“Lena, time to go.” Tad held a hand out to me. He was on the other side of the mirror, leaning back into the room for me. I took his hand, and he helped me up and over the shattered pieces.

The room we stood in wasn’t much bigger than the interrogation room, only this one had more stuff. Weapons of all sorts. Knives, guns, and a few of the type of dart thing that had taken Tad out. He grabbed a bag hanging on the wall and stuffed it until it overflowed with weapons. I just stood there, unable to make myself touch anything.

“Come on.” Tad slid the bag over his head and held out a hand to me again. I took it, and he tugged me along, out the door, into a new hallway. We ran, twisting and turning as we searched for a way out. I struggled to keep track of where we were, and then suddenly we were outside the building, in a back alley.

“Take your shoes off, you can’t run in them.”

With a sigh, I did as he asked, knowing he was right. For my first heels, they were pretty nice, though, and I didn’t want to leave them behind. I hooked my fingers through the ankle straps, dangling them from a hand. Maybe I could find somewhere else to wear them.

We ran down the alley as the sun set, sending the world into a dusky twilight of pale purple. It was only then I realized it was January and I wasn’t freezing even though I wore next to nothing. Tad was dressed in jeans and a thick hoodie under a leather jacket. Why wasn’t I cold?

We were the same kind of creature . . . weren’t we?

CHAPTER 6

We stopped at the front edge of the SDMP building, peering out into the street. Tad pointed at the three Hummers in the street. “Vamp wheels. The local mob boss, Remo, and his gang.”

“Stay away from vamps, right? That’s the deal?” I stood beside him, staring at the array of big trucks.

“You better believe it.”

Except I saw someone I knew sitting in the driver’s seat. I knew her from the pictures we’d shared. Red hair and a vibrant smile I knew even with teeth. She was stunning. I couldn’t help but wave.

“Dahlia!”

Her eyes shot to me and she frowned. Of course. “She doesn’t recognize me,” I said, hurt more than I’d thought I would be.

Tad yanked my hand down. “Don’t be waving at her. We don’t need that kind of—shit.”

I looked away from him to see Dahlia running at us with a wide grin on her face. “Alena!”

I met her partway, catching her in a hug. “Dahlia, you’re okay.”

“How did you recognize me?” she asked as she held me at arm’s length.

“Your smile.” I grinned at her.

“Damn, you look good, girl. I can’t believe you did it, but I’m so happy you did!”

I laughed, a light sweet feeling tugging at my heart for the first time in weeks. Happiness seemed a foreign emotion.

“Me too. I think. How did you recognize me?”

She grinned. “You look exactly as I saw you in the hospital. Gorgeous.”

And then she kissed me. Heat flushed along my skin, and I pulled away. “Dahlia.”

“Oh, get over it. I swing both ways and you are freaking stunning. I had to at least get a kiss in before—”

Tad yanked me away, putting himself between us. “No kissing my sister, fang face.”

Dahlia’s eyes widened. “Well, well. You must be Tad. I see the genetics run strong with you two.” She leaned in and kissed him too. Only he didn’t pull back.

I stared as they locked lips, oblivious to the world around them. Men all in black poured out of the building waving guns as they stripped off their masks.

“Ummm, Tad. I think we should go.” I grabbed at his arm, but he shook me off and all but picked Dahlia up, his hands tight on her butt.

I grabbed the back of his jacket and jerked him away from her. They unsuctioned with a pop. “I said we have to go.”

His bottom lip bled, and he stared up at me with a rather blank look on his face. Dahlia cringed. “Damn, I rolled him.”

“You what?”

The men shouted, and one of them called to her. She waved. “Come on, you can come with us. We’ll sort this out.”

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“You want to stay with the Supe Squad?” She ran toward the Hummers, and I knew I didn’t really have a choice. Especially when from behind us the clatter of boots on the asphalt told me all I needed to know. We were stuck between a rock and a rock-hard biscuit.

I didn’t think, just scooped Tad up over my shoulder and ran for the Hummers. The fact that I was running with my brother over my shoulder only confirmed that I was anything but human, and for the moment I was glad. I wouldn’t have been able to get him out without the extra strength.

I pushed him ahead of me into the backseat of Dahlia’s Hummer and slid in, sitting on top of him.

Dahlia hit the gas and we peeled out.

“Won’t they follow us?” I asked.

From the passenger side a man peered back at me. “You’re new, aren’t you?”

“Is it stamped on my fricky-dicky forehead?” I snapped.

He grinned, his fangs showing clearly. “Not quite. But close. What are you?”

I didn’t want to tell him in case he decided he shouldn’t have anything to do with Tad and me, so I kept my mouth shut. One step at a time. “Dahlia, can you drop us off somewhere?”

“Nope, sorry. Remo said to bring you in.”