He traced his finger across the tattoo that sketched his smooth, pale skin. “It’s actually the mark of immortality.”

“Then it’s not a tattoo?”

“Not exactly. It appeared on my skin when I turned into a vampire.” He paused, his Adams apple noticeably bobbing up and down as he swallowed hard.  “It happens to everyone that turns immortal.”

“So why did you have to show it to the man at the door? Is this like an all exclusive club for immortals or something?”

He laughed. “Yeah, I guess you could put it that way.”

“So…” I snuck a peek at Alex, making sure he wasn’t listening. He was still pacing the floor and cussing at Aislin to hurry-up. Aislin was hissing at him to shut up, her hand pressed to the display case, where the sword was locked inside, the jagged silver blade and dragonhead handle glistening in the light. Neither of them were paying any attention to Laylen and me, which was a good thing since I had a feeling that Alex wouldn’t like what I was about to ask Laylen. I leaned closer to Laylen and kept my voice low. “What’s a Black Angel?”

Laylen cocked an eyebrow at me, seeming surprised by my question. “Where’d that question come from?”

I shrugged. “There was one downstairs in a cage and I asked Alex what it was, but he said he didn’t have time to explain it to me.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.” He backed up a few steps so that he was out of view from Alex and Aislin and gestured at me to do the same. “The thing with Alex,” he began as I moved closer, “is that he has it in his head that everything is a secret.”

“So there’s nothing important about a Black Angel.”

“Only the fact that they’re angels from hell and not heaven.”

“Wha—” I started to exclaim, but Laylen stopped me with a quick shake of his head. I glanced over my shoulder to check if my loudness had brought any attention to us. Both sides of the hallway still remained vacant. I turned back to Laylen and dropped my voice down a notch. “Sorry, but an angel from hell. Are you kidding me? The two, like, completely contradict each other.”

“In this world,” he motioned around us, “a lot of things do. Take me for instances. A Keeper turned vampire. A complete contradiction. One stands for evil, the other for good.”

I eyed him over. His beautiful blue eyes, his warm smile. He sure didn’t seem evil to me. “I highly doubt you’re evil.”

He forced a small smile. “Depends on who you’re asking.”

I felt bad for him. He seemed so…in pain. I barely knew him and everything, yet he’d been nicer to me than anyone had in my entire life. “I don’t think you’re—”

“Are you two enjoying yourselves?” Alex’s voice interrupted over mine.

Laylen rolled his eyes, and I let out a tired sigh as I turned around. Alex held his classic irritated expression as he leaned against the doorway, watching us. How long had he been standing there, I wondered.

“At any moment during your guy’s little huddle up, someone have could strolled up, and I’m pretty sure neither one of you would’ve notice,” Alex said.

“Yeah, we would’ve,” I protested. “Both of us have a clear view of each side of the hall.”

“And it sure looked like you were keeping a close eye on them, all cuddled up with one another, talking about God knows what,” he said scathingly.

“Alex, just relax.” Laylen voice was calm, but firm. “We weren’t cuddled up, and we weren’t talking about anything important.” Laylen slid me a sideways glance that I hoped Alex didn’t notice. “Jesus Christ. You can be so uptight sometimes.”

Alex strolled up to us very cat-on-the-prowl like and pointed a finger at Laylen’s chest. “I think your forgetting why I’m uptight. She’s not supposed to be getting close to anyone.”

“Hey,” I fumed.”That’s not—”

Alex held a hand up, cutting me off. “This doesn’t concern you.”

I breathed heavily, placing my hands on my hips. “If it’s about me, then it concerns me. You can’t control me just because you want to.”

A lethal stare down broke out between us. I fixed him with my best glare, trying to summon up as much fire in it as I could. Of course, Alex looked unbothered, his face set in a tolerant expression.

“You know what,” Laylen said to Alex. “I really think that your being up tight has nothing to do with me at all.”

I looked at Laylen funnily. What was that supposed to mean?

“What exactly is it you’re trying to get at?” Alex asked sharply.

“Oh, I think you know what it is I’m getting at,” Laylen said. “This isn’t about me talking to Gemma, or Gemma getting close to anyone. It about you wanting what you can’t have.”

Alex’s expression faltered. Laylen had obviously nailed whatever was bothering him.  But what a gorgeous, self-confident—and yes, extremely cocky—guy like Alex would want, but couldn’t have was beyond me.

I noticed Laylen was watching me closely. Alex wasn’t looking at me at all, his eyes fixed on the spot of red tinted carpet resting in front of his feet. He appeared at a loss for words, which was so strange for him. He was never at a loss for words. In fact, he usually had too much to say.

I opened my mouth. “I’m sorry, am I missing some—”

“Got it.” Ailsin announced as she bounced through doorway with the Sword of Immortality gripped in her hand. “Now let’s go.”

Alex let out a breath of relief. “Sounds good to me.”

Laylen pulled a balled up navy blue duffel bag out of his pocket. Back at the car, he’d stuffed it in there, so we could smuggle out the sword without it being noticed. He shook it out and unzipped it. “Here, put the sword in here.”

Aislin placed the sword inside the bag. “Are you sure no one’s going to be suspicious of us carrying out a bag?”

“They’d be far more suspicious if it wasn’t in the bag,” Laylen pointed out, zipping the bag up.

“Can we just get going?” Alex snapped, backing down the hall.

Aislin sighed. “Yeah, let’s go.”

Laylen slid the handle of the bag over his shoulder, and then he and I followed them down the hall. The air dipped colder the closer we got to the stairs. Goose bumps polka dotted my skin. I shivered, rubbing my hands up and down my arms.

“Are you cold?” Laylen asked, adjusting the handle of the bag.

“Kind of,” I replied, my breath rising out in a smoky cloud. Well, that can’t be good.

Laylen stopped dead in his tracks, his already pale skin draining to a ghostly white.

“What is it?” I asked him. Before he could answer, I slammed into the back of something. That something was Alex. I could tell by the electric surge.

“Go back,” he hissed, shoving me in the direction we’d just come from. “They’re heading up the stairs.”

He didn’t have to explain who “they” were. I already knew by the icy brittleness that had strangled the air. My heart hammered as we ran back into the room where the sword had just been locked up.

Aislin bounced up and down on her toes. “Oh my God. How did they find us?”

Laylen shrugged. “I have no idea.”

“Is there another way out of here?” Alex asked Laylen.

“There’s a fire escape at the end of the hall,” Laylen told him. “But it’ll probably set off the fire alarm when you open it.”

“Well, if there’s no other way, then I guess we’ll have to risk it.” Alex crept over to the doorway, and peered out into the hall. “There are two of them standing at the top of the stairs….What we need is a decoy.” He turned around, his eyes locking on Laylen. “Someone to distract them while I get Gemma out of here.”

“And I’m assuming you want me to be that decoy.” Laylen’s tone didn’t sound bitter, but empty.

It made my stomach ping.

“Laylen, I’m sorry but I just don’t see any other way,” Alex said. “I think it would be best if I was the one with—”

Laylen cut him off.  “Just go.”

Alex hesitated, but only for a split second, then he grabbed a hold of my hand, throwing me off balance as he yanked me toward the doorway. “Come on Aislin.”