(Author's Note: I just want to thank everyone who's been reading (leaving reviews or not). It really means a lot to me that you guys have stuck to the story, despite the fact that I'm a slacker who only updates once in a blue moon. Thank you. It means I'm not doing this for nothing. This story will get done! J )

*Chapter 23*

The sound of Jenny's footfalls in the grass was all she could hear over the roaring in her ears. She raced through the cemetery, eyes focused on Tiffany, who ran ahead of her. Neither of them bothered going around the gravestones; they hurdled them instead. Jenny could see the fence about 50 feet ahead, drawing nearer.

The fence, she thought wildly. Just get to the fence. What would happen after they got to the fence, she didn't know. She wasn't thinking that far ahead. All she knew was if they got to the fence, they could escape the cemetery.

Shouting echoed from somewhere behind her, and Jenny picked up the pace. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest, but she ignored it, trying to keep up with Tiffany, who was admittedly much faster. If only her hands weren't tied. She might be able to run faster.

She leapt over the broken-off head of an angel lying buried in the grass and weeds, then skidded to a stop.

"Tiffany!" she called. She rushed to the headstone next to the angel's head, where a broken slab of marble jutted in the sky, its razor-sharp edge gleaming. She sawed the rope quickly across the marble. At the fourth pass, the rope snapped.

Ah, blessed freedom, Jenny's arms seemed to sigh as stretched. Running with tied hands only produced rope burns, Jenny realized.

She whirled around, her face shining and her arms beginning to raise triumphantly.

"Tiffany, it worked!" she began, then froze.

A man had suddenly jumped out behind Tiffany, who had turned to look at Jenny.

"Behind you!" Jenny screamed.

Tiffany's eyes widened, and she spun around, bringing up her leg as she turned and smashing the man square in the chest with her heel. He gasped and stumbled backward, then reached for Tiffany. She kicked at him again, then took off between the two tombs the man had been hiding behind.

"Run, Jenny!" she yelled as she went.

"Tiffany, no!" Jenny started after her, but the man, getting off the ground dazedly, fixed his gaze on her and grinned, running his tongue over sharp teeth.

"Dammit," she muttered and took off in the other direction.

The next ten minutes were a blur of running and hiding. Apparently, Scarface had gotten some help, because Night people suddenly appeared at every corner. Jenny threw out her old plan of sprinting for the shelter of the trees. Instead, she had to slink from tomb to tomb, making sure no one was in sight before she dashed to the next one. She hadn't heard Tiffany in a while. She hoped she'd gotten out alright.

Somehow, Jenny found herself back on top of the hill where they'd started. She stopped and looked around in disbelief.

"This is insane!" she thought out loud. How had she managed that?

A voice echoed suddenly through the cemetery. "Bring her over here!"

Jenny gasped and threw herself to the ground.

"Where's the other one?" the voice called again.

Jenny crawled over to a headstone and peeked over the top of it. From her vantage point, she could see Scarface walking away from a crumbling chapel hidden in the shade of a stand of pine trees. He was talking and waving his hands at someone Jenny couldn't see. The other person must be on the other side of the huge mausoleum about 100 feet from the chapel, Jenny decided. The other person said something Jenny couldn't quite hear.

Then, Tiffany appeared from the other side of the mausoleum, her head down. "No!" Jenny whispered. She pounded her fist into the ground. If only Jenny hadn't stopped to cut her ropes. They'd been so close. And now Tiffany was back in their possession again. She rested her forehead against the cool marble of the headstone and closed her eyes.

What now? Think, Jenny! she ordered herself. She lifted her head and looked toward the chapel again … and felt her heart stop as she saw who was behind Tiffany.

"No," she choked out. Her face flushed alternately hot and cold, and breathing suddenly became impossible, as if someone had grabbed her lungs in their hands and squeezed. Her mouth opened and closed helplessly.

It can't be, her mind shouted. That's impossible! Her eyes burned as she stared at the familiar dark head pushing Tiffany along. It has to be a mistake.

But just at that moment, he turned his head in her direction, and she caught a clear – painfully clear – glimpse of his face before he entered the chapel and disappeared from sight.

Jenny collapsed into the grass, feeling like she was dying. Her whole body reverberated with one word: Betrayed!

She didn't know how long she lay there, still with disbelief. The sun beat down on her already warm face, and her fingertips and cheeks tingled. When she brought her hand to her cheek, it came away wet with tears.

She stared into the cloudless sky, not really seeing it. Her mind painfully replayed that moment she had glanced over the tombstone and seen him, seen Damian, herding Tiffany toward the crumbling church.

Betrayed, she thought again numbly. I trusted him. I went against every instinct to trust him. What was I thinking? She had let him take her blood, twice! She had believed him when he had told her he left for her own good. It had been nothing but a lie.

And at the same time: How could he? We're soulmates. How could he do this to me? How could he physically do it?

