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"You were a spoiled child who did a cruel thing You deserved to be beaten and confined to your roo"

I swiped at the sudden wetness near ot my wish My mom, sister, and I o to Gerured out what to do Then a month later, tornados knocked a bunch of trees down in our neighborhood Afterward, I heard a dog whining in the yard It was so weird; the dog just sat there, tree limbs all around him I didn't see the downed power line I went to clear the debris awayand the next thing I kneoke up in a hospital" Harsh sigh "The doctors said I was lucky the shock knocked me across the yard Otherwise, I'd have burned to a crisp while stuck to that power line But what no one could explain hy e in e didn't kill me"

"Why?" Vlad's lips curled, his sys just are, Leila You survived She didn't Wondering why is as irrelevant as it is futile"

After everything I'd experienced, I knew that to be true Yet it didn't uilt over how I'd ripped ain Either he was iround wasn't as frozen farther down because his progress was faster

"Again you're being naive Your father's infidelity ripped your faer"

I'd never told anyone this next part, and it took two tries before I could force the words past s out He cheated on my mom, but he still loved her, and when she diedpart of him blamed me so much that he avoided me He never said that, but I sahen I touched him" My voice cracked "It's his worst sin"

Vlad abandoned his digging and rose, but I held out a hand "Don't Right now I need you to be cold If you're not, then I have to remember how ed, but I'd ed to stop the tears, at least Vlad stared atan digging again A few runt and then pulled soht where you're supposed to be," Vlad yi couldn't be the puppetout my hand

"Let's make sure"

His brow arched, but he placed the bone inlast moments washed over me He'd been burned to death, which I expected, but I didn't see Vlad's face through the flaray-streaked hair er, but his features were unes replaced those in rapid succession, showing a benign sin, long days spent far by a hout the

When I clawed ain, I sahat I'd missed the first time in the ju I'd seen when he orderedhis own dirty work The man buried here was named Josef, and he'd been burned to death by the same vampire who had recently tried to kill ain, I foundto find a killer through the essence trail left fro forced Despite the late hour and being exhausted, I wanted to find this bastard now, not later I would've started looking next to that grave except Vlad insisted that we return to his castle

When I found the essence thread leading to Josef's e fireplace and exquisite wall coverings fell away, replaced by what looked like the inside of a ceray colors of the rooht I'd stumbled upon a past memory Then I saw the broooden door with thick black iron hinges Color ies, no haziness That meant I was in the present In the corner of the drab room, underneath a blanket-sized fur pelt, was the elusive puppet uess was correct, Josef'swas Mihaly Szilagyi-the vao

"Got him," I said out loud

The va Now that he was in color, I saw that the streaks in his hair were blond, not gray The lines in his face also looked less pronounced, butlike the other times I'd seen him His complexion was typical vae of color He must have fed recently Marty had always looked flushed after a good meal

"How unexpected," the puppet lanced at the wooden door, but it was still closed Prickles of fear danced up my spine Vlad would have told me if he was a mind reader, I tried to reassureup froe in three hundred years, my little psychic spy"

Oh, crap! "We have a problem," I said out loud "He's like you, Vlad He can hear me in his head"

Vlad muttered a curse, but I seized upon the only defense I had At once, I began toI could think of The vampire winced

"Stop that"

I turned up the voluyi," I said aloud, "you've been found out inblasting away in my mind, the va that he wore black sweat pants and a thick pullover sweater Then he got up, ayou has surely backfired on me At least now I kno Vlad located you so quickly I worried that I had a traitor in my midst, but your abilities are truly extraordinary"

"So I've been told," I replied, stillof that wretched song? It was unbearable even when it was new"

"How'd you do it?" I asked, not really expecting an answer "Survive Vlad? He nor ain "We share the saure it out"