'It's about Dani,' Sienna went on.

'Dani?' Jason repeated, surprised. 'What about her?'

'She took off with Ryan,' Sienna said. 'She told Belle they were going to Le Fleur.'

'The hotel?' Adam asked, frowning.

'What hotel?' Jason demanded.

'It's mostly for honeymooners. It's a very private inn on the beach,' Sienna said. 'That's the thing. Belle is worried. She thinks Dani and Ryan are so upset about having to break up that they might have gone there to do something drastic.'

'Drastic like turning Dani into a vampire?' Jason asked.

Sienna nodded.

'But they can't!' Adam cried. 'The test showed that Dani is genetically incompatible with the vampire genes. If she undergoes the transformation, she could go insane. She could die!'

'All true,' Jason said grimly, already running for his car. 'But Dani doesn't know that, does she?'

Twenty.

JASON HEADED FOR his car at a dead run. He had to get to Dani. Ifhe was too late if she'd already undergone the transformation . . .

He couldn't even think about it.

When they got back to where the cars were, Jason didn't hesitate. He jumped into the Bug and started it up. Adam squeezed himself into the tiny backseat, and Sienna took shotgun. 'Where is this hotel?' Jason demanded.

'It's just up the coast a few miles,' Sienna said. 'Ryan's family owns it. That must be why they went there.'

Jason hit the gas and screeched out onto the road, heading for Pacific Coast Highway. As he drove, he fished his cell out of the glove compartment where he'd left it when they broke into the lab. He hit speed dial for Dani's number.

'We're sorry,' said an electronic voice. 'The wireless customer you have reached is unavailable or has traveled out of range-'

'Dammit,' Jason muttered. He hung up and dialed again.

The same message greeted him.

'Can't reach her,' he told his friends.

'If she's really planning to do this, she probably doesn't want to be reached,' Adam pointed out.

Jason slammed his fist against the steering wheel. 'I knew she would do this if she found out about transforming! She doesn't think before she does things.'

'You never told her?' Sienna asked. 'About your aunt wanting the two of you to become vampires?'

'No. I wanted to get all the information first,' Jason said. 'I wanted to prevent Danielle from doing something like this. I didn't want her to even know it was possible to turn into a vampire.'

'Well, if you didn't tell her, who did?' Adam asked.

'Ryan must have,' Jason said. 'If he's done it if he's turned her, I'll kill him.'

'Slow down,' Sienna said, putting her hand on his arm. 'There's no way Ryan would do this on his own. He would never in a million years try to talk Dani into transforming. None of us would. We all know how dangerous it is.' She paused, then went on carefully, 'Do you think it could have been Bianca's idea?'

'She told me she wouldn't say anything to Danielle,' Jason said, not wanting to believe that his aunt would do such a thing. 'She promised.'

'But she's not herself, Jason,' Sienna said gently. 'Bianca has the transformation sickness. We know that now. There's no telling what she might do.'

Jason whipped the Bug down the ramp onto PCH. He floored it, picking up speed. How long had Dani been gone? How long did it even take to complete the transformation? Was he too late already?

Frantic, he grabbed his cell and dialed again. The same message answered him. He hung up and dialed Aunt Bianca's number. The phone rang, and then her voicemail picked up. 'Aunt Bianca!' Jason yelled into the phone. 'I need to talk to you! Dani's in danger. If she transforms, she'll get sick. You have to help me stop her.' He hung up. PCH was only two lanes here, with sheer bluffs on one side and a steep drop down to the beach on the other.

'There!' Sienna pointed to a sign. 'That's our exit. Go slow, the road isn't paved.'

Jason hit the brakes as he made the turn onto a dark, narrow lane. He wouldn't have even noticed it was there if Sienna hadn't told him. The Bug skidded on the loose gravel as they went downhill toward the Pacific.

'Here.' Jason shoved his cell at Adam. 'Keep trying Dani.' Adam turned on the speaker and hit re-dial, but Dani's phone didn't pick up.

'Doesn't matter. We're here,' Sienna said.

Jason turned the Bug into a small parking lot near a white Cape Cod style inn with an antique gas lamp glowing outside the front door. He shut off the engine, grabbed his cell phone and leaped out of the car, running for the entrance. The lobby was tiny just a wooden desk and a big fireplace with a couple of overstuffed chairs in front of it.

The woman at the desk jumped when she saw Jason racing in. 'Can I help you?' she asked, frowning.

'Ryan Patrick. Is he here?' Jason demanded.

'We need to see him. It's urgent,' Sienna explained.

The receptionist checked her computer. 'Yes, he has cabin six,' she said. 'I'll call over for you.'

'Never mind,' Jason said. He was already out the door.

'I saw a sign for the cabins this way,' Adam told him. 'Down the stairs.'

Jason veered to the right and hurried down the steps that led toward the beach. Several private cabins lay spread throughout the dunes, each with a cabin number lit by a tiny lantern. He spotted cabin six right away.

'Dani!' Jason yelled, racing toward the cabin. 'Dani!' He pounded on the door, but there was no answer. Jason tried the k.n.o.b. The door swung open, unlocked. The cabin was empty.

A wave of panic washed over him. Where was his sister? What had happened to her?

'We'll search the whole place,' Sienna said, sensing his terror. 'Don't worry. We'll find them. We'll stop them.'

'I'll check the bar,' Adam called, sprinting back up the steps.

