We weren’t going in the direction of home, not his house or mine, but by the way he kept glancing in the rearview mirror, there was a reason for it.

We sped down the road, and Jane felt safe enough to move away from where she had me pinned to the door. She looked down at my tattered dress, and without even asking, she tore off the bottom half of my skirt. Balling the fabric up in her hand, she pressed it against the wound on Milo’s neck, and he jerked away from her touch.

“I’m trying to stop the bleeding so you don’t die.” Jane sounded hurt.

“I’m fine,” Milo snapped, and his eyes darted back up the rearview mirror.

“Are they following us?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I didn’t see him, though. But I can’t imagine he would just give up.” His words rang truer then I would’ve liked, and I had to swallow hard to keep from throwing up.

“What is going on?” Jane asked. Leaning in between the seats, she still kept the rag pressed against Milo’s neck.

“It’s hard to explain,” I said.

I sunk lower in the seat, keeping myself out of sight from the passing cars, even though I’m sure Lucian already had a good look at the car, and even if he didn’t, he could see Milo driving.

Tearing off more of my skirt, I pressed it on my own wounded knee and the scratches Violet had inflicted on my legs, trying to stop the scent of blood from filling up the car. I wanted to crack the window, but letting the night in terrified me.

“They looked like vampires!” Jane said, and my heart skipped a beat. Milo’s eyes met mine in the rearview mirror, and neither of us knew how to address that topic. “Did you see the fangs on that girl? And those crazy eyes? She must’ve been on something.”

“Yeah, probably,” I agreed hastily.

“What did they want with you guys? They looked like they were obsessed or something.” Jane looked back at me, hoping I would give her answers, but I avoided her gaze and shook my head.

“I don’t really know.” I swallowed hard, because that wasn’t exactly a lie.

“You should call the police or something,” Jane said. “Or at least go to the hospital. You’re covered in…”

She was looking over his chest, and I knew she was getting that sense of confusion and disbelief that I had when I saw Jack’s wounds disappear. Blood was still left from where he’d been cut, proving that she wasn’t insane, but there were no cuts.

She pulled back the rag from his neck and gasped. Where there should’ve been a hideous gouge, there was only pink raised flash, like a fresh scar.

“How did you do that? How can you possibly do that?” Jane trembled and all the color had drained from her face.

“Jane, look at me,” I said. “You don’t wanna know.”

“Of course I want to know!” Jane insisted, but she looked as if she might cry.

“Not right now, okay? After everything that’s happened. Can we just let it be?” I pleaded with her.

“Are you guys okay? Are you… normal?” Jane asked. I lifted the rag off my knee, revealing my scraped and bloody injury.

“I’m still me. Okay? I haven’t changed at all,” I tried to soothe her. She nodded and sat back in the seat next to me.

That was apparently enough reassurance for the time being. Or so I thought.

Turning to look at me, tears pooled in her eyes. Her fingers shook as she pushed a strand of hair from her face, and in a quivering voice, she whispered, “They’re vampires, aren’t they?”

“Some things are better if you don’t know them,” I said. She bit her lip and nodded, but I didn’t know if she took that at as a yes or what.

“I wish Jack were here,” Milo said and ran a hand through his dark hair.

“I think we all do,” I said.

“I mean, I know I can take care of myself. But protecting you two…” he trailed off. “I don’t know. I don’t think I’m ready.”

Sitting in the backseat of a locked car speeding down the highway, I did feel reasonably safe. But Milo had a point. Jane took my hand in hers and squeezed it tightly. There was a reason she was my best friend.

Despite all her shortcomings, Jane had saved my life tonight, and she let me keep secrets when I needed to most. There had to be something said for her.

“Okay. So. Here’s the plan. I’m going to drive around for awhile. When I think it’s safe or we’re about to run out of gas, we’ll go to my house. And Mae will know what to do,” Milo decided.

My whole body trembled and the adrenaline wore off painfully. Milo kept his eyes fixed on the road and the rearview mirror, and somehow Jane managed to drift off after awhile. She rested her head against my shoulder, and I stared out the windows, wondering if the car next to us might be filled with bloodthirsty vampires.

When I started getting tired, that’s when I felt unsafe. I didn’t trust myself to stay awake, and I didn’t know what would happen if I fell asleep. I pulled my phone out of my bra, which was the only place I could put it when I wore a dress to clubs.

You need to come home. Now. I think we’re in trouble. I text messaged Jack. Then, all I had left to do was wait.

Eventually, Milo stopped to get gas, and Jane woke up from the lack of movement. Before getting out, Milo instructed us to stay in the car and keep the doors locked, no matter what happened.

He went around to the back of the car and opened the trunk, pulling out a tee shirt that had been stowed back there. It was a little big and had a picture of poorly drawn cartoon dinosaurs on it, so I assumed it was Jack’s.