Destiny saw the orange embers of the dying campfire. They sent up red and yellow sparks like jewels into the night sky.

Renz held her in his arms. He pressed his mouth to her ear. aIave waited so long for this night.a Destinyas skin tingled. Her muscles tensed.

He lowered his face to hers. His fangs curled down from his gums. aAre you ready, Laura?

Are you ready?a aYes,a Destiny whispered. aYes, yes aa Then she grabbed the wooden tent pole she had placed beside the tent. Raised it high. And 277.

with a groan, shoved it deep into Renzas chest.

His eyes went wide and he uttered a startled hiss. He staggered backa"

a"and Destiny shoved the stake deeper.

aOh, no. Oh, no,a Renz whispered, arms flailing. He toppled to his back on the ground.

I planned this all week. Itas all I could think about.

Now, die, Renza"die!

aOh, no,a he repeated. aYou canata"a His arms and legs flailed like a pinned insect.

aLaura, I love you. I love you, Laura.a He reached up and grabbed her by the shoul- ders. His bony fingers tightened, digging into her sweater, into her flesh. aI love you. I love youa .a He struggled to pull her down to him.

With a surge of strength, Destiny shoved the tent pole all the way through his body, into the ground.

Die, Renza"die!

A gurgling sound escaped from Renzas open mouth.

Destiny stared in horror as Renzas body began to fall apart. His arms and legs crackled and curled. The skin on his face melted away.

His chest caved in. His skull disintegrated, 278.

leaving only his fangs.

In seconds, his clothing lay on the grass, empty, except for a few flakes of powdery dust that floated into the air.

Gasping for breath, Destiny spun awaya"

and saw her father standing behind her.

aDestiny, Iam here,a he whispered. aI sawa"a aDad aa Destiny said, her entire body trembling. aDad a I killed him. I had to.

He a he came for me!a She pulled down the collar of her sweater and showed him the twin marks on her throat.

aNo!a Dr. Weller let out a cry. He stared at her for a long moment, eyes wide with shock.

Then he grabbed the wooden stake from the ground and raised it high above his head.

aNo!a Destiny screamed. aDad, please donat! Donat hurt me!a aWhy didnat you tell me?a her father shouted. He heaved the stake across the field and wrapped Destiny in his arms. She could feel his hot tears on her cheek. aDee, why didnat you tell me? I would never hurt you. Never!a aBecause aa She pulled away from him.

aBecause I know who you are, Dad. I know youare a hunter.a 279.

He shook his head. aYes. Yes, Iam a hunter.

But, Deea"I can help you. I have a cure.a She gazed up at him. aYou a youare aa He nodded. aYes. Iam also the Restorer.a 280.

Chapter Forty-One.

aI Guess I Should Tell You the Trutha Dr. Weller grabbed Destinyas hand. He pulled her to his tent on the other side of the field.

Safely inside, she dropped to her knees and watched him open his medical bag.

aWhat are you going to do, Dad?a He bent over the bag. aI have a formula, Dee. Itas taken me a long time, but Iam sure I finally have it right.a He held her arm and raised a hypodermic needle in his other hand. He searched for a vein, then plunged the needle into her arm.

The needle stung. aWill it really cure me?a she asked in a tiny voice.

He nodded, his face solemn. aIt may not be instantaneous. But you will feel the symptoms begin to fade.a Tears rolled down his cheeks. aI never dreamed Iad have to use it on my own daughter.a He returned the needle to the bag.

281.

Destiny felt a surge of heat roll through her body. The cure was right in my own house all along, she thought. aButa"Dad, how did you find this? How can you do this?a He squeezed her hand. He let out a long sigh. aDee, there are so many things Iave kept from you. I guess I should tell you the truth.a She stared at him. aThe truth?a aThe truth about your mother aa Destinyas throat tightened. aWhat about Mom?a He took a deep breath. aYouare not going to like what I have to say. I hoped never to have to tell you. You see a your mother was attacked by a vampire. It happened last year, at the end of the winter.a Destiny gaped at her father. aBut a you said she committed suicide.a aYes, she did. She couldnat bear the horror.

