But first, you and I must come to an agreement. I will not have you telling people you've seen me while wearing my skin. You hear me? Do you understand me, Miss McVoy?" Her chin shook a little, but I knew he was right. She would only draw attention to us. "I understand." My mind scrambled through all the things I wanted to say to him, and as my desperation to speak with him grew, my emotions rose in their own right. I had to know more. Where did he come from? How was he, a vampire? Why did he need to feed when he didn't drink blood? And how did he kill those vampires? All the questions were bursting in my mind, as they had been for a long time, but I was ready now, I was certain, to learn the answers. As for the rest of the world, I was ready for them to see me as a normal girl, whether they believed it or not. My appearance would take a long time to heal, but the wounds on my arms were healing well enough that all I needed was a little time and proper rest. Not that I would tell anyone. I was proud of this body and what it could do. I wouldn't let it go that easily. I would be strong for the remainder of my life. Before I had even fully thought about my words, I spoke them to him. "I will show you how I did it. I will show you the blood I shed." He nodded and stood. As I watched him move, each step more graceful than the last, I wondered why I hadn't ever considered him handsome before. With his face perfectly shaved, he appeared even more severe. But it suited him. As I thought about how he had looked when I had first seen him, he had seemed like the enemy, and that was probably the way he felt about me. However, as he watched me with a sad expression, which softened a little as he spoke, his eyes did not seem evil, but sad. And that was even worse. "I wish that I had had the chance to get to know you, to understand you," he said. He turned and walked away from me, back toward the room where he had hidden the rest of his skin. A sadness fell over me at the sight of him—a sadness and another kind of ache. It hadn't occurred to me until he was gone that I would never see him again. "Mr. Wilde," a voice behind me said, and I turned to see Mr. Lehrer, his features as stiff as ever, watching me with a look of horror. His hands were trembling slightly. He still held the syringe in his hand, and I knew he had been about to plunge it into me. "Yes?" "It... It was you, wasn't it?" he said, still panting as if he had run all the way here. "You've been watching me and you're the one who helped those vampires. That means you have some kind of power. Mr. Wilde told me you were very strong. It's all because of you, isn't it? It was you who killed that hunter who looked like you and the others." "I would rather you didn't try to use the knowledge against me. We are both aware that I didn't do anything. You told me you knew everything. If you want to find out about Mr. Wilde, then you should ask yourself what you did in the past two years." He held out his hand, the syringe quivering in the palm of his palm. "I will pay for the girl. I will pay for the drug." "Yes," I said. "You will." "Do I not have my life anymore?" he asked. "You have your life, Mr. Lehrer," I said, "but you may lose something more valuable. Mr. Wilde is not an easy man, but he may help you find that." Mr. Wilde reentered the room, his expression blank, his hands empty. He didn't even look at me, only watched Mr. Lehrer, and I wondered how he was going to make him understand. But soon it didn't matter anymore. Mr. Lehrer put the syringe to his arm and pushed it in, then he collapsed to the ground in a heap, a cry still on his lips, and Mr. Wilde rushed to the door to lock it and pull the chain. Mr. Wilde held out his hand to help me up. I shook my head and let my legs slide until I was leaning against the dresser. "I'm fine," I said. He stared at me, then nodded. His face was very sad, and I wondered how he had lived so long. "Mr. Wilde?" "Yes?" "What... what are you?" I asked. "I'm a vampire," he said. "And you?" "I'm not a vampire," I said. "I'm nothing like you." "Don't underestimate yourself, Miss McVoy. You are a threat to me." "That's not right. It's you who's the threat, but you're the one who's afraid. There are other things out there with strength enough to destroy a human soul." I watched his face closely. He had killed many people. It was one of the reasons I had wanted to hear the story of his life. Maybe he would tell me more now. "We all have a time on this earth, and some are better at it than others," Mr. Wilde said. "People like you and me are stronger and better for the world than those born normal." I shook my head. "Not everyone is better than another. And the ones born like me—they're better than us. I have much more strength than you will ever have, Mr. Wilde. It's not just beauty. You can't hold a candle to me in strength. I'm a natural born vampire." "What makes you think you can't become a vampire, Miss McVoy?" "What makes you think you can? You don't even know me. You're just trying to intimidate me. You want me to beg you. I'm not like the other things. It doesn't work that way. I'm far too strong for that. I have a life, and I'm not going to lose it. I have people to live for. I've got Mr. Wilde and I've got myself. I'm going to keep both. No matter what happens, I will. I will never become what you are. There are worse things in this world." His eyes glistened in the dark, and the sadness that clung to him seemed to fade. Instead, he was full of life and hope and something else I couldn't pinpoint, a glow he tried to hide but couldn't. "Don't get me wrong. It's fine with me," I said. "I was nothing when I came here, but I don't regret it. I was a fool for thinking I was better than I am. But don't you dare underestimate me. That's not right. I'm nothing like you." "Would you swear to it, as a human girl?" I didn't hesitate. "I would." "As I have sworn to protect you," he said, "as I have sworn to protect everyone, I give you my oath." Mr. Wilde walked toward me, and I backed up until my back pressed against the door. "You don't need to be afraid of me." He reached forward to take my hand, but I pulled it away. "I swear by the name of God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, and the Life Everlasting that I will be true to this oath." "Are you willing to go up against Mr. Wilde and Mr. Oates, and Mr. Wilde's pack to protect me?" "I am." "Well, Miss McVoy, I wouldn't be here if I didn't trust you. I'm glad to know it." "The deal is done," I said. "That's the only reason I'm here. I have a life now, and I want it back, and I'll do anything it takes." Mr. Wilde moved to the window, and I didn't move from the door. The moonlight was pouring through the window, and it danced across the wood like a thousand twinkling stars. It was beautiful. But I never would have a life to live again. "Do you really think this story will be so much help?" I asked. "Mr. Wilde seems to think that I will fall under the spell of the werewolf pack." "He's not wrong. They're dangerous, and they will have no problem bringing you down. I won't let them. You've become very dear to me, Miss McVoy." "Why?" "Because you didn't deserve to die. No one does. And that's what my pack will do to you if they can. They'll find a way to kill you, and that would be wrong. I have found you a safe haven here. No one will be able to hurt you here." "I would rather be dead than take another human life. But don't think