"I know, but I'm looking for something."

  "What?"

  "A book," I told him, then thought better of it. "A book about the Cult of V."

  When Colt spoke again, his voice was husky. "I'll be right there."

  I was still looking for the book when he showed up ten minutes later. If the door hadn't been open, he would have busted it down. His voice was intense when he called out to me.

  "Ava!"

  "I'm here!" I called back from upstairs. I was going through Melbourne's bedroom. He hadn't told me where to look, only that it was here at the house. So far, the obvious places hadn't turned up anything.

  "What are you doing?" he asked when he stepped into Melbourne's room with me.

  I'd just uncovered a bunch of photographs that had been torn to shreds. Most of them had been burned as well. Only part of one remained intact enough for me to tell what it was—a picture of Melbourne smiling, his right arm wrapped around a friend's shoulder. His friend's face was gone. The photo had been torn right down the center diagonally, leaving the man headless.

  "I told you. I'm looking for a book. It's called The Last Vampire. See if you can help me find it."

  Colt took hold of my arms, stopping me as I pulled open one of Melbourne's dresser drawers. "What?" I asked.

  "You can't do this, you know that, right? We need to get you out of here, now."

  "Before what?"

  "Before Dean Lampton finds you in here. I told you. Breaking and entering is a crime."

  I bit my lower lip, confused and nervous. "What would Dean Lampton be doing in Sweetland Cove? And why would he care about me or Melbourne?"

  "I don't know. He doesn't usually leave the headquarters in Florida."

  "So, why did he?"

  "He's here to see me. I'm supposed to be picking him up at the ferry docks right now."

  "Oh. Warthogs."

  Colt sighed and kissed the tip of my nose. It sent a shiver up my spine. A cuckoo clock sounded loudly from the living room, making us both jump. We giggled as Colt cupped my chin and tilted my head back. "Listen, part of being a good boyfriend means keeping your girlfriend out of jail."

  "Is that what I am? Your girlfriend?"

  He blushed. "Is that what you want to be?"

  A smile broke out on my face, and I forgot all about the book for the moment. I kissed Colt, letting my body soak up the sweet, warm fragrance of his face. When we broke apart, my mind felt numb.

  "Come on," he said, taking my hand and leading me to his car. I didn't stop to think until we were inside and rolling away from the house.

  "Wait, what about the book?"

  "What is it with you and this book?"

  Now it was my turn to blush. I didn't like keeping secrets from him. "I just... think it's important. That's all."

  "What would make you think that?"

  I shrugged and blew out a steady stream of air from between my teeth. "What about you? When I mentioned the Cult of V, it seemed like you'd heard of them before."

  "I have."

  "Well? Who are they?"

  "Don't you know?"

  "If I knew, I wouldn't need to ask you."

  Colt smiled. "They're a group of vampires. Very old school. Very bad."

  "Old school as in the type of vampires who still drink human blood?"

  "Precisely. Vlaski Ambrose was their leader."

  "So, Cult of V stands for..."

  "Cult of Vlaski. They just call themselves V, though."

  "What do they want?"

  "To enslave the world's population. Turn them into food for their kind. Make humans and paranormals do all the work they don't want to do themselves. They want to live like kings and queens, and anyone who isn't one of them would be considered a servant."

  I shuddered at the idea.

  "How come I've never heard of them?"

  "They died out long ago. At least, all of them except Vlaski. That was one of the reasons I was so surprised to find out he was here in town when you saw him with Melbourne."

  "Why didn't you mention any of this to me then?"

  "It was old news. No need to scare you."

  The more Colt talked about this, the worse I felt.

  "How do you know so much about this?" I asked him.

  "Easy. The Cult of V killed my dad."

  My jaw dropped open. I thought you said you didn't know who killed your dad."

  "I don't. Not precisely. It was someone in their group, COMHA was just never able to figure out who." He talked about it with an eerie calm. Like the eye of a hurricane waiting to break open.

  "Sorry," I said.

