I shook my head.

  His shoulders relaxed. "Good."

  My throat was dry. I tried licking my lips but had no saliva to moisten them with. "Melbourne, what's going on? Is that blood on your face?"

  Melbourne looked confused for a minute then lifted his hand to his face. He brought away fresh droplets of red on his fingertips. "I was attacked," he said.

  "Attacked? By who? Are you all right?"

  "I'm fine. We don't have much time."

  "I need to know something. Two somethings, actually. Have you been breaking into shops around town?"

  "Breaking in? No. I did borrow some food from Dale the other day, but I have every intention of paying him for it later."

  "You need to stop. If you need food, tell me and I'll get it for you."

  Melbourne shrugged.

  I sighed. At least that explained that. "You said before that whatever's going on has to do with Colt's father. What did you mean?"

  "I can't get into that now."

  "Yes, but I need to know—"

  "Ava, I need your help. Someone is trying to kill me."

  "Who?" I asked, hardly breathing.

  "Vlaski Ambrose."

  The name hung in the air between us. "Vlaski? The man—er, vampire—I met at your house that time? I thought you two were friends."

  "We are acquaintances, not friends. Not for some time."

  My mind raced as I tried to fill in the gaps. "From what I've heard, Vlaski is dangerous."

  Melbourne nodded. "Precisely. That's why I need you to go to my house for me. I'm certain Vlaski is watching it."

  "Your house?" I squealed.

  "Ssh!" Melbourne said. He was acting very jumpy. I shut the back door to the bakery and took a step closer to him.

  "Your house?" I said again, quieter this time.

  "Yes, I have something there that I need you to get for me. Vlaski won't be expecting you, and even if he sees you, you're of little consequence to him. It's me he wants."

  "What is it you need?"

  His eyes darted back and forth across the alley, searching for anything out of place. Any sign of someone listening in. "There is a book, The Last Vampire. I need it. As soon as possible."

  "The Last Vampire?" I asked uncertainly. "What's it about?"

  "That's not important. The important thing is that I get it before Vlaski does."

  I stared at Melbourne in the dark. "Have you been following me?"

  Melbourne's eyes never moved from my face. "I keep tabs on everyone who is important to me."

  "So, you have been following me." It was irritating, but at least I knew it had only been Melbourne I'd seen lurking in the shadows. "And my dad, too?"

  "Your father?"

  "He said he saw you."

  Melbourne's face turned sour. "I had hoped he'd missed me. I was careless. But I wasn't following him. It was an accident. You're important to Trixie; therefore, you're important to me. Therefore, I want to keep you safe."

  The mention of Trixie got me upset. "She thinks you're dead. Let me at least tell her that you're okay." His lips turned down, and he shook his head. "Look, if you want me to help you, you're gonna have to give me some answers."

  "Answers to what?"

  I lifted my hands in the air, exasperated. "Like what's going on? Why is Vlaski trying to kill you?"

  "I... know things about him. Things he doesn't want getting out."

  "Like what?"

  On this, though, Melbourne refused to answer.

  "Okay, fine. Tell me this, then. Why was Vlaski at your house the first time I met him?"

  I could see Melbourne thinking. He finally answered, "After Pennyweather died, I was distraught. Before your Aunt Trixie began helping me through the grieving process, I sent a letter to Vlaski asking for his help."

  "Help with what?" But I thought I already knew the answer. Trixie had confided it to me weeks ago, but I wanted to hear it from him.

  "Rumors persist that Vlaski can raise the dead. I now know that to be false, a cover for what he's really able to do, but at the time, I thought he could bring Pennyweather back to me."

  I felt sorry for Melbourne. "Even if he could do that, would you want to? Would that be fair to her?"

  "No, of course not. I know that now."

  We stood in silence, both lost in our thoughts. I was still trying to process everything Melbourne was telling me. "I need to know what this all has to do with Colt's father." I wracked my brain for his name. Something with an 'R.' Rory... Rick... "Russell!" I finally said.

  Melbourne nodded gravely at me.

  "So? What does this have to do with Russell Hudson?" When Melbourne said nothing, I kept talking nervously. "I know his dad was murdered. You don't think it was Vlaski who murdered him, do you?"

