"Good," she said. "Very good."

  "But confusing, I imagine," Melbourne said. She nodded. "I wanted to tell you what was going on, but I didn't want to endanger you."

  "So, you endangered my niece instead?" Her voice had an edge to it that I hadn't often heard.

  "It's... complicated. Ava was already indirectly involved."

  "With what? How?"

  "I'd like to know that myself. I still don't think you've told me everything."

  "Believe me, Ava, you're safer not knowing all the details. I'm only telling you what you need to know to get by."

  "I'm getting tired of hearing that keeping me in the dark is for my benefit. You came to me, remember? You asked for my help."

  "Melbourne." Trixie rose from the bed and, despite her funky peach-colored dress and leopard-skin tights, she made a formidable figure. It had to do with the way her eyes darkened and her cheeks began to glow a violent shade of purple.

  "I want you to tell me what is going on," Trixie said. She stared hard at Melbourne. "Now. Or I'll call Sheriff Knoxx and let him decide what details are and are not important."

  "Trixie, you don't understand. I'm in danger." He shook his head. His dark hair fell to his shoulders. Every time he shook his head, it looked like there was a fan blowing on him. "Not just me, the whole world."

  "How?"

  "I thought the Cult of V was over. Finished. Its members had all died out and with them, their dreams of enslavement. But I was wrong."

  I was watching Trixie's face for any sign that she was about to cast a spell and turn Melbourne into a rat. Witch's spells didn't work the same on vampires, though. Instead of a rat, he might turn into a roach or a strawberry.

  "You mean that the Cult of V is still together?" Trixie asked.

  "Not just together. They have an actual plan. A viable plan. Something that I think might actually work."

  "What is it?" Trixie and I asked at the same time.

  Melbourne's face was grim. "Water," he said simply.

  Trixie and I looked at each other. Confused. "Water?" I asked.

  "Everyone needs it. Not just humans. Not just witches. But every living creature." He took hold of Trixie's shoulders, locking eyes with her. "Every living creature."

  "Oh, my roses," Trixie said. "You mean that they plan to infect the drinking water?"

  "Rivers... lakes... oceans."

  "With what?" I cried. "Poison?"

  "Not poison. Venom."

  I gasped. "Colt told me about that. It tranquilizes you, right? So you don't fight back."

  "Which is exactly what they want," Melbourne said. "Once they have everyone sedated, they can start to manipulate them."

  "But how can they get to so much water?" I asked. "There's only a small number of vampires and an even smaller number of V members."

  "Ava," Melbourne said, smiling. "One thing vampires have is time."

  "This is terrible," Trixie said.

  "I wish I had something good to follow it with," Melbourne replied.

  "Oh!" Trixie suddenly shouted. "I almost forgot. Wait right here!" She hurried out of the room, leaving the door wide open.

  Trixie returned a minute later. "Blood sausage cake with O-negative frosting," she declared, handing Melbourne a pink cake box. His mouth opened in excitement. He took his pointer finger and ran it along the edge of the cake, gathering the frosting, then put it in his mouth.

  "Oh wow," he said, looking at Trixie. "You made this?" She nodded happily. "It's delicious."

  "Do you really like it?" She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

  "It's the best-tasting thing I've ever eaten. Thank you."

  "I'm so glad you like it. I've been trying to sell them at the bakery but nobody seems to like them."

  "Well, I love it."

  The front door opened downstairs, and my dad's voice call up to us. "Ava? You home?"

  I hesitated a second before responding. "Up here, Dad."

  Trixie gave me a look but I shrugged. What was I supposed to do?

  "Don't worry," Melbourne told her. "I'll be back. Make sure and save me another one of these cakes."

  "I will," she said. Then Melbourne took his box and jumped out the open window, disappearing.

  * * *

  1 8

  * * *

  Trixie was in a surprisingly good mood this morning. Well, not so surprising to me, but surprising to everyone else. After weeks of moping around and baking blood-infused pastries, she had come into work today acting as though she'd gotten the best night of sleep ever. She'd even opened the shop early.

