Swearing again, Jay takes the knife from me, but before he can cut, I have an idea. “Wait!”

Jay pauses, with the tip of the blade against my skin.

Closing my eyes, I try to block out the sour smell of vomit and the reek of sweat, the echoing rasp of Cody panting into the toilet bowl, the faint sobs coming from Nick in the living room. I let my voice meander through my lowest tones, a lingering melody just for me and Cody. “Cody, sweetie, you’re going to stop panicking. You’re going to breathe, and you’re going to believe that you will be all right. All you have to do is bite me, okay? Bite me, and drink what you need to survive this.”

Opening my eyes again, I hold my left arm out, and with my right hand I grip Jay’s shoulder.

Cody’s panting fades into slow, even breaths. He blinks at my wrist, curling soiled fingers around it, and then, with frightening suddenness, his fangs whip out, and he sinks them in deep.

It hurts. It hurts so bad I can’t help whimpering, can’t stop the tears from escaping my eyes. But the pain recedes quickly, resolving into a slight ache and a gentle sucking sensation. My eyes meet Jay’s, and he’s looking at me with so much gratitude I think my heart might burst.

“Thank you,” he whispers. “He’s like my brother.”

I nod, loosening my death grip on his shoulder. “You should get the ice. I’m okay.”

He leaves, and for a few long minutes it’s just me and the sun-poisoned vampire—the vampire I was able to physically quiet, using just my voice. An image breaks into my mind—the glutton in Jay’s basement, thrashing and throwing himself at the door of his cell. Could my ability be helpful to him, too?

Cody sucks feebly at my wrist, tears and sweat slicking his cheeks. Has he ever gotten this ill from the sun before? He’s decades older than Jay, so he’s way more sun-sensitive—but that means Jay will eventually get to this point too, where a couple of hours in the bright outdoors could nearly kill him. I guess that rules out spending sunny days together on the beach. I can always go to the beach with human friends, though—if I have any human friends left after Jay and Cody are done with this area. And of course I’ll be a vampire myself at some point, and I won’t be able to relish the sun after that. Not like I do now.

Sun sickness, blood consumption, and a couple extra internal organs. Three side effects in exchange for perpetually perfect skin and good health, extra strength and speed, and immunity to disease and aging.

It’s still a good deal, no doubt about it. A deal most people would take in a heartbeat. It’s no wonder people are eager to take Jay up on his offer, no matter how much it costs. He has ensured that he will never have to be sick again a day in his life. He found a way to become essentially immortal.

But he doesn’t look immortal when he returns with a huge Ziploc bag full of ice cubes and a couple of smaller ice packs. He looks like a scared boy who almost lost someone dear to him. He turns on the faucet in the tub, dashes a few towels in the stream of cold water, and slaps them out on the bathroom floor. I can feel his anxiety vibrating in the air, and I want to soothe him, to calm his nerves with my voice, but I don’t. I haven’t quite decided when it’s okay to use my power, and when it’s not. I still don’t know what it is, where I got it, or why I have it. It’s strange how obstacles keep cutting across my path every time I try to learn more. As soon as we’ve got Cody stabilized and safely back at Jay’s house, I’m doing some research. No interruptions.

Jay touches Cody’s shoulder. “Time to stop, buddy. You’ve taken enough of her blood.”

Cody moans, gripping my arm tighter.

“Cody,” I murmur. “Go ahead and stop drinking now. You need to rest.”

Immediately he unlatches, licks the puncture marks on my arm, and lies flat on his back on the cold, wet towels. Jay places the ice packs on Cody’s chest, then lays a wad of gauze over my arm and tapes it in place. “The healing enzyme in his saliva may not be as potent right now, but I’ll check your wound later and make sure the holes are closing.” His fingers linger over mine. “You saved his life, Daisy.”

“Cool,” I breathe. “I’ve never saved anyone’s life before. I’m sorry I couldn’t do the whole slicing-my-arm thing. I wimped out. They make it look so easy in movies.”

He chuckles. “It’s okay. You thought of a better way. You know, I’m good at brainstorming, planning, and logistical stuff, but in moments of crisis, my brain doesn’t always navigate to the best solution. I’m really glad you were here.”

“You were good during our crisis yesterday with Myrtle.”

