Castor was predictably next to Juniper when I saw him the next morning. He didn't look like he'd slept at all.

I sat next to him and he looked at me.

"The E-X-E-C-U-T-I-O-N is today." He picked at a blade of grass.

"Where?"

He pointed vaguely uphill. "Not here."

I nodded. "So you're not going then?"

He shook his head. "I don't think I could take it."

Juniper leaned against him, hugging his arm.

I took a deep breath. "Why aren't they having at the lake?"

"Didn't want to, I guess." He shrugged.

His hand brushed over hers. They looked perfect together, her dusty brown hair falling over his shoulder, their pale hands rubbing against each other.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. You?" The answer was resigned, his shoulders sagging slightly.

"I'm fine."

He nodded.

Juniper looked between us. She sat up, pulling her hands away from Castor. "And Ryan?"

"I don't know."

"So you really broke up."

I nodded. "She's not as good of a person as I wanted her to be."

Juniper smiled. "Well, I could've told you that."

"How?"

She looked suddenly bashful. "No reason."

"Juniper?"

"I saw her kissing a guard."

"When?"

"The first day we were here."

I relaxed. So, it hadn't meant she'd cheated on me, not that I'd of cared she had. All it meant was that she manipulated everyone.

"Why?"

"I don't know. We didn't linger."

"Oh." I signed, trying not to look disappointed.

She saw the look, and she tried to start into some reassuring babble.

"But you'll find someone else. Who wouldn't want you?"

I stared at her. "You want a list?"

She rolled her eyes. Castor seemed to be glad the conversation had shifted away from impending doom, and towards my misfortunes.

"I'm glad you two aren't together anymore. I don't know what you saw in her."

I looked at him. What had I seen in her?

"She was hot, okay?"

He chuckled. "If you say so."

"I mean, objectively hot."

When he asked what the sign for objectively meant, Juniper whispered in his ear.

"I wouldn't know. I only have eyes for one girl anymore."

Juniper giggled at the flirt.

"One of these days you two should get a room."

Both of them blushed, their faces suddenly red.

I smiled, and Juniper smiled back, laughing again.

"You have a point." She acknowledged.

"Thank you."

ψψψ

By the time it was time for the event, the mood had lightened considerably, and Castor didn't seem as deep in despair as he had been before. A centaur towered over us.

"Come'on you two." Juniper translated her eyebrows knit together.

Castor looked up at him. "I'm not going," he was courteous enough to sign for my benefit.

"You want to earn our trust?"

He looked up critically. "Yes, but not like this."

"Com'on. I don't want to be late."

Castor's face was paler than usual.

"He's allowed to not want to see them die, isn't he?"

Juniper dutifully translated for me.

The centaur didn't acknowledge that we'd said anything.

He pulled Castor to his feet, offering a hand to me as well.

"Do I have to go?"

The centaur's nostril's flared. He gave a curt nod. He'd obviously understood my sign.

I took his hand and got to my feet, standing next to Castor. The storm swirled again behind his eyes. I took his hand and squeezed it. Then we were walking towards the execution.

He took his hand out of mine and wiped it on his pants. I hadn't even noticed it being sweaty.

When we walked into the square, the wild eyes of the men were the first thing I saw. I couldn't tear my attention away from them. When I finally did, I tapped Castor's shoulder and he startled.

We'd both been drawn in by the horror of it.

We disappeared into the crowd, both of us aiming for a spot where we couldn't see and we wouldn't stand out.

By the time anything happened, I'd lost sight of Castor and could only see tiny corners of the stage. I stood in the crowd, scrunching my nose as smells wafted over me. But before I knew it, everyone was leaving. I turned to go, making sure not to look at the stage. I tried to find Castor, averting my gaze from the horror on the stage.

When the crowd thinned, he was at the edge of the wooden pedestal. I took a deep breath, and walked toward him. I focused on the wood of the panels.

When I got to him, I tried to nudge him gently. He looked at me.

"Let's go."

"That was terrible."

"I couldn't see anything. But let's get back to Juniper."

He shook his head.

"I don't want to leave their bodies here."

For the first time, I looked up at the stage. The hollow, lifeless eyes got to me first. Then the way all of them looked so thin and bloodless.

The hair on the back of my neck stood, as though trying to run away from my body.

I felt the movement behind me. Castor didn't seem to notice.

"Castor, I'm not kidding. We have to go."

"I can't just—"

I grabbed his hands and pointed at the advancing vampire, the blood still fresh on his person, showing on his bared fangs.

Castor didn't move.

I jerked him toward me and then we were both running. Another vampire blocked the ally we tried to dart into. They surrounded us.

Their eyes were crazed. Castor pressed his back to mine. At least I knew they were strong fighters. I wouldn't underestimate them.

A woman stepped forward and I moved to face her. None of the others were moving. Her lips moved, her hand trailing up her side.

I felt my fear start to numb. Her eyes were wide and innocent.

I shook my head. She was going to kill us.

But instead of running, my eyes followed her hand as she drew attention to all her curves, her hips waggling slightly as she walked.

She had such a perfect figure. I wanted to take a step forward.

She was going to kill us.

But her lips were moving, so perfect. Her hair was tucked behind her ear, perfectly framing the roundness of her face. Her teeth gleamed white.

She was moving forward, and I wanted her to get to me. Then there was Castor walking toward her.

That was a bad idea. But as her finger moved from tracing her leg and hip, I couldn't remember why. She twirled her hair around her finger, biting her lip slightly.

I couldn't take a step forward. Every instinct in my body screamed against it. But why?

When Castor was inches away from her, she grinned wickedly.

She wasn't good. I remembered now. She was trying to kill us, and from the looks of it, she was going to succeed.

I sprang forward and tackled Castor. He jolted and blinked. The panic crept back into his features, his face paling and his lips drawing tight.

He scrambled away from the vampire.

Her lips moved, but now she was sneering. She was focused on me.

Castor looked at me with wide eyes. She snapped something and he turned away from me. I watched his lips.

She's deaf, he explained.

I stared at the vampire for her response.

Can you translate?

Castor nodded and then he was signing to me, his hands fumbling over the signs.

"So, we can L-U-R-E you after all." He looked confused, but I was too scared to care or to show him the new sign.

"So you can."

The vampire frowned.

Then she lunged at me and I was pushing myself, prepared to try to knock her off her feet. I knocked into her and we tumbled writhing on the ground.

When she froze, I got the upper hand, my knees on her chest. I was panting with effort, and for the first time, I saw the fire. It was everywhere. A ring surrounded us, then a ring cut off the other vampires. The fire crept toward me, the smoke burning in my nose.

A figure emerged through the fire.

I moved off the vampire and a gap formed that she scrambled through. Arms wrapped around me.

"You're safe, Arriana. I'm here."

"Ryan. Why—"

She put a finger to my lips and then I hugged her back, the fear replaced with exhaustion. What would a hug hurt?