By the time my eyes adjusted, the street was empty of any vampires. I whirled, scanning the rooftops for him, but he was gone.
Charlie came up behind me, out of breath. “I don’t see any vampires,” she said.
“One of them was here. I saw it.” I hurried to the corner. There were plenty of humans out enjoying the beautiful day in Paradise, and they milled around completely unaware of the predators in their midst.
A pair of familiar faces appeared at the end of the street. Bevin and Lane were doing the same thing I was—staring at rooftops, peering down alleys, and glaring at every human who passed. I made my way toward them, glancing in every direction. Charlie trailed behind without a word. Our path intersected theirs in front of an ice cream shop.
“You smell it, too?” Bevin asked. I nodded. “We tracked it all the way from the forest by our neighborhood. The trail was strong up until here. Now it’s gone cold.”
“Following us,” I muttered.
“Why would a vampire follow us?” Charlie asked. She was even redder than before.
Lane huffed out her lips and rolled her eyes. “Maybe it’s another of your admirers,” she said.
“Hey,” I said sharply.
Bevin nudged Lane. I wasn’t sure what that warning glance meant, but I didn’t think it was a friendly look on Bevin’s part. It wasn’t like she was defending Charlie. It was more like she was saying, “Don’t bother around Regan.”
“Whoever it was, they’re gone now,” Charlie said, standing up a little straighter. She had caught on to that little silent exchange and now she seemed offended.
“We’ll head into the woods. See if we pick up anything else.” Bevin addressed me directly. “You can go back to … whatever you were doing.” Her gaze sliced over to Charlie and I made a point to turn as if cutting them out of the conversation.
“Hey, Charlie, didn’t you want to get ice cream or something?” I asked in an overly friendly voice. Bevin was not going to ruin this day for me.
She looked startled at the change in subject. “Yeah, but shouldn’t we—?”
“Why don’t you meet me inside the ice cream shop? I’ll be there in a few minutes.” I tried, and failed, to give her a smile. She squinted at me for a moment, getting that same line between her eyebrows that Dad did when he was thinking too hard.
“Okay,” she said slowly. “I’ll be inside.”
I waited until she stepped into the ice cream shop before rounding on Bevin and Lane again, snapping my fingers. “Lane. You too.”
“What?” She looked at Charlie’s retreating figure in confusion. “Are you asking me to get ice cream too?” she asked.
I rolled my eyes. “No. I’m telling you to get out of here. I need to talk to Bevin alone.”
With a scowl, she broke into a jog, loped across the street, and disappeared around a corner.
“What’s your problem?” Bevin demanded when we were alone. A woman passing us on the sidewalk gave us a sideways glance. I waited until she kept walking and even then I yanked Bevin against the building and lowered my voice.
“You can’t treat Charlie like that,” I said.
“Like what?”
“Like she’s a stain you can’t get out of your shirt.” I folded my arms, stretching to my full height to stare down at her. I was maybe a half an inch taller, but I could be imposing when I wanted to. And I definitely wanted to. “She’s going to be beta. You don’t have to like her, but she’s going to be ranked above almost everyone. Including you. You have to get used to her.”
“I don’t know why I have to listen to anyone but you,” Bevin muttered, sullenly staring out at the street full of very human pedestrians.
I decided not to point out the alternative would have been taking orders from her brother—something she would have hated just as much. “You don’t have to get it. You just have to do it. Do you understand?” I stared at her until she nodded. “Good. Now tell me about the vampire. What did it look like?”
She shrugged. “I only glanced from far away. I’m guessing around six foot. Black hair, white skin. So, like about eighty percent of those guys.”
I ignored her last comment, biting on my lip as I considered it. The description fit the same guy I saw, which was a relief—at least there weren’t two chasing us around. “Are you sure it was alone? No bodyguard?”
“Not that I saw.” Her eyes widened. “What, you think a member of the royal family would be stalking you?”
“I guess not,” I admitted, feeling silly. “But I’m sure it was a spy. Keep an eye out. We need to run patrols extra tight and make sure we’re keeping the forests around our neighborhood clear.”
Bevin nodded. “Should I stick around? Keep an eye out for you?”
“No. It’s okay. I’m watching Charlie; she’ll be safe.”
She glanced over my shoulder, already headed toward the alley where Lane had gone. “Yeah. Okay. Have fun.”
I could tell by that dry tone in her voice that we weren’t going to be alone no matter what I said.
Bevin disappeared and I turned to see Charlie standing in the now open door of the ice cream shop. She had a cone in each hand, and one of them was pecan flavored. My favorite, although I had no idea how she’d known.
I reached for it, but she held it away. Anger flashed in her eyes. “Is that true? Do you really think it’s a given that I’m going to be beta?” she demanded.
I winced. “I didn’t know you were listening.”
“And I’m safe because I’m with you?” she went on, her voice rising. In her hands, the ice cream cones were beginning to drip, but she ignored them. “Do you think I need to be … babysat? I can take care of myself!”
I held up my hands to try to calm her down. “Look, why don’t we head back to the antique mall? We can—”
“No, thanks. I’ve had all the trash thrown at me I can handle for one day.” She shoved the pecan cone at me. “Enjoy your ice cream.”
Charlie tossed hers in the trash outside the shop and stormed down the street. She radiated such fury that even the humans turned to watch her pass. I didn’t move to stop her. I knew better. She had taken on the look of the Vuk temper—the red cheeks, the pinched lips, and the sense of being ten feet tall. There would be no reasoning with her now.
All I could do was watch helplessly as she ran away.
At least the pecan ice cream was good.