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The three of them jammed themselves together in the cramped space. Evie examined the buttons, then selected B, and the lift rattled them down to the basement. The doors opened on a long hallway.
“Miriam said third door on the right,” Evie said, and she was glad she wouldn’t have to read the secrets screaming from any of these other rooms.
“This is it,” Theta said. She reached for the knob. Evie grabbed her wrist.
“What’s the matter?” Theta asked.
“I just… nothing. Nothing at all.” Please, Evie thought. Please let him be alive.
Theta tried the door. Locked. Of course it would be.
“Theta? Do you think you could burn through it?” Evie asked. She felt terrible asking after last night, but it was the best chance they had of getting into that room.
Theta’s hands still hurt, but she wanted to help. “I’ll try. But if I burn this house down, you asked me.” She pressed her palm against the lock and thought about what those Shadow Men might’ve done to Sam. The sudden flush of anger frightened Theta. She pulled her hand back quickly.
“What’s the matter?” Isaiah asked.
“Nothing. It just… wouldn’t come,” Theta lied.
Evie slumped against the wall. “Do you suppose there’s a key somewhere?”
“It would take us a whole year to find it!” Isaiah said.
“No. I can do it. Just… gimme a minute.” Theta placed her hand on the lock again. A second later, she felt Evie’s and Isaiah’s hands on her arms, giving her strength. Heat flowed into her palm once more, and the lock melted away.
Evie wrapped her coat around the sizzling metal and carefully opened the door.
“Sam?” she whispered into the darkened room.
“Evie? Is that you?” Sam’s weak voice nearly wrecked Evie’s heart. He sounded sick. Broken. Theta found a light switch and a bare bulb blinked on. Sam lay curled up on a bed against the brick wall. His hands were shackled to the steel railing of the headboard. With effort, he sat up. His eyes were glassy, haunted. He looked like he’d aged ten years. “Evie?”
“Sam! Oh, Sam!” Evie ran over and unlatched the restraints, freeing him. She scooped him up in her arms. He fell against her chest, limp.
“Baby Vamp, is that really you?”
“It’s really me,” Evie said and kissed him gently on the lips.
He stared into her eyes. “Why do you look like a hobo?”
“I’ll explain later. Did he hurt you?”
“Will you kiss me some more if I say yes?”
“I will kiss you as much as you like.” And with that, Evie kissed Sam deeply.
“Ew,” Isaiah said, embarrassed.
He looked to Theta, who rolled her eyes. “Give ’em a minute, kid.”
Sam pulled away. His shoulders shook, and it took Evie a second to realize that he was crying.
“Oh, Sam, Sam.” Evie threw her arms around him again.
“I’m afraid this isn’t real,” he said between hiccuping sobs. “I’m afraid in a minute I’ll wake up and I’ll be here but you won’t be.”
“I’m here, Sam, and I promise I will never leave you again.” She wiped his cheeks with her scarf. He looked so sad and bruised by life it nearly killed her.
Sam cupped Evie’s face between his dry palms. “You’re real.”
