“We’re here for you if you do,” I said. I technically meant it, but if Jill came sobbing to me afterward, I wasn’t entirely sure what I should say. Maybe I could find a book on appropriate breakup counseling techniques before she did the deed.

A wry smile crossed her face. “You know what’s silly? I mean, I don’t want to go jumping from one guy to another—and I do still care about Micah—but I’m starting to notice what a really good guy Eddie is.”

“He’s a great guy,” I confirmed.

“Moroi and dhampirs being together are discouraged when they’re older, but now… I mean, I knew some who got together at St. Vladimir’s.” She gave an embarrassed laugh. “I know, I know… I shouldn’t even be thinking like that. One guy at a time. But still… the more I see Eddie—he’s just so brave and so confident. He’d do anything for us, you know? He’s like some storybook hero in real life. But he’s so dedicated, he’d probably never be interested in someone like me. No time for dating.”

“Actually,” I said, “I think he’d be very interested in you.”

Her eyes widened. “Really?”

I wanted to tell her everything. Instead, I chose my words carefully, unwilling to give away his secrets after he’d spoken to me before about letting him handle his own personal affairs. “He talks all the time about how smart and competent you are. I think he’d definitely be open to something.” He also talked about how he wasn’t worthy of her love, but that resolve might fade if Jill actively went after him.

She grew lost in thought, and no more was said on the topic when Eddie and Angeline came walking up. We drove into town, and I dropped Jill and the two dhampirs off at Adrian’s while I ran a few errands. Waiting for Trey was agonizing, and I needed distraction. Plus, I was low on some Alchemist supplies and wanted to make sure I was up to full strength before any venture into the Warriors’ camp.

My phone rang as we were wrapping up. It was Trey, and I stepped outside an herbal store to take the call.

“Okay,” he said. “You’re good to go. They’ll meet with you tonight—just you.”

Anxiety and excitement raced through me. Tonight. It seemed surprisingly soon, yet that was exactly what I wanted. We needed to get Sonya out of there.

“I’ll take you there at seven,” Trey continued. “And… well, I’m sorry… but you’ll have to go blindfolded. And I’ll be checking to make sure no one follows us. If they do, everything’s off.”

“I understand,” I said, though a blindfold certainly made the venture scarier. “I’ll be ready. Thank you, Trey.”

“Also,” he added, “we want the sword back.”

I made arrangements for him to pick me up at Adrian’s, since I had a feeling Dimitri and Eddie would have a lot to say to me beforehand. In fact, I called them as soon as I was off the phone with Trey, to give them a heads-up. I also called Stanton to give her an update. It occurred to me I should have checked with her sooner, but I’d wanted a definitive answer from Trey first.