Mom shakes her head. "You're Dani's best friend, it'll be good for you two to have a chance to talk. She needs to get out. Despite the difficulties we've been having, helping people is our number one mission and she needs to, as you kids say, get her game face back on."

I scoff. "I'll be sure to tell her that-no doubt they're just the words of wisdom that will finally snap her out of her funk!"

"She'll be here shortly. She and her mother were meeting Helena at the coven house for a little talk," Mom says, ignoring my comment.

I roll my eyes as I reach for my cape. "Why didn't you just have her chat with a snake?" I mutter to myself.

When Dani knocks on the door, Mom rushes over and ushers her in. "We're so glad you could help Jules out! This is an easy one-not like the last time. Just in and out and back home."

Dani stares at Mom for a few seconds. "Great," she says without any enthusiasm.

Dani shuffles over to me and I hug her, but she doesn't hug me back.

"I'm on your side," I whisper in her ear. Louder I say, "Let's get some binders and such and some stakes."

"Oh, no need for that," Mom says. "It's just one old farmer who pa.s.sed away when he was in his nineties."

"Fine!" I say.

I wrap my cloak around my shoulders and sniff the air. A rotten egg-sulfur smell fills the room. I turn and see the cauldron- blue smoke is bellowing out of it. There's so much smoke, the vent above it can't keep up. "What's going on?" I say, coughing.

"You girls head out-I'll take care of it," Mom chokes out. "I put some cleansing herbs into the pot, but maybe they were only meant for outside cauldrons."

Dani and I rush out, coughing, into the cool evening air.

"How are you doing?" I ask when we're both breathing normally.

Dani shrugs. "We fly in darkness-" She pauses as Mom opens a window to let the smoke out. "For the good of all," she deadpans, looking at Mom with utmost loathing. "Let us pa.s.s unseen until we land again. "

The mist engulfs us and we fly.

We land in a weedy front lawn after a near silent ride. So much for me being a comfort.

I shine my flashlight on an old farmhouse with a buckling porch, and plywood covering most of the first-floor windows-one board's been pulled down, probably by kids looking for an out-of-the-way place to party. Mom said this was an easy deal, so I'm wondering why the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up.

I turn to Dani. "Well, doesn't this just scream haunted house?" I immediately know that was stupid thing to say. We should be talking about other things, but part of me wants to wait for her to take the lead.

"Tell me about it," she says in a flat voice. She rubs her hands up and down her arms. "I have goose b.u.mps."

I nod and realize I'm holding my broom in a death grip, and relax my hand. "Something feels off." I pull my necklace out, and let it drop back onto the outside of my cape. I'm relieved the stone is dark. "So far so good, I guess."

Dani takes hers out-the stone is dark as well. "Yeah, no poltergeists tonight."

I walk over to the bottom porch step and listen for any noise coming from inside. The noisy ones are the most trouble, so I'm glad things are quiet. Maybe I'm just tense because of everything that's been happening.

"Are you up for this?" I ask.

Dani reaches out and grabs my arm-pointing up toward the second floor. "Did you see something go by that window?"

"No, did it look like a spook?"

"I'm not sure. It seemed pretty solid. Maybe we should call and see if anyone can come out and help." Dani takes out her phone.

"We can do this," I say, hating that I'm sounding like my mother-trying to coax Dani into this hunt.

"I'm not getting a signal anyway." Dani closes her phone and slips it into her cape.

"Well, let's trap it quick, and get you home."

I start up the steps, but turn back when Dani doesn't follow. She's staring up at the house, shaking her head.

"I can't do this anymore," Dani whispers.

Tears start running down her cheeks. I walk back down and reach out for her hand.

She pulls away from me. "I can't go out on hunts when I know-" Dani shakes her head and takes a few more steps away from me.

"Dani, is it really as bad as you think? Margo and Sascha haven't said anything lately, they seem all right."

Dani scoffs. "Well, Margo's a soulless b.i.t.c.h, and in case you haven't noticed Sascha's boozing it up more than ever- and if everything is so freaking all right, why the h.e.l.l did my own mother cast a spell on me so I couldn't tell anyone what is really going on?"

"Well, there's the covenant and all, and-I don't know what else, but-"

"That's right! You don't know-but I do, and it makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about what's coming. My mother and Helena, and all the rest of them can make sure I can't tell the whole world what we're all about-but they can't make me stay."

"You're leaving? I thought you'd at least wait until I-"

Dani gives me a disappointed look. "I thought you'd fight for me, but you're just like everyone else."

"That's not fair! I don't know everything. I-"

"You let them talk you out of fighting. You could've asked Margo or Sascha what was going on."

"They won't say anything!"

"Did you ask?"

"They've made it pretty clear they're not talking!"

She shakes her head. "I'll help you catch this stupid spook, and you can bring it back all trapped in the stupid ball so Helena and your mom and Connor can congratulate themselves on their clever new way to screw nightmares. But I'm not coming home with you."

"Where would you even go?"

