“Powerful sonic weapon, huh? So they expect you to have this great secret weapon up your sleeve, and all you’ve got is me.”

“Don’t be mad.” Jay’s brown eyes carry a plea I can’t resist. “I had to tell them something. A lot of them were reluctant to come tonight.”

“But if they stay home, Wolfsheim wins. He’ll destroy you and Cody, then pick off the rest. Your people understand that, right? They need to fight now, or be killed off later.”

“That’s what we tried to explain. But I’m not sure the message got through, and I don’t know how many will show up.” He rubs a hand across his forehead and sighs. “Some of them will probably come because they’re desperate for blood and they don’t know where else to get it safely.”

“I hope so. The good news is that while my voice is no sonic blast, it is better today than it was last night.”

“I don’t think you should use it at all. Not even if we get into trouble. Once people know what you can do, that puts a target on your back.”

I can’t help a little shiver of apprehension, and Jay notices.

“You don’t have to do this, Daisy. You said you weren’t going to save me, and I completely understand that.”

“Maybe I changed my mind.” I weave my fingers with his.

“I never intended for you to be in this much danger.”

“You’re too smart to believe that being a vampire would never expose me to danger. Really, Jay.”

“Fine, maybe I knew there would be some minor danger until you were turned. I didn’t expect Wolfsheim to take issue with my methods so strongly, or go this far. What is wrong with him, anyway? Why can’t he just live and let live?” He shakes his head in frustrated disgust. “But seriously, Daisy, you’re human right now. You can’t let the First Gens know what you can do. They’ll try kill you, and I might not be able to stop them.”

“Aren’t you going to promise that you won’t let anything happen to me? That I’ll be safe as long as I’m with you?” I fake a pout, and he rolls his eyes.

“You and I always used to mock movies with those lines,” he says. “False promises that can’t be kept. I can’t promise you’ll be fine, or that I’ll protect you. I can promise to get between you and anyone who wants to hurt you.”

That’s not much comfort to me, because it puts him in harm’s way, and just the thought of seeing him torn apart sends me straight back to the way I felt kneeling by that pool, staring at what I thought was his corpse. I never want to feel that way again.

“I’ll stay back while you try to work it out,” I concede. “But if things get really bad, and it’s looking like they won’t listen, and your people can’t win, then I have to try to help. Though I’m not sure how effective I’ll be.”

I’ve never controlled more than two vampires at once. I’ve never asked them to do anything more complex than pat their heads and restrain themselves to drinking only what they need. Speaking of which—

“How’s our glutton doing? Slagle?”

“Better,” Jay replies. “Miriam has been to see him a couple of times, and they’re working on his deeper issues. I let him out for tonight, under close observation. I figured it couldn’t hurt to have an extra body if there’s a fight. I also fitted him with a shock bracelet, in case he tries to shake his guard or harm a human. Did you know that electricity slows our cells’ regenerative abilities? If you mortally injure a vampire and run electricity through his system continuously, he can’t heal, and he dies.”

“That’s horrible.” I shudder. “How do you even know that?”

“Cody watched Wolfsheim do it to vampires who didn’t follow his rules.”

“And you thought Wolfsheim wouldn’t turn violent if you defied him?”

“Well, I was wrong. And stupid.” Jay flushes, and I stop myself from saying anything more. Pointing out the mistakes he made isn’t helpful when he’s already stressed about tonight. He’s so focused on perfection, on fixing anything that’s not quite right, on making sure he’s above reproach that I can only imagine how painful this situation must be for him right now. Though he’s far from perfect, he has an astounding imagination and an incredible skill for accomplishing big things once he’s given the tools to do so. I wish he could see how amazing he is, despite the errors he’s made getting here.

To distract him, I flutter my hand in front of his face, shifting my wrist so the charm bracelet slides along it. “What do you think of my accessory?”

Jay’s eyes lock on the bracelet. “Why did you wear that?”

“Because I love it.”

“That’s sweet, but it’s so cheap, Daisy. I could buy you something much better now. Something with diamonds, maybe.”

“Don’t you dare. I would refuse to wear it.”

His mouth quirks. “I highly doubt that.”

“Okay, maybe I’d wear it if it was extremely pretty. But this one is special, and I will always cherish it.”

He gathers my hand in his and starts to say something, but his attention travels to a trio of guests wearing blood bands. They move into the dance hall, nodding to him, and he acknowledges them with a nod of his own.

More people are trickling in, some vampire and some human. The epic music swells suddenly into a waltz, and I peek through the doorway near me. There’s a mini orchestra in the dance hall, stationed on a low stage that’s swathed in red fabric and lined with tall, golden pillars. Tiny origami swans, crowns, and dragons hang from the ceiling, twirling on glittering strings.

“It’s beautiful, Jay. Did you think of all this yourself?”

“Some of it. I have party planners to help me.” He holds out his hand. “I can’t stand still any longer. Would you dance with me?”

“Always.”

He whirls me into the waltz, and as we dance, more and more vampires enter the room. Jordan and Michaelis, Slagle and his burly female guard, redheaded Keziah from the other night, dark-haired Sloane, and the guy who wanted to show me the hedge maze. My stomach thrills with frantic triumph every time another vampire comes in.

“They listened, Jay,” I whisper. “They’re here for you.”

“Not all of them, but more than I expected.” His palms are clammy against mine. “I was afraid no one would come.”

“I know.” I scramble for something else to distract him, and my mind latches onto a familiar cadence. “Hey, I know this song. It’s—”

“The theme from Howl’s Moving Castle.” A faint smile crosses his mouth. “Your favorite Studio Ghibli movie…or it used to be.”

“It still is.”

He brightens, delighted at discovering another bit of me that’s still the same. We’ve both embraced the differences that the years have made, but finding those nostalgic links between us is just as precious as exploring all the new ways we can be together.

I smile back, moving with him through the dip and sway of the waltz.

“This is unbearably romantic,” I say soberly. “I don’t think I can handle it.”

He laughs, but it’s a quick, nervous sound. I only distracted him for a few minutes, and his anxiety is surging again. “You’re clear on the plan?” he asks.

“Yes.”

Movement near one of the doors draws my attention—it’s Henry, Jay’s house manager, struggling through the growing crowd. His face is stark, his eyes wide with warning.

“Jay,” I whisper.

“I see him.” Jay releases my hands and moves toward Henry, his lithe figure slipping between the guests with ease. I dart through the gap he makes and follow him all the way to Henry.

“Mr. Gatsby, Cody has spotted Wolfsheim,” Henry says. “And the men at the entrances have noted several individuals carrying weapons under their clothing—long knives and such. The guards did not attempt to disarm them, but directed them here, as you ordered. You have two minutes before they arrive.”