Dead Is Not an Option by Marlene Perez

pretending," she said. "She knows it's you."
    What was going on? Why was Wolfgang masquerading as a middle-aged spinster? And more important, why was he with Circe?
    I was more confused than ever.
    There was a knock at the door.
    "That has to be room service this time," Wolfie said. He made a beeline for the door.
    "Don't answer that," Circe and I said at the same time, but it was too late.
    Before anyone could react, a woman with a birthmark pushed her way into the room and opened fire. Two men appeared behind her, carrying crosses. She shot Circe in the chest and then pointed the gun at Wolfie. The crosses forced Count Dracul and Claudia to hang back. The count ran to Circe as she fell to the floor.
    I concentrated and gave a mental push. It propelled the shooter out into the hallway, where she hit the wall with a dull thud. The two men backed out of the room.
    "Trinity's down!" one of them said. I concentrated again and slammed the door shut and locked it.
    Ryan was already dialing 911. He stayed on the phone, but he said, "I need towels. Cover her up." He barked orders as we tried to help Circe until the paramedics arrived.
    There was blood everywhere, and I noticed that Count Dracul and Claudia were restraining themselves, but there were beads of blood forming on Claudia's forehead. She looked hungry.
    Wolfgang stood frozen, but when he noticed his girlfriend's distress, he finally took action and put his arm around her. "Don't look, Claudia," he said. "Think of something else."
    It seemed like forever, but I finally heard the wail of sirens in the distance. They loaded Circe onto a gurney, and the count left with her.
    Ryan and I sat on the couch. "I'm calling Dad," Ryan said. He took out his cell phone and dialed, and then, after a brief conversation he hung up. "Dad's on his way. He's calling your parents."
    My parents. They'd be frantic by now.
    Wolfie paced, and Claudia licked her lips as she stared at a spot of blood on the wall.
    I felt sorry for her, but it was a crime scene. We couldn't exactly tidy up.
    "Why would anyone want to shoot Circe?" I said finally.
    "Who didn't want to shoot her?" Wolfgang replied.
    "Come on, Wolfie. Tell me what you know."
    Claudia stepped between us and took his hand. "Daisy saved your life, Wolfgang. We owe her the truth."
    Wolfie cleared his throat. "Claudia and I have been going out for a while, but we knew, with all the stuff going on between the shifters and the vampires, that neither side would be happy if they found out. So we started sneaking around."
    "He didn't want to," Claudia said. "But I insisted."
    "Anyway, we were sitting in a tent by the beach—I set it up so Claudia could see the sun rise—and we saw them when they dumped that vampire kid. The one who almost burned up in the sun?"
    "We thought that one of the Scourge saw us as they were leaving, but we weren't sure," Claudia said. "We called for help and the vampire lived."
    "How did you know it was the Scourge?" Ryan asked.
    "They weren't shifters, and they weren't vamps," Wolfie said. "We would have recognized them if they were."
    "One of them was that woman who just shot Circe," Claudia said. "I'm sure of it."
    "So why did the vampire kid say it was Weres who attacked him?" I asked.
    "He had been blindfolded before he saw his attackers," Claudia explained. "But Wolfie and I saw them, so we were scared."
    "I thought the kidnapped vampire said he smelled wolf," I said.
    "He did," Wolfie replied, blushing. "But it was me he smelled, not his kidnappers."
    "We went to my grandfather, and he told the council everything we knew," Claudia said. "They knew that the Scourge would try to eliminate us. So they called Circe."
    "To help guard you?" I asked. "That's why she was holed up at the hotel?"
    "Yes," she said. "Sorceresses aren't tied to the whims of the full moon and can't be repelled by a cross."
    There was a knock at the door. No one moved until Chief Mendez said, "Ryan, it's me."
    Liam, Nicholas, and the chief