Hourglass

Hourglass is the third novel in the Evernight series. It was first published in March 2010.

Synopsis
"Bianca has found refuge again with the Black Cross, and she and Lucas work desperately to keep her secret. In this company, being a vampire is a death sentence, and the two of them live and train alongside the hunters without anyone noticing her increasing need for blood.

''Even though she's with the boy she loves more than anyone else in the world, Bianca can't help worrying about the family and friends she left behind. Caught between three feuding worlds, it's starting to feel as though she'll never be entirely at peace again.''

''When another betrayal puts the lovers in mortal danger once more, they realize all they truly have is each other. But with the secret of Bianca's birth taking hold, not even Lucas can help her win her toughest fight''."

Plot
(Contains spoilers)

Following the events of Stargazer, Bianca Olivier and Raquel Vargas have sought refuge with Black Cross, who begin training them how to fight. Although Bianca is happy to be with her boyfriend, Lucas Ross, she worries about her parents and vampire friends. She is also finding her need for blood is increasing and knows that if Black Cross find out she is half vampire, they will likely kill her. Meanwhile, Raquel begins to fall in love with vampire hunter Dana and they later begin a relationship. Raquel is happy in Black Cross, due to the pain she has suffered at the hands of supernatural beings throughout her life. Bianca and Lucas are planning on running away together, but his stepfather Eduardo finds the money he has been saving up and confiscates, putting an end to that plan. They are forced to flee when the vampires of Evernight Academy arrive at their hideout, looking for revenge, and destroy it. This forces the cell, lead by Lucas' mother Kate, to seek refuge with another cell, run by a woman named Eliza, in New York City.

Bianca becomes desperate to contact her parents and make sure they're okay. Lucas warns her not to use the internet to contact them, saying that the Evernight vampires will be able to track it, but Bianca ignores his advice and sends her parents an email from an internet cafe, assuming it would be alright. Unfortunately, Lucas is proved right, as Mrs Bethany had recently learned of Black Cross' location in New York, and after receiving Bianca's email, leads an attack on the cell, resulting in Eduardo's death. The vampires are overwhelmed and forced to flee, but one of them is captured. Bianca is horrified when she discovers the vampire is her friend Balthazar More, who had gone with Mrs Bethany to find Bianca, believing she was in danger. Balthazar is tortured by Black Cross to get him to reveal why Mrs Bethany came after them. Knowing that they cannot know about Bianca being half vampire, Balthazar lies to protect her, saying that Mrs Bethany came for revenge on Lucas, blaming him for the attack on Evernight, and for making her look weak. Lucas volunteers to dispose of Balthazar, but this is a ruse to help him escape. He and Bianca take Balthazar to an old friend of his in Chinatown, where he can recuperate.

Upon returning to the cell, Lucas manages to get Bianca blood. Unfortunately, Dana and Raquel catch Bianca drinking it and realize the truth. They are both shocked, but, at Lucas' insistence, agree not to tell the other hunters. However, that night Bianca and Lucas are both woken and taken for interrogation. They realize they've been betrayed, and Bianca assumes Dana must have told on them. Bianca tries to explain to Black cross that she is only half-vampire and isn't a threat to them, but they are unwilling to listen, viewing her as a monster. One of the hunters, Milos, tries to spray Bianca with holy water and Lucas jumps in the way, but when the water burns him, the hunters realize he is part vampire, too, due to Bianca repeatedly feeding on him, and turn on him as well. Eliza decides that they should both be killed for compromising the safety of the cell. Bianca and Lucas are both put into the back of a van, driven by Dana and Milos, with the rest of Black Cross following behind. After the others are separated from them by a stop light, Lucas suddenly reveals he has a knife and puts it to Dana's throat, threatening to kill her unless Milos gets out. After that, it is revealed that Dana has been on their side all along and provided Lucas with the knife. She also reveals that she wasn't the one who betrayed them; it was Raquel, which greatly upsets Bianca. Dana drops them off near Grand Central Station and has Lucas punch her in the face, to make the story about her being taken hostage look better.

