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Edward was staring very fixedly at Zachary, who was holding the pistol square on his chest. You didn’t have to be good at that range or even lucky. Just squeeze the trigger and kill someone. Poof.

“I can make you do whatever I please,” Nikolaos said.

A fresh spurt of adrenaline rushed through me. It was too much. I threw up in the corner. Nerves and being hit very hard in the stomach with a rifle. Nerves I’d had before; the rifle butt was a new experience.

“Tsk, tsk,” Nikolaos said. “Do I frighten you that much?”

I managed to stand up at last. “Yes,” I said. Why deny it?

She clapped her hands together. “Oh, goody.” Her face shifted gears, instant switch. The little girl was gone, and no amount of pink, frilly dresses would bring her back. Nikolaos’s face was thinner, alien. The eyes were great drowning pools. “Hear me, Anita. Feel my power in your veins.”

I stood there, staring at the floor, fear like a cold rush on my skin. I waited for something to tug at my soul. Her power to roll me under and away. Nothing happened.

Nikolaos frowned. The little girl was back. “I bit you, animator. You should crawl if I ask it. What did you do?”

I breathed a small, heartfelt prayer, and answered her. “Holy Water.”

She snarled. “This time we will keep you with us until after the third bite. You will take Theresa’s place. Perhaps then you will be more eager to find out who is murdering vampires.”

I fought with everything in me not to glance at Zachary. Not because I didn’t want to give him away, I would do that, but I was waiting for the moment when it would help us. It might get Zachary killed, but it wouldn’t take out Burchard or Nikolaos. Zachary was the least dangerous person in this whole room.

“I don’t think so,” I said.

“Oh, but I do, animator.”

“I would rather die.”

She spread her arms wide. “But I want you to die, Anita, I want you to die.”

“That makes us even,” I said.

She giggled. The sound made my teeth hurt. If she really wanted to torture me, all she had to do was lock me in a room and laugh at me. Now that would be hell.

“Come on, boys and girls, let’s go play in the dungeon.” Nikolaos led the way. Burchard motioned for us to follow. We did. Zachary and he brought up the rear, guns in hand. Phillip stood uncertainly in the middle of the room, watching us go.

Nikolaos called back, “Have him follow us, Zachary.”

Zachary called, “Come, Phillip, follow me.”

He turned and walked after us, his eyes still uncertain and not really focused.

“Go on,” Burchard said. He half-raised the rifle, and I went.

Nikolaos called back, “Gazing at your lover; how nice.”

It wasn’t a long enough walk to the dungeon door. If they tried to chain me to the wall, I’d rush them. I’d force them to kill me. Which meant I’d better rush Zachary. Burchard might wound me or knock me unconscious, and that would be very, very bad.

Nikolaos led us down the steps and out into the floor. What a day for a parade. Phillip followed, but he was looking around now, really seeing things. He froze, staring at the place where Aubrey had killed him. His hand reached out to touch the wall. He flexed his hand, rubbing fingers into his palm as if he was feeling something. A hand went to his neck and found the scar. He screamed. It echoed against the walls.

“Phillip,” I said.

Burchard held me back with the rifle. Phillip crouched in the corner, face hidden, arms locked around his knees. He was making a high, keening noise.

Nikolaos laughed.

“Stop it, stop it!” I walked towards Phillip, and Burchard shoved the gun against my chest. I yelled into his face, “Shoot me, shoot me, dammit! It’s got to be better than this.”

“Enough,” Nikolaos said. She stalked over to me, and I gave ground. She kept walking, forcing me to back up until I bumped against the wall. “I don’t want you shot, Anita, but I want you hurt. You killed Winter with your little knife. Let’s see how good you really are.” She strode away from me. “Burchard, give her back her knives.”

He never even hesitated or asked why.