“Believe me, I know,” I said. “But I think Solange is possessed. It’s more than bloodlust that’s making her like this.”

“She has three sets of fangs,” Spencer pointed out. “That’s . . . unique. Outside of the Hel-Blar, anyway.”

“I know I’m right about this.”

Chloe bit her lip. “Don’t be mad, Lucy. But don’t you think you could be reading into things? Seeing things you want to see?” I shook my head stubbornly.

“Possession could explain the change in her,” Spencer agreed slowly, as he considered what I’d said. His brow furrowed. “I only met her once in the Bower with Constantine but she seemed nice. Quiet.”

“She was with Constantine?” I frowned as Kieran swore under his breath. “What’s with that guy, anyway? Who is he?” I added him to my list of things to research.

“I don’t know,” Spencer said with a ghost of a smile. “I’m new to the whole vampire thing, remember?”

“Can you find out?” Kieran asked quietly.

“I can try, but I don’t go into the camp much anymore.” Spencer looked thoughtful. “There was a hell of a magic punch when she put the crown on. Knocked us all off our feet.”

“Did you write an essay on it yet?” Hunter asked.

Spencer grinned. “Just some rough notes.”

Chloe groaned. “I hate you both.”

“I didn’t hang around long enough to get real data,” Spencer added, serious again. “Not after Lucy told me about Jenna in the woods. And I can’t get back in, not if I don’t want to be brainwashed.”

“Could the Hounds get in?” I asked, crossing my arms against the cold. Spencer was in a T-shirt and ripped jeans and he looked perfectly comfortable. “They must have some sort of shielding spell or something, right?”

“Maybe. But even if you got in, what could you do?”

“I could punch her in the nose,” I muttered. “I owe her.”

“I’ll e-mail you and Kieran a list of books,” Spencer promised. “There’s reception in a few spots near the Bower, if you search hard enough for them. It’s just far enough away from the Blood Moon signal blocks.”

“Connor probably did that once they were exiled,” I said.

“The magic blast could have opened the door to spirits,” Spencer continued. “It’s not impossible, anyway.”

“It’s a place to start,” I said, feeling more hopeful than I had since before Nicholas went missing, since even before I’d found Solange with Kieran’s blood on her lips. “Thanks.”

Hunter, Spencer, and Chloe caught up for a few minutes, referencing inside jokes and chatting about people I didn’t know. Kieran just stood there, hands in his pockets, practically vibrating with suppressed frustration. Worse yet, he looked sad.

“Are you okay?” I asked him. I knew how he felt, how it was like being swallowed by winter, so that even your insides were too stark and too cold.

“Hart’s good at what he does,” he said bleakly. “But I don’t know how long he can hold the League back, especially with Huntsmen in town. It’s getting ugly, Lucy.”

“Which is why the Drakes are so lucky they have us to clean up their mess.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I’m always right,” I teased him.

“We should get back,” Hunter cut in, glancing at her watch. “Chloe’s got the next security patrol clocked. We have ten minutes.” Spencer faded soundlessly into the forest after Hunter and Chloe both hugged him good-bye. As we headed back through the bushes, Hunter shot Kieran a speaking glance. “Call me.”

Kieran nodded and hopped the fence, cutting through the lawns toward the road. We followed the path back to the dorms, mulling over the events of the night. Hunter gave the swan a wide berth as Chloe snickered. Her snickers cut off abruptly as we came around the side of the dorms, toward the guys’ bathroom.

Headmistress Bellwood was waiting for us just outside the open window, her arms folded. Even her black winter coat looked stern and disapproving.

“Good evening,” she said frostily. “It seems you’ll be joining Jody and her friends in bathroom duty for the rest of the month. Plus two demerits.”

Chloe opened her mouth to protest, thought better of it, and snapped it shut again.

“A wise decision.” The headmistress approved. “I’m not interested in your excuses. You know the rules and you must know how foolhardy it is to sneak off campus now of all times. Get to bed, all of you.”

“Damn vampires,” Hunter muttered crossly as we went around to the front door. “They just cost me my perfect school record.”

“What are you complaining about?” I sighed. “My mom’s going to make me meditate.”

Chapter 8

Solange

I had no idea how long I’d been trapped inside Viola’s memory but when I returned to myself again, I was back on the spiral stairs. I was disoriented and confused, gripping the uneven stone wall to ground me. I was back to being a spirit in Viola’s subconscious parallel dimension while she was controlling my body in the real world. Any wonder I was confused?

I wasn’t sure what kind of a human-vampire spirit-thing I was in this place. I knew I didn’t have to feed on blood and I couldn’t feel my heartbeat but I was still panting. Psychosomatic. I was freaking out so I was hyperventilating because I’d been a human girl for a lot longer than I’d been a vampire, freaky or otherwise.