“Thanks, but it could have gone better. After you fell asleep, I sat there for a while, thinking of everything I could have done differently before and after George’s death.” He sighs. “But we can’t repeat the past, can we? Now you should go hydrate, and eat something, and sit down. Let me know if you feel faint.”

I raid Nick’s fridge for a cheese stick and a sparkling water. “Cranberry-lime,” I say, saluting Nick with the can as I take the other end of the sofa. “My favorite. Open it for me? I’m kind of one-handed at the moment.”

Nick barely looks at me while he cracks the can open. “Did you feed him?”

“Yes. I had to use my voice thing to calm him down first.”

“Your voice thing?” Nick cocks his head, confused.

“Oh, right! You don’t know about the voice thing. Okay, so remember when you mentioned my ‘hypnotizing voice’ or whatever? Turns out you were on to something.” Quickly I explain, delighted at the way Nick’s eyes spark with interest. News of my ability is taking his mind off Cody, which is awesome. Before I’m even done talking, he has his phone out and he’s typing in a search term. “We need to figure this out,” he says. “The vampires must be more susceptible because of their enhanced hearing.”

“That’s what Jay said. What search term are you using?”

“Voice magic. But I’m getting results for voice-changing apps and The Voice and demo voice effects.” He shakes his head. “We’re going to have to dig deeper.”

16

Nick and I are nestled together with our phones, buried in a research hole, when the two vampires enter the living room. Cody is still sickly pale and leaning heavily on Jay, but at least he’s alert now and mobile, and the sores on his body are smaller. Jay dumps him into a recliner and cranks up the footrest so sharply that Cody swears.

“Cody is very sorry for scaring everyone,” says Jay crisply. “He is also sorry for being an idiot, lying by a pool where there was a risk of sun exposure. It is no one’s fault but his own. Cody promises not to do something so stupid ever again.”

“Like you’ve never done stupid vampire stuff,” growls Cody.

“I’m only a few years old as a vampire,” Jay retorts. “You’ve had decades to learn, and you’re still being careless. Like the phone call the other night. Talking to Wolfsheim? Really, Cody? I told you to let me handle him.”

“He’s my progenitor, and I’ll talk to him if I please,” Cody says.

“He’s an abusive, manipulative psychopath. He tricks you into sharing information he doesn’t need to know about us and our people.”

“But I didn’t give him anything,” Cody protests. “I stood up to him. I told him to leave us alone, that he has no right to tell us what to do. Daisy knows, she heard me. And by the way, Coffee Beans, thank you so bloody much for tattling on me.” He glares in my direction.

“Coffee Beans?” Jay frowns.

“It’s his nickname for me. We bonded that night, after I eavesdropped on his phone call.” I smile sweetly at Cody.

“Yeah, and then you mind-controlled me,” Cody retorts. “I knew you were trouble.”

“Right. And remind me—when exactly was I causing trouble? When I calmed you down with my voice so you’d stop puking? Or when I fed you my blood so your body could heal?”

Cody winces, practically writhing in his chair until the words finally work their way out of his mouth. “Thank you.”

“That gratitude looked super painful.” I lean forward, frowning in mock concern. “Are you okay?”

“Shut up.”

“This has been such fun, but I actually have work to do.” Jay smacks Cody’s knee. “Rest, idiot. And make sure you cover up on the way home to keep the sun off.”

“My boyfriend has a convertible,” grumbles Cody.

“So buy him another car, with a roof and tinted windows.” Jay glances at me. “Are you coming, Daisy?”

“Sure.” I nudge Nick. “I haven’t found anything remotely plausible related to voice magic. Have you?”

“Not really.” He runs his fingers through his cinnamon curls. “You’ve got sirens, mermaids, banshees, all kinds of female temptresses. Then there’s the alkonost in Russian folklore—part bird, part woman, with a beautiful voice. She’s apparently a messenger between this world and the Otherworld. The Celts have their versions of the Greek muses, the leannán sídhe. There’s the gamayun from Eastern Slavic lore, another bird-woman who communicates with the Other Side. Hindu myths have the gandharvas, nature spirits with gorgeous voices. Lots of lore and pop culture with vampires compelling people to do their will, but I’ve seen nothing about a human girl being able to compel vampires. I guess you’re the only one.”

“Well, I don’t like it,” says Cody.

“No one asked you,” Jay says smoothly. “You should stop talking before you hurt your brain as badly as you screwed up your body.”