  "Well, someone woke up on the right side of the bed," my dad said when we walked into Mystic.

  Trixie had already lined the shelves with tins of sugar teardrop cookies and chocolate cheesecake wonders. The display cases were filled with lemon poppy peppy bars and super-seeded sensory bagels. The whole place smelled of sugar and cinnamon and everything good.

  "Yes,” Eleanor agreed. “What's gotten into you?"

  "Me?" Trixie asked in mock surprise. "Why nothing. Nothing at all." She winked at me when no one was looking.

  Trixie went into the back and returned a minute later with a plateful of rich-looking dark chocolate brownies and double chocolate muffins with drizzled caramel.

  "Try one," she said, beaming proudly at us.

  My father and Eleanor looked at them uncertainly.

  "They certainly look delicious," my father offered.

  "Yes, they do..." Eleanor agreed.

  Trixie laughed. "Don't worry. no O-negative blood in these anywhere."

  Eleanor's expression softened. She and my father each grabbed one and dug in, but I held back. I knew Trixie better than to trust her food, especially after Melbourne's proclamations of her blood sausage cake being the best thing he'd ever eaten.

  "Delicious!" Eleanor proclaimed.

  "Amazing!" my father agreed.

  "AB positive!" Trixie yelled triumphantly.

  Eleanor and my father stopped chewing and looked at each other. My father shrugged then shoved the rest of the brownie into his mouth. Eleanor gaped at him.

  "What?" he asked when he was done licking his fingers. "Good food is good food. And that was to die for."

  Eleanor smiled but I noticed that when Trixie's head was turned, she folded her brownie into a napkin and set it deep inside the trash can.

  With the morning prep already done, I had extra time to go through my mood extracts. Eleanor, Trixie, and my father stayed out front and opened the doors, while I went through my things and made a list of what we were low on, out of, and had way too much of. It was good therapy. It was also a really good distraction.

  Colt was ever present in my mind. He had completely ceased returning any of my phone calls or texts. I had no idea how I was going to fix his getting fired, but I knew that I had to do something. I'd thought about calling Dean, but was afraid that would only make things worse.

  My dad had asked me about what happened. He liked Colt and didn't like the idea of him being bullied by Dean Lampton.

  "I went to school with Dean," my dad said. "Maybe I can put in a good word."

  I shook my head, thanking him. But the only thing worse than me talking to Dean Lampton would be sending my dad to do the talking for me. Colt would not be happy with that. No, if I was going to get Colt his job back and find a way to convince him to give me a second chance, I was going to have to prove that Dean Lampton was hiding something.

  I chewed on the end of my pen, wondering if this was a job for Snowball. She had an amazing ability to sneak into places unnoticed by anyone, and she'd helped me with investigations before. Not that I was investigating, per se, more like... developing my powers of observation.

  I looked down at my list. Empty: exhilaration, energy, and nerves of steel. Almost empty: joy, satisfaction, cheer. Never running out again: tenderness, delight, hope. I sighed and set to work. It was going to be a busy morning. Sometimes that was when my best ideas came to me though. When I was busy not thinking about the problem I was trying to solve.

  I set up my table in back. Vials and chemistry tubes of all sizes lined the wall. I put out both scales—the large and the small—thinking maybe I'd have enough time to make double or even triple batches and really stock up. Bowls and baggies lay in organized piles, as did brushes, dippers, and eye droppers.

  The first hour passed by and I hardly noticed it was gone. Time seemed to be moving at a turtle's crawl. I held my tongue between my teeth, gently biting down in concentration as I very carefully released five droplets of tanzanite into some peppy powder. It smoked for a second, a little too much, then settled down and merely simmered in the tube instead.

  I inhaled the energizing scent of geraniums and honey before moving the mixture into a new tube laced with relaxation powder. When I was through, I wiped my brow. Sweat had started to drizzle into my eyes, making them sting. I blinked and went to the sink, splashing my face with water. It was hard making extracts for three hours. Maybe I could use a break.

  Eleanor poked her head in through the swing door just then.

