Chapter 4
Going to the apothecary was a complete waste of time.
After Finn and the others disappeared beneath the hatch, I unlocked the door and bolted out of the place without looking back.
The only good thing about it is that being invisible makes sneaking around tonight a hell of a lot easier.
I don’t know how long the effect will last, though, so I keep moving as if every eye can still see me.
I scan the darkness, my feet silent against the flat stone rooftop as I hurry back in the direction of the bloodhouse.
Cora was right about the patrols. The vampires are everywhere.
I brush my fingers against the empty pocket in my cloak, and my chest tightens at the realization that tonight wasn’t a success.
The guards prowled in small groups, making it impossible to make a clean kill. I’m running out of options.
My mind still shifts back to the apothecary, and all I’m left with is a million unanswered questions.
Usually, I would have stayed to demand the answers I wanted, but not even I’m stupid enough to ignore the sheer danger of the situation we were in.
There was something off about those strangers.
The way they stood. The way they acted. I’m not sure what Finn has himself mixed up in, but I want Willow to be kept far away from it.
She has two days left before she is expected to serve the patrons again, and without the venom that she needs, it’s not an option.
If even one vampire catches sight of the veins scattering her body—which is highly likely with the revealing dresses we are made to wear—then she will be dead, and I’ll be damned if I let that happen.
“Where was he found?” The sound of a male voice causes me to still.
Instead of ducking into the shadows, I’ve taken to the rooftops, safe out of sight.
Who knows how long Finn’s concoction will last. It may be more difficult, but the guards are expecting an attack on the ground, so I have been able to stay hidden.
From my perch atop the building, I spot a male and female vampire locked in an intense conversation.
Against the black backdrop, their eyes glow crimson, the starlit streetlamps casting the only light.
It’s always this dark no matter what time of day it is—thanks to the Blackwood’s shadow clouds—though the starlight glows a little brighter during the morning hours.
The female’s long blond hair is tied into a ponytail at the nape of her neck. She wipes a hand down the dark blue fabric of her uniform before leaning back against the wall.
“An alleyway,” she says in a hushed tone as her eyes sweep across the shadows.
The male’s hand curls into a fist at his side, the muscles in his arm rippling from the action.
Unlike the noble born vampires, the sired do not carry the same unyielding beauty and instead remain exactly as they were when they were human.
Only humans born without any potency in their blood are sired, and even then, the act is rare, only done when permitted by the Crown Prince and his council.
Why any human would want that life is beyond me.
Sired vampires are nothing more than guard dogs used to do the nobles’ dirty work.
They’re not even given the honor of wielding the prince’s shadow magic.
“And his fangs?” he asks.
Their eyes meet for a second.
“Ripped out.”
His red eyes, the same shade as all sired vampires, darken at the revelation before he slams a fist into the wall, but the female doesn’t even flinch as though she is used to his behavior.
“Easy, Dante,” she warns as her eyes scan the small space they are standing in as though she expects an attack at any minute.
“He was my friend, Brina. We fought side by side in the war…he has a wife.”
“I know,” she says.
“It’s taken that arrogant prick almost a year to finally do something about it.”
“You speak of the prince, Dante, mind your words.”
“Mind my words? You think he gives a shit about us sired vamps while he sits up in his pretty palace?” He spits. “The only one that gives a damn about us is Amabel. If she hadn’t set up the bloodrings, we wouldn’t even be able to defend ourselves against whatever the hell is hunting us.”
I’m not sure what the hell a bloodring is, but I know that it can’t be anything good, especially if Amabel has anything to do with it. I knew there was a reason that the sired followed her like lost sheep, and now I’m going to find out exactly what that reason is.
“I do not disagree, but there is a time and place.”
“Our kind are dying almost daily. How do we know that the prince himself hasn’t orchestrated this entire thing to stage a culling?”
“Because we’ve seen this before…you know that.”
What does she mean?
I do not know, but I certainly want to find out, Athriel answers.
“Not the fangs. It’s like they’re taking them as fucking trophies this time.”
“I don’t think it’s the same people doing that.”
Dante’s eyes widen at her words.
“You think there are two groups after us?”
“No, I think the second is a lone wolf with a twisted vendetta, and I’m willing to bet coin on that.”
My stomach tightens at her words, and my earlier meal threatens to make an appearance. I need to get the hell out of here.
“That’s not possible. That would mean it’s a human, and they couldn’t take down a vampire like Xavier; he was bigger than me.”
She shrugs.
“That’s because you think like a man.”
“What in the realms is that supposed to mean?”
She leans forward, the corners of her mouth curving up into a smile.
“It means that you think that brute force is the only thing that can kill you, it’s what makes males such easy targets. Always thinking with your dicks, one way or another.”
He snorts at this, but my stomach churns at her words. I edge closer, needing to get ahead of the information they have.
“Perhaps we should discuss this another time. Come, Gabriel will be wandering where we disappeared to soon,” she tells him.
