“Dru.” Very soft, just a breath of sound. “My mom did that, you know. She’d clam up. Every . . .” A

deep gulp of air, like he was swimming and had just reached the top. “Every time one of them hit

her. Her boyfriends. She would try to act like nothing was happening. But I could see the bruises.

I’m not stupid.”

It was the most personal thing he’d ever said to me. I got the idea he didn’t like talking about how

he ended up squatting in a back office at the mall. And, you know, I had my own personal stash of

stuff I never wanted to share. Most of it involved Dad and the various jobs we’d done all across the

States. Some were from schools a long time ago, when I hadn’t been so practiced at sliding by unnoticed.

I pushed my hand off the edge of the bed. It hung in space as I stretched, my fingers touching

emptiness.

“She hates me. Because Christophe bit me.” I almost whispered the words into the pillow, kept my

arm out straight. My cheeks burned. If he could see me, he could probably tell something from the

way I was blushing. The fang marks in my left wrist tingled faintly, but the sensation receded.

When his fingers laced through mine, it was both a shock and a relief. Warm skin, a gentle touch.

He absorbed this, and then he said the last thing I’d expect.

“Girl like that won’t believe you don’t like him.” He coughed slightly. Guess he was wishing for another cigarette right about now. “Jesus.”

“I don’t like it here.” I sounded way young. And scared. “I’ve got some money. We can get supplies.”

He thought about it.“At least you’re not being attacked by vampires anymore. That’s something.”

“You told me it was us against the world.” You were holding my hand then, too. “I figure we can

get out of here. Run and keep running. I can teach you how to—”

“They know things you don’t. And Shanks and Dibs watch out for you when I can’t.”

He had a point. Still . . . I considered tugging my hand back out of his. “Have you changed your

mind?”

I didn’t mean to sound like a toddler with a toy taken away. I really didn’t. He sighed, heavily.

“No. If you’re serious about getting the hell out of here, Dru, I’m going with. But . . . it really does

seem safer here. That girl’s just a petty bitch. Why let her run you out?”

Someone here wanted me dead. That’s why we were stuck at the other Schola. That’s why the other

Schola burned down. The words stuck in my throat. I’d been counting on him wanting to come with