  "Ava? Do you have a minute?"

  "Sure," I said. "What's up?"

  "There's a customer out here who's inquiring about your peppy extract. He wants to know if it's safe to mix with mammoth coconut oil. Apparently, he had some with his breakfast this morning and is worried about it causing a rash."

  "It should be fine. I'll come out and talk to him." It was just the break I needed.

  I followed Eleanor out front. The place was still packed. I was happy that business was doing so well. It didn't hurt that we were the only bakery in town. Even places that sold pastries, like Coffee Cove, got their cinnamon rolls or cookies from our shop. We were the regular suppliers of pastries to all Sweetland Cove events, as well.

  "Where's the customer?" I asked Eleanor. She pointed to a man standing in the back of the store, away from the swarms of locals and tourists who were busy eyeing the goodies in our display cases. I made my way over to him, passing Lottie Mudget on the way. She was loudly discussing some woman from the mainland that she was positive was going to buy The Alchemic Stone.

  "I can't wait to get some fresh gem powder for my smoothies," Lottie told the woman behind her who nodded agreeably.

  The rest of the place seemed to be talking about the Mayor-for-All Rule. I hadn't had much of a chance to discuss it with my dad and aunts, but the general consensus in town seemed to be that it was going to make the tension between Sweetland and Mystic that much worse.

  I finally got to the customer, who was waiting for me patiently.

  "Hello," I said. "My aunt tells me you have a few questions about some peppy powder?"

  The man turned to face me.

  My heart stopped. "What are you doing here?"

  I looked quickly around the shop to see if anyone was watching us, but Eleanor and Trixie were both busy with customers and my father was busy refilling shelves. I realized that as far as I knew, neither of them had ever met Vlaski Ambrose before. Trixie knew of him, but she had never been introduced. It was just dumb luck that I'd bumped into him that day at Melbourne's.

  I had no idea how Vlaski had turned his normally snow-white skin so tan, but had to assume it was some sort of magic trick. Or a really solid layer of makeup. In which case, it was the best makeup ever and I wanted some.

  "Don't be alarmed, Ava Rose," he said, smiling at me.

  For some reason, his use of my middle name unsettled me more than the black eyes that were staring lifelessly out at me. I said lifeless, but that was really unfair. A slight jab at his vampire status. The truth was Vlaski's eyes were alive with all sorts of emotions, only some of which I could read. For example, right now, it looked like he wanted to kill me.

  "Get out of here right now, before I scream."

  I wondered why I wasn't already screaming my head off and the truth hit me. I was scared. What if Vlaski moved faster than me and was able to bite me, drain my blood, and disappear long before anyone could stop him?

  "I don't think you will," Vlaski said. "At least, not once you hear what brings me in today."

  I waited for him to tell me whatever lie it was he'd come to say. Danger oozed from his pores. I had no idea how so many people could be in the same room as him and not freak out.

  "Well?" I asked.

  A tourist bumped Vlaski's arm and Vlaski hissed at him. The man moved quickly away, muttering an apology. "This isn't a good place to talk," Vlaski said. "Meet me tonight when your shift is over."

  I scoffed at him. "I'm not meeting you anywhere. Do you think I have a death wish?"

  "It is not my intention to hurt you," he said. "Nor anyone."

  I laughed in his face then realized how dangerous that was. I just couldn't help it. He was obviously lying. "You must think I'm an idiot," I whispered.

  Eleanor was eyeing me curiously from behind the cash register now. What if it wasn't me Vlaski suddenly decided to attack? What if it was her? Or Trixie? Or my dad?

  "You need to leave. Now." I hoped my voice sounded stronger than I felt.

  "I'm not going anywhere," he said. "Until you agree to meet with me."

  "What possible reason could you have for wanting to meet with me? I'm not telling you where Melbourne is, if that's what you're after. I don't even know."

  Vlaski's face grimaced at the mention of Melbourne's name.

  "It's not safe here," Vlaski said. His eyes actually looked worried. "Meet me tonight at the town square. By Wanda's Willow."

