By the time Dex’s car drove below an impressive arched entrance, past a security check, and up a long driveway lined with tall trees, Elle had recovered from her shock at seeing Cress on the roof of Apollo’s Apothecary. She’d been terrified Cress would say something about her being a slave. Though it was rude to eavesdrop, she’d held her breath and tried to listen in on as much of their conversation as she could. She didn’t hear everything, but Dex hadn’t looked at her with horror or revulsion at any point, so that was a good sign. If Cress had told him the truth, he probably would have run a mile by now, abandoning her and his car and their vampire hunting plans. It was one thing to hang out with a human, but to spend time with a slave? People didn’t do that. The only reason Sienna’s friends occasionally put up with Elle’s company—when Elle actually spent an evening with them instead of sneaking off to meet clients—was because Sienna always reminded them that Elle was, first and foremost, family. They’d probably be relieved when they found out she was never allowed to leave the house again with Sienna.

Dex followed the driveway around a huge fountain and parked alongside a row of flashy vehicles. All Elle could do once she was out of the car was stare. The magnificent mansion rose up before her, all clean white angles and huge glass windows and cleverly placed exterior lighting. It put Fernvale, her old home in this area, to shame.

“Ready?” Dex asked.

Elle pulled her gaze from the palatial home. “For an attempted abduction? Sure. Any time.”

“Emphasis on ‘attempted’” Dex said. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I know.”

They walked toward the entrance together, and Elle wondered if this was what life was like for normal girls. Not the celebrity mansion part, but the part where it was Friday night and she was walking into a party with a handsome date beside her. This is not a date, she reminded herself. Dex wasn’t here to hang out with her. He was here to catch vampires. But for someone who spent most of her time either locked in an attic or doing her stepmother’s bidding, this was probably as close to a date as she was likely to get. May as well pretend for a few moments before she had to start worrying about vampires pouncing on her.

“Message from Xander,” Dex said, looking at his phone. “He’s seen someone he might recognize from the fairground the other night, but Olly isn’t sure he agrees.”

“Well, I guess I just need to hang out near this person and see what happens.”

“He says the vamp is currently on the deck overlooking the pool, chatting with a …” Dex frowned at his phone. “Pretty sure that’s meant to be ‘fae woman,’ not ‘fell woman.’ Anyway.” He returned his phone to his pocket. “We can head that way.”

Inside the grand entrance hall of Gizella’s home, people mingled around a marble sculpture of a naked woman reaching up to touch the two-story high ceiling. Among the many unfamiliar faces were plenty Elle recognized: models, actors, singers, social media personalities. She almost pinched herself to check she wasn’t dreaming.

A little further inside, where the lights were dimmer and the music was louder, people hung out in groups or pairs. They stuck their straws into the different colored bubbles of drinks that floated around, or grabbed snacks from the branches of the silver trees that sprouted up here and there, or danced in time to the beat of the music.

If this were a normal date, Elle thought, she and Dex might dance together. What would it feel like to have his hands slide around her waist and pull her closer? Her face warmed, and she gave herself a mental smack over the head for allowing such a silly thought to cross her mind. She hardly knew Dex and here she was daydreaming about him because he was the first guy she happened to spend any amount of time with. She had far more important things to focus on. Like vampires. And getting answers about her mom. And not dying tonight.

She and Dex pushed their way through the crowd and onto a wooden deck that spanned the length of the house. The party continued out here, with people laughing and chatting or reclining on loungers. Below the deck was a rectangular swimming pool with a cascading water feature at one end, and beyond that, a gloriously untamed garden of tangled bushes and glowing neon flowers and meandering streams. Elle leaned against the railing and stared into the twisted mass. “I didn’t expect that,” she said to Dex with a smile. “The house is so … clean. Straight lines and hard angles and square spaces. And then you get that beautiful overgrown forest down there.”

“Yeah. I’ve never actually met her in person, but from everything I’ve heard, that’s the real Gizella down there. Wild and vibrant. I’m pretty sure someone else picked the house for her.”

Elle nodded slowly. “I suppose when you have so many houses, it doesn’t really matter if they don’t all reflect your personal style.”

“I suppose not.” Dex turned and leaned his back against the railing. “Okay, that must be him on one of the loungers,” he said quietly. “He’s the only vampire I can see sitting with a fae woman.”

“Yes,” Elle answered, not looking around. “I noticed him when we walked out here. He looked up at me briefly, and I think his expression changed a little, but it was hard to tell.”

“Yeah, I can’t say for certain if he was one of the vamps at the fairground the other night. There was too much going on. I didn’t get a close look at all of them.”

“Me neither,” Elle said. “For obvious reasons.”

“Okay, I’m going to get us some drinks.” Dex pushed away from the railing. “Or pretend to, at least,” he added in a lower voice. “If he comes over here and speaks to you, just go along with it. He might want you to follow him somewhere more secluded.”

