“You let him sink his fangs into a human, without knowing whether or not he can be trusted?”

“Of course not! I let him drink from me.”

“You can do that?”

“It’s risky, but yes, vampires can drink from each other. I’ll top off later tonight.”

I don’t ask who he’s planning to drink from. Does he expect me to offer? Maybe I should…

“Mr. Gatsby.” It’s Henry, Jay’s house manager. “There’s a young man downstairs, very agitated, yelling about vampires.”

“What the hell?” Jay mutters, and strides back through the parlor and down the stairs so fast I can barely follow him.

Halfway down the steps, Jay cants his head, listening. “You might want to stay upstairs, Daisy.”

“Why?”

“The guy who’s shouting about vampires? It’s your ex.”

“Tom?”

“He could be dangerous.”

“I know. He’s the one who convinced Myrtle to shoot you.” I snatch at his arm, but he’s already out of reach, moving unnaturally fast. “I’m coming with you,” I whisper, knowing he’ll hear it.

He doesn’t reply, but forges through the shifting crowd into the dance hall, which isn’t dark and laser-lit tonight, but bathed brightly from floor to ceiling and festooned with streamers, spangled balls, and strings of sequined flowers. Three more aerialists are swinging and twisting and twirling above the heads of the guests. There’s a different band tonight, but I don’t have time to inspect them because Tom is swaying in a little circle of cleared space, while the guests draw back from him with looks half-amused and half-alarmed. Tom clutches a beer bottle in one hand, and his long legs are braced apart. He looks like a mad drunken prince, cheeks red and lips wet with the liquor, his black hair in disarray.

“Ah, there you are,” he roars as Jay emerges from the crowd. “The great Gatsby. I’ve been investigating you. Checking up on you. And do you know what I found out? People who come to your parties wind up a lot poorer than they were, scraping for cash. Maybe you’ve got a secret gambling den around here. Maybe you’re convincing them to invest in risky stuff. Maybe you’re a straight-up thief.” He lurches a step closer to Jay. “At least, that’s what I thought at first. But then…then I did some real digging. Twisted some arms. I have my ways, you know.” He winks sloppily at the guests. “And you know what I figured out?”

“Dying to hear it, buddy,” says Jay dryly.

“‘Dying to hear it’—that’s a funny thing to say.” Tom’s eyes narrow. “Because from what Myrtle tells me, you should be dead. Yeah, I visited her at the hospital you put her in. She’s a great shot, you know. Been shooting since she was little. She swears she got you right through the heart, and yet here you are.” Tom spreads his arms. “So I wondered, what’s this guy’s secret? I asked around. And someone finally told me the truth.”

“You should lie down, buddy,” Jay says. “Before you fall down.”

Tom bares his teeth and smashes the beer bottle against the floor, drawing startled gasps from the guests. He stalks forward and takes a handful of Jay’s shirt. “Call me ‘buddy’ one more time, bro.”

Jay leans in, his voice a predatory hiss. “I think you’ve had way too much to drink…buddy.”

Tom hauls back his fist, but before he can strike, Jay twists his wrist, flips him around, and tucks him into a headlock. He nods to Henry, who steps in to shoo the guests away. “Move along, please, folks. We’ll get this glass cleaned up and this gentleman calmed down.”

Jay hustles Tom into the library Jordan and I entered on the night of my first Gatsby party. I close the doors behind us and on a whim, I say, “Hestia, lock the library.” I’m rewarded with a cool affirmative response from Hestia, an answering beep, and an approving nod from Jay. He throws Tom onto one of the leather couches, and Tom bends over, gagging, feeling his throat.

“Sorry about that, Tom.” Jay tugs at the cuffs of his shirt to straighten them. “Couldn’t allow that kind of violence at one of my parties.”

“I know all about the violence you allow at your parties, vampire,” Tom wheezes. “And I won’t be quiet. I’m going to tell everyone.”

“That’s right. Tell everyone about the vampires.” Jay gives him a cocky smile. “Tell them how your girlfriend, who’s in a mental health facility, swears she murdered me. I’m sure that will be all the proof they need. They’re sure to believe you.”

“I’ve got more on you than that,” Tom says.

