I squeeze her back, not bothering to check the bloody tears streaming down my cheeks. I guess I didn’t realize up until now how much I’d missed her. My Sunny. My sister. My better half. The McDonald twins—united again at long last.
“Thank goodness you’re all right,” I murmur before we part from our embrace.
“What are you guys doing here?” she asks. “Did you get kicked out of the Consortium, too? Did Pyrus figure out you’re not on his side? Is the Blood Coven okay?”
I hold up my hands in protest. “Whoa! One question at a time. Sit down and I’ll give you the scoop.”
She plops down on the log. I notice she’s a lot skinnier than when I last saw her. I guess blood isn’t the only scarce food supply down here in the vampire refugee camp. I wish I’d saved some of that hamburger. Not that Miss Vegetarian would probably eat any of it.
“Come on, Rayne. Don’t keep me in suspense here.”
“Oh, right.” I shake my head to clear it, then give her the CliffsNotes version of the last few days. When I’m finished, she gives a low whistle.
“Wow, Bertha the Vampire Slayer,” she says. “I never thought we’d run into her again.”
“Yeah, well, to be honest, I think she’s the least of our problems at this point. Pyrus knows where you are, and who knows what he’s going to do with that information. I mean, the guy’s really out for blood, if you know what I mean. We need to get you and Magnus out of here,” I tell her. “So hurry up. Go pack your things. Or don’t even bother—we can buy you more once we get you away,” I add, remembering all the baggage she tried to drag with her when we made our escape attempt from Riverdale. I rise to my feet, putting out a hand. “Come on. There’s no time to lose.”
Sunny looks at my hand, but doesn’t take it. “Rayne, I can’t just leave,” she says. “I mean, what about Magnus? He’s out hunting with the others. He won’t be back for a few hours, at least.”
I frown. This is so like Sunny. To completely dismiss my selfless, death-defying rescue attempt because she’s more interested in her boyfriend’s whereabouts than her own safety. She makes it tough, let me tell you.
“Sun, Jareth will stay here and wait for Magnus,” I tell her. “They’re vampires—they can take care of themselves. But in the meantime, we’ve got to get you somewhere safe.”
Sunny’s eyes narrow. “Because I can’t take care of myself?”
I groan. In her extended absence I guess I’d conveniently forgotten how sensitive Sunny is about the whole she’s more weak and vulnerable than a vampire thing. I’m guessing any second now she’s going to start going off about how she’s a fairy princess and perfectly able to take care of herself.
“I’m not some helpless mortal, you know! I’m a fairy princess! I can take care of myself! So don’t even start on this whole ‘Sunny is sweet and innocent and helpless and needs to be rescued’ crap. In fact, last I remember, I’m the one who saved your butt.”
I grit my teeth. “Exactly! And I let you, right? So how about you let me return the favor?”
“You only let me because you were half-dead and poisoned,” Sunny points out. “And don’t even think of trying to tell me you would have taken off with me and left Jareth behind if he was in danger, too.”
“I would too have!” I protest. I catch Jareth’s raised eyebrow. “Sorry, babe,” I say, “but only because I respect your vampire prowess and know you don’t need me to get out of a tight situation.”
Sunny rolls her eyes. “Rayne McDonald, you don’t fool me one bit. Now sit down, drink your damn blood, and wait with me for Magnus to come back.”
I sigh, resigning myself to plopping down on the log. “Since when you did you become the pigheaded, annoying twin?” I ask. “I thought that was my job description.”
Sunny smirks then softens. “Look, Rayne, it’s not that I don’t appreciate you coming here to rescue me. I think it’s really sweet. In fact, I couldn’t ask for a more loyal and devoted twin. But you know I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to Magnus. I love him. I’ve sacrificed everything to be with him up until now. I can’t abandon him.”
“I know.” I sling an arm around her shoulder and pull her close. “You’re a good girlfriend. Magnus is lucky to have you.”
“And I’m lucky to have you.”
As she rests her head on my shoulder happily, I try to quiet the worry whirling through my brain. So we have to wait an hour or two. No big deal. I mean, this place is more heavily guarded than Fort Knox. Booby traps, secret passageways, Latin passwords, optical illusions, and a Chupacabra army. Even if Pyrus did have an inkling as to where the two of them were hiding out, it’s not like he could just waltz in here with no difficulty. Surely we’re safe for at least another few hours.
“So where are you taking us, anyway?” Sunny asks. “I mean, what place could be safer than this?”
Huh. Good question. In all my determination to rescue, I actually didn’t really consider our next move. I glance over at Jareth, hoping he’s done a bit more preplanning.
“There’s another vampire refugee camp deep in the heart of Mexico,” my boyfriend says. “Down at the bottom of a 1,200-foot pit.”
Wow, that sounds about as appealing as having all my teeth pulled at the dentist. But I guess vampires have different outlooks on vacation destinations. After all, if a 1,200-foot-deep pit doesn’t shield them from sunshine, nothing will.