18

Why did she choose not to let us in on the night when Katherine was injured?

"Good," Elizabeth remarked. It's possible that we may also find out which dogs were at the church today, and tomorrow you'll be able to keep an eye on Alaric while he's at school.

Denis asserted, "I'll watch Alaric," and meant it. "And I will have him cleared of suspicion; you see if I don't," she said. "You see if I don't."


"And as for Katherine and Dominic, well, they can be assigned to everyone, because they can use their Powers to probe people's minds. In addition, that list is by no means comprehensive. I'm going to ask them to scout around town searching for signs of Power, as well as anything else that is going on that is strange.
They are more likely to identify it than I am to do it myself."

"And as for Katherine and Dominic, well, they can be assigned to everyone, because they can use their Powers to probe people's minds. In addition, that list is by no means comprehensive. I'm going to ask them to scout around town searching for signs of Power, as well as anything else that is going on that is strange.
They have a greater chance than I have of being able to identify it. "Elizabeth. Elizabeth!"
Elizabeth was startled and glanced up, where she saw Merit's suspicious black eyes and Denis's worried demeanor. It was only at that point that she became aware that she was crouching down near to Denis's wrist and that she was caressing the largest vein with her finger.

She said, "Sorry," as she retreated to her seat. On the other hand, she was acutely aware of the lengthening and sharpening of her canine teeth. It was quite similar to having to wear braces, and she was able to noticeably feel the change in weight. She suddenly became aware that her attempt to reassure Denis with a grin was not having the expected impact on him. Denis's expression of fear was completely unwarranted. Denis needs to be aware of the fact that Elizabeth would never intentionally harm her. And Elizabeth was not feeling that hungry tonight; Elizabeth had never been one to consume a lot of food in the past. She could get whatever she needed from this little vein located here in the wrist...

Elizabeth sprang to her feet and whirled toward the window, where she leaned against the casing and felt the night air blowing on her skin as it passed through the opening. She had a queasy feeling, and she couldn't figure out why.
to help her catch her breath.

What exactly had she been up to? When she glanced back, she saw Denis hunched up next to Merit, and the two of them seemed to be paralyzed with fright. She detested the fact that they were looking at her in that manner.

She said the words "I'm sorry" "I'm sorry, Denis. Look, I'm not getting any closer. Dominic warned me that I'd be hungry once I got here; I should have eaten before I arrived."

Denis took another gulp while looking much more ill. "Eaten?"

Elizabeth responded with a sarcastic "Yes, of course." The sensation she was having was similar to that of her veins being on fire. Katherine had explained it to her in the past, but she never quite grasped what it was like for him when he was in need of blood. She had no idea what he went through at those times. It was horrible, yet intoxicating all the same. She continued her defiance by asking, "What do you suppose I eat these days, air?" "I have become a hunter, and it would be prudent for me to go out hunting."

She could see that Denis and Merit were attempting to deal with the situation, and although she could tell that they were, she could also see the disgust in their eyes. She focused on making use of her newly acquired senses, on opening herself up to the night, and on looking for signs of the presence of either Katherine or Dominic. It was challenging since neither of them was projecting with his thoughts in the same way that he had been doing the night that they had been fighting in the woods, but she believed that she could detect a glimmer of hope.


out there in the neighborhood of the town. out there in the neighborhood of the town.
Dominic was found sitting comfortably but dangerously on the ledge of the open window with one leg up when the light bulb was eventually placed back in place. He had one of the most ecstatic grins I've ever seen on his face.

"Do you mind?" he asked. "I'm not used to this feeling."

Elizabeth cast a quick peek in the direction of Denis and Merit, who were now leaning against the closet and seemed both scared and captivated at the same time. Exasperated, she gave a frustrated shake of her head to herself.

She then continued by saying, "And I thought I loved to make a theatrical entrance." "That was hilarious, Dominic. Come on, let's get going."

Dominic's grin returned as he looked at Denis and Merit and said, "With two such lovely friends of yours right here?" "Excuse me, but I'm new in these parts; wouldn't it be courteous of anybody to let me in?"

