Andre was waiting for me in the parking lot, standing beside one of the seethe’s interchangeable black Mercedes, ready to drive me to Stefan’s home—as if I were stupid enough to hop into a car driven by a vampire I didn’t know.

Despite Andre’s objections, I followed him in my car rather than letting him drive me. Aside from being safer, when we were done, I could drive straight home instead of waiting for him to drive me back out to Uncle Mike’s.

He was right, it might have been useful to talk and come up with a game plan—if I had trusted him a little more or if I...