I looked up at the ceiling. It was a pitched, thatched roof, and I could see all the way up. "Stairs to where? I don't think there's a second floor."

TS shrugged. "Then, I guess Tom has decided to eat on the roof."

I followed him back out of the pavilion and along the wooden path. The corner of the pavilion, where the kitchen was, was enclosed. We walked around behind it, and, sure enough, there was a wooden staircase. Thomas was halfway down it.

"How was your morning?" he asked.

"It was good," I said. "How was yours?"

"Not too bad. Grab some lunch and come on up."

TS and I went back into the pavilion and loaded up some plates from the buffet. Then, we went back to the stairs to find Thomas. There wasn't really an upstairs, but a balcony that ran around the entire roof of the pavilion. It seemed like hardly anyone knew about it. Only a few of the tables were taken. Thomas, TS, and I sat down at a table surrounded by empty ones. There were half a dozen macaws in a nearby tree, just a few feet higher than we were. It was like eating lunch up in the canopy. We traded stories about the wildlife we had seen on our hike. I studied Thomas and TS while we ate. They both looked like normal, human guys in college. I was starting to get used to the odd fact that neither was human, but the thought that they were both more than twice my age was still sinking in. I had to get used to the idea that TS could sense everything that Thomas felt. I watched them talk and eat, looking for some sign of their bond, but didn't see one. When lunch was over, we were divided into new groups for another hike. I was disappointed when we ended up in different groups. Thomas handed me their key and told me to meet them at their cabin when I got back.

My group took a boat across the river for another hike. It was nearly sunset, when we returned to the lodge. The other group had already arrived, and most of them were in the dining pavilion for dinner. I went to Thomas and TS’s cabin first, like Thomas had said. I walked into the small bedroom and stopped in my tracks; Thomas was already feeding. He was sitting on the bed, just behind TS’s shoulder, with his face buried against TS’s neck. There was something about the way they sat that was so classic-vampire-drinking-blood that I got a small chill. There was something just a bit eerie about watching Thomas feed that hadn't struck me when it had been my own neck, and I hadn't been able to watch. TS had his eyes squeezed shut and looked abnormally pale. I had only been there for a few seconds when Thomas shifted his weight. To my surprise, TS reached up and put a hand on the back of Thomas' head, preventing him from moving.

"You aren't done, mate," TS whispered.

Thomas moved TS’s hand and leaned away. I was able to see the two large punctures in TS’s neck. Blood started trickling out of them, and I knew he hadn't given Thomas time to heal them.

"Yes, I am," Thomas said.

"I'm sick of having this argument every time you feed. You're still hungry."

"You know I hate doing this to you," Thomas snarled.

"And you know I don't care!"

They glared at each other for several tense seconds. Then, Thomas sighed and returned to TS’s neck. It looked like TS had convinced him to keep feeding. I wasn't sure what they had been arguing about, until TS grew even paler and started breathing noticeably harder. All at once, TS went limp. For a moment, I wondered just how much more blood Thomas was going to take, but I realized that he was licking the wound closed. He'd stopped feeding the moment TS had passed out. As he gently eased TS onto the bed, I could see that the holes in TS’s neck were already almost scarred over.

"Sorry you had to see that," Thomas said softly. I realized that he was talking to me.

I sat down on the other bed. "It's okay." I didn't think he really had anything to apologize for. "Does he always make you do that?"

Thomas smiled, but still didn't look happy about the situation. "He usually gets his way. It's just a token argument at this point."

"I thought that if you're his soul-packmate then you'd pretty much have to get your way."

He sighed. "If I wanted, I could push it. But I've never taken advantage of that, and I never will. Either way, I..." He hesitated and hung his head. "I need the blood. There isn't much sense in arguing."

"Do you need more blood?"

Thomas nodded reluctantly.

"Okay." I brushed my hair off of my neck and moved to sit next to him.

"Oh! No, no," he said quickly. "I didn't mean... um... I'm fine right now."

His protest was just a little too fast. "There isn't much sense in arguing," I said, wishing I could mimic voices like Dani.

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Thomas laughed weakly. "I'm fine. Really."

I tried a different tactic. "How will TS feel if he wakes up and you're still hungry?"

Thomas’ jaw nearly dropped. "That's... not fair." He actually smiled. "But convincing." Then, he heaved a sigh and moved closer to me. "You're sure?"

"Yes." I tilted my head away from him, exposing my neck.

This time, I let him numb my neck and start feeding without interrupting. I was fairly certain that he was much, much closer to me than he had been to TS. Then again, it could have just been my imagination. I still couldn't believe I had gone and fallen for Thomas. I was starting to feel just a bit light-headed when he pulled away.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Anytime. I mean it."

Thomas studied me for a moment and smiled. "Thank you. That's... Well, I guess you have a better understanding now of just how much that means." I nodded. "Right," he said, standing. "I'm going to go get both of you something to drink. Do you think you'll be okay?"

"Yeah."

