should watch them,” Jolene said, sitting next to me. “Which is going to put you in a real awkward position…wait, what are you doing here anyway?”
I could see the exact moment that Jolene seemed to recognize how close I was standing to Alex. I could see the emotions shuttering through her eyes like slides—surprise, denial, discomfort. She went through the five stages of “your cousin is dating a vampire” right in front of me.
“I see,” Jolene said, pressing her lips shut. “So, who’s on the suspect list, besides my relatives?”
“Everybody?” Gigi suggested.
“I didn’t pick up anything helpful at the school,” Nik said. “I saw hands in gloves, holding a spray paint can. But I couldn’t tell if it was one person’s hands or multiple hands. I couldn’t tell whether they were human or werewolves, or anything else for that matter. All I could feel was…fear.”
No one acted as if this was a strange thing to say, so I had to assume that Nik had some sort of psychic talent.
“I guess that would be normal, if it was human vandals,” Iris said, frowning. “Hate and fear, fear and hate, they’re all sort of wound together in an ugly ball.”
“That doesn’t really help narrow the list, either,” Jane said. “Any other ideas?”
“Newsletter to vampire business owners telling them to be vigilant?” Andrea suggested.
“Alex installs cameras outside of his school,” I said pointedly.
“I continue to scan the usual Internet hangouts for local loonies who hate vampires,” Gigi said.
Cal raised his hand. Iris put it down. “Don’t say ‘secret underground lair.’”
Cal grumbled, “One day, I will have a secret underground lair.”
“I think I should take Ty home,” Jolene said. “It’s getting late, for those of us who are awake during the day. And I think she’s contributed all she can to the conversation.”
“I could drive her,” Alex protested. “I promised Zeb I would get her home safe.”
“Actually, I have a lot of forms you need to sign,” Jane said. “The Council has this thing about paperwork. As in, they like it, very, very much.”
“Ah,” Alex said, standing. For a moment, I wondered whether he was going to kiss me right there in front of everybody. And he seemed to divine this was a bad idea, based on my neck craning back away from him. He eyed Jolene before bowing over my hand and kissing my knuckles. “Goodnight, Tylene.”
My voice wobbled as I said, “Goodnight.”
Jolene smirked, tugging me out of my chair. “Come on, lover girl. Finish swooning on the drive home. Night, all.”
“Why do I get the feeling I’m being sent to bed like a child?” I asked as we walked out of the shop.
“Because you are, sort of,” Jolene told me, unlocking her van with a remote key.
I climbed into the passenger seat. Jolene started the van and turned it towards the compound. I pulled a packet of scented wipes out of my bag and started a thorough cleansing of my skin. Between that and the fresh shirt I’d stashed in the same bag, I hoped my parents wouldn’t smell the vampires on me.
Sensing Jolene’s pointed silence, I said, “Go ahead and say it.”
“I don’t know how to feel about this hon.” Jolene said. “I mean, it was hard enough on me and Zeb, with him being human. But a vampire?”
“If this is uncomfortable for you, not wanting to lie to the pack—”
Jolene scoffed. “Oh, hell, honey, I don’t care about the pack. I don’t want to discourage you, but I’m worried about you. I’m torn because I want you to be happy. But I know how hard it is to be with someone who’s not were. And I don’t know if you’re ready for that, for the whole pack coming down on you. I’ve been through it and it’s not something you just jump into without thinking. You’ve always been so…obliging when it comes to your parents. Not that I can blame you. Your daddy’s always been a nasty piece of work. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you, that if you need help, I’m here for you. You can come stay with us until you get on your feet.”
“Really? Won’t that bring a lot of trouble down on your head? What about Zeb?”
“It was his idea,” she said. Her smile had a dreamy quality to it. “And yeah, it might bring some trouble down on us. But that’s the great thing about living off of the compound. If the pack is mad at you, it doesn’t feel like the sky is