'I'll check the hot tub,' Sienna said, disappearing in the other direction.

Jason wasn't sure where to check. While he thought about it, he pulled out his cell and hit re-dial.

The phone rang, and then Dani's voice answered. 'Jason,' she hissed, 'what is going on? You've called me about twenty times. This better be an emergency!'

'Oh, thank G.o.d,' he cried. 'Are you OK? Where are you?'

'Jason-'

'I'm already at the hotel. Now tell me exactly where you are,' he said sternly.

'On the beach. Down by the water,' Danielle answered, confusion in her voice now. 'What are you-?'

'Stay there. Don't do a thing,' Jason instructed. He hung up and rushed to the stairs that led from the dunes down to the sea. As he reached them, he almost crashed into Adam, who was on his way back from the bar.

'She's down on the beach,' Jason told him. 'Go get Sienna.'

He kept running, down through the dunes and onto the flat stretch of beach. He dreaded what he might find there. What if Dani had already transformed?

Four tall tiki torches had been set up on the sand near the sea, with a thick blanket spread between them. Jason could see Dani and Ryan sitting there, a bottle of champagne in a bucket and a picnic dinner laid out in front of them.

Dani scrambled to her feet when she saw him. 'Jason,' she cried angrily, 'I can't believe-'

'Have you done the transformation yet?' he demanded.

Both Dani and Ryan just stared at him.

'Have you?'

'No,' Dani said, a tinge of worry creeping into her voice. 'We're just having dinner.'

'Look, Jason . . .' Ryan began, just as Sienna and Adam raced up.

Danielle gaped at the new arrivals. 'What on earth-?'

Jason took his sister's arm and drew her to one side while Sienna and Adam went to talk to Ryan.

'Let go,' Dani said, shaking him off. 'I can't believe you barging in on my date! What's wrong with you?'

'You're not supposed to be with Ryan,' Jason said.

'You're not supposed to be with Sienna,' she pointed out.

'OK, point taken,' Jason agreed, running his hand through his hair. 'You're OK?'

'Yes.' Dani's voice softened. 'Why?'

'Dani, you can't become a vampire,' he said. 'Not ever.'

'Aunt Bianca said I could,' she replied. 'She told me-'

'I know what she said, but she's wrong,' Jason interrupted. 'She didn't tell you about the risks, did she? She didn't tell you about transformation sickness.'

'No,' Dani said slowly, suddenly seeming very small and unsure.

Jason took her hand and pulled her down onto the sand, then sat down next to her. 'Aunt Bianca isn't really . . . she's not herself lately,' he said. 'She has something the vampires call transformation sickness. It's what happens to some humans who turn into vampires. The thing is, some humans can't handle the change, and they die.'

Danielle gasped.

'Others don't die, but they get sick,' Jason continued. 'Mentally, I mean. They go insane. There's a test for it, and I took the test tonight. I took a sample of your DNA, and I tested that as well. It said you were incompatible, Dani. Your body couldn't handle the transformation.'

Dani pulled back, tears in her eyes. 'You're lying,' she said. 'Aunt Bianca turned into a vampire years ago. Nothing happened to her. She's not sick.' But Jason could tell that Dani was already doubtful.

'Think about it, Dani. Think how weird she's been acting lately,' he pressed. 'And when Tyler was in town, he stole something from the Lafrenieres. Now, I'm not saying it was right. Far from it. But Aunt Bianca wanted to have him killed because of it!'

Danielle covered her mouth in horror. 'I can't believe it,' she murmured. 'Poor Aunt Bee.' She stared down at her toes, buried in the cool sand. 'And that's what would happen to me?' she asked at last.

'Yes. I'm sorry,' Jason said simply.

'Thank you, Jason,' she whispered. 'Thank you for finding me. We were planning to . . . later. We figured since we had Bianca's blessing, it would be OK. Ryan's parents couldn't be mad with Bianca on our side.'

'Ryan!' A voice cut through the air. 'Where are you?'

Jason jerked his head toward the sound. A tall, broad-shouldered man was striding down the beach toward them, his brown eyes blazing. He had blond hair cut military short, but Jason suspected that if it was a little longer it would be curly like Ryan's. The man had to be Ryan's father. He stalked across the sand, practically mowing down a couple taking a romantic moonlit walk. They stopped in their tracks, took in the group by the blanket, and turned back toward the cabins.

'Dad? What are you doing here?' Ryan asked.

Yep. The man was a lot more guard dog than puppy dog, but Jason had been right.

'I got a call from the manager. She saw you checking in with a girl, a human, and thought I should know about it!' Mr Patrick snapped. 'I knew it would be Dani.' His eyes swept over Jason's sister, and Jason moved closer to her, protectively.

'You were planning to transform her, weren't you?' Mr Patrick continued. 'Because your mother and I forbade you to see her.'

'It didn't happen,' Jason put in quickly.

'Yeah, Dad, we didn't do anything,' Ryan added.

'Who are you?' Mr Patrick demanded, ignoring his son and staring at Jason.

'I'm Dani's brother. I . . . we . . .' He gestured to Sienna and Adam. 'We found out what was going on in time to stop them.'

'The important thing is that nothing happened, Mr Patrick,' Sienna said coolly.

He nodded.

'And right now, there's something even more important that you need to know,' Sienna went on. 'Something about Bianca.' She quickly filled him in.