  Wanda's Willow was a giant tree in the middle of the square that people liked to picnic under.

  "What if I don't?"

  "Ava, I'm not threatening you. I'm warning you. Melbourne isn't what he seems. I don't want any more bloodshed."

  I laughed.

  "It's true," he whispered, stepping closer to me. "Your boyfriend's life depends on what I have to tell you."

  "Colt?" I asked, my nerves suddenly jumping. "What do you mean?"

  "Tonight. Ten o'clock." He turned and left without waiting for my answer.

  I stood there a moment, watching the door he left through as though he might rematerialize out of thin air. When he didn't, I turned and headed for the back.

  "What was that about?" Eleanor asked. "It looked intense."

  "Oh," I said, trying to keep my voice light. I waved it all off. "Nothing. He just ate a little too much fluffernutter root last night. I told him that fluffernutter root and peppy powder don't really mix, since they're opposites, and he should come back tomorrow."

  Eleanor frowned. "Fluffernutter root? Hmmm..." I didn't like the way her brow was crinkling. "Well, if he comes back tomorrow, let me know. He gave me a weird vibe."

  "Yeah, me, too."

  * * *

  1 9

  * * *

  I tried to make a quick getaway. The second the door to Mystic closed at nine, I began making excuses as to why I had to leave.

  "I told Colt I'd meet him."

  "I thought you two weren't talking," Eleanor said.

  "We're not. That's why we're meeting. To discuss our not talking." I alternated between smiling and trying to look sad and pathetic. Neither seemed to be working very well.

  "Are you sure it's Colt you're meeting?" Eleanor asked.

  My eyes widened. "Yes. Why?"

  "You've been acting a little funny today. I thought maybe you'd heard from Damon." She looked at me questioningly.

  "I have not heard from Damon. Why does everyone keep asking me about him?"

  "Sorry," Eleanor said.

  Trixie was singing a merry little melody, so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even see Eleanor standing in front of her. She bumped right into her, sending a tray of AB positive brownies crashing to the floor.

  "Oh, dear!" Trixie cried, picking them up and dusting them off. "Well, plenty more where that came from."

  I knew Eleanor didn't want Trixie's blood concoctions anywhere near the store, but the brownies had actually sold well today. Unlike her past creations, these were ooey, gooey, and chocolatey. The poultry blood that Trixie had used to create them made them something of a novelty. A curiosity that the tourists literally ate up. The locals had made icky faces, but tried them anyway and ended up walking out with a half dozen each.

  "Everyone around here is acting strange today," Eleanor said, shaking her head. She looked at me with my purse in hand. "Well, off you go. Have fun. I hope you two work things out. I like Colt."

  I hurried toward the town square. Wanda's Willow loomed heavily in the distance. I paused, watching the shadows. Vlaski's dark form stepped out from them as I approached.

  "Ava," he said, nodding his head politely at me like something out of a Jane Austen novel.

  I stopped before the shadows of the tree could engulf me. There were a few stragglers walking through the square on their way home. We waited until they were gone and we had the place to ourselves. It was the middle of the week and the downtown area of Sweetland shut down early. Everyone was either on their way home or already there.

  "What did you want to tell me?" I asked Vlaski, cutting to the chase.

  "You're in danger. Your boyfriend, Colt, especially."

  "Yeah, from you," I said angrily.

  "Just because I choose to live my life one way does not make me a monster."

  "It does if you're planning to enslave people and use them for your personal food source."

  "That was my plan... once."

  "What are you saying? You changed your mind? Since when?"

  "It's complicated."

  I rolled my eyes. He was telling me things without actually saying anything important.

  "Listen," Vlaski said. "I don't know how much time we've got. You need to know something. Melbourne isn't who you think he is."

  "Oh, please. You expect me to believe anything you say? You're nothing but a liar."

  A low growl erupted from deep within Vlaski's throat. "I would not say such things if I were you," he threatened.

  My heart skipped a beat but I didn't want to back down. He was trying to trick me. To convince me that the one vampire I knew who was good couldn't be trusted.