By eleven forty-five it seemed the entire vampire population of the world had crammed onto the grounds. At least, the entire evil vampire population. Cyrus entered the foyer at five before the hour and greeted the assembly there. Then the guards ushered them into the garden. I was right behind them when Cyrus stopped me.

“Wait.” He nodded to the only remaining guard, who then mumbled into his headset.

“You wanted the privilege of choosing. I won’t deny you.” Cyrus dropped something hard and heavy into my hand.

When I uncurled my fingers, I gasped. The dragon pendant lay against my palm, but the diamond had been replaced by a huge ruby.

“Do you like it? I thought it was time for a change.” He pressed his lips to my cheek. “You have no idea how much it means to me, to have you at my side tonight.”

Two guards escorted Dahlia and Ziggy down the stairs. She looked triumphant and sure of herself. He looked terrified.

“Hey,” I whispered, giving him a small wave.

Cyrus stepped forward to inspect the pair. “Dahlia, you look lovely as ever.”

She shot me a smug grin, and then turned back to admire Cyrus. He moved on to Ziggy. His dapper appearance clearly impressed my sire. “Are you nervous?”

Ziggy shook his head.

“Good,” Cyrus continued. “There’s no reason to be.” He paced back and forth in front of them for a moment. “As you know, every year I must make a difficult choice. Of all my pets, two must survive this night to make our celebration complete. Still, only one may take the place of honor in our festivities. Until now, I’ve been charged with deciding who receives that honor.”

Dahlia’s eyes grew wide. “Until now?”

“Don’t interrupt the man while he’s talking,” Ziggy quipped. I shot him a warning glance.

Cyrus paused. “As I was saying. Until now, I’ve had to decide who receives that honor. This year, I have the pleasure of seeing my fledgling perform this office. Carrie?”

I stepped forward, and without hesitation, pointed at Dahlia. “Her.”

Cyrus raised an eyebrow. “Interesting choice.”

“Why do you say that?”

But he had already pried the pendant from my hands. Dahlia squealed and clapped her hands, then leaned forward, lifting her hair. Cyrus slipped the chain around her neck and stepped back.

“Master, the first course is ready.”

At the sound of the guard’s voice, Cyrus turned to me. “We don’t want to keep our guests waiting.” He held out his arm and I took it, casting a reassuring glance at Ziggy. Cyrus faced forward and Dahlia was so preoccupied with her new prize, neither of them saw me mouth stay close to him.

We stepped onto the terrace to a round of applause. A guard stopped Ziggy and Dahlia from exiting with us. The glass doors swung shut, leaving them inside.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Cyrus called, his voice cutting through the excited chatter. “Thank you all so very much for coming. It warms my heart to share this night with such good friends.”