The hard brown eyes that Denis had fixed desperately on his face began to show signs of relaxation. Her horrified expression caused a wider separation of her already split lips. Elizabeth was able to spot the warning indications of an impending breakdown.

She responded with "No, they won't" She positioned herself in the middle of Dominic and the other females' conversation. She added sarcastically, "And anyway, I'm leaving. I don't know about you, but I'm going hunting." She was relieved to sense Katherine's presence nearby, probably on the roof, and to hear his instant amendment: We're going hunting, Dominic. "Nobody here is for you, Dominic-not now, not ever," she said, noticing the challenge in his eyes. "Nobody here is for you, Dominic," she continued. "Not now, and not ever." If you want to, you can stay there the whole night.

Dominic accepted defeat with dignity, casting one more amused look in Denis' direction before he climbed down from the window. Denis and Merit both began to move forward in horror at the same time as he did, apparently afraid that he had just fallen to his death.

Elizabeth continued to shake her head as she said, "He's OK." "Don't worry, I won't allow him come back. I'll see you at the same time tomorrow. Goodbye." "And don't worry, I won't let him come back."

Merit paused and said, "But Elizabeth." "Well, to clarify, I was going to inquire as to whether or not you wanted to alter your attire."

Elizabeth looked inward for a moment. The ancestral clothing from the nineteenth century was frayed and disheveled, with part of the thin white muslin ripped in several places. However, there was no time to alter anything since she needed to eat right away.

"We'll have to hold off on that for now," she remarked. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said, before climbing out of the window in the same manner as Dominic had. Merit and Denis seemed to be looking at her in a bewildered manner the last time she saw them. were looking after her dazedly.
"Your cloak," she said with approval. They shared a brief grin with one another as they thought back to the first time he had given her the cloak, which was just after he had rescued her from Tyler in the cemetery and brought her back to his room to clean up. When they were together, he was too scared to touch her. However, Elizabeth thought, as she smiled up into his eyes, that she had pretty swiftly put an end to that concern.
Dominic said, "I had the impression that we were hunting."

Elizabeth smiled at him despite the fact that she had not yet disengaged her hand from Katherine's. She responded with "We are." "In which direction shall we go?"
Dominic made the suggestion that it might be any home on this street. Katherine referred to the forest as "the woods."
"The woods," Elizabeth decided. "We don't touch humans, and we don't kill. Isn't that how it goes, Katherine?"
He returned the pressure of her fingers. "That's how it goes," he said quietly. Dominic's lip curled fastidiously. "And just what are we looking for in the woods,
or don't I want to know? Muskrat? Skunk? Termites?" His eyes moved to Elizabeth and his voice dropped. "Come with me, and I'll show you some real hunting."

"We can go through the graveyard," Elizabeth said, ignoring him.

"White-tailed deer feed all night in the open areas," Katherine told her, "but we'll have to be careful stalking them; they can hear almost as well as we can."

Another time, then, Dominic's voice said in Elizabeth's mind.


"Who-? Oh, it's you!" Denis said, starting at the touch on her elbow. "You scared me. I didn't hear you come up."

He'd have to be more careful, Katherine realized. In the short amount of time that he had been gone from school, he had reverted back to the silent, precisely controlled stride that he had used when he was a hunter. He had lost the ability to walk and move like a human. "I'm sorry," he muttered as they continued to make their way down the hallway side by side.

Denis made a valiant effort to seem nonchalant as he said, "S'okay." However, her dark brown eyes were quite open and seemed to be unmoving. "So, what are you doing here today? Merit and I stopped by the boardinghouse this morning to check on Mrs. Flowers, but nobody answered the door. And I didn't see you in biology." "So, what are you doing here today? Merit and I came by the boardinghouse this morning to check on Mrs. Flowers."

"I arrived this afternoon, and I'm back at school. For as long as it takes to discover what we're searching for, at least," she said. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."