before it's too late.

Corbin holds out a hand. I find myself reaching out to take it. His skin is warm, inviting. He wraps his fingers around mine and pulls me to my feet.

"Come with me, Little Slayer," he commands in a voice that leaves no room for argument.

And, against all my better judgment, I do as he says.

14.

We leave the cafeteria and wander off the cobblestone path, hand in hand, around the buildings and into the woods. Corbin says nothing, just grips my hand, and my heart beats wildly in my chest as he pulls me along. I shouldn't be doing this-I know where it's going-where it has to go. Now that I've had my taste of forbidden fruit, I won't be able to stop myself from taking another bite, given the opportunity. And being alone with him in the woods? The guy might as well be wrapping up his neck in a ribbon and putting himself under the Christmas tree.

Just what I always wanted!

I know I should run screaming from the woods and never look back. I should tell him I never want to see him again and it's best we keep our distance from this point forward. But I can't. There's no way. Not when he's willing to offer me the one thing I need more than anything, even though I know it's the last thing I should take.

"So, um, how are you feeling?" I ask, trying to still the desire welling up inside of me with casual conversation.

He shrugs. "Better, I guess." Finding a fallen log in the middle of a small clearing, he sits down on it, gesturing for me to do the same. I sit, as far away as possible from him, but of course he closes the distance between us immediately. Sitting so close that our thighs are touching. I squirm in a mixture of hunger and desire. I hate how attracted I am to him. It makes me feel disloyal to Jareth. Of course, then again, I'm not looking to love Corbin. I just want what he can give me.

But he obviously feels a bit differently, reaching out and taking my chin in his hand and turning my head so our eyes meet, our lips only scarce inches away. "I wanted to thank you," he says earnestly. "For saving my life last night."

Oh G.o.d. I shake my head free, guilt a.s.saulting me from every angle. He thinks I saved him! When, instead, I'm the one who accidentally almost ended his life altogether with my greediness.

"I ... really didn't help much," I say. True.

"I'd lost so much blood," he continues, not listening to me. "If you hadn't dragged me away to that cave ..." He shakes his head. "No matter," he says firmly. "I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry about tormenting you before. I'm an idiot sometimes. You're a better person than me and I'm now forever in your debt."

Cool. Then how about a sip of ...

I shake my head. I feel like I'm going crazy here.

"The whole thing is so strange," he continues, reaching up to touch his bandaged neck. "Why were the fairies there? What did they want? And why would they take my blood? The guardians who interviewed me afterward told me that fairies rarely, if ever, take mortal blood. Most of them are sort of like otherworld vegetarians. Preferring nectar and other things found in nature."

I gnaw at my lower lip. "Well, maybe they suddenly had a Mac Attack?" I suggest, referring to the old McDonald's commercial. I guess I can get away with this "truth" because, honestly, I don't know what was going on in the other fairies' minds. Heck, maybe one of them WAS craving Big Macs while they were bearing down on us. You never know.

Corbin chuckles. "Well, anyway, the scientists swabbed my neck and are evaluating the saliva. Hopefully they can come up with a DNA match since most fairies are cataloged through the Slayer Inc. databases after the Fairyland Revolt in 2002. Maybe this way we can at least come up with which kingdom is responsible for the attack."

I stare at him in horror. Fairy DNA testing? That's so not good. I mean, sure, it's not like they're going to find my fairy DNA in their little database. But what if they figure out during testing that this particular fairy is also a vampire? That's going to put the whole place on red alert.

It had seemed like such a good idea at the time. Drink from Corbin, heal myself, erase his memory so he'd never know what bit him. But I should have known they'd never just let it go like that. Not at a school full of Slayer Inc. operatives.

And with a developing bloodl.u.s.t, not to mention an expanding pair of wings and the sudden inability to tell a lie, I'm not going to be able to keep much of a low profile either.

"Don't worry," Corbin says, evidently catching a hint of major freak-out on my face. He reaches out to stroke my hand. "I'm sure it's no big deal." He brings my hand to his face and nuzzles my palm against his unshaven cheek, causing my stomach to start doing major flip-flops. "I'm fine, you're fine-that's what's important here."

His skin is so warm. So ... alive ... So human ... "I'm really not that fine, to be honest!" I blurt out, my trembling voice taking on a slightly hysterical screechy tone that makes me sound like my sister. I need to get up and walk away. Now. Before it's too late. I start to stand, but Corbin grips my hand tighter.

"Please." He grins wickedly, capturing my eyes with his own flashing green ones. "You're d.a.m.n fine, girl. In fact, you're downright beautiful. Have I ever told you how beautiful I think you are?"

Sure. Right before I bit you and nearly drained you of half your blood. A moment I'm probably going to be forced to repeat if you don't let me walk away right this very second.

But I can't say that. And I can't lie. So I sit there, helplessly silent, suffering miserably as I stare at his neck. Corbin, of course, takes this as a hint, leaning in, closing his eyes, parting his lips ...

I shove him back, nearly knocking him off the log in the process. Oops. d.a.m.n vampire strength.

