“Alive, I hope,” she said. “Or as close to it as I can get.”

At a noise, she turned toward the stairs, swiveling her whole body, as if she didn’t dare try to turn only her head.

“Oh, thank God,” Jaime said, running in. “You are down here. I called, but I didn’t hear an answer, then I couldn’t summon that damned zombie. I tried and tried-”

“You did great,” I said. “You controlled someone else’s zombie. That’s amazing.”

She nodded and swallowed, face pale, as if she still wasn’t sure how she’d done it. Then she saw Zoe.

“You’re-”

“Alive,” Zoe said. “Or so I hope. I am alive, right? Not a zombie. Not a walking ghost. Just my usual undead self?”

“Looks like it to me,” Jaime said, smiling.

“Thank God.” Zoe’s dark eyes lit up as she tried to grin, then she winced, hand going to her throat. “God, that’s gross. Please tell me it’s healing.”

“It looks like it,” I said.

A small wheezing laugh. “Neck cuts are the worst. I’m always up for a new experience but this-” She shuddered. “This one I could have skipped.” She looked down at the scattering of dust. “At least I got my payback. As vampires go, I’m not much of a predator, but that was one time I made an exception.”

“Nick! Oh, God, where’s-?”

“Back in the alley,” Jaime said, taking my elbow and helping me to the stairs. She glanced back at Hull’s body.

“You guys go on,” Zoe said. “I’ll handle cleanup duty. Done it before.”

When we got back to where Nick still lay, Rose stumped her way toward us, face fixed in the horrible grimace that passed for her smile.

“ ’e’s gone,” she said. “I can feel it. A real weight off my mind, let me tell you.”

I scrambled over to Nick and shook his shoulder. His head lolled to the other side.

“Mmm, still tired, baby,” he mumbled. “Gimme a couple minutes. I’ll make it worth your wait.”

“He’s fine.” I laughed.

“ ’e might be,” Rose said. “But I’m not. Now get yourself over ’ere and give me what you promised. I can’t do it myself.”

“Right.”

I turned to Rose, but hesitated. As hideous as she looked, I couldn’t forget that there was a person in there. Someone who had-until made a better offer-been ready to kill me and yet…

“ ’op to it, girl,” she said. “I ’aven’t got all day. While you’re standing there gawkin’, I’m turnin’ to mush.”

I bit back a laugh. “Okay. Um, how do you want to do this? Snapping your neck is fastest-”

“Fast? Gawd’s sakes, girl, you could ’ave ’ad it done by now. You did it fast enough the last time. Now ’op to it or-”

I grabbed her neck and snapped it before she finished the sentence, and hopefully before she saw it coming. As she crumbled, I took a deep breath, my heart tripping.

“She’s better off now,” Jaime said softly. “No matter where she went, it’s better than where she was.”

Price

I GOT NICK AS FAR AS THE SEMICONSCIOUS “WHERE AM I? What am I doing here?” stage, then left him to Jaime while I took the next step-one at least as terrifying as any that had come before it.

“A-Antonio,” I said into the phone. “It’s me.”

“Elena?” His voice boomed loud enough to make my head rock. “Where the hell-?”

“We’re okay. Nick’s fine. I’m fine. Jaime’s fine. Hull’s dead. The zombies are dead. The portal should be closed. Is-” I swallowed, knowing if I could feel red-hot fury from Antonio, it was nothing compared to the icy blast that was coming. “Is Jeremy there?”

“He’s with Clay. I’m outside, searching for you two. Or three, I suppose, if Jaime went with you. I thought she was in her room.” A growl of a sigh. “Whatever you did, Elena, whether it killed Hull or not, it was stupid-”

“I know.”

“And risky as hell-”

“I know.”

Another sigh, softer. “And probably the right thing to do, but that doesn’t mean I’m ever going to admit that to Jeremy. Understood?”

I gave a small smile. “Understood.”

“Now get your asses back here pronto.”

“We still have one more thing to do,” I said. “Hull didn’t disintegrate like the zombies. Zoe said she’d clean up but-”

“I’ll be right there. But you’re coming back. Get yourself and Jaime into a cab.”

Somewhere on my headlong run up the hotel stairs, Jaime disappeared. She must have decided this was one family scene she didn’t care to join.

I took a deep breath and knocked. Seconds ticked past. Then Jeremy opened the door. For a long moment, he just stood there and looked at me, face impassive.

A few years ago, getting a “welcome” like this would have crushed me. But now even if he stood there as calmly as if I’d returned from a coffee run, I could see the warring emotions in his eyes-as if he wasn’t sure whether to hug me, congratulate me or scream at me. In the end, he just nodded and waved me in as he held the door. When I passed, his free hand went around my shoulder, an awkward half-embrace that slid into a gentle prod as he directed me where he knew I really wanted to go, to Clay.