Ruby was grateful when she and Jay were shown to a shared bedroom. As annoyed as she was with him, she couldn’t stomach being left alone in this strange house with a vampire prowling around.

  The room was sparsely decorated. Either it hadn’t been given much thought, or Simon had blown his budget on all the other rooms. A double bed with matching bedside tables and a single dresser was all the room had to show for itself. The furniture was all uniform black. The door to the ensuite was ajar but Ruby didn’t even want to see how dire the situation was in there.

  Jay kicked off his sneakers and flopped down on the bed like he’d walked into his own room. “What a fucking night,” he sighed. The way he sunk into the sheets made the bed look deliciously enticing. It had been a horribly long day, and until this moment, Ruby hadn’t realized how exhausted she was.

  “You could have gotten us all killed tonight,” she said. She didn’t want to fight but there was no way she was going to be able to lie down next to him without getting the matter resolved first. He’d been stupid and reckless, and while she appreciated his apology, she needed to know that he wasn’t going to put her in danger like that again.

  “Not this again.” He pressed his palms over his eyes, hiding his face. “We had this discussion downstairs. I said I was sorry.”

  “Yes—” she snapped before abruptly cutting herself off. She squeezed her eyes shut and drew in a deep breath to settle her rising temper. If she got angry, he’d get angry too, and then they wouldn’t get anywhere. The only way this was going to get resolved was if one of them managed their wrath, and it wasn’t going to be him. When she opened her eyes, she spoke more calmly. “We need to talk about it, Jay. I need to know you won’t do anything like that again.”

  He groaned and propped himself up on his forearms. “What are you talking about?”

  Once again, she ground her jaw shut to stop herself from raising her voice. “I’m talking about trust. I need to be able to trust that you won’t put me in danger again.”

  “Of course, I won’t. I would never.” He actually had the audacity to look offended.

  “You did already. You started a fight with Conrad, and for what? Because you didn’t want to lose some followers. Our lives are worth more than your subscriber count.”

  Jay scowled back at her, but he didn’t deny her accusation. He chewed the insides of his lips as his eyes darted around the room, his mind trying to think of a suitable reply, some way of rebutting what she’d said. Unable to come up with anything, he admitted defeat and pushed out a guilty sigh. “I’m sorry, really I am. But it wasn’t all about subscribers, Rubes. I didn’t want to go along with everything and just trust that he’ll let us go after. I thought if we just killed him then it would all be over. I won’t do it again. What’s the point when they’ll just send someone else?”

  The apology felt hollow and failed to assure Ruby in the way she’d hoped it would, but it was the best she was going to get, and it was more than she’d expected to get. “Thank you,” she said in a whisper.

  She went through to the bathroom and was relived to find that there was toilet paper. In fact, the bathroom had been prepared for guests with toothbrushes, towels, and soap. All Ruby was missing was a change of clothes.

  After washing up for the night, Ruby returned to the bedroom to find that Jay had stripped down to his boxers and was tucked under the comforter. She didn’t understand how he could relax so easily in such a foreign place. She envied that about him. His silver knife peeked out from beneath the crumpled jeans that he’d discarded on the floor. Ruby kicked the jeans over it to hide it from view but said nothing about his sloppiness. She took her own knife out from inside her boot and slipped it under her pillow where she could reach it quickly and easily.

  “You’re sleeping in your clothes?” Jay asked, a hint of disappointment in his tone when Ruby climbed into bed fully dressed.

  “I want to be ready for anything,” she replied. She laid down on her side, facing away from him.

  “Ready for anything like a little sldier girl.” Jay snorted with quiet laughter as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him. She couldn’t deny that his warm embrace brought a comfort she needed more than she wanted to admit. She didn’t exactly feel safe in his arms, but she felt less vulnerable, and that was something.

  Sleep came easier than she’d expected, but it was plagued by dreams of bats and blood.

  When she woke the next morning, she felt like she’d barely slept at all. She elongated her body, stretching like a cat, as she opened her eyes. For the briefest moment, she wondered where the hell she was before the memory of the night before came flooding back to her in a violent, crimson wave. She drew her limbs back into herself, feeling suddenly cold.

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  A contented sigh drew her attention to Jay, who was not in bed beside her. He was standing on the window sill, his boxers pulled down, and a thin stream of yellow liquid arching through the open window.

  “Jay!” Ruby yelped, sitting up in horror.

  He glanced over his shoulder. “Morning, babe,” he said, like there was nothing unusual about him urinating out the window.

  “Why are you pissing out the window?” she demanded. Daylight streamed into the room, meaning that anybody could be outside to witness his brazen display.

  “Relax. Our window faces the yard. There’s nobody out there. And there’s only like three houses around here anyway.” His flow slowed and stopped. He gave his manhood a couple of quick shakes before he popped it back in his shorts, the elastic waistband springing into place with a quick snap.