“Which I should also go along with, right? So we can get him somewhere quieter before you guys try to catch him?”

“Yes. Xander, Olly and I will be paying close attention to you, so don’t worry. We’ll all be close behind, ready to act.”

Elle glanced over to her left and spotted Xander laughing with a woman who could have been human or shifter. It was impossible to tell without getting closer and shining a light in her eyes, which was considered rude. “Paying close attention, huh?” Elle asked. “Looks like Xander’s paying much closer attention to that woman over there than he is to us.”

Dex chuckled. “Don’t worry. He’s not nearly as distracted as he seems. I trust him with my life.”

Elle caught his arm before he could walk away. “What if you don’t get the answers you’re looking for?” she asked quietly. “He might refuse to tell you anything.”

“There are charms the police use to get the truth out of people.”

“And you know these charms?”

Dex grinned. “I know a lot of things I probably shouldn’t know.” He walked away, leaving Elle to lean idly against the railing and try her best to look lonely and in need of a companion. Since she generally tried to do the complete opposite, this wasn’t an act she had much experience with. Either she was doing a terrible job, or the vampire genuinely wasn’t interested in her—or he’d decided it wasn’t the right time for him to act. He didn’t move an inch from his comfortable spot on the lounger with the fae woman nestled against him.

Eventually, Dex returned and handed Elle a glass of champagne. “So you weren’t just pretending,” she said as she took the drink.

“Well, I watched for a while, but our vamp friend showed no sign of moving. I figured I may as well grab some drinks from the waiter I almost bumped into on my way back to you.”

“Thanks.” Elle took a sip and savored the sweet bubbles dancing across her tongue. She never got the chance to properly enjoy champagne while at home. Salvia only ever gave her a glass during pretend family dinners while entertaining a mark, which usually meant Elle was about to steal someone’s memories. Nothing tasted good when she knew that was coming.

“We’ll just have to be patient,” Dex said. “And maybe walk around a little more. If this vamp here isn’t the right one, then somebody else at this party probably is.”

Elle turned her head to look at Dex. “Why do you care so much about all of this? The whole human abduction thing. I mean, we’re not your own race. Why get so involved?”

He frowned. “It’s the right thing to do. Isn’t that enough?”

“So you don’t have any other agenda?”

He opened his mouth, appeared to choke on something, then thumped his fist against his chest as he recovered.

Elle straightened, unsure if she should do something to help him. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I just …” He cleared his throat. “That was weird. Um … I forgot I made an oath not to lie to you.”

“Oh.” The implication of his words settled over her. “I see.”

“Look, I don’t want to lie,” he added quickly. “I don’t mind admitting I have another agenda. It’s just that it’s kind of … personal. It seemed easier to say no.”

“Oh, okay.” Elle nodded. “That’s fine, don’t worry. You don’t have to explain anything. It really doesn’t matter to me what your motives are. You’re trying to help humans, and that’s great. And, I mean, there are things in my life I’d prefer not to talk about, so I completely—”

“No, it’s okay,” Dex said. “I don’t mind—”

“It’s fine, really,” she insisted. “We don’t have to get personal.”

He hesitated, his mouth half open. Something shifted in his expression. Something … was he hurt by what she’d said? “Right. Of course.” He looked away, leaving Elle with the distinct impression she’d just done something wrong. But if she’d let him talk about whatever this personal issue was, then he might have expected her to reciprocate, and she couldn’t do that. She’d told him about her parents, but that was enough. He didn’t need to know what a messed-up home situation she had now.

“Um, you suggested we walk around a bit more,” she said.

“Oh, yes.” He smiled at her, and it seemed the awkward moment may have passed. “If there are other vampires around, it’ll give them a chance to see you, and hopefully some of them are Allegiant vampires.”

“Good idea.” Elle took another sip of her champagne before moving away from the deck railing. She and Dex returned to the inside of the home and made their way slowly through the crowd. “Do you mind if I look for a bathroom quickly?” she asked after another few minutes, her voice raised over the music.

“Sure. Want me to hold that?” He nodded toward her drink.

“Thanks.”

“And don’t worry about anyone following you,” he added. “I’ll keep an eye on things.”

Elle made her way between the partygoers and around the silver trees with endlessly replenishing snacks until she noticed a passageway leading off the entrance hall. Moving closer, she spotted a closed door a few feet into the passageway and three women—all fae—waiting outside. “Is this queue for the bathroom?” she asked as she reached the women.

One looked over her shoulder at Elle. “Ugh, yes. I feel like I’ve been waiting forever.” She turned away and slumped against the wall, her shoulder rubbing the edge of a canvas painting that was probably worth millions.

Footsteps stopped behind Elle. Someone sighed and said, “And the bathroom on the other side of the hallway is busy too. I’m going to find one upstairs. Want to come?”

