I knew for certain the boys wouldn’t show at the dance to see if I went after all, let alone with who. But I was so sure they wouldn’t be there, I failed to realize how they didn’t have to be.

They’d find out anyway.

The lights go out around us, and the whispers start, the laughter following, though not from everyone. Not from me.

Scott steps up beside me, and then a small light appears. It’s fairly far, way out in the middle of the grapevines.

It’s a low flicker, but it flashes across the face of a demon in the flesh.

My hands fly to my abdomen as a pair of fluorescent blues glow in the distance. I stop breathing when two more pairs emerge to the right.

And then that flicker grows... into full-fledged flames.

Ransom jams the flaming stick into the ground, dead in the center of the vineyard.

His eyes slice to mine, and then they’re running at warp speeds, all in different directions...

Shit.

Chapter 22

I spin, bumping arms with other girls as they panic, pushing closer to the railing in an attempt to get a better view of the space behind me. Scott, Dax, and every other guy here dashes around the side, racing to get to the ground before the fire burns lower, reaching the vineyards that surround it and pumped for a fight.

But they’re all fools.

The boys aren’t down there hiding in the darkness.

They’re on the way up.

I shove through a few people, pulling my pumps off for better balance. I trip, bouncing on the heel of one foot as I try to steady myself, and the moment I get myself straight, my head flies up and I jerk to a stop.

The air in my lungs evaporates, every organ in my body shriveling at the sight before me.

Ransom stands as tall and sturdy as a stallion, his shoulders broad and stance wide. Dripping in black, his hood covers his hair, effectively shadowing his face as he intended, his glowing gaze glaring down into mine.

His lips are smashed firm, his jaw ground tight and ticking, his pulse wild and uncontrolled. Sharp.

But his chest doesn’t rise and fall.

I would almost swear he was a zombie, dead on his feet, if he weren’t standing here right now. He looks dead, the way I wish to feel but am unable.

Not anymore.

Not since him.

He pushes closer, and I shuffle backward.

Back onto the patio deck, where the other girls have finally realized we’re no longer alone up here.

The shock is clear and loud, the gasps and giggles following, but the excitement doesn’t last long. It fades into the darkness around us, or maybe only for me as all that’s left is him, angry and an inch away.

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.