After she was bitten, she started to change. We told you kids she was sick. There was no way we could tell you the truth.a aOh my God,a Destiny whispered. aOh my God.a aI went to work in my lab,a her father con- tinued, holding her hand tightly. aI worked 282.

night and day. I knew I could find a cure with the research Iad been doing. But a I failed. I didnat find the cure in time. I failed, Dee. I felt so helpless, so miserable.a Destinyas head spun. aMom? Attacked by a vampire? But, Dad, I canat believe it. Ia"a aAt first, she wasnat too bad. But her hunger grew. I tried to help. I brought lab animals home for her to feed on. But then the next full moon was approaching. She wasnat herself at all. She needed more and more blood. Her thirst for blood became so intense, she prowled at night.

She didnat know what she was doing. She a she took more than one human victim.a Destiny gasped and shut her eyes. Not Mom a oh, no. Not Mom a aThis is so hard for me.a Dr. Welleras voice broke. aHow can I tell you all this? Ia"I canat live with it myself.a Destiny opened her eyes. aGo on, Dad.

Please. I want to know the truth.a He took another breath. aWell a Coach Baueras wifea"poor Marjorya"your motheras best friend, she was one of your motheras vic- tims.

aAfter that, when your mother realized 283.

what she had done to Marjory, she was over- come with horror and grief. She couldnat bear the guilt. She a she killed herself. Shea"a He turned away from Destiny. She could see his shoulders trembling.

She stared at him, trying to digest all that he was telling her. aAnd thatas why you became a vampire hunter?a He turned back to her. aYes. I tried to learn all that I could. I learned how to find vampires, how to hunt them, how to kill them. And all the while I worked in my laba"worked until I couldnat see straighta"until I found a formula that could cure vampires who werenat entirely lost.a Destiny squeezed his arm. aBut Mrs.

Bauera"?a aI tried, but I failed. Too much time had passed. I couldnat restore her. Poor Coach. He begged me to end her misery. He couldnat do it himself. So I came with my helpers and I did it.a A sob escaped his throat. aIave lived with such horror. I didnat want you to know any of it. Ia"a aOh my God! Livvy!a Destiny cried, jump- ing to her feet. aDada"Livvy too! Livvy was 284.

bitten too. I canat believe I forgot her. We have to find hera"fast!a He shoved a flashlight into Destinyas hand. Then he latched his medical bag and picked it up. aMy poor girls. My poor girls.

Hurry. Letas go.a They searched the campground, then the lake- front.

Please let her be okay, Destiny thought.

Please let us be in time to save her.

They stepped into the woods, following the circle of light from the flashlight. The full moon shone brightly overhead, making the tree leaves glimmer like silver. Somewhere, a night dove cooed, sweetly, calmly.

Livvy, where are you?

Livvy, donat hide from us.

They cleared their own path through the trees and the brambled weeds. The flashlight flickered, threatened to die, then revived.

Destiny gasped when she saw Livvy and Ross at the edge of a narrow, grassy clearing.

They were both on their knees, bent over a fallen deer.

Dr. Welleras light swept over them.

285.

Livvy and Ross slowly raised their heads from the deer. Their faces dripped with bright blood.

aGo away!a Livvy rasped. aCanat you see weare hungry?a 286.

Chapter Forty-Two.

Vanished Destiny froze. aLivvya"no,a she choked out.

aYou donat have to do this. Dad is the Restorer.

Dad can cure you both.a Ross blinked several times as if dazed. Then he lowered his face into the torn belly of the deer. He began to drink, making loud sucking sounds.

