So I made a decision, and this time it was one that called for action. Immediate action. I flipped open my phone and text messaged Heath.

We need to talk

His reply was almost instant. I could practically see his cute grin.

Yes! 2 day?

I chewed my lip while I thought about it. Before I made my decision I pushed the thick curtain aside and peeked out the window. The day had stayed cloudy and cold. Good. That meant there would be less chance of people hanging around outside, especially since it was already dark. I was just trying to figure out where we should meet when my phone chimed again.

I can come 2 u

NO

I texted back quickly. The last thing I needed was for cute, clueless, and totally Imprinted Heath to show up at the House of Night. But where could I meet him? Getting away probably wouldn't be easy, what with one of our professors having been killed. My phone chimed. I sighed.

Where?

Crap. Where? Then it hit me and I knew the perfect place. I smiled and texted Heath back. Starbucks in 1 hr

OK!

Now all I had to do was figure out how to really break up with Heath. Or at least figure out a way I could keep him at a distance until the Imprint between us faded. If it faded. Surely it would fade. I made my way blurrily to the bathroom and washed my face with cold water, trying to shock some awake into me. Not feeling like answering a barrage of questions about where I was headed, I tossed into my purse the jar of concealer that fledglings were required to wear whenever they went off school grounds to mingle with the local populace (which kinda made us sound like scientists doing field studies while they tried to blend in with the alien population). I suppose I really hadn't needed to look out the window to see what the weather was like. My long dark hair was being extra crazy today, which could only mean rain and humidity. On purpose I picked out very unsexy clothes, deciding on a black tank top, my dorky Borg Invasion 4D hoodie, and my most comfortable pair of jeans. Keeping in mind that I needed to detour through the kitchen and grab a can of brown pop-fully leaded with sugar and caffeine-I opened my door to see Aphrodite standing there with her hand raised to knock.

"Hi," I said.

"Hey." She looked furtively up and down the empty hall.

"Come on in." I stepped aside and shut the door behind us. "I gotta hurry, though. I'm meeting someone off campus."

"That's part of why I'm here. They're not letting anyone off campus."

"They?"

"The vamps and their warriors."

"The warriors are here already?"

Aphrodite nodded. "A bunch of the Sons of Erebus. They're damn nice to look at-I mean truly, seriously hot-but they're definitely going to be cramping our style."

And then I realized what she was saying. "Ah, crap. Stevie Rae."

"She'll be out of blood by tomorrow. That is, if she's not already. She was really pigging down those blood bags," Aphrodite said with a little curl of her lip.

"I'll call her and tell her to make them last, but we're going to have to get more to her. Soon. Crap!" I said again. "I really need to not put off this, uh, appointment."

"So Heath's back in town?"

I frowned at her. "Maybe."

"Oh, please. Your face is totally easy to read." Then she lifted one of her perfectly plucked blond brows. "Bet Erik doesn't know about this appointment."

Keeping in mind that Aphrodite was Erik's ex-girlfriend, and no matter how friendly she and I appeared to be getting I knew she would jump at the chance to latch back onto Erik, I shrugged nonchalantly. "Erik will know as soon as I get back. I happen to be going to break up with Heath. As if that's any of your business."

"I hear breaking an Imprint bond is next to impossible," she said.

"That's an Imprint with an adult vamp. It's different for fledglings." At least I hoped it was. "Plus, still not your business."

"Okay. No problem. If it's not my business that you need to get off campus, then there's no reason for me to tell you how to sneak out of here."

"Aphrodite. I do not have time for games."

"Fine," she started to turn to go and I stepped in front of her. "You're being a bitch. Again," I said.

"And you're almost cussing. Again," she said.

I crossed my arms and tapped my foot.

Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "Okay, whatever. You can sneak out if you go to the part of the school wall closest to the stables-the section that's near the edge of the little pasture. There's a grove at the end of it and a tree there was split by lightning a couple years ago. It's leaning against the wall. The split makes it easy to climb. Jumping from the top of the wall isn't really that big a deal."