And he didn’t.
Owen and I stopped long enough to say good-bye to Bria and Xavier and wave to Mallory and Lorelei as we made our way toward the exit. Finn never once looked in our direction.
On the ride back to Fletcher’s, Owen tried to get me to tell him what was bothering me, but I just didn’t have the energy to recount how Deirdre had rubbed my face in all my past mistakes and failures—and that she’d been right about every single one, especially Fletcher being dead because I hadn’t been good enough, strong enough, fast enough to save him.
Owen offered to stay the night, but I told him I was tired and was going to bed. He kissed me, told me to call him if I wanted to talk, and left.
I stripped off my spider gown and took a long, hot shower. We’d left the exhibit early, and it was just after nine, but I was exhausted, so I crawled into bed. I drifted to sleep almost immediately.
The three vampires who’d been robbing Fletcher’s house crept closer and closer to me.
The smart thing would have been to sprint back around the porch, throw open the front door, and run inside. But it wasn’t like I would have gotten all that far. Not given the logjam of kids still partying in the house. Besides, I was too angry to think straight, so I stood my ground.
The three vamps spread out in a line across the porch in front of me.
“Lookie here, boys,” the guy in the middle crooned. “A little girl’s come out to play with us.”
My hands clenched into tight fists. If there was one thing I wasn’t, it was a little girl. Not anymore. Not for a long time now.
Another vamp laughed. “Well, I say we play with her. Right, Paul?”
Paul, the vamp in the middle, nodded. “Yep.”
But I was still too angry—at them, at Finn, at everything—to back down. Besides, they’d be on me like a pack of hyenas the second I turned my back.
“Leave now, and we can pretend like this never happened,” I said. “Like you weren’t trying to rob this place.”
Paul laughed and looked at his friends, who joined in with his chuckles.
“What’s so funny?” I muttered.
Paul stared at me. “You know why we like parties? Because the kids are too busy drinking, smoking, and screwing to notice who comes in the front door, much less what they take out the back with them. You’re not ruining that for us.”
So they’d done this before. Slipped into a house during a party and walked out with whatever they could stuff into their pockets and carry away. And if the homeowners noticed that their valuables were missing, then it was just too bad, and they’d most likely chalk it up to their kids’ friends having swiped it and ground their own kids as a result.
It was a sweet little scam. I wondered who had told them about Finn’s party. Someone had to have clued them in, especially since Fletcher’s house was out in the boonies. It wasn’t like they’d seen or heard the noise from down the street and had come to investigate. No, someone had to have tipped them off. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be here.
But my main problem was that there were three of them and only one of me. I glanced at the windows. The other kids were still inside, just a few feet away, but the music was so loud that I doubted anyone would hear me if I screamed. Even if they did, they’d probably think somebody was just messing around and not in any real danger. Either way, none of them would come and help me.
I’d have to take care of myself, just like always.
So I studied the vampires. Paul, the guy in the middle, was obviously the leader, with a tall, strong body that made him the most dangerous. The other two guys were short and lean, closer to my size than his, but they were still vamps, and the blood they drank would make them stronger and quicker than me. I couldn’t let any of them get close enough to put their hands on me, much less sink their fangs into my neck. Too bad I didn’t have any of the knives Fletcher had been training me to use. In fact, there were no weapons on the porch at all, just a few small gardening tools that Fletcher had been using to clean up the yard for the coming winter.
“You need to leave,” I repeated. “I called the cops. They’ll be here any minute.”
For a second, worry flashed in Paul’s dark eyes, but he must have realized that I was bluffing because he grinned again. “Cops, huh? Well, then, I guess we’ll just have to be quick about our fun.” His gaze flicked up and down my body. “Or maybe we’ll just take you with us. You’re a little skinny for my tastes, but some guys like ’em just like you.”
My anger vanished in an instant, and bile bubbled up in the back of my throat. Not only did they want to steal from Fletcher, but now they wanted to steal me too.
I bolted.
I turned to run, but Paul was quicker. He grabbed my ponytail and jerked me back. I used the change in momentum to ram my elbow into his stomach. He gasped and doubled over, losing his grip on me. I opened my mouth to scream, even as I surged forward again.