  "For what? Listen, can I drop you off at Coffee Cove? I've got to get to the docks before Dean Lampton issues an order for my arrest." He laughed, but I wasn't sure he was joking.

  "Sure... Colt? How do you know it wasn't Vlaski Ambrose who killed your father?"

  He shrugged. "I don't."

  * * *

  0 9

  * * *

  Coffee Cove was almost as packed as The Mystic Cupcake was on a weekday morning. Colt pulled up to the curb to let me out. I leaned in to kiss him goodbye, and he suddenly jerked away.

  "What's wrong? Do I have onion breath or something?" I was thinking of the onion bagel I'd chowed down this morning. I was lucky I didn't go for a second one if this was the reaction I was going to get.

  "No. I think I just saw Dean Lampton."

  "Where? Inside the Cove?"

  "Yeah. Crud. That means I missed him at the docks. He's probably mad. Why didn't he call?" He looked down at his phone. "Oh. Double crud. He did."

  I winced as Colt opened his car door and hoped he wouldn't be in too much trouble. Especially since it was kind of my fault that he'd missed catching Dean at the ferry in the first place. Maybe if I told Dean that, he'd go easier on Colt, but when I mentioned it, Colt told me that would only make things worse.

  "If you do that, then he'll think I blew him off for my girlfriend."

  "You kind of did blow him off for your girlfriend, though."

  Colt shot me a look. "Not helping."

  I laughed. "Okay, sorry. I'll just be at the counter."

  Inside, I went straight to the counter and pretended not to be watching Colt from the corner of my eye.

  "What's up?" Lucy Lockwood asked when she saw me.

  "Nothing just now. At least, I don't think so." I shot Dean a look.

  "Is that Dean Lampton talking to Colt?" They were sitting at a table.

  I nodded. "Colt was supposed to pick him up when he got off the ferry, but I sorta made him miss it."

  "I see how it is," Lucy said, winking at me. "Well, Dean can hardly blame Colt for skipping out on his ugly mug in lieu of your adorable one."

  "Thanks, but that's not exactly what happened."

  I gave her a brief rundown of going to Melbourne's without giving away the fact that Melbourne had been to see me. She had the same questions Colt did. Like what did I want with one of Melbourne's books and why did I think it was important.

  "Never mind that right now," I told her. "The point is, I have to find it. Can you go back with me later and help me look?'

  "Sure, if it's that important."

  Megan, Lucy's younger sister, came walking by just then and poked Lucy in the ribs. "Are you gonna stand here chatting with your friend all day or are you gonna help me make some lattes? I'm drowning in foam over here, come on."

  Lucy rolled her eyes. "I better go. Call me later and let me know if you wanna do that thing tonight."

  Megan looked from Lucy to me. "What thing?"

  "Grown up stuff," Lucy said, mockingly.

  "You realize I'm eighteen, don't you? Almost nineteen?"

  "Doesn't mean you're grown up," Lucy said, sticking her tongue out. Now it was Megan's turn to roll her eyes.

  "Neither does being twenty-two," Megan said and walked off.

  Lucy pouted. "Guess I deserved that. She better not rat me out to William Carney."

  I sometimes forgot that Sweetland's resident beach bum had taken over Coffee Cove when Melbourne died, er, disappeared. He'd announced he was tired of trying to sell water to tourists when they were surrounded by it and wanted nothing more to do with steak knives, even if they were magical.

  Lucy was looking at me with an expression that was part irritation, part nutcase. I couldn't help laughing.

  "Laugh at me like that again and next time I make you a latte, it'll be quadruple strength with a dash of peppy extract." She smiled to show she was joking then hurried to help Megan with the lattes.

  When I turned back to see how Colt was doing with Dean, I realized that Sheriff Knoxx had joined them. When had he come in? He looked very intense. He kept nodding his head and puffing out his chest the way he did when he wanted to show how strong and brave he was.

  Aunt Eleanor had told him once that it wasn't necessary, that all of Sweetland Cove thought that he was very brave and a great sheriff. It didn't stop him from doing it though. I thought it was an involuntary action, like breathing. He did it when he got nervous. He did it when he got excited. He was part goblin, and I'd always suspected it was the goblin in him that was in charge of the puffing.