His eyes flutter open, annoyance mixed with hurt confusion. "What?" he asks. "Don't you like me kissing you?"

Tell him no! Everything inside me screams. Tell him you'd rather just be friends.

"Yes," I say out loud. Because, unfortunately, that's the truth. Now if he asked whether I wanted him to kiss me or if he should be kissing me or if I wished he wouldn't kiss me ever again, I might have had a chance. But did I like his kissing? G.o.d, yeah.

He smiles lazily and leans forward again. The electricity between us crackles and I scoot back a few more inches on the log. Any more and I'm going to fall off completely.

"So tell me about your parents," I blurt out, desperate for a topic change. "The other Alphas told me a vampire killed them?"

He groans, leaning backward on the log. "Wow. Okay, buzz-kill."

I grimace like that wasn't exactly what I meant to happen. "Sorry."

"It's okay." He rakes a hand through his black hair. "My parents were young. They had me when they were only eighteen. Obviously not on purpose." He throws me a rueful smile and shrugs his shoulders. "Anyway, it was tough on them. Mom had to drop out of college and they both ended up moving in with her mom-my grandmother. Dad worked two jobs just to make ends meet. Basically they had to grow up fast. Too fast, I guess.

"When they would get a night off, Grandma would volunteer to babysit. And they'd ... well, try to make up for lost time, you might say. They started going to all these Goth bars and fetish clubs looking for an adult thrill that would make them forget dirty diapers and late-night feedings. And one day they discovered the Blood Bars."

I swallow hard. Oh G.o.d, I can see where this is going and it doesn't sound pretty.

"Mind you, I knew none of this at the time," Corbin adds. "I was just a kid, mostly being raised by my grandma, who was wonderful and kind and loving. In fact, I didn't find out what really happened to my parents until Grandma died a few years ago. I was hiding up in the attic during her funeral-I couldn't stand all those fake people standing around, pretending to be sad while stuffing their faces with food. I found my mother's diary hidden above a rafter."

I think about my diary and imagine my daughter stumbling across it someday. What would she think about all my adventures? Then again, I realize, I'm a vampire. I'm not even sure I can procreate. The thought makes me a bit sad.

I force my attention back to Corbin's story. "I don't know if you learned about Blood Bars in your home school lessons," he continues. "But they're basically a type of fetish club, where humans sign up willingly to go to get sucked by vampires." He scowls. "They go into these ... rooms and wait for the vampire to come and ..." He trails off, shuddering. "It's so disgusting, Rayne. I don't know why anyone would volunteer for something like that, never mind get off on it, like these people do."

The indignant look on his face makes me feel like the lowest person in the world. G.o.d, what have I done? My stomach swims with nausea.

"Anyway, once I got to Riverdale, I was able to do some more research. Slayer Inc. actually has a file on the case. According to them, one night a Blood Bar vampire got too hungry and wasn't able to stop feeding on my mother. Drained the life right out of her as my father watched helplessly in a corner. When he realized what was happening, he tried to attack the vampire." Corbin laughs bitterly. "Which went about as well as you might expect. The vampire in question killed him and ran away, never to be heard of again." He shakes his head. "Slayer Inc. raided the Blood Bar and shut it down, but besides the surveillance tape they found, which doc.u.mented the murders, there was no other evidence. It's still an open case. Unsolved."

"So you decided to join Slayer Inc.," I conclude.

"My grandmother died when I was twelve. Six years after my parents had been killed. Slayer Inc. showed up at the cemetery and invited me to train. I was more than willing." He squeezes his hands into fists. "I can't wait to graduate and track down that vampire who killed my parents. He's going to wish he had never been born."

His anger is so fierce, so raw, that suddenly I'm scared. I try to get up off the log, but he grabs my arm again, pulling me back down to him. "Don't go," he pleads. "Not after I've shared this with you. You're the only person I've told and ..." He trails off, looking at me helplessly. "Now I'm feeling a little freaked out, to be honest."

"Oh, Corbin," I say, my heart going out to him. He acts so hard and c.o.c.ky on the outside, but he's hiding so much pain. I reach out to give him a comforting hug.

It's all the invitation he needs. He takes my head in his hands and draws me to him, claiming my mouth as his own. There's frantic sadness in his crushing kiss. A need to escape the memories he's long buried deep inside.

But I can't do this. No matter how much I want to help him. I'm not that girl anymore. The one who would lie and cheat and betray. I belong to Jareth now. And that means something to me.

So I struggle to free myself, but his grip is strong and desperate and even my vampire strength is not helping here. His hands fumble with my blouse and I try to swat him away. All I can picture is Jareth, stepping into the clearing, disappointment and horror written on his face as he sees me and misunderstands.

I need to end this. Now.

"Corbin, stop!" I beg. But he doesn't stop. He's lost in his world of pain and anger and I hear a tear as he manages to rip my shirt.

I swallow hard. There's only one way to stop him now.

