For a moment, none of us moved. Then, almost all at once, we sprang into action. Baby spun into my fist nearly autonomously. Evan thrust out his arm and a knife slid down into his palm. Beni pulled her kilij from her back. Beneath the auburn fall of her hair, and I hadn’t even noticed she was strapped up. Espy started praying, fingers weaving in complicated gestures I didn’t recognize. Magda stuff, probably.

We all assumed positions, Evan taking point, and crept toward the door.

“I know you’re in there,” an unfamiliar voice called. “Mrs. Song sent me.”

Evan and I shared a look. How had Song found the safehouse?

Espy finished her gestures by clasping her hands together, fingers interlaced. Then she slowly brought them apart. Electricity raced over my skin. It was so tempting to engage the sight and see what she’d done to the room, but I’d learned my lesson in the basement.

“It’s open,” she called.

The front door swung open, and a petite Chinese girl walked in. She was delicate and billboard-pretty, with thick black hair tied back from her face. Her grim expression was at odds with her ripped skinny jeans, and sparkly t-shirt. The sequins were in the shape of a kitten. My instinct was to peg her at around my age, but intentionally trying to look younger. It was just a feeling, though, no way to confirm.

She looked over us, gaze lingering the longest on Espy. Not one iota of fear entered her eyes in this room full of naked blades.

“Your magic will not work in here,” Espy said. “Try anything, and the results will be very unpleasant.”

“If we wished to harm you we would have done it the second we detected your lair,” the girl said.

“We?” Espy said. “Did you come alone?”

The girl smiled. “A Song is never alone.”

“What do you want?” Evan asked harshly.

“The vampire,” she said. “Release him to me.”

“No,” I said. “He’s my rightful catch, and I’m not giving him up ‘til we’re done with him.”

“You don’t seem to understand,” said the girl. “You have no power here, slayer. All you’ve done is destabilize a situation you don’t comprehend.”

“So explain it, then,” said Beni.

“Why do you think you can show up anywhere you want and make demands?” Her contemptuous eyes slid across the room. “You don’t make the rules here. We do. There is a system in place, and that is all you need to know. A system you are actively fucking up.”

“Well, maybe if someone would just explain it to us--” I started.

“I am explaining it to you,” she said. “The way it works is: you release the vampire, and then you leave.”

“That’s not an explanation,” Evan said. “That’s an ultimatum.”

“Release the vampire, or die,” the girl said. “That’s an ultimatum.

“Get out, or die.” Evan flipped the knife in his hand from defensive to offensive. “That’s another one.”

“Let’s everyone calm down,” Espy said. “My name is Esperanza, what’s yours?”

“My name is none of your business,” replied the girl. “This is not a social call, this is your last chance to see reason. I hear your people believe in knowledge, right? Know this: the only way you make it out of this unscathed is by releasing the vampire, and leaving town before dark. Period.” She stared us all down as she continued, “There’s no secret maneuvers, no fancy technique, no ancient chant that will get you out of this. Surrender, or suffer the consequences.”

“Regretfully,” said Espy. “We must decline your generous offer.”

I half expected Evan to object. Exchanging Ira’s life for ours wouldn’t bother him a bit, but he followed Espy’s lead. I guess his adherence to the hierarchy won out over his hatred of the vampire in the basement.

The girl sighed. “My grandmother told me what the answer would be, but I wanted to try anyway.” Then she turned and looked right at me. “Just know, you brought this on yourself.”

A pit opened in my gut. She turned and unhurriedly walked out the door.

Beni seemed to agree. “Well, that was ominous.”

“So what do we do now?” I asked.

“Bolster the blessings around the house,” sighed Espy. “At least until we can set up a new HQ somewhere else.”

Evan tucked his knife away. “How did Song find us in the first place?”

“Ira, I think,” said Beni, her saber disappearing beneath her hair. “That girl knew he was here. Like, one hundred percent knew.”

A terrible thought occurred to me, the sick feeling in my stomach growing. “This is my fault.”

“No--” Evan started to say.

“Yes, it is.” I was suddenly certain of it. “Beni’s right. They must be tracking Ira. It’s the only thing that makes sense, and if they’re able to find him even here…”

In a soft voice, Espy finished the thought. “...Then the safehouse is no longer protected.”

Beni caught on. “Bringing a vampire inside the protections must invalidate them.”

“You were right all along,” I said to Evan. “I should never have brought him here. I am too cocky and reckless--”

“There’s no time for that now,” he said, surprisingly gentle as he laid a hand on my shoulder. “We need to gather up our essentials and go. Right now.”

“Good thing we live out of packs anyway,” said Beni, a valiant attempt to lighten the gloom.

“Quiet!” Espy commanded. “Do you hear that?”

And then I could, a strange...groaning? Rattling? Almost like pipes first thing in the morning--

Snakes exploded from the faucet in the kitchen sink, and Espy (the closest of us to the kitchen) shrieked, “Oh, hell no!” and jumped back as best she could on her prosthetic.

Her sword practically appeared by magic in her hand, and she swung at the serpents writhing in the sink. The blade passed through their scaly bodies with a whisper, but no heads hit the ground. I knew in the true sight I would see the same golden web of symbols that Song had used on the car.

“Espy!” I cried. “It won’t work!” I tried to step forward, but was stopped by a wave of coughing.

“Seth?” Evan reached for me, but I fell to my knees hacking into my elbow. “Seth, what’s wrong?”

“D-don’t--” I lifted my head to try to tell him I don’t know, and his face paled. Looking down at my arm I knew why.

I was coughing up blood.