"Really?" Peter said, putting his hands on his hips. He came closer, studying my back. "It looks about the same." He sounded accusing, not that it was any of his freaking business.But I felt like I should explain. "I had a run in with Drake and an elfish woman. The wound reopened." I showed them the blood on my shirt. Tears pricked my eyes and before I knew it, I hopped off the stool, ran up the stairs and tossed myself across my bed. Yeah, not my finest moment. I lay there with my arms tucked under my body, still clutching my bloody shirt, and forced myself not to cry. Sometimes, when I was super emotional, if I cried, my tears would be red, like blood. But since Jaffar stole my wings, I'd become so close to human it was scary. Perhaps I was actually human. I knew I was no longer me - a vampire created from the seven magics and the blood of my parents - that was for sure. I was a shadow. A shell. A husk. The worst part about the feelings was that I was now exactly what I believed I

When I got inside, Laeddin was back in the living room with Peter. He had a look on his face that said we would discuss what he just witnessed later. The TV was still on and Peter was focused on it. I glanced around, then remembered my mom had left. The serious conversation I planned couldn't happen tonight after all. I thought about her in Sharra, curious about whether she changed back and forth between herself and Zoe. If not, she would totally freak out Ciana, the vampire who helped raise me. I loved Ciana. She'd taken care of me since I was little when my parents were working. We played together during my mom's long meetings. In that moment, I remembered the vision right after Jaffar took my wings. She was flying and went into the mountain where all evil supernaturals were imprisoned. There she woke someone. A vampire she called Velencia. And Ciana had entered the tomb. My nanny betrayed me. Betrayed my mom and dad. Everyone. Our whole world. She was on Sharra's side. My mom n

We didn't capture any of the Akuma. Troy, Peter, and I decapitated them all. There were five in the cemetery. The unicorn led Peter and Troy deeper into the cemetery to ambush them. But we cut off all of their heads. As soon as the head severed from the body, the Akuma fell apart, shriveled up and dissipated. Emotionally, it was difficult to kill, but I got over it quickly when it was us or them. Christopher's blood pumped through my veins and the more I fought the stronger I became. If I thought it was appropriate I would've cheered. My vampire abilities were back in force and I used them to their full potential, grateful I could actually help. Troy and Peter noticed too. After the last Akuma was beheaded, Troy came over. "Jack, you kicked ass." He held up his hand for a high five. I didn't leave him hanging. "There's my girl," Peter said, pulling me into his chest for a hug."Thanks," I said, enjoying the compliments. When I pulled back, Peter squinted, staring at my mouth. "You

After Gatsby left, I texted Troy: We need to talk. Are my mom and dad back?No. Has Laeddin returned? Troy replied. No. And I'm starting to worry. I can't go back to his realm without him, either. Peter and Zoe just showed up. They need to speak with you too. We're coming over. K. Dress for Akuma hunting. We're going again tonight.Got it. I ran upstairs. Since I was already wearing jeans and a tee shirt, I left those on, but changed into my favorite black boots. Then I grabbed a black hoodie. The back had a teal skull sporting a pink bow. I thought it quite appropriate for what we would be doing. I swiped some gloss over my lips and fixed my ponytail, then went back downstairs to wait. Not too many minutes later, someone knocked on the door. I opened it, expecting my mom, dad, and Troy, but it wasn't them. It was a woman with long red hair, striking blue eyes - exactly like my mom's - and the creamiest skin I'd ever seen. It was almost transparent. She wasn't very tall, and she

Since Martial Law had been put into effect, I hadn't been able to go shopping. It would have been nice to buy a new dress and wear it to the dance, but I would be fine. At least we were having the dance. In Salem, for one night only, martial law didn't affect us.I checked the time. Troy would be by in two hours. We were going to dinner first - at his house. Professor Pops had hired someone to cook for us. After that we would take a limo to the dance. Peter and Zoe planned to meet us there. When the dance was over, we'd been given special permission to take Professor Pops' boat out but not far and only until sunrise. Then we would be escorted off the water. Overall it sounded like a blast and I was really looking forward to it. "If I only had a dress," I said to my reflection in the bathroom mirror. "I might be able to help with that." I jumped, grabbing hold of the sink before spinning around. My best friend fluttered in. "Abrea," I gasped."Hey traitor." Her arms were crossed,