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.How did she get so far into my head? The thought of whathe'd been about to do sickened him, but there was no way to retaliate against the power that was destroying Bella."Bring the weapon to me!" the voice raged from Bella's throat.Then, as quickly as it had come over her, the Oracle's powerwas gone.Bella dropped in a heap on the floor, lay still for a moment, then snapped up, her eyes cold with hatred.Max stepped warily toward her."Bella, is that you?""It is me," she gasped, choking up more blood."She is here.She has people here.They know we are coming."He scrubbed a hand over his face, hating that his hand was trembling."You rest.I'll keep watch.And I'll call Nathan, see if hegot any information on reinforcements.""No." She shook her head, drawing herself up slowly."No.I will not wait for them to come after us.Get back in the car.""Bella," he began, ready for a fight.He walked toward her, and she was on her feet before he reached her, brandishing a stake.She leveled the point in front of his chest."Get back in the car."Max kept one eye on the road and one on Bella as she leaned out the car window, scenting the air.For the first time, he wastempted to snap at a passenger for not wearing a seat belt.She was hanging way too far-out.When had he become so like Marcus? If this was what love did to someone, no wonder Max had avoided it for so long."Are you getting anything?" he asked, gripping the steering wheel tighter, as if that would hold her in.If she fell and broke herneck, he'd kill her.She slipped into her seat again, thank God, but didn't buckle up."Turn at the next available right.""The next available right is a dirt two track." He leaned forward."Or less.""That is where you must go." She wrinkled her nose."I smell vampires.""How many?" The last thing he needed was to drive into an ambush, though it seemed too late for regrets as he steered the caronto the dirt path."There are things I need to know before we get there."She shrugged."There were many.Now, there is only one distinct scent.Two, three at most.""One is still a possibility?" He downshifted, wincing at the scrape of the rutted road against the undercarriage of the vehicle."Of course.Better to be prepared for more, though." She reached into the back seat and pulled two stakes from Max's supply."May I?""Help yourself.What happened to yours?" Max leaned forward.The windshield had begun to fog, a phenomenon he hadn't hadto deal with since he'd become a vampire.Mortal passengers were such a pain in the ass.He rubbed the glass clear with hisforearm."They are in the trunk.I have everything else.Holy water, my crossbow—"He shushed her."Is that it?"Ahead, a ramshackle cabin with two windows and a bowed porch stood at the place where the track ended.Bella rolled downthe window and sniffed, then gave a short nod.Max raised his hand and lifted three fingers.She shook her head and replied with one finger.One vampire.No problem.Breathing a sigh of relief, Max eased the car door open.He didn't close it once he was outside.No sense in letting the poor sapknow they were there.Bella retrieved her weapons from the back seat and followed suit, waving to signal he should follow her.Like hell he was going to let her charge in there unprotected.He jogged ahead, grabbed her shoulder and used her moment ofsurprise to push her behind him.He heard her cluck her tongue in annoyance, and he held up his hand for quiet.The steps to the cabin were damp and broken, and probably prone to squeaking.Max placed one foot on the first step, his facefrozen in a preemptive wince as he anticipated a loud creak, or worse, the whole thing splintering under his weight.When it didn't, he motioned Bella forward.The porch was only about four feet wide.The sagging roof didn't allow for much vertical clearance, and Max had to stoop.Thedoor to the cabin didn't even have a handle.A beam of light projected from the hole where the knob used to be.Are they making it easy on purpose? He pushed aside the feeling he and Bella were walking into a trap, and gave her athumbs-up.When she replied in kind, he kicked the door in.If he'd had any doubts they'd found the right place, they vanished the second they stepped inside.The furniture in the tiny roomconsisted of a kitchen table, a rusty utility sink, a minirefrigerator and a dirty cot with a stained pillow.A lone figure sat at thetable, hunched over with his head in his hands."I knew you were coming," He lifted his bald head, and Max saw the man's eyes were ringed with dark circles."Are you a vampire?" Max asked calmly, pulling a stake from his back pocket.The man nodded."What's your name?" He weighed the wood in his palm.The tiny voice in the back of his head that always popped up duringmoments like this sing-songed That could be you.The vampire at the table resumed his slouched posture."Ford Prefect.""Ford Prefect?" Odd name."Well, then, Ford Prefect, by order of the Voluntary Vampire Extinction Movement—""That is not his name," Bella said quietly from behind him.When he gave her a questioning glance, she shrugged."It is the nameof a character from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." As if in defense, she added, "I like to read."It took him a minute to get the flow back, but Max managed."Oh, I get it, you think you're going to smart off to me and go outlike a real badass, huh?""More or less." The vampire leaned back in his chair, trying—and failing—to affect nonchalance.He had a ring through thecenter part of his nose and he toyed with it, sliding it back and forth between his fingers."Well, nice try, but—" The thunk of the crossbow releasing a bolt cut Max off.The projectile sliced through the air, sinking deepinto the vampire's shoulder.He screamed, and Max rounded on Bella."What the hell was that?""A clean shot with the intent to maim." She reached to the quiver at her back and pulled out another bolt, snapping it in placeand cranking the handle as if nothing was amiss."We're supposed to get information from him, not kill him outright!" Max grabbed the bow and jerked it from her grasp, and thebolt snapped free, whizzing past his ear to embed in the dirty wall."I will get our information," Bella said, rolling her eyes."Perhaps you should try to not kill yourself outright.""Oh, I'll try not to kill myself outright." Somehow, repeating her remark with added sarcasm didn't come off with the bite he'dhoped it would.He tossed the bow aside, cursing himself as she stalked toward their prey, her braid snapping lethally behindher.She leaned over the groaning vampire and grasped the end of the arrow, giving it a sharp tug
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