  I stepped closer, trying to hear what they were saying, realizing how impossible that was. Every table in Coffee Cove had a silencing charm around it so that people could talk freely without being overheard. It was one of the reasons the Cove was so popular.

  Suddenly, Colt stood up. He looked like he was yelling at Dean and the sheriff. Dean stood up and yelled something back. His hands cut through the air in short, staccato bursts of speed, like he was practicing karate chops.

  Lucy snuck over to me. "What do you think is going on? Colt looks pissed."

  "Yeah. I hope Dean's not railing on him for missing him at the docks."

  Sheriff Knoxx put a hand on Colt's shoulder, and Colt seemed to calm down. A few other people were watching them, but without being able to hear them, it didn't capture interest for long.

  Finally, Colt moved away from the table. He walked straight toward me. "Wanna get out of here?" he asked.

  "Sure, yeah." I shot Lucy a look that said I'd text her later and followed Colt out the door. We got into his car, and he took off. I had no idea where we were going.

  "Um, is it okay to ask what all that was about? It seemed a little more involved than missing Dean at the ferry."

  "It was."

  "So... are you gonna tell me what happened?"

  He sighed and turned a corner.

  "And where are we going?"

  "Whisper Crossing," he said. "I need to clear my head."

  I started to ask another question then thought better of it. Maybe this was one of those times when I should wait for him to tell me whatever it was. He cast a speed spell, and we made it to Whisper Crossing in less than an hour. When we got there, he went straight up to the cemetery on the hill.

  "I know some people think it's weird, but I like it up here. You can see for miles. On a clear day, you can see straight to the ocean."

  "Yeah, I know. It's one of my favorite spots, too."

  He turned to look at me. "I'm sorry for being so... " he let out an exasperated sigh and ran his hands through his hair, "frustrating."

  "Colt, you're not frustrating me; you're officially freaking me out. What did Dean Lampton and Sheriff Knoxx say to you?"

  He clucked his tongue like he was debating with himself about whether to spill everything. "Dr. Dunne ran some tests on Rachel Sessler's puncture wounds."

  "Okay..."

  "Do you know much about how vampires kill?" he suddenly asked.

  "They drink your blood."

  "Yes, but they also leave behind a trace venom when they bite you."

  "Poison?"

  "More like a tranquilizer. It's how they can suck someone dry and not have them fight back."

  "Okay..."

  "The venom is like DNA or fingerprints. It's unique to every vampire. It's incredibly difficult to get ahold of the exact makeup of a vampire's venom. Most vampires today don't drink human blood, and those who do, don't get caught. So, the files we have are sparse. But there is one file where the victim matches the venom Dr. Dunne was able to pull off Rachel. The file belongs to a man who was killed by a vampire over ten years ago."

  "Who?" I asked.

  Colt looked at me, his eyes watery and angry all at once. "My father."

  * * *

  1 0

  * * *

  My heart thundered in my chest. "You mean that whoever killed Rachel Sessler is the same person—vampire—who killed your dad?"

  "That's right." Colt started walking back down the hill. More like stumbling than walking. I was afraid he'd fall and go rolling if he wasn't more careful. "I need to tell my mother." He paused just as he got to his car and looked at me. "Or maybe I shouldn't. She's gonna freak out."

  "I'll bet. Is she still at your apartment?"

  "Yeah. I haven't had much time to spend with her, but she says she doesn't care. She just wants to be around for a while." He licked his lips. "What do you think? Should I tell her?"

  I considered it. "Yes, but maybe not until you find out more details. Like who the killer actually is."

  I looked around Whisper Crossing. We were alone. High up on the hill, Sara Sweetland's angel stood watch, encouraging me to tell Colt the truth about Melbourne and Vlaski. I knew I had to. The problem was that I hadn't forgotten that I had this curse hanging over my head. Everyone on my mother's side of the family did, thanks to the witch who had placed it upon Sara Sweetland's child. Eleanor, Trixie, my mother, myself... we were all descended from Sara Sweetland. Descended from that curse.

