Off With His Head

17. Decide your course

The music is pumping so loud I can hear it from down the street. Zach and Caleb's black car pulls up on the side of the road and they both turn to me. "Good luck, Peyton," Zach says, a half smile almost gracing his face.

"You're not coming in with me?" I can feel the panic clutching at my throat again. I had honestly thought they would be in the nearby vicinity. I didn't realize that I would be completely alone while facing the vampire. When Caleb had said they were on standby, I thought that meant they would be close, not parked in a car outside, too far away to help me if I scream.

"We aren't allowed to interfere. We have to wait here for you."

I glance at Caleb and take note of the sadness in his eyes. I wonder if he had known it would come to this all along. Deep down, despite our conversation on the way to my apartment, I had believed that they would be with me. That I would have some sort of back up and wouldn't be facing this alone.

I can't believe how wrong I was. I should have known that Lideri would have something hidden up his sleeve.

"What if," I don't know how to finish my sentence, 'die' seems like such a final word. "What if I fail?"

"Then we will go in, and exterminate the threat," Zach tells me.

His words echo what he had said earlier and though I had taken him seriously then, now with the looming threat across the road from me, it feels even more real. My fear escalates until I'm sure I won't be able to convince myself to exit the car. My eyes meet his, ocean blue and a swirl of emotions that I can't decipher. For a moment, I'm convinced I see regret flit across them.

If you do die, I would notice your absence.

"Your jacket is equipped with a small camera, so that we can watch your progress from the car. We'll turn it on when you go inside. It's standard protocol for everyone's first mission." His hand reaches over and lands on my knee, shocking me with the tenderness of his touch. I vaguely remember the way he flinched when I placed a hand on his shoulder and force myself not to do the same. "You'll be okay."

Surprisingly, I find comfort in Zach's unexpected kindness and the small smile that plays on his lips. He seems to be softening towards me, and I decide there and then that I will survive this, if only to tease him about his name a few more times and finally break down the walls he surrounds himself with. We will be friends, whether he likes it or not. I nod as I unbuckle my seatbelt. "Okay."

I wait one more moment before I leave, hoping that Caleb will say something. It feels strange for Zach to be the one to give me the strength I need to face this, when before it seemed as though he couldn't stand me. I had thought that Caleb might have some parting words for me, considering that he is the one who trained me, and who claims to actually care about me. But he refuses to meet my gaze, instead staring down at the center console.

"See you guys," I say, when it becomes obvious that Caleb is going to remain silent. I get out the car and walk slowly towards the house where the loud music is emanating from. Each step feels like it's bringing me closer to my death.

I can't think like that. I shouldn't.

The front door is hanging wide open, and party goers are scattered along the front lawn. Plastic cups and broken bottles litter the ground. The beat seems to thump under my feet and rattle my teeth. I eye everyone carefully; looking for my target, hoping that I will recognize him from the photos that Zach showed me yesterday.

Auburn hair. Brown eyes. Small crescent shaped scar on his cheek. Goes by the name Colton.

No one looks familiar here. It reminds me so much of the night that I met Henry and I am slammed with the déjà vu feeling of it all. That had also been a party, one that Naomi had dragged me to against my will. I hadn't known anyone there either.