  Ruby couldn’t believe what she’s just seen. Jay had done some disgusting things in the past; he’d urinated in a bottle in his own bedroom because he couldn’t be bothered to go to the bathroom down the hall, but this was a new low. She climbed out of bed, her movements rigid. “There’s a bathroom right there.” She pointed at the door that was less than two feet from where he was standing.

  “Yeah.” Jay jumped off the window sill and began picking his clothes up off the floor to get dressed. “And I can’t get in it.”

  Ruby glanced at the door before crossing the room and pushing it open. “It’s not locked. I used it last night. Remember?”

  “You need to stop talking to me like I’m an idiot,” he said, his voice dropping into a less friendly tone. “I tried to go in, and I couldn’t.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know, Rubes. I just couldn’t move through the doorway. It was like my legs just wouldn’t do it. Probably because that vampire told us we can’t leave our rooms. Going in the bathroom must count as leaving the room.”

  What Jay was saying would make perfect sense if Ruby hadn’t left the room to use the bathroom last night. She stepped through the doorway and into the bathroom to silently demonstrate her point.

  He scratched the top of his head as he stared at her in confusion. Then he tried to follow only to stop abruptly as soon as he reached the doorway.

  “This is insane,” Ruby said. Even though she could clearly see that Jay couldn’t leave the bedroom, she still couldn’t quite wrap her head around it. Vampires, she accepted with ease, but mind control was somehow more farfetched. “Why didn’t it work on me?” she said, more to herself than to Jay.

  “He fed you his blood, right?”

  “Yes,” Ruby said, shuddering at the memory. “Can you shut that window? It’s freezing!”

  Jay ignored her request completely. He was too lost in his own thoughts. “Why did it work on me but not you?”

  Ruby tutted and stomped back into the bedroom to close the window herself. “Maybe I’m stronger-willed than you,” she suggested. She wrinkled her nose at the small yellow puddle on the window sill.

  “No, that can’t be it,” he said dismissively, staring at the doorway, lost in thought.

  “Why can’t that be it?” She crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow.

  “You must have some kind of immunity,” Jay said, once again ignoring her. “Try going out into the hallway.”

  Ruby glanced at the door, a prickly feeling of unease rising up her spine. Going into the ensuite was one thing, but leaving the room might upset Conrad enough for him to make good on this threat to kill again.

  “What? What are you waiting for?”

  “What if you’re right and I am immune to the mind control? If I get caught and Conrad finds out I’m immune…” She didn’t want to verbalize what she was thinking. Saying the words out loud would make it more real.

  Jay thought about it for all of two seconds before he shook his head. “He’s a vampire, and it’s daytime—he must be asleep. All you have to do is walk out there and come right back in. Nobody will know but us, babe.” He stepped toward her and held her face in his hands. His palms were warm and fought off the bitter chill that still lingered in the room. “Come on, do it for me. Just once. We need to test it. Trust me, you know I know best,” he said gently, pressing a delicate kiss to her cheek.

  Ruby sighed, about to argue, but before she could, Jay’s lips pressed against her own. The kiss was soft and sweet, a gentle plea for her compliance. Ruby closed her eyes, melting into him as his arms slipped around her. As Jay’s lips moved against hers, she felt a hint of tender warmth blossom inside her, just enough to lower her resistance.

  With a heavy sigh, Ruby succumbed to Jay’s plea. She broke away from the kiss and looked deep into his eyes, “I’m coming straight back inside after.”

  Jay’s face lit up, a triumphant smile stretching his lips. He bounded toward the door and pulled it open. Ruby had half expected it to be locked. Conrad was so secure in his mind control that he didn’t feel the need for any real security.

  Ruby stepped up to the doorway, feeling a surge of adrenaline and nerves, like an actor about to step onto the stage. What she was about to do amounted to nothing, and yet it felt as monumental as the first step taken on the moon. Looking at Jay’s face she suspected he was not going to be satisfied with her simply stepping out and then back in again; agreeing to one of his demands only opened the way for more. Yet she’d already agreed to do it now, and backing out would only bring on one of his tantrums.

  Not allowing herself to waste another moment thinking about it, Ruby drew in a deep breath and then stepped out into the hallway. She felt silly when she passed over the threshold so easily. She turned and lifted her arms to show Jay it had worked. “There,” she said, before hopping back into the room and closing the door behind her.

  Jay was staring at her, his jaw clenched with consternation. His eyes were fixed on her face as if trying to decipher a complex puzzle. There was something else in his gaze too. “But why you?” he said, the unmistakable taint of jealousy lacing his words.

  “I don’t know,” she shrugged.

  The wind howled outside, and Ruby glanced through the window at the light grey sky. The sun’s protection shone from behind the blanket of ice that was yet to fall. If only they were all immune to Conrad’s effects, they could use this opportunity to run. But that would only make things worse. They’d have to run for the rest of their lives.

  Jay sat down on the bed, falling heavily like a man of many burdens. She could see he was trying to think of some way to use Ruby’s immunity to their advantage. She already knew there was nothing she could do, but telling him that would be pointless. Instead, she curled up on the bed next to him and waited for Conrad or Simon to come.