“Oh, Tom. Buddy.” Jay sits beside him and grips his shoulder. “You really shouldn’t tell your enemies things like that, especially not when you’re completely at their mercy.” He glances up at me for a second. “Daisy, do you want to leave?”

“Nope.”

“You should stay, Daisy,” Tom says hoarsely. “See what your new boyfriend is really like. He pretends he’s so fancy and gallant, but he’s nothing. He has nothing. No family, no legacy, no future. He’s just a poor little boy playing dress-up, throwing parties so he can feel big and powerful, when he’s actually a no-good swindler and blackmailer, a piece of white trash, a little redneck shit who’s not even worthy of my sloppy seconds—”

Jay is on him in a flash, one clawed hand crushing Tom’s windpipe, white fangs gleaming a breath from Tom’s nose. Tom whimpers through his constricted throat.

“You don’t talk about her like that,” Jay snarls. “You don’t say her name. You don’t even look at her, understand? Or I swear I’ll tear your fucking throat out. I’ll…” A sound like a growl rips from his throat, and he forces Tom’s face aside, baring his neck.

Jay’s head tilts sharply, his jaws parting wider. He’s tense, like a snake about to strike.

“I should do it,” he says, his voice thick with craving, with rage. “I should rip your head off, right now, for the way you’ve treated her.”

“Jay,” I choke out. “Don’t.”

“Do it,” gasps Tom. “Show her what a monster you are.”

I don’t try to interfere; I couldn’t stop Jay if I wanted to. I need to witness this, to know if the man I love is also someone I can trust, someone with the self-control to tell himself no.

Jay hesitates for another few seconds, his shoulders heaving. Then his jaws close. He pushes himself off Tom, stalks across the room, and sinks onto a chair, propping his elbows on his knees and putting his face in his hands.

He’s disappointed with himself. Heartbroken that he let himself go that far and nearly murdered my ex. I know exactly how he’s feeling, because I understand him almost as well as I understand myself. I also know Tom, and I’m sure he’ll perceive Jay’s restraint as weakness. Which means it’s my job to handle this for Jay’s sake, and my own.

Slowly Tom sits up, feeling his throat. “You fucking animal. I’m going to ruin you,” he rasps.

“No,” I say, stepping forward. “You won’t. Because you might think you know everything about Jay, but I know everything about you. What you did to me, and how you hurt Myrtle. I know what’s on your phone and your laptop.” I really don’t. It’s a shot in the dark, but it hits home. Tom’s eyes widen with apprehension. “Jay might be too noble to really hurt you, but I can take you down, Tom. And I will. You’re such an idiot, honestly, to come swaggering in here, shouting about the secrets you think you’ve discovered. Guess what I’ve recently discovered? I can make vampires do whatever I want, just with my voice. I could order Jay to drain all your blood, right now, and he’d have to do it.” I stalk toward Tom, and he actually shrinks back. He shrinks away from me. The thrill I get from that is better than sex.

“Do you know how many vampires are in this house, right now?” I continue. “Do you know what I could make them do to you? And not just here, not just tonight, but anytime I want, because I know where you live, and I know all your favorite places. So you’ll go away, and you won’t say a word to anyone, because if you do, we’ll know. And stay away from Myrtle, too. That girl has enough issues without you making them worse. Maybe with you out of her life, she can deal with her grief and find some peace.” I raise my voice. “Hestia, unlock the library.”

And then, just for good measure, I snap my fingers at Tom. “Go. And be a good boy.”

Tom wobbles out of the room with a frantic look at me before the door closes behind him.

“Hestia, text Henry. Tell him to have Tom Buchanan escorted off my property and permanently banned,” says Jay, but he doesn’t take his eyes off me. His claws and fangs have receded again, and he looks unusually pale.

My entire body is shaking. I collapse into a chair, knotting my trembling fingers to keep them still.

“That was the most powerful thing I’ve ever seen,” Jay says.

“Well, he had it coming.”

“I know.” He perches on the arm of the chair I chose. “You’ve changed too, Daisy. You’re a little sadder somehow, but a lot stronger.”

“And that’s a good thing?”

“A very good thing.” His voice is rich with admiration, with respect—for me. “Thank you for taking care of that when I couldn’t.”