Pushing away my guilt, my hands fumble for the bandage, ripping it from his neck. My fangs slide out of my mouth and sink into his flesh ...

And then it comes. The head rush of sweet metallic that nearly knocks me over from its ecstasy. Blood floods my eager mouth and I gulp mouthful after mouthful, as fast as I can. I'm warm, I'm fulfilled. I'm everything I ever wanted to be in my entire life.

"Oh G.o.d," he groans from underneath me. "Oh ..."

He's enjoying this as much as me-maybe even more so. The same guy who, just minutes before, declared his parents to be sick monsters is enjoying the very thing he condemned them for. This is so not good.

I feel his life force pounding inside of me. So strong and stubborn and powerful, just like Corbin himself. No wonder the vampires of old used to drain their victims dry. To drink in someone's entire being-there couldn't be anything more delicious.

A moment later, I force myself to withdraw my fangs, though I'm still desperate for more. Between yesterday and today, Corbin's lost a huge amount of blood and another sip will likely kill him. And then I'll be just as guilty as the vampire who killed his parents.

And I'm not like that. I don't even drink human blood. I'm a vegetarian vampire.

Or, at least, I was.

Suddenly, I realize I'll never go back to synthetic again. Not now that I've had a taste of the real thing. In fact, all I can think of, even now as I'm buzzing with blood, is when I'll be able to get my next drink.

I feel a little sick to my stomach.

Corbin collapses onto the forest floor, panting and shivering. Guilt washes over me as I look down at his quivering frame. Gone is the power and arrogance and anger-I've sucked it all out of him-leaving him a shadow of his former self.

But he'll soon recover, I a.s.sure myself, and he won't have any recollection that anything ever happened. And he can go on with his life with the same self-righteous indignation, graduate from Slay School, become a full-fledged slayer, and go exact his revenge against vampire kind.

And I'll take his secret to the grave.

15.

I'm up most of the night, high on blood and feeling as guilty as all h.e.l.l, totally unable to sleep. I keep thinking about Corbin and hoping he's okay. After my little ... snack, I managed to replace the bandage right as he was regaining consciousness. He groggily stumbled back toward school, saying he didn't feel that well and needed a little nap. I followed him at a distance, making sure he got back okay, though not sure what I'd do if he suddenly collapsed in front of me. Drag him back to the infirmary? They'd only ask what happened and, with my current inability to tell a lie, that interview could very well be my death sentence.

Luckily he managed to get home and I headed back to my own room as well, feeling disgusted with myself. I never, in a million years, when I signed up to become a vampire considered things ending up like this. I'd envisioned myself becoming an all-powerful princess of the night, living in the lap of luxury with a hot blood mate by my side. Not a disgusting monster who robbed innocent people of their blood and then used magic to cover it up. It all seemed so perfect back then-so innocuous: modern vampires, living civilly in peaceable covens, drinking donated blood like so much fine wine.

But what they don't teach you in vamp school is underneath that oh-so-placid surface lies something a lot darker. No matter what the PR firms try to tell you, vampires are not "just like us." And regardless of the strict rules put into place by organizations like Slayer Inc., the monster inside is still lurking, ready to rear its ugly head at a moment's notice.

I remember not understanding Sunny's distress when Magnus first turned her by mistake. After all, what could be so horrible about the gift of eternal life? But now I wonder if perhaps she was the smart one all along. Had I been so seduced by the glory and glamour that I ignored the evil lurking underneath it all?

And now it's too late. I'm a vampire. A bloodsucking beast. For eternity. And there's nothing I can do about it. I so wish Jareth were here. He'd know what to do. Not that I'm some helpless damsel in distress who's dependent on a guy, mind you. But sometimes it's nice to have backup.

Speaking of Sunny, where the h.e.l.l is she? It's nearly dawn and it doesn't look like her bed's been slept in. G.o.d, I hope she didn't run into any trouble with curfew. My mind flashes to Headmistress Roberta dragging the squirming body bag down the road and I shudder.

Just as I've decided to head out and look for her (not like I'm getting any sleep anyway) the dorm room door creaks open and Sunny slips into the room on tiptoes.

"Where the h.e.l.l have you been?" I demand, pointing at the glowing alarm clock, which currently reads 4:45. "I was worried!"

Startled, she gives a little shriek. Then she starts laughing. "You scared me!" she says, laughing and plopping down on the bed. I wrinkle my nose. She smells more than a bit ripe. Has she really been up all night?

"Yeah, well you scared me. It's nearly five A.M. I was about to send out a search party." I notice she's still wearing the same clothes she had on the day before. If it were anyone else, I'd totally be calling "walk of shame." But this is Sunny we're talking about. My sister. Innocent with a capital- "I hooked up with Aiden," she announces excitedly. "Oh my G.o.d, he is so hot."

I lurch up in bed. "You what?" I cry. "You don't mean you actually ... ? And I thought it was Peter that you were ... ?" I trail off, confusion and horror whirling in my gut, not knowing which question I want answered first. "What about Magnus, Sunny? Are you saying you ... cheated on him?"