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“Wyatt’s been around for a long time,” he added. “She probably understands human nature better than almost anyone alive and could manipulate even the most sceptical of people.” His hard stare didn’t waver. “I want to knowwhyyou think she saved me. Don’t you wonder what her motive is?”

“Maybe,” I said eventually, weighing my words. “And maybe it wasn’t concern for you. She could have been trying togain my trust. But… it worked,” I shrugged. “You know how I feel about vamps, Tom. And you’ve always had enough faith in me to take my word for it, that there are… things we can’t explain.” I took a deep breath, phrasing myself carefully.

“I’m asking you to trust me now. Yes, I’m pushing my luck, big time, but… I don’t know. She doesn’t feel evil to me – not anymore.” I paused, thinking about it. “I’m not sure she ever did.”

“Being near her – and Nicholas too – it doesn’t make me want to peel off my skin the way being near other vampires does. It’s hard to explain.” I pursed my lips. “They’re… evolved.”

Yes. It was the word I’d been looking for, for days.

“So, maybe she knew I’d trust her if she proved herself. But she came back the next night of her own accord, knowing how hostile you’d be, just to make sure you were okay. That tells me a lot, too.”

Tom’s expression softened slightly. I hadn’t won him over, but at least I’d reminded him why he trusted my judgement.

“Second question,” he began. “How much of this shiny new approach has to do with your feelings about Murray?”

I grimaced, staring at the woven pattern of the rug between my feet. It was the one thing I hadn’t shared specifics about, and somehow my careful effort to avoid the topic had been wasted.

“I don’t know how to feel about what I feel,” I said truthfully. “But I know they’re not involved in what’s been going on. It was a long shot from the start – you know that as well as I do. It was too obvious. It never made the sense I wanted it to.”

I tucked my feet underneath me, aware of the winter chillseeping through the house. Tom watched me through guarded eyes, his shoulders still tight.

“Then on top of that…” I sighed. “Nicholas and I have a complicated relationship. I need to know more about his past before I can work it out.”

“So you admit something’s going on? And when I asked you yesterday, you lied about it?” His voice was still calm, but I could sense we were getting to the source of his anger.

“You didn’t give me much of a chance to explain myself.” I tried not to sound too defensive.

“Because you’re in love with avampire!” He barely raised his voice, but I jumped anyway.

“I never said that!” I snapped back, trying to collect myself. “I don’t know, alright?” I put my head in my hands, massaging my temples with my fingertips. I could feel a headache coming on.

“It doesn’t matter if I am or not. The best chance we’ve got is to work with them,” I said, eyes still closed. “Look at the diaries, for crying out loud. I’d bet there’s enough inoneto condemn Nicholas; probably Isabel too – and from what I saw earlier, there are hundreds more.” I looked up at him. “They’re not trying to deny the past. They know what they are, and what they’ve done. We have to get over that.”

“Erin,” he stared at me. “I miss Jonathan as much as you do. We were a team.” He took a deep breath. “But his life didn’t mean more than the lives of the hundreds of others those two have killed. They’re helping us now – but it doesn’t mean they’re forgiven for all that they’ve done before—”

“That’s not what I’m saying—”

“Letmefinish,” he retorted. “You might be right, they’re reformed. Maybe they’ll never kill again. That’s still a big chance to take. They’re not human; their limits are different to ours – it’s in their nature. Not to mention, they’ve got eternity to change their minds.”

I shook my head at him. “You could say that about anyone. Anyone could snap.”

“Most of us aren’t predisposed to it.”

He was right. But it wasn’t enough of a reason.

I watched him, sitting there. He was still shaky. Recovering. His skin hadn’t regained its usual warmth, and I hadn’t even asked how he was.

He wasn’t the Tom I knew and loved. Fear and suspicion had carved a deep line between his brows, and I got it. I really did. I’d always been the more open minded of the two of us, and evenIhad never thought about any of this in shades of grey… But if he couldn’t give them a chance, more people were going to get hurt. I needed my friend back more than anything, but he’d have to see it for himself to believe it. And he just wasn’t there yet.

I sighed and put my head in my hands again, staring at the floor.

“One more question.”

I looked up.

“Say all of this works. We figure out who the killer is. You hunt them down, take them out. Then what?”

“What do you mean?” I asked. This couldn’t be as simple aquestion as he was making it out to be.