"I'm not sure and I wasn't going to tell you, but you're my best friend and I was hoping I could trust you. I can trust you, right?"

"Yeah. But Dani, I thought we'd be facing whatever it is together. And Connor-he'll help us."

Dani looks up into the sky and laughs. "Jules, we're not going to change things and I have to tell you I wouldn't place any long-term bets on you and Connor."

"What?"

Dani looks at me like I'm crazy. "Open your eyes. Connor isn't exactly moving heaven and earth for you, is he?"

I clutch the ball in my pocket and resist the urge to throw it at her. "He's trying some stuff-he wants things to change."

"Have you slept with him yet? Have you gotten past doing everything but it?"

"G.o.d, Dani!"

"You don't need to answer. I know you haven't, and I know why, because Connor's toeing the line. h.e.l.l, he probably knows everything."

"What are you talking about? Why are you acting like this?"

"Because I know the truth!" Dani stalks up the porch stairs and raises her hand in front of the door. "Open!" she yells, and the door rips off its hinges and crashes to the floor. She turns to me. "Let's get this freaking thing over with so I can get the h.e.l.l out of here, and away from all this c.r.a.p!"

"Dani, come on, talk to me!"

"Just give me the d.a.m.n ball!" she yells.

I take it out of my pocket and toss it over to her. She barely catches it and rolls her eyes at me. She walks into an empty room to the right of the door and kicks a soda can. "Are you ready?"

"Yes!"

"Good!"

She holds the ball out, and then we stand back-to-back. I face my palms out, and yell, "Reveal!"

I look around the room, wondering where the ghost will manifest, and suddenly a bat flies down from the ceiling, and morphs into a man. He smiles, revealing two sharp canine teeth.

"Vampires!" Dani yells.

I reach into my cape. My heart starts to pound when I remember I don't have a stake or binders.

I turn my head, and see a second vamp in front of Dani. I start to run but the vamp closest to me leaps out, grabs my shoulder, and flips me so my back is pinned to his chest. I try to pull away as I watch Dani, wrapped in the arms of the second vamp, struggle and kick.

"Ladies, so nice of you to come," my vamp says.

"We're not after you-we're looking for a ghost," Dani chokes out. I see Dani's necklace resting on her chest-the charm that would've protected her gone.

Her vamp smiles and I'm glad Dani can't see the hunger that consumes his face as he draws his lips back and sinks his teeth into her.

She lets out a surprised gasp. The ball drops from her hand, rolling across the floor to a corner. I look away and kick my heels into the vampire's legs.

"No worries, sweetheart," he whispers, pulling me closer. He runs a hand up my right side, lingering on my breast, and against my will, all the fight leaves my body. His cool lips run across my jaw up to my ear. "No worries."

"Let me go," I say, but there's no force behind my words. I try to think of a spell to make him release me, but my head is foggy. I close my eyes and concentrate on the icy trail his mouth is leaving on my skin-his hand under my shirt. I don't think I've ever felt anything so wonderful.

I lean back into him and tilt my head to the side. Each of his kisses sends an electric shock through my body. My eyes flutter open and I see the other vamp's mouth vigorously moving on Dani's neck.

Oh, G.o.d, I want that, too. "Please, please," I whisper. "Do it, please."

"Whatever you want," he says. He reaches a hand under my shirt-lightly running his cold fingers over my bra. My legs buckle and he holds me tighter. Then I feel it. His teeth pierce the thin skin on my neck just below my ear, and I'm in heaven. The room disappears as my blood flows into him. My mouth opens like a fish gasping out of water.

He pulls away from me and nuzzles my neck.

"No, don't stop," I plead.

"Oh, I'd love to have you drink and join us," he whispers. "It would be so easy to finish this, but it's not to be-at least, not tonight." He licks and kisses my neck, and the hunger welling inside me is unbearable. "But I'll put you out of your misery."

He turns my shoulders so I can face him. I tilt my chin up, and his dark eyes burn into mine.

He kisses my cheek and then my mouth. I hungrily kiss him back-tasting my own blood.

I press my hips into him, and he peppers my neck with kisses. He drags the tip of his teeth across my skin and I feel like I'll explode waiting for him to sink the tips into me again.

"Do it, do it," I whisper.

"Whatever you want, love."

I feel the sharp p.r.i.c.k and the force of his mouth sucking hungrily on my neck and I never want it to end. "Oh, G.o.d, yes," I moan as the room fades to black.

"Jules?"

I feel hands shaking me, but I'm too tired to move.

"There's blood on her neck." I hear someone say.

"Oh, my G.o.d, is she-?"

Someone grabs my wrist.

"She's got a pulse."

"Thank G.o.d."

"Jules!"

I open my eyes, see Sascha hovering over me, and turn my head away from the liquor burning off her breath. G.o.d, I hate brandy! "Leave me alone." My neck hurts, I feel empty and weak.

Fingers grasp my chin, and Zahara gets in my face. "Jules, what happened-where's Dani?"

It comes back to me.

The vamps.

The teeth.

How much I liked it.