  Melbourne opened his mouth, shut it, opened it again. He looked like a fish out of water. "Ava, there's something you need to understand about Russell Hudson."

  The back door swung open just then and Trixie stepped outside. "There you are!" she said. "Taking your time with the trash, aren't you?"

  She looked around the empty alley. "Were you talking to someone? I thought I heard a voice."

  "Just myself," I lied. Melbourne could move fast when he had to. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was best not to tell her anything just yet. I didn't want her to get hurt.

  She nodded and swung a trash bag over the side of the dumpster. It clinked in the can, sounding of broken glass.

  "When you see Snowball and Tootsie later, you tell them no tuna for a month."

  "What did they break?" I asked her.

  "Let's just say that tomorrow your Aunt Eleanor is shopping for a new cupcake tray. Or three."

  I tried not to smile. There was no way I could bear to keep Snowball away from her tuna, but I would let her know to pretend for a while.

  "Come on," Trixie said. "Let's go."

  * * *

  0 4

  * * *

  I woke up the next morning to Snowball licking my face.

  "Morning, Mama," she purred, nuzzling her head against my chin. I scratched behind her ears. She got a sly look on her face. "Snowball wonders if tuna is available?" Her eyes were lit up.

  "Did Snowball apologize to Aunt Trixie and Aunt Eleanor?"

  "If Snowball says sorry, Snowball gets tuna?"

  I nodded, and Snowball jumped off my chest. I heard her calling out to Eleanor and Trixie as she ran down the stairs. "So sorry, Aunties. Snowball is so sorry!"

  The bakery was packed again, maybe even more so than usual. Apparently, Tazzie Singer was having some sort of rally today in Mistmoor and some of Sweetland had decided to go check it out. But first, they wanted pastries to take with them.

  Lottie Mudget was in line behind Natalie Vargas and her two children. "I really think they should keep Tazzie as their mayor," Natalie was saying. "Herbert would have wanted it that way. Plus, she's got great fashion sense. Did you see that dress she wore to his funeral?"

  "Oh, I know," Lottie said. "Still, she has no political experience."

  "How much experience do you need? This isn't Washington. It's Heavenly Haven."

  I could tell Trixie was getting irritated by the way they were talking. She had liked Mayor Singer, who always came to Mystic's Christmas parties and had worked hard to bridge the gap between our two sides of the island.

  Natalie's kids ran from display case to display case, eyeing the cupcakes and cookies. When their turn finally came, the eight-year-old, Billy, pointed to a coconut cream laughter cake and said, "I want that!"

  Trixie looked at him. "You mean a slice?"

  "No, I want the whole cake." His younger sister, Mary, tugged on his arm and whispered something to him. He nodded. "Mary wants one, too. One for each of us."

  Trixie looked exasperatedly at their mother, but Natalie just laughed and said, "Whatever they want." Trixie looked at her, dumbfounded. I whispered to her to go in the back and check the brownies while I finished up with Natalie and her kids. In the end, I was able to talk them into splitting one cake and getting one cookie each for their own.

  I told Eleanor I was going in back to check on Trixie. "Good. Tell her to get hurry up and get back out here before the afternoon rush hits us. I'm seeing Zane tonight, and I don't want to be all frazzled."

  I rather thought that was impossible. Their wedding was less than a month away now. Eleanor was in her full-on bridezilla mode. I'd heard her on the phone yelling at the dressmaker about the sequins on her gown not being spaced out evenly. When she'd gotten off with them, she'd burned two trays of brownies and added peppy powder to sleep extract. She was well beyond frazzled.

  In the back room, Trixie was still fuming. She looked up when I came in.

  "Did I tell you I had a new idea the other day for blood-curdled java cakes?" She looked so excited by the idea that I just nodded. Eleanor would tell her no later, and she could get mad then.

  I wondered if part of the reason Trixie was so touchy lately had to do with the reception her bizarre cakes and frostings had gotten lately. Ever since Melbourne died—well, since she thought he'd died—Trixie had been making things like blood sausage pudding and vanilla blood cupcakes with pistachios and powdered sugar. They hadn't gone over well with the customers, and Trixie had been forced to pull them from the shelves.

