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“Or what? Are you going to make me?”

“Oh, for the love of god, Deni!” Finally, there’s real anger in her voice. “I’m trying to protect you!”

“From what? The danger thatyouput me in? The reason I don’t feel safe is you, Celeste. You’re right. Youareselfish and if this is your idea of how to take care of someone, I fear for those who depend on you.”

She takes a rattling breath. Her voice is quiet when she replies. “What can I do to fix this?”

I hate myself for it, but I like that she sounds hurt. “You know what would help? If you could, for once, respect my boundaries and stay the hell away from me.”

“Deni–”

I hang up, just to immediately burst into sobs. Trying to be quiet, I bury my face against Mav’s shoulder.

“It’s ok,” he says, patting my head. “If you stay in the dark, they can’t find you.”

***

He appears early in the morning that day, when the sun has not yet started rising but the sky is just barely beginning to lighten in hue. I startle awake to find him standing in the doorway of our bedroom, leaning casually and watching me. Mav and I have slept curled up next to each other, shivering while I tried to keep both of us covered with the purple jacket.

He’s devilishly handsome, with a square jaw and high cheekbones. Black curls frame his face. He has a sort of uncaniness to his overly symmetrical features, like a doll, something that I’ve noticed before in really old vampires. Something inhuman.

“You must be Deni,” he says.

The new girl who is sleeping in the mattress opposite grumbles and pulls her blanket over her head. I sit up. My hands tingle, my stomach is hollow, but overall I just feel numb. Like I’m not there at all. I can hardly be bothered to care who he is or what he wants.

He walks over to where I’m sitting, his eyes intent on Mav, and squats down beside me. When he places his hand on Mav’s shoulder I can’t tell if the gesture is friendly or threatening.

“Who are you?”

He smiles a brilliant white smile, incisors sharp and long. “I’m a businessman, Deni. And you’ve messed with my business.”

Oh.“Didn’t your henchman already beat the crap out of me for that?”

With a slow nod, he says, “He did. But we’re not even just yet. I don’t think you know quite how much damage you’ve done.” He claps his hands, getting another annoyed grunt out of my new roommate. “But first, let’s help out your friend, shall we?”

I scoot to the side a little, trying to block his access to Mav, who is sweating through a feverish dream right now. “What do you want with him?”

His smile is deeply, unnervingly friendly. “Nothing, dear. I just know what it’s like to have the witchy-blues. And I happen to have one or two anti-witchcraft tricks up my sleeve.”

He produces a small vial of pale yellow liquid and takes out the stopper. Before I can intervene, he’s shoved me aside, flipped Mav onto his back, and is forcing the vial’s contents down his throat.

“What are you doing? Stop it!” I try to push him off. All the while, Mav has woken and is fighting back in a panic but the man can not be moved. He’s solid as stone. Fighting both me and Mav seems to cost him no effort whatsoever.

Our roommate yanks down her covers. “Can you guys be quiet?”

The man, having succeeded at his task, gives her an apologetic smile. “Of course, I’m so sorry.”

I stare at Mav as he rolls over, coughing, and then goes limp.

“Don’t worry, he’ll be back to his old self in no time. Now!” He gets up and wipes his hands on his clothes like he’s touched something filthy. The outfit he’s wearing could be nice on someone else but on him it just screamsasshole. Turtleneck, slacks, and suit jacket, all black. “If you’d come with me, please.”

His smile makes me want to turn inside out. “What if I don’t?”

He shows some more of his teeth. “I don’t think you want to find out.”

***

He drives a sportscar, of course. Well,hedoesn’t drive it, his driver does. I sit in the backseat clutching my knees while he leans back on the other side, smoking – cigarettes, not Ghostshade. Despite the pungency of the smoke, the whole situation reminds me so much of Celeste it hurts. I want her to get me out of this mess, take me home, and I want to bury my face in her hair… I force myself to think of something else.It doesn’t matter, it’s done. She’s not who you thought she was.