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I need to hire Vampyra to do my marketing, Macy thinks. That vampy tramp gets it.

A woman in the audience stands up. “Question for Vampyra. How do you deal with women who try to tear you down?”

Vampyra’s expression shifts slightly. Still warm, still open, but there’s steel underneath now.

“You rise above. You don’t let jealousy and pettiness drag you into the mud. Some people will smile to your face and stab you in the back. You keep moving forward.”

Another woman calls out, “But what if they keep coming after you?”

Vampyra’s jaw tightens for just a second before she smooths her expression back into that warm, relatable smile. “Then you make sure your success is the best revenge. You build something so good they can’t ignore it. And if they try to sabotage you?” She pauses, and there’s something in her voice that sounds less like advice and more like a threat. “You document everything. You protect yourself. And you let karma do its thing.”

The crowd applauds, but I’m not clapping. I’m watching Vampyra’s face, the way her fingers are digging into the armrest, the way she glances toward the woods behind the stage like she’s checking to make sure someone isn’t there.

Karma? Clawdia dropping dead at a festival might look like karma to someone who thought she deserved it.

The way Vampyra grips the chair when discussing rivals does not look calm or rational, Duchess observes quietly. That’s not casual. That’s personal.

Maybe she just has strong opinions, Sherlock suggests. I have strong opinions about bacon.

How you’ve survived this long is a mystery, Fish mutters.

Morticia is making one last attempt at professionalism. “Let’s discuss costume design and character development in the horror hosting genre⁠—”

Georgie’s hand shoots up again. “Vampyra, be honest. Do the girls in the corset help or hurt your credibility as a serious horror professional?”

Dead silence.

Then Vampyra laughs, loud and genuine. “They help. Anyone who says otherwise is lying or jealous. Use what you’ve got.”

Georgie turns to Mom triumphantly. “That’s what I keep telling you, Red!”

I’m disowning her, Mom thinks. Effective immediately. And maybe investing in a good corset.

Vampyra continues, leaning forward like she’s sharing a secret with the entire crowd. “Look, we’re in a visual medium. The girls get them in the door, the personality keeps them in the room, and the brain makes them subscribe. It’s called a three-part strategy. Use all your assets, ladies. It’s the best advice you’ll ever hear.”

Half the crowd gives her a standing ovation.

Ella bounces in her stroller and claps along with everyone else, and I reach down to adjust her pumpkin hat because at least she’s having a good time even if I’m questioning every decision that led me to this moment.

Morticia finally throws in the towel. “Let’s take a ten-minute break. Vampyra will be available for meet-and-greet after, and please visit our refreshment table courtesy of the Country Cottage Inn.”

The crowd stands, stretches, and immediately swarms the refreshment table like locusts descending on a donut-dusted field. Georgie rushes the stage for an autograph. Mom follows to supervise and probably apologize on behalf of the entire family. Macy is already halfway to the stage with business cards in hand.

Emmie catches my eye from across the crowd and shakes her head slowly. Don’t do it.

I stand up and push Ella’s stroller toward the refreshment table to the exact spot where my best friend is standing.

“Watch her for five minutes?” I bat my lashes at her innocently.

Emmie fights a laugh. “Fine. But if the vampire princess bites you, I’m not explaining it to Jasper.”

“Deal. I’ll tell him I had a nefarious run-in with fangs.”

I slip away from the crowd and head toward the edge of the woods. Vampyra has already disappeared from the stage, and I spot her standing alone near the tree line, silhouetted by purple string lights. She’s checking her phone, and when she glances up and sees me approaching, something flickers across her face—recognition, wariness, maybe both.

Duchess trots alongside me. I’m coming with you. I want to hear what the wicked vampire has to say for herself.

Fish and Sherlock bound right along with us.