“Yeah, okay,” Elle answered, realizing only as she turned that the woman behind her was a vampire. Fear shot through her, and she almost declined the woman’s offer, but she was supposed to let someone attempt to catch her, not try to avoid it. Hoping she hadn’t paused long enough for it to be noticeable, she followed the woman, her eyes scanning the crowd for Dex. She found his gaze, inclined her head in the smallest of nods toward the woman, and looked away. She knew he would follow.

She increased her pace and reached the woman’s side as the two of them made their way through the crowd toward the stairs. Elle snuck a sideways glance at the woman—smooth milky skin, hair so dark it was almost black, a serene expression on her face—but it was impossible to tell whether she meant Elle any harm. She was about to look away when she noticed a gold letter A hanging from a chain around the woman’s neck. “What does the A stand for?” she asked. The thought that it might stand for Allegiant flashed through her mind, but that was far too obvious.

“Alissa,” the woman said as they reached the stairs. She didn’t ask for Elle’s name, which Elle figured was probably because she already knew it.

“Are these parties always so crowded?” Elle asked.

“Oh, I haven’t been before. I came with someone. Well, followed someone, if we’re going to get technical,” she added.

Followed someone, huh? Elle thought. She almost asked if that someone was her. “How’d you get past security if you weren’t with someone on the list?”

“Slipped in as part of a larger crowd. It wasn’t that hard. Oh, wow, that is the most hideous piece of art I’ve ever seen.” As they reached the top of the stairs, Alissa stopped in front of a sculpture of a giant, wrinkled thumb with an amateurish smiley face drawn onto the cracked, ridged nail. “I sure hope Gizella Munroe didn’t choose this herself.”

“Probably not,” Elle said, thinking of the bright splashes of color in the tangled garden below. “Don’t people in positions like hers pay someone else to fill their homes with expensive and completely unnecessary stuff?”

Alissa gave Elle the kind of genuine smile that made her think the two of them could have been friends if Alissa wasn’t about to abduct her. “You’re right. That is how it works.”

Elle looked past the giant thumb and noticed a few other people milling around. If Alissa was going to attempt something without an audience, she would have to lead Elle somewhere else in order to do it. “That looks like a bathroom through there,” Elle said, pointing to an open door. “Do you want to go first?”

“That’s okay. You go.”

Elle took a hesitant step forward, still watching Alissa. Was it possible she’d got this all wrong and Alissa had nothing to do with the Allegiant?

“Everything okay?” Alissa asked, a small frown creasing her brow.

“Yes, sorry, I just … thought I saw someone I recognized.”

“Oh, okay.” Alissa flashed a wide smile—which froze a moment later as her gaze flicked past Elle, then bounced back to her. The smile vanished. “You need to get out of here. Immediately.”

Elle’s heart skipped a beat. “Why?”

“Because someone’s here for you.”

Elle paused. Was this part of the vampires’ plan to get hold of her, or was Alissa genuinely trying to help?

“Seriously, you need to leave!” Alissa grabbed Elle’s arm and pulled her in the opposite direction. Elle’s instinct was to fight her off, but she managed to remain compliant. She knew Dex or one of the others would be watching, ready to pull her out of harm’s way when the moment was right.

“You’re one of them,” she said as Alissa dragged her into a bedroom.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alissa answered. She slammed the door shut, locked it, and pushed a dresser in front of the door as if it weighed no more than a flimsy chair. Then she tugged Elle toward the window.

“Do you know about my mother?”

“What?” Alissa flashed a confused look in Elle’s direction.

“The last vampire who dragged me out of a bar said something about my mother. I want to know—Whoa, hang on. You’re pushing me out of a window?”

“We’re jumping,” Alissa said. A second later, Elle found herself draped over Alissa’s shoulder, and as something crashed against the door behind them, Alissa jumped. Elle screeched as the wall flashed past her. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the impact of hitting the ground, but the jolt as Alissa landed wasn’t nearly as bad as Elle expected.

“Show-off,” she gasped, struggling for breath.

“I’m going to run now,” Alissa said. “Please don’t throw up on me.”

“Tell me about my mother.”

“I don’t know—Hey!”

Someone landed behind Alissa, and Elle looked up in time to see the face of a vampire she recognized. His hands flashed forward, and then Alissa was falling, taking Elle down with her. “Don’t do this, Azriel!” Alissa shouted.

Azriel. So that was his name. The vampire with the barcode tattoo and the answers about Elle’s mother. Something gripped her waist. She was tugged upward, and the night whirled around her. Don’t fight, she reminded herself, but her self-preservation instinct was too deeply ingrained, and before she knew it she’d shoved her elbow in his face and kicked backward as hard as she could. And that’s why I’m wearing chunky boots. The random thought flashed through her mind as Azriel grunted in her ear. But his grip on her remained just as tight. With a burst of speed, he began running. The garden blurred past.