Bianca and Lucas go to see Balthazar for help. He lets them stay with him for a few days and gives them money to tide them over. When Lucas asks how the vampires knew where to find them, Balthazar mentions Bianca's email. Lucas is angry at Bianca, who realizes the full extent of her actions for the first time. After arguing with Lucas, she breaks down and apologizes to him for her thoughtlessness. Lucas forgives her and comforts her, saying he knew she never intended for anyone to get hurt. Bianca and Lucas rent a hotel room and finally consummate their relationship. However, they both know that they will soon run out of money and will need a more permanent place to stay. They manage to contact their friend Vic Woodson, and meet up with him and his vampire friend, Ranulf White at a diner in Philadelphia. Ranulf is afraid of Lucas at first, until Lucas convinces him he is no longer part of Black Cross. Bianca and Lucas are both shocked when Vic reveals he knows about Ranulf and most of the other students at Evernight being vampires, saying he guessed due to their strange behavior. He is unfazed by it, and expresses no judgment of Ranulf either, much to the latter's relief and gratitude. Vic agrees to help Bianca and Lucas, saying they can stay in the wine cellar of his parents' mansion, which will be unoccupied whilst they are on vacation. He tries to introduce them to the ghost that haunts his house, but it is unwilling to make contact with them.

Bianca and Lucas soon settle into their new life. Lucas gets a job as a mechanic at a chop shop, which he despises due to the fact they deal in stolen cars, but he has little choice. Bianca also gets a job as a waitress at a diner called Hamburger Rodeo, but is soon (rather comically) fired. Bianca begins to notice she has been feeling unwell, losing her appetite and even passing out, but she dismisses it initially. Lucas takes Bianca out to an observatory for her eighteenth birthday and gives her a coral bracelet. Unfortunately, on the way home, they are kidnapped by vampires, revealed to be part of Charity's tribe. Lucas and Bianca are taken to an abandoned swimming pool, where Charity reveals she intends to make Bianca into a vampire. Knowing that her brother loves Bianca, Charity hopes that this will persuade Balthazar to join her tribe. Bianca refuses, but Charity threatens to kill Lucas. To save him, Bianca reluctantly agrees, but they are rescued at the last minute by a group of wraiths, who attack the vampires. Lucas and Bianca are able to steal a car and escape.

However, as the weeks go by, Bianca's illness becomes severely worse. Lucas takes her to a doctor, where it is discovered her body temperature is extremely cool. Bianca flees, knowing that human doctors can't help her. She ends up bedridden in Vic's cellar, with Lucas devotedly caring for her night and day. Fearing the end is near, Bianca writes a good-bye letter to her parents and asks Lucas to deliver it. Lucas tries to convince Bianca to drink his blood and kill him, thus making herself into a vampire in the process and saving her life, but Bianca refuses to take his life. Bianca eventually passes away in Lucas' arms, devastating him.Bianca, however, still exists in spirit-form and realizes she has been turned into a wraith. She is unable to communicate with Lucas, but finally meets Maxy, the ghost in Vic's house, who explains what has happened. Bianca realizes that this was what the wraiths wanted all along and discovers that as a wraith, she has a number of unique powers, such as being able to fast travel from places that were significant to her in life and floating through walls.

Lucas contacts Balthazar and explains what happened. They bury Bianca's body. Balthazar then convinces Lucas to help him trach down Charity, after learning she's been in the area. Bianca tries to stop Lucas, knowing that he is not thinking clearly and could be hurt, but he cannot hear her. After they have gone, Bianca learns, with Maxy's help, that she can use her coral bracelet to create a corporal form for herself. She contacts Vic and Ranulf and explains what has happened. After getting over their initial shock, the pair agree to go rescue Lucas and Balthazar. Because Lucas took Bianca's jet brooch with him, she is able to use it to track his location, and discovers he is in an abandoned cinema. Vic, Ranulf, and Bianca race there to help them, fighting off Charity's tribe in the process. Bianca finds Lucas battling Charity, and she calls out to him. Lucas is stunned when sees Bianca apparently alive and well, but Charity uses the distraction to attack Lucas, tearing his throat out with her fangs and mortally wounding him. Charity escapes and a heartbroken Bianca cradles Lucas as he dies. However, Ranulf points out that as Lucas had been fed on by Bianca numerous times, his death won't be permanent and he will come back as a vampire. Bianca is relieved that she has not lost Lucas for good, but knowing how becoming a vampire is Lucas' worst nightmare and her being dead, she is afraid of what the future may hold for them both.