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lowered her head, sniffing the packet. Will didn't move. He waited until her nose was inside the foil, her long pink tongue licking out the contents with vigor. The wolf didn't notice him slip away.

Chapter 20

"What are you going to wear?" someone asked Alice, but the girl just stared into space. Giggles broke out around her. Alice stood and walked away. Before Cassie could go after her, Brianna asked her the same thing, "What about you, Cassie? What are you going to wear tonight?"

They'd been talking about it when she walked into the room. Cassie sat on one of the couches acting like she was excited about the idea of Pairing up with one of the guys. There had been only one other time she had to be so deceitful and that was on Deliverance Day.

Smiling, Cassie shrugged, "Oh, I don't know. What do you think I should wear?"

Brianna lit up, and bounded over to Cassie. "There is this lace dress in the wardrobe. I tried to take it once for a dinner party, but Miriam said it was only to be worn during the Pairing."

Cassie nodded, bobbing her head like it was a good idea, "That sounds pretty." She glanced out the window, but the other girls' giggles pulled her attention back to the room.

"It's not pretty, Cassie. It's sexy. The dress covers you, neck to ankles, but what makes it sexy is the key." Brianna was smiling so hard. Cassie wondered how she could be excited about something that would kill her. Pairings led to babies, and childbirth wasn't something that was survivable. Not for them. Not for Brianna, who bruised so easily. Cassie didn't understand the girl's excitement. Wanting to get called for a Pairing was a death wish. The other girls giggled. "Wait here," Brianna said, patting Cassie's knee. "I'll go get it. Miriam already pulled it out."

While Brianna grabbed the gown out of her room, Cassie smiled at the others. "Exciting, isn't it?"

They all nodded, but it didn't seem like any of them were as happy about the Pairing as Brianna. Cassie felt bad for them. Even if Cole managed to get her out, the others would be left behind. Brianna came back into the room with a length of black lace draped over her arm. Grinning, she held it up for Cassie to see.

The gown was Cassie's size, and Brianna was right, it wouldn't have worked for a regular dinner. As Brianna held the gown up, everyone could see why. The light shined through the lace. There was nothing under it, no lining to conceal anything. Brianna grinned devilishly and handed the dress to Cassie. "See, I told you it was sexy. It'll make you feel pretty, and Brent will be able to see all of you straight through it."

The girls began to giggle and squeal. Cassie tried to keep her plastic smile on her face. She held the dress in her hands and looked down at it. The lace was beautiful and delicate, and completely see-through. Her stomach turned to acid as she held it, thinking of what would happen to her if Cole didn't find a way out.

"Someone go grab, Alice." Brianna said, irritated. "We need to talk about the best ways to do this. It's supposed to be fun."

"I'll get her," Cassie offered, as she stood and walked away, leaving the dress behind. Wandering into the hallway, Cassie looked up and down the corridor, but Alice wasn't in sight. Cassie picked a direction, her stomach twisting into tight knots. Before she realized it, Cassie had her arms folded tightly across her chest and was scowling at no one. Stopping in front of a window, she looked outside. The world was white. The wind was whipping the dry snow into the air, blinding the guards below to anything not directly in front of them, but they still paced the perimeter, looking, watching, and waiting.

"Cassie," Cole said, walking up next to her.

Cassie didn't look at him. Instead, her gaze remained on the guard below, "There are more than there were earlier."

"I know," Cole said softly. He took her by the elbow and turned Cassie toward him.

When she looked at him, Cassie saw so many things, but the most glaring was hope. The emotion danced in his eyes, making it difficult to look at him. How Cole could have hope now was beyond her. "This isn't the same as before, you know. There were a handful of vamps we had to get past