"Don't stand up for a few minutes. I'll be right back."

A couple of minutes after Thomas left, TS groaned, and his eyes fluttered open.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Grand. He fed from you too, then?"

I nodded.

"Good. Thank you." TS rolled onto his side and half-moaned half-growled. "Gonna have a wicked headache until sunset."

"When is sunset?"

"Just a few minutes. Maybe eight?" I hadn't expected such a precise answer. Before I could ask if he could actually sense the coming sunset, he spoke again. "I hope that isn't a smoothie."

The door creaked open, and Thomas answered from the porch. "It is, sorry."

TS growled and slowly sat up. Thomas handed both of us a cup and sat down on the other bed. I sipped mine slowly. I was really tired when I finished it. I lay down, intending to just rest for a while. When I woke up, I realized that, not only had I been tucked into a bed, it was morning.

The plan was to spend the first part of the day relaxing at the lodge and recovering from our whirlwind trip around Peru. After lunch, we'd get back on the boats and go to the airport. During breakfast, a very embarrassed guide told us that one of the boats wasn't working. In order to get us all back to the airport in time, the boat would have to take half of us back to town right after breakfast. They split us up, and half of us quickly packed for the trip. Thomas and I were together, but TS ended up in the second group. The guide driving the boat practically flew down the river. He had to drop us off and go straight back, get the second group, and bring them back in time to make our flight. Since we lost the extra time at the lodge, our guides arranged for a complimentary lunch in town. We'd also get a chance to explore and shop.

I ended up going shopping with Kaitlyn and some other girls on the trip. I took advantage of my unexpected money from MES and bought a few extra souvenirs and gifts. Lunch was served outside by the river. I ate with Thomas and listened in amusement as he talked with everyone at the table like a normal college student. Toward the end of the meal, he grew quiet, and I noticed he looked a bit paler than usual. I was about to ask if he was all right when he flung himself away from the table, dropped to his knees on the grass, and vomited. Everyone jumped up in concern. It took a few minutes for Thomas to convince them that he was fine and just wasn't feeling well. At last, he settled down in the shade under a tree.

"Are you okay?" I demanded as soon as we were alone.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I was just a little nauseated."

Everyone else in our group may have bought that, but I didn't. I sat down next to him and lowered my voice, just in case. "You told me that magics hardly get sick at all! Now you expect me to believe that vampires spontaneously get sick enough to throw up?"

He looked at me with an unreadable expression. "Well, I'm fine now."

It was obvious that he was hiding something. The most logical answer I could think of was that it was from the lack of blood. He had just eaten a bunch of food; maybe he was having trouble keeping it down when he was low on blood. "Do you need more blood?" I asked.

"No, I'm okay, and I've got something worked out for tonight." That time, he sounded honest. I wanted to push for an answer to why he had gotten sick, but before I could, he flopped over onto his back and draped an arm over his eyes.

"Thomas?"

"Don't worry, I'm alright. I just need a minute."

I sat there in concern as time ticked by. Thomas made no move to get up. I was relieved when the boat with the other half of our group arrived. TS would be able to help. I gasped in dismay; poor TS must have sensed Thomas throwing up! TS had probably been upset that Thomas was sick, and he wasn't able to be with him. I expected him to race from the boat to us, but instead, he took his time. When he reached us, he dropped down into the grass next to Thomas without a word. I was surprised, and a little confused, that he hadn't taken the time to ask his soul-packmate if he was all right.

"I bloody hate boats," TS groaned. He looked pale, and I wasn't sure if it was from seasickness or because he felt Thomas’ nausea.

"If the first thing you do when we get back on the ship is anything other than taking your potion, I'm going to shove the entire bottle down your throat," Thomas said.

"I'll take it. Don't worry." TS raised his head and looked at Thomas in concern. "Are you alright?"

"I'll live."

I was really confused. It almost seemed like Thomas was sick because TS was, not the other way around. But TS had said that soul-pack bonds didn't work like that. A few minutes later, they both sat up at the same moment and both looked better.

"Feeling better?" I asked.

"Much," Thomas said.

He was. We walked back to the rest of the group, and Thomas seemed perfectly fine. Once the idea that Thomas had thrown up because TS was seasick hit me, I couldn't shake it. The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. I couldn't think of a reason that they'd have lied to me about it, but I was sure that they had. I considered asking TS about it, but felt a little awkward knowing he'd be compelled to tell me the truth. I'd prefer if they were just honest about it in the first place. It didn't matter; we were in close quarters with non-magics all the way to the airport and on the plane. Our first chance alone was when we walked together through the airport to the bus.

"Teth, relax," Thomas said suddenly. "We'll get on the ship before sunset."

"I know," TS grumbled.

TS didn't seem at all uneasy to me. Was Thomas able to sense it, or had they just known each other long enough that Thomas could tell? Before I could put too much thought into it, their words sank in.

"What happens at sunset?" I asked, thinking of the threat still lurking on the ship.

"It's a full moon tonight," TS said.