“This isn’t getting us anywhere,” growled Eddie. “Call Dimitri. Between the two of us, we’ll get him to tell us where this compound’s at. I’ve broken into a prison. Getting into this place shouldn’t be that much harder.”

“Oh, you think so?” A humorless smile crossed Trey’s features. “That place is surrounded with an electric fence and packed with armed men. Plus, she’s heavily secured. You can’t just walk in there.”

“Why is she still alive?” asked Angeline. She seemed to realize how weird that sounded and was quick to elaborate. “That is… I mean, I’m glad she is. But if you think she’s so evil, why didn’t you finish her off?” She glanced at my friends and me. “Sorry.”

“It’s a good question,” Eddie told her.

Trey took a long time in answering. I had a feeling he was torn between keeping the group’s secrets and wanting to justify his actions to us. “Because we’re all being tested,” he said finally. “To see who’s worthy of performing the kill.”

“Oh my God,” said Jill.

“Hence all your bruises recently,” I said. My fears of domestic abuse weren’t far off, really. “You’re competing to kill a woman who’s done nothing to you.”

“Stop saying that!” Trey cried, truly looking distraught. “She’s not innocent.”

“But you’re not so sure,” I said. “Are you? Your eyes aren’t telling you what your hunter friends are.”

He evaded the accusation. “My family expects this of me. We all have to try—especially after we messed up the alley attack. We lost our authorization to kill her then, which is why the council ordered these trials to redeem ourselves and prove we were up to it.” Getting “authorization” to kill someone was sickening, but it was the rest of what he said that made me do a double take.

“You were there,” I said in disbelief. “In the alley, and—and it was you! You’re the one who grabbed me!” It came back to me now, my assailant’s surprise and hesitation.

Trey’s face confirmed as much. “I knew you were friends with them. I can tell by looking at all of you, although I didn’t figure you two out right away.” That was to Eddie and Angeline. Trey turned back to me. “I recognized your tattoo the first time we met. I just ignored it because I didn’t think you were involved in anything that I was. I thought you only hung out with harmless vampires, so I didn’t expect you to be there that night. I never wanted you to get hurt. I still don’t, which is why you need to let this go.”

“I’m tired of this,” said Eddie. It was a wonder he’d been patient this long. “We need to bust down the doors of that place and—”

“Wait, wait.” An idea was forming in my head—and it was another crazy one. “Trey, you said Eddie couldn’t just walk into that place. But could I?”

“What are you talking about?” asked Trey, a mix of suspicion and confusion on his face