That evening, Elle descended the stairs leading from the side of Penryn Pier down to the beach and stepped onto the sand. The outdoor bar Dex had asked her to meet at was a little further along the beach, its tables and chairs arranged on the sand beneath a rickety structure fashioned from bamboo poles and palm fronds. Despite its rundown appearance, it was clearly popular, as were the other establishments lined up along this part of the beach. It was comforting to know there were so many people around, but Elle still found herself walking faster than necessary, aware of the possibility of lurking vampires.

“Hey.” Dex waved her over as she neared the bar. He sat at a small table, and she slipped into the chair opposite his. “I was hoping you’d be able to meet earlier in the day,” he added.

“I’m sorry, I had—family obligations.” She removed her canvas bag from her shoulder and dumped it on her lap. “Why, do you have other plans tonight?”

“No, it’s just that it’s safer to meet during the day. There could be vampires out here tonight. Allegiant vampires.” He shifted forward in his seat and leaned his elbows on the table. His arresting silver-blue eyes didn’t move from her face, but she was definitely getting better at pretending they had no effect on her breath or her pulse.

“There could be,” she said as she tucked her hair behind one ear. “And that would be a good thing, remember? Then we wouldn’t need to make another plan to try and lure them in.”

He paused, then nodded. “Right, yes, of course.”

“But we don’t know if that will happen, so we should make a new plan just in case.”

“Do you have a suggestion?” he asked. “There was something you wanted to say on the phone.”

“Well, I think we might need to be more direct about this. Rather than going out at night and hoping the right vampires show up, I could contact them and ask to meet. I still have the number for the vampire who first abducted me. The one who tried again last night. So what if I just send him a message and say I want to meet at a certain time and place? Obviously he’ll be suspicious, but I can say that I realize he wants me for some reason, and that I’ll agree to help him if he gives me answers about my mother.”

“Your mother?”

“Yes, remember I told you I thought he said something about her?”

“Yes.” Dex frowned. “But even if you say you want answers, he’ll still suspect it’s a trap. So why would he agree to meet?”

“You said it yourself when we spoke on the phone: If these vampires want me badly enough, then they’ll come even if they know it’s a trap. Azriel will probably bring a whole load of other vampires with him, which is why you need more backup.”

“Azriel?”

“Yes, I heard Alissa—the other vampire—say his name last night.”

“Okay, but I don’t have more backup.”

“But the police do. That’s the part I was going to say on the phone.” Elle shifted forward slightly. “You should tell them what we’re planning. You said you’re going to tell them whatever you manage to find out once you catch a vampire, so why not tell them now? Surely that’s the more legal route anyway? I mean, you’re not actually authorized to hold people in custody and question them, are you?”

Dex opened his mouth and choked on whatever he’d been about to say. He cleared his throat and said, “That blood oath we made is getting annoying.”

Elle raised her eyebrows. “You were about to lie to me?”

“No. I was going to use the words ‘not exactly’ instead of the word ‘no,’ which I guess isn’t the complete truth, so the blood oath’s magic decided to choke me.”

Elle blinked. “Now I’ve forgotten what my question was.”

“You asked if I’m authorized to hold people in custody and question them. The completely truthful answer is no.”

“Right, I didn’t think so. Which means you should tell the police before this happens. You can call them with an anonymous tip or something. Tell them an attempted abduction is going to take place and there’s a chance to catch lots of vampires and finally get to the bottom of this abduction thing. Then they can lie in wait and catch all these vampires instead of you and your friends trying to do it and probably getting yourselves arrested in the process.”

Dex watched her for several moments. Then the corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile. “Okay. I guess we can do that.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then I’m going to send Azriel a message now.” She reached into her bag. It didn’t contain much. Just her a phone—which Salvia still didn’t know about—and a sweater in case the night grew colder. “Should I ask him to meet tomorrow night?”

“Yes. And it doesn’t matter what location you suggest, since he’ll probably insist on a different one.”

“Okay.” Elle quickly typed a message before lifting the edge of her bag and dropping her phone inside. A barely audible squeak ensued, followed by a rush of motion as a small creature zoomed past her hand and landed on the table. The pixie’s delicate wings quivered as she righted her pistachio shell hat. Then she dove off the table and flew away.

“Scared of pixies, huh?” Dex asked with a grin.

Elle laughed. “Completely terrified, clearly. What’s your biggest fear?”

“My father,” Dex said without missing a beat. Then his grin vanished. His eyes widened.

“Crap,” Elle whispered. “The blood oath. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean for you to—”

“It’s … it’s okay.” Dex’s face was turning red. “I didn’t even think, or I would have tried to make something up, and then the oath would have … Anyway. Moving on.”

“Yes, definitely. Um, so, the pixie. I think she lives somewhere in my house because I keep finding her in random places—the pantry, inside a flower pot, under a bed—and every time I shoo her away she disappears out of a window, but then I end up finding her somewhere else in the house or in my bag.”

Dex’s lips pulled into an almost-natural smile. “So you are afraid of pixies?”

“What? No, not at all.”

“But you said you shoo her away.”

“Oh, yes. That’s because my stepmother kills pixies when she finds them in the house.”

Dex raised his eyebrows. “That’s quite extreme.”

“Yes, my stepmother is … extreme.” At a loss for what to say next, Elle lapsed into silence. Dex didn’t say anything either. It seemed the awkward moment hadn’t entirely passed yet. Elle looked around. “Allegiant vampires could be here right now,” she said in a low voice.

“Yeah. They could be.”

“So …” She looked at him. “Should we hang out here for a while? Are Olly and Xander nearby, in case you need backup?”

“Yes. Are you able to stay out for a while longer? I mean, you don’t have to get back home yet?”

“Not just yet. My lift—the police officer—isn’t coming back here until eleven.”

“So they’re still patrolling your street?”

“Yes, though I think they might finish up tonight or tomorrow. They certainly seem to be tired of hanging out there. And what about you? You definitely don’t have anywhere else you need to be tonight?”

“Nope. Not yet. I’m all yours. I mean, you know—”

“I know,” she said with a smile. This is not a date, she reminded herself firmly. This is not. A. Date. But her grin refused to disappear.

Until her phone buzzed in her bag. Her heart climbed into her throat as she reached for the phone and turned it over. Her pulse raced faster as she read the message on the screen.

“What did he say?” Dex asked.

Elle looked up. “He said okay. He’ll meet me tomorrow night.”