“You were there, Jenks,” I said as I wiped my face to get the hair out of my eyes. “You said you were with me all night. Who bit me? Who gave me the forget potion!” I looked at Keasley, betrayal an angry lump in my gut. “Was it you?” I barked, and the old man shook his head, so sadly that I believed him.

“Rache,” Jenks stammered, pulling my attention to him as he backed up on the counter. “Don’t. You were crazy. You were going to hurt yourself. If I hadn’t, you’d be dead.”

My lips parted, and I tried to breathe. Jenks had given me the potion?

I felt like I was going to pass out again. Reaching behind me, I tipped my dissolution vat of salt water over Ivy. Keasley shifted his faded sneakers as it poured over the counter and onto the floor, drenching her. I didn’t take my eyes from Jenks as she came to, sputtering.

“You were there,” I repeated to bring Ivy up to speed as she scrambled up behind me. “You said you were with me all night. You were there when Kisten’s murderer bit me. Tell me who did it!” I screamed, my throat hurting.

My pulse was fast as I stood over Jenks. I was mad. Scared. Terrified he would tell me it had been Ivy. Maybe I was bound, and she couldn’t smell it because it had been her. Was that why I had said yes to her today?

Oh, God. Please, no.

Jenks’s wings were a blur, but he didn’t move, his attention going from me to Ivy as we took three steps to loom over him. My socks were soaked with salt water, and I could hear Ivy’s frustration and anger that my magic had dropped her. But Jenks had taken her out, not me.

“I don’t know!” he yelped when Ivy smacked a hand on the stainless-steel counter and a splash of salt water hit his wing. “Kisten was dead, really dead, when I caught up with you,” he said, shamefaced. “I never saw his murderer. Rachel, I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to do. You were crying. Acting crazy. You said Kisten had bitten his murderer, mixed their undead blood to kill them both for good.”

Ivy groaned and turned away, and I touched her shoulder, not looking from Jenks.

“But it didn’t work,” Jenks said, gaze darting between us, “’cause Kisten hadn’t been dead long enough, so only Kisten died right away. You were going to go after the bastard to make sure he was dead. Rache, you wouldn’t have survived, even if the vampire was almost dead. You’d been bitten. You can’t stand up to a dead vampire. You can’t.”