“Whoa!” shouted Dean as he landed. “They almost got me—” “Tsss,” Oliver hissed. “Quiet.” He crept along the side of the castle until he could see the front gate. A collection of vampires walked briskly toward the front door. The bone pins on the lapels of their black coats identified them as Half-Light Consortium. Oliver recognized a few of them: Leah with her short frizzy hair; Yasmin in her head scarf; and Tyrus leading the team, his turtleneck high despite the warm night. “Leah, check the back,” he ordered, and Leah started in Oliver’s direction. Oliver wondered for a moment if he should reveal himself to them. Then I won’t have a chance to talk to Selene on my own. He found that, despite talking with his dad, Oliver wanted more than ever to talk to Selene. And he was pretty sure that was what she wanted, too. He turned and raced back to Dean and Emalie. “Let’s go.” They ran to the wall, Oliver grabbing Emalie again as they leaped over it and landed in the dry brush on the steep hillside.