Livvy stared at Destiny and her father defi- antly. aWe donat want to be cured,a she shouted.

aRoss and Ia"we made our choice. We want to be togethera"forever.a aLivvy, donat do this!a Dr. Weller shouted.

aThere might still be time. If you let mea"a Destiny strode up to the deer. aLet Dad try,a she told her sister. aMaybe he can cure you. You have to let him try!a aWeare a family!a Dr. Weller cried, tears staining his cheeks. aLivvy, weare a family. We need you. We need you with us.a 287.

aItas too late!a Livvy screamed. aIave been an immortal since camp!a aNo!a Destiny gasped.

aRenz drank my blood and I drank his,a Livvy rasped, blood dripping down her chin. aI didnat want to die like Mom. I couldnat stand the idea of death, of lying under the ground forever like Mom. I wanted to live forevera"and Renz gave me the chance.a Destiny shook her head, trying to think clearly. aBut you and I, Liv, wea"a aIam sorry, Destiny. Iam so sorry. I didnat want to be his Laura. But I didnat know he would go after you. When we returned home, I only pretended to be a neophyte,a Livvy said, her eyes wild, locked on her sister. aI only pretended to be frightened about what was hap- pening, Dee. Didnat you wonder why I never helped you search for the Restorer? I already had my new lifea"my immortal life, and I was happy. And I thought you could learn to be happy too.a aNo, Livvy. No!a aAnd tonight Ross and I exchanged blood,a Livvy said, grabbing Rossas hand. aOur blood mingled under the full moon. We did it, Dee.

288.

Because we want to be togethera"forever!a aNo! No! I canat let you do this,a Destiny cried, staggering up to the fallen deer. aYouare my sister. My twin!a A strange smile played over Livvyas blood- stained face. aMaybe you wonat want me for a sister when I tell you the rest. I was the one who killed Bree and Courtney. I didnat want to. They were my friends. But what could I do? I couldnat fight my hunger. I had to feed. I had no choice. I killed them both.a aNo!a Destiny screamed. aNo. Pleasea"no!

Youare lying. Pleasea"tell me youare lying!a Behind her she glimpsed her dad, fumbling in his medical bag. He pulled out a hypodermic needle. aMaybe thereas still time,a he shouted.

aWeare a family, Livvy. Weare a family. Think of Mikey, how much he needs you. Pleasea"I need you too.a Destiny took a deep breath. Then she dove over the side of the dead deer, sliding on the blood-soaked fur. She reached for Livvy with both hands. aI wonat let you get away. I wonat!a Livvy jerked backa"and Destiny toppled into the wet, pulpy open stomach of the deer.

She looked up in time to see Livvy and Ross 289.

begin to change. Their bodies folded in on themselves. Their bones crackled. Their faces disappeared.

They rose over the fallen deer as blackbirds, wings spread, flapping gently, catching the wind.

Dr. Weller sank to his knees. The needle fell from his hand. aNoooooooo.a He buried his face in his hands.

Destiny watched the birds take off, two winged shadows over the full moon. Then they were gone a vanished into the black sky.

aDestiny?a She heard a voice behind her. She turned to find Ari running into the clearing. aDestiny?

Are you okay? I checked your tent, and you werenat there.a aOh, Ari,a she uttered. She threw her arms around his neck and began to sob.

290.

Epilogue.

Destiny slept uncomfortably, rolling over, bunching up her pillow, tossing off the covers.

Six weeks after Livvy had lefta"and Destiny couldnat sleep without dreaming about her.

I donat want to sleep because then I have the nightmares.

But Iam so exhausted. I need to sleep.

aDee?a A tiny voice at her ear.

She raised her head and realized that Mikey had climbed into bed with her. aDee? Are you awake?a aUh-huh.a She squinted at him.

aI canat sleep.a He snuggled against her. aI keep dreaming about Livvy.a aMe too,a she whispered.

He was silent for a moment. Then, aIs it true? Sheas never coming back?a Destiny sighed. aI donat know, Mikey. I really donat. All we can do is hopea .a 291.

She sat up when she heard a tapping sound.

At the window?