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her mouth.
    â€œHa-appy birthday,” Tammy began, and everyone joined in. Emalie watched, her eyes welling when she spotted her dad in the group.
    After the singing, Emalie cut the cake and they ate it with ice cream. Tammy brought out a trio of red sauces in metal bowls, and was careful to explain which one was normal raspberry sauce, which one was just for Dean and Autumn, and which one was specifically for Oliver.
    They sat around the living room, eating and chatting. Oliver found himself even more quiet than usual. He watched the kids and parents, and tried to imagine Phlox and Sebastian here at this party. He could only picture them standing off to the side, too well-dressed, silent. But of course, it would have been improper for vampires to even attend a human event.
    But what did “proper” matter? These parents—Cole, Tammy, Mitch—had drastically changed their lives for their children, sacrificed what was proper and normal, no matter the cost. Would Phlox and Sebastian ever do the same? Cole had shaken Oliver’s hand. He thought back to the one time that Phlox and Tammy had met, before the trip to Morosia. Phlox had been awful.
    Watching the party around him, Oliver’s thoughts darkened further. If his parents and Half-Light had their way, and Oliver fulfilled his prophecy, everything in this room would be destroyed. All that Dean’s and Emalie’s families had sacrificed would be for nothing. Cole had been more right than he knew. Oliver was very dangerous. They had invited their destroyer to the party.
    There was sushi and presents. The Aunders got Emalie a gift card for Glazer’s, which was Emalie’s favorite photo shop.
    â€œNo way,” she exclaimed when she opened the box from Dean. She pulled out a long length of tailbones, shiny white and enameled. “Is it…” Emalie asked. Oliver knew it was an iguana tail.
    â€œIsabella Island,” said Dean, referring to the island in the Galápagos, “from the wolf volcano caldera.”
    â€œThat’s so cool!” Emalie exclaimed.
    â€œCleaned and polished the vertebrae myself,” said Dean proudly.
    Oliver watched with growing nerves. His gift was next.
    Emalie picked up the small box, unwrapping the satin paper and horse mane bow that vampires used for wrapping, the ends always expertly folded so that no tape was necessary. She held up the tiny gift box, made of thin wood, and opened the hinged lid, digging into tissue paper. Oliver heard Autumn whisper girlishly to Dean, and sank to new depths of embarrassment.
    â€œIt’s…” Emalie pulled out a long, narrow length of fabric, holding it up in front of her. “A scarf.”
    â€œWhat’s it do?” Kyle asked skeptically.
    â€œUm, nothing, really,” said Oliver weakly. “It’s just a scarf.” He didn’t bother to mention that it was made of moon-spun silk from Naraka, some of the finest in the underworld. Moon-spun silk was also supposed to gather flattering light around the wearer.
    â€œIt’s really pretty,” said Emalie, smiling at him and wrapping it around her neck.
    Oliver wanted to melt away. He’d looked at lots of pendants and magical charms, all kinds of important and powerful objects, but knowing that Dean had already gotten her the iguana tail, he’d wanted to do something different. Except what did you get Emalie? What did you get for the girl that you…well, sorta… Don’t think that! he shouted to himself, in case Emalie was listening.
    When he looked up, he found her smiling his way. I really like it , she thought to him. Oliver managed to nod.
    Soon, Elizabeth and Kyle had to return to bed.
    â€œDo we need to go, Dad?” Emalie asked Cole.
    â€œI gave him the morning off,” said Aunt Kathleen, with a wink to Emalie. She was Cole’s boss, as the owner of a small fleet of salmon boats.
    â€œI’d be worried about you not getting