  "I'm sure if Melbourne were here, he'd love them," I told her. She glowed at the compliment. "Speaking of Melbourne," I said, not quite sure how to begin.

  I had a bizillion questions and if Melbourne wasn't going to answer them, I was hoping that Trixie would. She might not realize she had any answers to give, but that was why I wanted to talk to her alone. A fishing expedition was easiest when it was one on one.

  Trixie was looking at me expectantly. "I just wondered if, when he was around, I mean, Melbourne ever mentioned a book of his to you? I think it's called The Last Vampire?"

  She scrunched her brow, thinking. "I don't think so. Why?"

  I shrugged. "Lucy mentioned it the other day, and I thought Melbourne might have had a copy."

  Trixie grabbed a pound of powdered sugar and dumped it into a giant mixing bowl.

  "What about other stuff?" I said, hoping I sounded casual. "Like... Vlaski Ambrose?"

  Trixie stopped mixing her sugar and looked at me. "I don't want to talk about that man."

  "Why not? Did you ever meet him?"

  "No, and I don't want to. I told Melbourne not to contact him. I still can't believe you actually saw him at Melbourne's house that time."

  "Yeah, well... did Melbourne ever say anything to you about something he had over Vlaski?"

  Trixie frowned. "What do you mean?"

  "Nothing. It's just, you know, Melbourne disappeared so mysteriously—"

  "He didn't disappear, Ava. He turned to ash." Her eyes began to tear. "He was s-s-staked." She let out a low wail that sounded like a bullfrog sending out a mating call.

  "Right, I know that. By a vampire hunter, right?"

  "That's what Sheriff Knoxx and Detective Hudson said."

  "Right, and I'm sure that's true, but I just wondered if maybe you know of any reason why Vlaski might have wanted to stake Melbourne?"

  Trixie looked like the idea had never crossed her mind. I wished Colt was here. I wished he knew what was going on so he could ask Aunt Trixie these questions instead of me. He was so much better at this stuff. I pulled my phone from my pocket and shot a quick glance at my messages. No texts. No emails. Not from him, at least. Lucy wanted me to drop by Coffee Cove later, but that was it.

  I messed things up, didn't I? Colt never wants to see me again.

  A new thought occurred to me. What if he wasn't mad? What if he was injured? What if Vlaski was out to get him, and that's why Melbourne had warned me not to say anything? Because he was hoping it would stop Colt from drawing Vlaski's attention.

  My heart started thumping in my chest.

  "Ava, why are you asking me all this stuff about Vlaski and Melbourne?"

  "Just curious."

  A deep line formed on her brow. "Curious? About Vlaski Ambrose?" She shook her head. "Why don't you come out and say it? You think Melbourne staked himself!"

  I blinked. "What?"

  "That he never got over Pennyweather and when Vlaski couldn't help him, h-h-he staked himself."

  I pictured Melbourne holding a giant wooden stake over his heart, trying to pound it in. "Is that even possible?" I asked Trixie.

  "Of course, it's possible," she shouted. "The only reason Melbourne took Pennyweather's death so hard is because he didn't have anyone else. His own family cast him out when he was turned and never spoke to him again."

  "His family cast him out?"

  She nodded. "Yes. Melbourne comes from a long line of very powerful witches and wizards. When they found out what had happened to him, they were worried about it affecting their reputation, so they disowned him."

  "Wow, that's harsh. I mean, it wasn't his fault he was turned, right?"

  "Exactly, but try telling them that."

  A new thought occurred to me. "Trixie, you don't know if any of Melbourne's family are still alive, do you? I mean his descendants?"

  She shrugged. "I don't know. Wouldn't matter if they were. They still wouldn't want anything to do with him."

  I nodded but my mind was racing. The oldest, most powerful witching families usually kept very detailed histories of themselves. If Melbourne's descendants were still around, they might have some information on whatever this feud was between Melbourne and Vlaski, maybe even Colt's dad. He was a powerful warlock himself.

  "Where would I find—"

  But the question wasn't even out of my mouth yet when I realized I already had the answer. Where could anyone find an outline of the oldest families in the witching world? Forgotten Spells and Lineages. Margaret had shown me her copy of the book once, before she'd tried to kill me. And I thought I knew who had it now.

