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I watched as she faded into a dim glow of light then disappeared. The next thing I knew, the sun was streaming in through the window and I woke, wondering if it had been a dream or I’d actually, finally spoken to her.

Either way, I couldn’t stop fidgeting all morning. Whatever that was, it hadn’t helped my mood. When Mama realized I wouldn’t stop moving, she pulled me aside into my room where everything I’d been through spilled from me like I’d turned on a faucet. She surprised me when I finished recounting everything, by pulling me into a tight hug then holding me at arm’s length with the most serious expression I could recall ever seeing on her face.

“When your father left, it took me years to understand that he’d made a choice that had ended any possibility of ever reuniting us.”

Sniffling, I thought back. “But what if I’d found the cure and tracked him down early on, like I’d planned?”

She smiled. “I’d be happy for him, but I’d never take him back. He left me with you girls without a thought. He was supposed to be my partner. We were supposed to make decisions together. It wasn’t those vampires who attacked him that took that away. It was him.”

“Are you saying it’s over between Julian and I?” I asked, heart sinking a bit more. I was surprised it was still beating after all the abuse it had gone through.

“Not at all. In fact, if your father had reached out… Well, I could have forgiven him for something he’d done in the heat of the moment or under emotional stress. But he never even tried to fix things.”

“Julian never plans on coming back,” I said bitterly.

“Maybe. But I just felt the wards fall for a second, so I’m guessing he’s the vampire your sister let in the living room just now.”

Jumping up, I hurried through the door to find Julian leaning over Em, who was excitedly showing him her latest artwork. He was dressed far more casually than I’d ever seen him, in jeans and a short-sleeved, striped button-down tucked inside. The blue on it brought out his eyes when he turned to look at me and stiffened.

“I think Mr. Julian and Char need a little privacy,” Mama said, steering Em toward her bedroom. “And we have a potions lesson to work on. Even psychics need to be well-versed in all things magic.”

Despite the disappointed protests, Em followed her out and, Zoe, who’d been standing near the door, watching, walked between us, managing to shoot Julian a death glare on her way out the back door.

“She wants to kill you,” I said in greeting, folding my arms and sitting on the arm of the sofa.

“And do you agree?” he asked.

“I’m not under your glamour anymore.”

“So I’ve heard,” he said, not daring to move closer. “I only did what I did—”

“Yeah, I know,” I cut him off. “You ignored my express wishes for the umpteenth time and did what you thought was best—which turned out to be a horrible mistake.” I looked away, unable to meet his eyes when the memories of Silas at my throat came back for the hundredth time since I’d released them.

Julian was by my side in an instant, still afraid to touch me as he knelt by my side. “What did he do to you, Charlotte?” His voice cracked with emotion.

Good, I thought. You should feel bad. It was your fault.

“I don’t want to discuss it.” I stood and moved away from him toward the kitchen for a glass of water. “I asked you to come here to help solve this problem for both our sakes. I have a plan.”

“Which is?” he asked, zooming to the other side of the counter while I gulped at the glass, trying to stave off the tears that seemed never-ending when it came to him.

I looked him in the eye and used my churning emotions to fuel my magic, putting in as much energy as possible. “You will no longer do what Silas tells you.”

Julian’s mouth dropped open as he stumbled back. I’d never seen him so off-kilter, and it made me smile. I did that. But the glory at my retribution faded quickly as I realized I’d just done to him what he’d done to me. In effect, I’d taken his choice. I chewed my cheek as he righted himself.

“What if it doesn’t work?” he asked softly, sitting on a bar stool at the island. Gone was the cocky confidence he usually exuded. What I heard was the voice of a frightened boy, and my heart softened for a moment.

“It has to,” I said. “Or we’re giving him a weapon to fight us with. And I will fight you if I must, just so you know.”

Julian looked up at me, surprise on his face, his eyes a lighter blue than ever and skin sallow.

“How long has it been since you’ve fed?” I asked, reaching across the bar and grabbing his wrist. It was like holding an ice cube.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. It doesn’t feel right to feed. I’ve been worried about you.”

I snorted and removed my hand. “Why? Because you left me with a real monster?”

Julian winced. That had hit hard, as I’d meant it to, and I ignored the small stab of guilt I felt.