He nods his agreement, and then they disappear into the shadows.
I wait until I’m sure the coast is clear, my mind reeling with what I’ve just learned.
One thing is certain—I can’t risk attacking a vampire in the open.
If she already knows that much, then they’re far too close to uncovering who I really am.
I need to learn exactly what a bloodring is because it might just be the answer to all my problems, and I know exactly who to ask.
I sit cross-legged on the cold stone floor as I watch the rise and fall of Willow’s chest. It would have been wise to sneak straight back into my own room since the guards would soon be due to do their nighttime checks, but I couldn’t resist my nightly ritual of watching her sleep.
The steady rhythm of her breathing settles the tightening in my chest as I’m reminded that she’s still here. She’s alive.
“This never gets any less creepy, you know.”
I smile at her sleep-filled words.
“If you weren’t so nosy, maybe you wouldn’t notice I’m here.”
She turns on her side to face me, propping her head up on her hand. A sliver of white starlight leaks through the tiny, sealed window, highlighting the dark rings forming beneath her eyes. Something heavy weighs on her features, and I already know what she wants to ask.
“Finn didn’t have any more of your medicine,” I say, leaving out everything else. I still don’t know what Finn has himself mixed up in, but I don’t want Willow to have any part of it.
For a split second, she lets her face drop before the mask slides back in place.
“It’ll be fine. Cora can probably find me a dress that covers my stomach. It’ll be ok.”
“Hey.” I touch her arm, and her eyes fall to mine. “I’ll find a way.”
She sits up fully, shaking off my hold.
“I don’t want you to find another way. It’s too dangerous.”
Heat ripples through every inch of me at her words.
“What would you do if it were me? If the roles were reversed and you could do what I can, and you were watching me die? What would you do, Low?”
“It doesn’t matter becaus—”
“What would you do?” I demand.
Our eyes meet in a challenge neither of us backs down from.
“Your silence tells me all I need to know,” I say. I stand until I am looking down at her, hands on my hips. “You’re a hypocrite. You are literally asking me to stop when you never would if you were in my position.”
This time, she stands.
“And what would you do if the roles were reversed? If you were the sick one, and I was out there risking my life day in day out with creatures who could literally rip me limb from limb. You think the potency of your blood will protect you if you’re caught or that Athriel can step in and save the day. ”
I have repeatedly saved the day, he says.
“You risk too much, knowing you would never want me to do the same in your position.”
I dip my head. She’s right. Everything she’s saying is the truth, and yet there’s no way I can give up.
“I can’t watch you die,” I whisper.
She sighs and then steps forward.
“I know.”
I step away from her and turn toward the door.
“No, you don’t know. You’re my sister, and I love you, but it’s not the only reason I need you alive.
” I pause for a second before turning to face her.
“This is probably the most selfish thing I will ever admit, but if you die, I will have no one. I will be completely alone in this world. I will have no reason left to keep going because I hate this. I hate being a pureblood. I hate living under their rule and smiling when all I want to do is scream. I hate being leered at and touched without my permission. I hate being hurt and healed just so they can do it again purely for their own twisted entertainment. I hate watching other humans die at the hands of monsters, but every day I do it—because I know I’m not alone.
Everyone thinks I’m so damn strong, like I can handle it all, but I can’t.
I only keep going because we’re in this together.
And I know it’s not fair for me to even say this, but if you—if you die, I don’t think I could keep doing it. ”
She walks straight up to me and wraps her arms around me. I tense for a second before relaxing against her touch and wrapping my arms around her.
“Gods, Adina, I wish you could see yourself through my eyes,” she whispers. “You are so much stronger than you think.”
I start to shake my head, but she steps back and holds my face in her hands, forcing me to look at her.
“Yes, you are. Look at what you can do. You were chosen for greater things, I know it. I feel it, but it’s only when I stop being your responsibility that you’ll find your purpose.
” I go to pull away, but she holds tighter.
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but it’s true.
I admire you so much, and I thank the gods every day for blessing me with a sister like you.
I’m just waiting for the day that you realize just how special you are. ”
I feel the warm trail of tears down my cheeks as the soft pads of her thumbs wipe them away.
“No matter what, you’re going to be ok because you’re my sister and you’re a fucking vampire slayer.”
Laughter spills from me, and she joins in.
“I hate that name,” I say.
“I love you, Adina, but I need you to love yourself too. I need you to fight for yourself because your existence means more than just keeping me alive. It means so much more, and I need you to promise to always remember that. To keep fighting even if I’m not around anymore.”
My stomach dips at her words, but she doesn’t relent until I agree.
“I’ll try.”
“That’s all I need,” she says.
We stand there in silence until her reminder of the guards forces me back to my own room.
Even then, sitting alone in the darkness with the door shut, her words refuse to leave me.
They ring even louder as my head hits my pillow and up until sleep takes me whole.
I promised her that I’d try, and I will, but it doesn’t mean I’m giving up on her. That’s not an option.