“Zoe!” I screamed.

At my shout she turned, but too late. The zombie swung, and the knife cleaved into her throat. She wobbled, eyes wild. Then she fell.

The zombie yanked the knife out of Zoe’s neck, then looked around. Dimly I realized I’d given myself away. I stumbled back from the window, getting out of his sight, my gaze still fixed on Zoe. She lay on her back, head almost severed, held on only by her spine. My nails dug into my palms as I watched her, and willed that torn flesh to mend itself. It didn’t.

In the woods, Hull had crowed about his luck, how he’d happened across not only me, but that rare final ingredient for his immortality experiment. A semi-immortal vampire.

“You might as well come out, Mrs. Danvers,” he called.

It took a moment to realize he was speaking to me. I crept to the side of the window, where I could see out without being seen.

“Hiding is useless,” he said. “All I need to do is cast a spell, and I can find you. Better come out now, while I’m in a good humor, buoyed by my success with your little vampire friend.”

When I didn’t answer, pique flickered across Hull ’s face. He didn’t cast a spell, though, probably because he didn’t want to waste his spell power. Instead he motioned for the zombie to start searching for me. I weighed my options. I could jump down, surprise Hull and leave the zombie to Nick. Or I could search for a window farther down the alley, slip out, collect Nick and get someplace safer, where we could talk strategy.

The zombie walked in Nick’s direction first. Excellent. All I had to do was wait until he was close enough for Nick to grab, then jump out-

Nick lunged at the zombie. His aim was perfect. As he knocked the zombie off his feet, he sent the butcher knife flying. When they hit the ground, Nick grabbed him by the hair and smashed his skull into the ground. Not as clean or foolproof as snapping his neck, but it did the job.

I moved to act, to take advantage of Nick’s distraction. But the zombie was already crumbling, and Hull had recovered from his surprise. His hands were going up in a spell-

My mouth opened, the scream still burbling up through my throat, hands still reaching for the window to swing through as Hull launched his spell. My blood turned to ice water, certain Hull had launched a fatal spell, taking Nick out-

Hull ’s fingers flicked and Nick stumbled back. Stumbled hard enough to trip, but that was it. A simple knockback spell.

The air whooshed from my lungs, nearly doubling me over with relief. Hull advanced on Nick and I recovered, taking hold of the window again-

“If you get up, I will pick a spell that will keep you down,” Hull said, looming over Nick.

I scrambled back, out of sight. Hull wasn’t going to kill Nick. Not yet. Magic was all Hull had, and a lethal spell would drain his power.

My gaze traveled to the knife. It lay in a heap of garbage about ten feet away. Hull ignored it, probably knowing that if he went for it, Nick would do the same, andin a hand-to-hand fight, Nick could kill Hull before he could cast.

“Where is she?” Hull said.

Nick glared.

Stones crunched at the end of the alley. Hull slowly turned toward the sound, his face creasing in a smile.

“Ah…” he murmured. “Perhaps I don’t need that tracking ritual after all.”

Another crunch of gravel, the noise still small enough to be a mistake, someone shifting impatiently. Jaime was drawing Hull ’s attention away from me.

Perfect. Without Hull ’s zombie servant, he’d have to go after “me” himself, turning his attention from Nick.

But he didn’t budge. Instead, his voice rang out, echoing along the alley.

“Mrs. Danvers. Earlier, you refused to consider my offer to spare your life and your mate’s in return for your babes. I trust you’ll be more flexible in the matter now.”

No, no, no! I’m right down that alley. Can’t you hear me? Knock Nick out, then come after me. I’m right there!

“I’m sure you can see, from your nook, that I have your friend. Do I even need to articulate my exchange? I think not. I will say, though, that it comes with a time limit. I am a patient man, but I have waited so long-so unbelievably long-and the end is right before me. A vampire to complete my experiment, and a black-market treasure to allow me to make the final preparations at my leisure, unhurried by want of funds. Seeing these things, so close…it would try any man’s patience, would it not? You have five minutes. At the end of that, I kill your friend and come after you.”

“Elena,” Nick said, his voice a low growl. “Get out of here.”

“Oh, come now,” Hull said. “Do you really think-”

“My choice, Elena,” Nick continued. “Do you remember that? I make my own choices.”

Hull ’s fingers flew up, the spell cast too quick for me to even move. Another knockback spell, this one harder, sending Nick flying into the brick wall. A dull crack, and he slumped. I didn’t breathe until I saw the steady rise and fall of his chest.

I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to attack. Okay, Hull. Now Nick’s not a threat. And you know where I am, where you think I am. No reason not to just stroll down there and take me-

“Mrs. Danvers!” he called. “The clock is ticking. Your friend is sleeping away the last minutes of his life.”

I balled my fists. Hull didn’t care that he could get me easily. He wanted me to turn myself over. He wanted control.

There was only one thing to do. Give him that control. I had to do what we should have done back in the woods. Let Hull take me, get him away from my family and friends, bring this down to us-him and me and my unborn children-and pray that once he thought he’d won, I could somehow turn the tables. I went numb even thinking about it, but that’s what I had to do.