Then, with a flash of golden sparks and dust, everything slowed. The next thing Elle knew, she was tumbling across the grass. She came to a halt on her back, but the stars seemed to bounce around in the sky far above her. “Are you okay?” Dex asked, his face in front of hers. The world spun around as he lifted her to her feet.

“Yeah … just … everything’s spinning.” She stumbled sideways and blinked repeatedly.

“A little help over here!” Olly shouted.

Dex raced away as Elle caught herself against a tree. Don’t throw up and don’t fall over, she told herself as she blinked rapidly and breathed deeply. As the world slowly settled, she squinted at the golden glow not too far away and tried to figure out what was going on. A loop of magic was wrapped tightly around Azriel, and three golden glowing ropes were attached to the loop. Dex, Xander and Olly each hung onto the end of one of these ropes, and all seemed to be struggling to keep Azriel from writhing wildly about.

“Just hit him with enough to make him pass out!” Xander shouted.

“I’m trying!” Dex yelled back, throwing one hand out and releasing a flash of magic. “If you could get him to stop moving, that would be great.” With a fierce cry and a powerful tug on the rope, Dex heaved Azriel toward him and slammed his outspread hand into the vampire’s chest. Gold dust radiated away from the point of contact. Azriel staggered backward before falling to his knees.

In a flash of motion too fast for Elle to shout a warning, someone raced up behind Dex and leaped onto his back. It was Alissa, Elle realized. Just minutes ago, she’d helped Elle, and now she was attacking Dex. And if she bit him …

“No,” Elle said out loud. She ran forward. Olly and Xander were trying to restrain Azriel—who still hadn’t passed out—and no one was helping Dex. So Elle did the only thing she could think of—which turned out to be the exact same thing Alissa had done. Elle jumped onto the vampire woman’s back and tried to wrench her away from Dex.

“What the hell?” Alissa shouted. She thrust backward with one elbow, but her angle was wrong, and Elle only wrapped her arms tighter around Alissa’s neck. “Get off!” Alissa hissed. Her grip loosened on Dex. She turned a little, exposing her chest, and a flash of magic—from Xander or Olly, Elle wasn’t sure—sizzled by, catching Alissa’s shoulder. She let go of Dex with a cry and finally managed to dislodge Elle, who landed on her backside on the grass.

With a roar, Azriel jerked one shoulder forward, and then the other, yanking the two remaining ropes away from Xander and Olly. Alissa was by his side in a second, helping him to his feet. He stumbled forward a step or two, then seemed to recover enough to start running. A moment later, he’d taken off with Alissa, while Dex and the others hurled magic uselessly after the two vampires.

“What the hell?” Dex gasped. “How strong was that vamp?”

“Are you okay?” Xander asked.

Elle climbed to her feet. “Did she bite you?” she asked as she ran toward Dex.

“I don’t think so.” Dex clutched his neck. “I don’t feel anything. Do you see any blood?”

Elle pulled his hands away from his neck. “No.”

“Hey!” a new voice shouted.

“What now?” Xander grumbled, looking around.

“Security guards,” Olly answered. “Lots of them.”

“Definitely time to leave,” Dex said.

They ran through the tangled garden, dodging bushes and trees and couples making out, and eventually curved around the side of the house and came out near the parked vehicles. “Hurry up!” Xander shouted, opening one of the back doors of Dex’s car before climbing into the front passenger seat. As Dex reached the driver’s side, Elle tumbled through the open back door. Olly threw himself in after her. “Drive!” Xander yelled, but the car was already moving. Olly yanked the back door shut as Dex pulled away with a screech of tires.

“Everyone okay?” he asked. “Elle?”

“Yeah. Yes.” She pushed her hair out of her eyes as she sat up. “I’m fine.”

“Do you think anyone got a good look at us?” Olly asked.

“Worried you won’t be able to show your pretty face at one of these parties again?” Xander asked, turning in his seat to face Olly with a grin.

“You know why I’m worried,” Olly said.

“I doubt most of the people at that party are even aware something just happened,” Dex said. “And the security guys didn’t get close enough to see us. We’re fine.” He sped past the security check and turned sharply at the bottom of the driveway. Elle slid across the seat and crashed into Olly.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she said, then started laughing.

“What?” Dex asked.

She scrambled back to the other side of the car and pulled the seatbelt across her body, still chuckling. “Nothing.”

“You sure you’re okay?” Olly asked.

“Yes.” Well, that wasn’t strictly true. She’d missed out on her chance to pee and her bladder was starting to complain, but that wasn’t the kind of thing she needed to share with three guys. “It’s just … I don’t know. Is it crazy that part of me thinks that was kind of fun?”

Dex caught her eye in the rearview mirror. He grinned. “Only the good kind of crazy.”