He nodded stiffly, but she couldn't tell what he was thinking. What had Rose's memories made him feel? She was tempted to look inside his thoughts but held herself back.

She climbed to her feet and went to Rose, still lost in disbelief that Rose did not hate her.

"You and Seamus don't have to be alone ever again," she said. "We'll leave tomorrow night. Go home to the underground."

Rose's eyes widened. "Tomorrow night? That's too soon. And what of Julian? How will you protect us?"

"He doesn't even know we're here. But it doesn't matter. He's not a threat," Eleisha insisted. "He won't come near me. I swear."

Why did no one believe her? She had felt his terror, his conviction to flee from her and never come back. She had been inside his mind.

"Why is tomorrow too soon?" Wade asked, frowning.

"I had no idea you would come tonight," Rose answered. "I've lived here for a hundred years. I have arrangements to make before we can leave."

But Eleisha could hear a hint of fear behind her calm voice. Traveling… journeys… unfamiliar places frightened Rose.

"Of course," she said quickly, looking back at Philip.

But he nodded again.

Only Wade seemed uncertain. He'd been expecting a short trip.

She's frightened, Eleisha flashed to him. She needs time.

He looked at her. "Should we find a hotel?" he asked.

"I have room here," Rose said, climbing to her feet, her legs still trembling. "Couches and a spare bedroom I never use. Apartments were more spacious back when I bought this place."

Talk of couches and spare bedrooms seemed safe in the midst of all they had shared. But Eleisha could not release the memory of Edward's mouth on Rose's the night he turned her. Eleisha had never thought of Edward as a man, someone with passions or drives. She knew for certain he'd never felt that way toward her. To him, she had been a child, a doll to dress up. Rose was hardly either of those things. Did Edward fear feelings that might be too real? Perhaps guilt wasn't the only thing that kept him from ever seeing Rose again.

"Are you sure you want us here?" Wade asked. "You might feel invaded."

Eleisha felt a rush of affection for him. Such a statement would never occur to Philip, but Wade almost always considered the feelings of others.

Rose glanced with hesitation at Philip, and then her eyes fell upon Eleisha. "You are welcome to stay. Change is a welcome thing here."

Seamus had remained quiet through most of this. Perhaps he felt helpless to stop the flow of events. Eleisha thought on his life, too, cut off so soon, leaving him in state of endless limbo.

He was watching her. Then she realized he had not been seen by anyone but Rose since the night he died. Maybe new company would not be so unwelcome?

"How long will you need, Rose?" she asked.

Rose hesitated. "I am not sure. A few nights at least."

And now we are five, Eleisha thought.

Wade woke up to a silent apartment in the late afternoon. He was lying on a Victorian couch. Disoriented for a moment, he blinked and sat up, trying to remember where he was.

The previous night came rushing back.

For the first time, with a few moments to himself since arriving, he suddenly realized that he wanted to help Eleisha in this venture. Rose was exactly what Eleisha described her to be-frightened, lonely, and blind to her own potential. He could help her, train her, and teach her to feed without killing. He could help Eleisha create the underground and then help her find others like Rose. He could do more good in this venture, save more lives, than he could in a hundred years working as a psychologist for the Portland police.

He could do something that no one else could.

As he looked around the faded sitting room, it struck him as sad, like a flower that had once been lovely but was close to losing its petals. He got up and walked into the kitchen. This room was more cheerful with its colorful pots of herbs. There was a kettle on the stove, and he found a few dusty tea mugs, but the other cupboards and the refrigerator were empty… as if the very presence of a kitchen was a lie.

He went back out into the sitting room. The place was so quiet.

Vampires slept all day.

The door to Rose's bedroom was closed.

Philip and Eleisha had taken the guest room. He understood this, as they both liked to feel hidden away somewhere during their dormancy. He walked over and cracked their door, just to check on them.

The room was dark, and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust. For some reason, the sight awaiting him sent a jolt through his body.

Philip was lying on the bed, on his back, wearing only a pair of jeans. Eleisha wore sweatpants and a tank top, but she was curled up against him with her head on his shoulder, her long hair tangled across his throat. Their chests did not move. They did not breathe.

They both looked dead.

Even dead they shared a connection he could not penetrate- with either of them. They were his only companions now, and yet he often felt like the outsider.

Still, he knew them, understood them better than they realized, although he kept such revelations to himself. He knew how it felt to feed on human blood, to kill to survive.

He had experienced this from Eleisha, Philip, and now Rose. He had felt the sensation of sinking one's teeth into a human throat, watching memories, and drinking blood. But the act was starkly different for all three of the vampires he had lived through.

Philip reveled in killing.

Eleisha had found it regretful.

Rose felt open shame.

At this thought, a small portion of his resolution to become closely involved with Rose wavered.

He turned his eyes to Philip.

Yes, Rose appeared to be the lost victim that Eleisha had described, but was Philip's caution wrong? None of them really knew Rose yet, she had certainly shown the ability to shut her remorse off when she grew hungry enough, and she had avoided getting too close to mortals she cared about for fear of feeding on them.

Wade could never forget he was a lone mortal among a growing number of the undead.

He straightened, pushing doubt away.

He would not abandon this path. In spite of his agreement with Philip's caution, Eleisha's passion to find others like herself and have him teach them to feed without killing provided a stronger pull.

It gave him purpose.

Suddenly, he realized he was hungry.

He walked back to the couch and put on his shoes. Then he headed for the front door.

"Where are you going?" a hollow voice challenged.

He half turned to see Seamus' transparent form standing outside the guest room door. As accustomed as Wade had become to the reality of vampires, the sight of this Scottish ghost still left him unsettled.

"Out to find some food," he answered. "I haven't eaten since yesterday."

The suspicious expression on Seamus' face vanished. "Oh, I'd forgotten you would need to…" He trailed off.

Wade turned fully from the door, not quite sure what to say as he realized Seamus wasn't used to anyone being awake in the apartment during daylight hours. How alien this all must feel to him.

"Your aunt did the right thing," he said finally, "writing to Eleisha."

Seamus looked away from Wade and back through the guest room door. "I think so, too… now. I think it's good she came, and you as well." Then his eyes narrowed. "Except that she trusts him!"

At first, Wade wasn't sure what this meant. More on impulse than a conscious decision, Wade reached out telepathically, not certain he could read a ghost but trying to pick up any thoughts. He sensed nothing, as if Seamus wasn't there.

He took a few steps back toward the guest room and saw that Seamus was looking at Eleisha sleeping on Philip's shoulder.