  "Sheriff Knoxx," I muttered.

  "What?" Trixie asked, looked at me warily.

  "Nothing," I said and tried to smile. "I'm sorry if I upset you."

  When could I get to the sheriff's station? I wanted to go now.

  "Ava!" Eleanor called from out front. "I need your help, please!" I hurried out front. The sheriff's station would have to wait. Cakes and cookies came first.

  * * *

  0 5

  * * *

  Rachel Sessler was back. Her hair bounced effortlessly around her shoulders. She was all of twenty-seven, and everyone knew that one day she wanted Mayor Thomas's job. She wasn't a bad person, just ambitious. A little too ambitious, sometimes. She'd go out of her way to get what she wanted, even if it meant occasionally stepping on the backs of others.

  "What can I get for you?" I asked her.

  "A dozen muffins. Just mix them up. They're all good here."

  "Sure." I smiled at the compliment and grabbed a chocolate honey goodness muffin.

  "Oh not that one!" she cried. "Those are a little too squishy for my taste."

  "Squishy?" She nodded. I had no idea what she meant. I grabbed a blueberry lemon dream muffin and her voice shot out again.

  "Wait, not that one either. They're a bit dry. You know what, I'll just pick out the ones I want after all."

  I followed her finger as she pointed out three blueberry raspberry happiness muffins and had me fill the rest of the box with coconut express espresso muffins.

  "We can use all the energy we can get today," she explained, "even if those espresso muffins are a tad overbaked."

  I bit my tongue and rang her up.

  "Oh, I almost forgot, I wanted to ask your aunts about making a cake for Mayor Thomas's upcoming party."

  "What party?" I asked.

  "Oh, it hasn't been announced yet." She leaned in, like she was letting me in on the biggest secret ever. "The mayor's got a surprised up his sleeve. It'll be announced any day now, and when it is..." Her eyes lit up. "'Wow,' is all I can say. It's gonna have a huge impact on all of Heavenly Haven."

  "Mistmoor, too?" I asked, curious. Usually Sweetland and Mistmoor's politics had little influence on each other.

  "Most definitely," Rachel said. I wanted to ask more but didn't want her to know I was dying of curiosity now. She could see right through me. "You'll just have to wait for the announcement," she said. "I'll come back after it's made and ask your aunts about the cake then. For now, just tell them that we're going to want something extravagant."

  I nodded and tried not to hate that I was just as big a part of the Sweetland Cove gossip mill as anyone.

  "Hey," I asked Eleanor when the crowds had thinned out. "Have you heard anything about a surprise announcement coming out of Mayor Thomas's office?"

  Eleanor shook her head. "Maybe it has to do with Tazzie Singer."

  "Maybe. Rachel said it would impact all of Heavenly Haven though. How would Tazzie Singer do that?"

  "I don't know, but Rachel has a tendency to stick her foot in her mouth, so I wouldn't dwell on it too much." But I could see the curiosity in her eyes now, too.

  The crowds thinned out early, and we were able to close up shop quickly for once.

  "I'm meeting Zane for a late dinner," Eleanor announced.

  "And I told Lottie Mudget I'd drop by for some cards," Trixie said. Eleanor and I looked at her. Trixie had never been Lottie's biggest fan. "I feel bad for her. She's still having a tough time since Paisley's death."

  "Well, I guess I'll see you two later, then. Have fun."

  I pulled my phone from my pocket as I started home. Still no word from Colt. I called my dad.

  "Hey, Trixie and Eleanor ditched me for the evening. What do you say I pick up some popcorn and we watch an old movie?"

  "Oh, that sounds lovely, honey, but, er... well, Sadie invited me over."

  "She did?" I squealed.

  Sadie and my father had been dating a few weeks now. She was good for him, which made me like her. A lot. Not to mention the fact that she was the only nurse who'd taken pity on me last time I was in the hospital. She'd snuck me out so I could see Damon get on the ferry when he left Heavenly Haven. Even though I hadn't actually said goodbye to him, it had felt like goodbye, which had been enough.