  What if that curse didn't want to kill me like it did my mother? What if it just wanted to ruin my life? What if I told Colt the truth about Melbourne, and he got mad for not telling him sooner? What if he left me here in Whisper Crossing?

  "Ava?" Colt's voice snapped me out of my trance. "Are you okay? You look kind of pale." His eyes widened as if a light bulb had suddenly gone off in his head. "Have you eaten anything? Are you hungry? I think I have some chips in my car. You should have said something."

  I shook my head. "It's not that. I'm not hungry."

  "Then what is it? I know I'm acting a little funny, but I've got a reason to be. What's your excuse? Does it have something to do with that book you were looking for at Melbourne's?"

  I nodded and bit my lip.

  "Okay, so what is it?"

  I quickly ran through the many possible outcomes available to me. Would Colt get mad? Would he freak out? Would he think I was lying or worse yet, crazy?

  "You know how you told me that breaking and entering into Melbourne's could get me arrested?"

  He nodded. "Yes..." He was waiting for the punchline.

  "Well, it's not breaking and entering if the person who lives there asks you to go in, right?"

  He squinted at me as if the sun were in his eyes. "That's true," he finally said, "but, Ava, Melbourne didn't invite you into his home."

  "Yes. He did."

  Colt's frustration over the connection between Rachel's death and his father's quickly evaporated, forgotten as he tried to understand what I was telling him.

  "You mean that Melbourne invited you into his home once before, so you have the right to go in anytime you want? The law doesn't work that way, Ava."

  "No, I mean that Melbourne came to see me and asked me to go to his house and find that book for him."

  Colt was staring at me, his eyes growing wider by the second. "When? When did Melbourne ask you to do this?"

  I licked my lips. "A few days ago." I hesitated then added, "Right before our date."

  Colt's first reaction was to laugh. Then he frowned. Then he scratched his head. "You're serious."

  I nodded.

  "You're telling me that Melbourne is still alive."

  "That's what I'm saying."

  He started pacing the ground, wrapping his hands together. "You're sure it was Melbourne?"

  "Of course, I'm sure."

  "I mean, did you see his face or did you just hear his voice? Did you actually talk to him?"

  "Colt, I was standing as close to Melbourne as you are to me now. I saw his face. I heard his voice. It was him." I licked my lips. "Also, he's the one who broke into Dale's Hardware and those other places. He was hungry and wanted something to eat. He says he'll pay everyone back for the food or any damage."

  Colt stared at me another minute before flying into a frenzy of emotions alternating between excitement and rage. "He thinks he has the right to just mess with people like that? Making us think he was dead? Is he okay? I'd better call Dean Lampton. No, I'd better not call anyone. Oh, my roses, what was he thinking? Is he crazy?"

  He finally stopped talking and turned to me. "Did he tell you anything? Why he faked his death?"

  My throat was dry. "Vlaski Ambrose is trying to kill him. Melbourne knows something. I think it's something about the Cult of V, and whatever it is, Vlaski doesn't want it getting out."

  "Vlaski Ambrose is here? Now?"

  "Yes."

  "Then it must've been him who killed Rachel. And my father."

  "Should I tell Sheriff Knoxx?"

  "No, don't tell anyone. If it got out, it could be bad."

  "What do you mean?"

  "It's not safe for Melbourne. It's not safe for any vampire right now. Dean is talking about putting together a vampire hunting party."

  "What? But not all vampires are killers."

  "Yes, but people are scared and angry, and people do stupid things when they're scared and angry. You know that better than anyone."

  I wondered if he was thinking of the first time we'd met, when he'd tried to arrest me because the town was convinced I was a killer. It was amazing what kind of turns life could take. One minute, I'd hated Colt's guts. The next, I was in love with him.

  "Then we need to find Vlaski," I said.

  "Before Dean or anyone else finds Melbourne. If they find out he was faking his death, they'll assume he's responsible. If that happens, the next pile of ashes we find in Melbourne's house won't be fake."