Page 99 of How to Entice a Fiend

The car falls silent.

“I killed many vampires who didn’t deserve it as well,” Alexei says quietly. “Wouldn’t it be delightful to erase our past?”

“You are who you are today,” Mads tells me earnestly. “People change, views change, life changes around you. What happened in the past doesn’t have to destroy the rest of your life.”

And I find that I really hope that’s true.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

ENDER

The house we end up at is out in the middle of nowhere. It’s about a twenty-minute drive out of the city, but it’s nice and quite large with a tall fence around it that I have to assume is monitored to know if someone climbs over it.

Just as we’re pulling in, another car drives in behind us. I see Rylee plastered against the window like a dog thrilled to go to the park.

“She sure adores you,” Mads says.

“She does,” I agree as we get out.

“Ennnnnnnder!” Rylee yells as she runs at me like we’ve been apart months instead of a few hours. But before she reaches me, Mads nabs her.

“Is he really even that good? I mean… look at his evil face. Oh! I know how to fix it!” Mads says as he scoops her up and flips her upside down. “Now it looks like he’s smiling, eh?”

Rylee giggles. “Ooh! He is smiling from this angle!”

“This is how I used to get money out of people,” Mads says as he gives her a shake. “See if anything falls out.”

“I don’t have any money! En said that I’m ‘not skilled with money.’”

“You spent the last money I gave you for ‘emergencies’ on the ugliest stuffed dog,” I say as I walk up and poke her in the belly button.

“It was an emergency! He was so cute!” She thrashes and giggles before holding her hands out to me. “EN! EN! Save me!”

I grab her arms and look up at Mads, who has her feet. “I bet we could toss her right into that pond over there.”

“You ever seenMatilda?” Mads asks.

“NO! I can’t fly!” she protests. “FINN! Finn, save me! The evil vampires have me.”

“Yeah but… if they toss you into the pond, I could have your cat and he’s just so cute,” Finn says with an “I’m sorry” look.

“No! Not Señor Fluffybottom!”

“I’ll rename him too!”

“Don’t youdare. He loves his name! I asked if he liked his name and he was all purr purr purr, so obviously, he likes it.”

“Hopefully, we don’t both let go at the same time,” Mads says.

“You wouldn’t! En, why are all your friends evil?”

“I don’t know,” I admit.

“You’re the only one who isn’t evil!”

“Thank you,” I say, although I’m pretty sure she’s the only one who’d declare that.

“Ha! Is that right?” Mads asks as he drops her legs, and since I still have her hands, he rushes forward and tickles her. She laughs and squirms and jumps, but she can’t get away.

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