“I’m—” I start, then stop. What could I possibly say? I’m waiting for the King of the Dead so I can defeat him before my friends are put in mortal danger?

It’s not that I don’t think she’ll believe me—she’s a witch, after all—but she’ll probably tow me right back inside.

The purple crystal glows brighter, and her brow furrows. “Something has its eye on you.”

A shiver runs down my spine. Then a high-pitched screech cuts the air, followed by a flood of light and the sound of creaking metal.

I lift my blades, ready to fight, blood pounding in my ears.

Then a familiar voice says, “Colin? Colin, what is it?”

I blink against the brightness, which I realize now is a set of headlights from a car that had come screeching into the parking lot.

Then my gaze settles on Anna hanging out the passenger window, her dark eyes wide with alarm. Elaine leans around her from the driver’s seat to ask, “Are they here?”

Lowering my knives, I shake my head, and Anna leaps out of the car. “Get your stuff,” she says. “We need to get back to Ravenfall.”

“But Fin—”

“I’ll explain on the way. Hurry!”

I look to Alice, who stows her crystal in her pocket with a nod. Banishing my knives to the journal, I dive into my room, where my bag waits neatly packed, always ready to go. Roy barrels in a moment later, clearly having gotten the rundown from Anna.

“What were you thinking?” he demands, shoving his stuff into his overnight bag.

“I wasn’t!”

“Clearly!” He stops, his full attention on me. “Promise me you won’t ever do something like that again, Colin.”

I bite my lip but nod, and Roy looks at me a moment longer, as if he doesn’t really believe me. I don’t know if I do either.

Once Roy has the last of his things, we duck outside, where Alice has cast a shimmering protection spell over the parking lot. I join Elaine and Anna in the car, and Roy gets into his truck.

“Thanks, Alice,” Roy says through the open window. “See you at the party?”

Her eyes flick into the dark. “Go quickly.”

Elaine doesn’t need telling twice. “Buckle up,” she says, and hits the gas.

I obey just as she tears out onto the street, Roy’s truck on our tail. Anna twists around in her seat to look at me. “What were you doing out there?” she demands.

“Trying to draw out Fin,” I reply. Saying it out loud makes me feel suddenly stupid.

Anna’s face tells me she agrees. “And why in the world would you want to do that?”