At that moment, lying in the tall grass with the October sun beating on her face, Jenny realized just how much she'd given in, had accepted Damian as her soulmate. Faced with this betrayal, Jenny felt nothing but pain and aching. She suddenly wanted nothing more than Damian to be here, in her arms, to tell her it was alright, that he hadn't really gone over to Troy's side. And now that she admitted to herself how she really felt about Damian, it was all wrenched away. It could never be. Her heart felt empty, like someone had ripped a hole in it and everything she'd ever felt or believed was pouring out to be lost forever.

She hugged her arms around herself and closed her eyes, blinking away tears. She suddenly felt very tired…

***********

When Jenny opened her eyes again, the pain was gone. Instead, a hollow burning ate at her insides. Damian would pay for this, she thought. She wouldn't let him get away with playing her and her friends like that.

But why? a small voice inside her asked. Why would he do that to begin with?

Shut up, she growled at it. Hell, he's probably the one who told Hunter where we were so my friends could be taken. The anger had taken over, and it wasn't willing her to sit here and ponder why.

She hopped to her feet. She had to get her friends back.

She bounded carelessly down the hill, slowing only when she reached the stand of trees surrounding the chapel. There, she stopped and looked around.

It was quiet. Too quiet. Had they given up on finding her so easily? The wind whistled through the treetops, giving Jenny goosebumps. She stood tensely, examining the chapel. It was very old, its limestone walls crumbling and slabs lying on the ground at its base. The roof was almost completely gone. Jenny walked cautiously toward it, her footsteps muffled on the spongy bed of pine needles covering the ground.

She couldn't see anything but shadows through the open door as she walked closer. Still, the breeze blew through her hair and a chill raced down her spine. What were they doing in a place like this?

With a nervous swallow, she stepped inside. The room was cool and smelled like mold. Nothing remained of its old function – no benches or tables or anything. Rather, dirt and rocks covered the broken up floor. A few windows remained in the far wall, the stained glass showing scenes of the crucifixion. Jenny rubbed her arms nervously. She had a very bad feeling about this.

A hole in the floor gaped up at her from the back of the room. She instinctively headed toward it. Before she got there, however, she heard voices outside. She froze.

"Lost her? How could you have lost her?" The voice was rich and smooth like silk. Jenny recognized it instantly, despite having heard it only once before.

"Great," she muttered. She was now stuck in some abandoned church with Hunter Redfern right outside. Maybe they wouldn't come inside.

Whoever Hunter was talking to said something back in a low voice that Jenny couldn't hear. Apparently, Hunter didn't like the answer.

"I brought you in on this because I thought you were capable," Hunter said, his voice low and menacing. "You've built quite a name for yourself, Troy. If you don't find her soon, I'm going to have to re-evaluate my opinion of you. And believe me, you don't want that."

Jenny's breath caught. Troy. Somehow, the thought of Troy outside the church frightened her more than Hunter. Hunter at least had emotions, which meant he had weaknesses. Troy was ice cold and controlled. Jenny knew instinctively that the small display of anger she'd seen in Troy at the club had most likely been a one-time thing. Jenny thought she might be able to handle Hunter, but Troy… Calling Troy evil was probably an understatement.

"Sir, might I suggest you not underestimate her or her friends," Troy said. He kept his voice low and submissive, but Jenny sensed an undertone of derision running beneath it. If Hunter sensed it too, he chose to ignore it.

Hunter chuckled, but his voice was humorless. "I assure you, Troy, if you're scared of the little vermin girl, I'll send someone else to replace you."

"No, sir," Troy said. "I'll find her."

"Good. Do it soon."

Jenny heard footsteps coming closer to the door and looked around frantically for a place to hide. Behind her, she saw a hole in the wall at about ground level, and she dove at it. She pulled herself through it just as Hunter stepped inside. Lying on her stomach, she slowly peered back through the hole. Hunter had paused just inside. He turned back to the door.

"And Troy, get some others to help you."

From this angle, Jenny could just see Troy through the doorway. He wore the same clothes he'd been wearing earlier, but he had pulled his long white hair back with a red velvet ribbon. He stared at Hunter, his face expressionless.

"Of course."

Hunter nodded, and turned his back on Troy. He began walking in Jenny's direction, and she pulled her face back quickly. She had enough time, however, to see Troy's face after Hunter had turned. The docile, subservient expression had disappeared, and a slow, secretive smile had slid across his face. His eyes narrowed at Hunter's back.

Jenny sat with her back to the wall, wondering about that. For a moment, Troy had looked like the cat who ate the canary. He was up to something, she was sure of it.

Hunter passed by the hole Jenny sat next to. Cautiously, she peeked inside again, just in time to see him disappearing down the hole in the ground. She could hear Troy's footsteps fading in the opposite direction, so she slid back through the hole, ignoring the dirt being caked on her shirt.

She walked slowly to the hole in the ground and peered down. Although it was dark, the light filtering through the roof of the chapel let Jenny see a packed dirt floor about 10 feet down and a ladder attached to one wall. It was a tunnel. She looked around the chapel one more time, stalling. She didn't want to go down there.

What are you waiting for? the voice inside her asked. Not like there's anybody else who can help you. It's up to you now.

She sighed, nodding at herself. She got to her knees and stuck a foot on the ladder. It was metal, solid. "Well, here I go," she muttered, and climbed the rest of the way into the darkness.