Chapter 25
Tess was glad to have most of the next day to sleep, since she and Callum were up until almost dawn. When she woke, it was already early afternoon, and Callum had left a note saying he was with Nantale. Tess took a quick rinse in his shower—which was paneled in dark slabs of moss agate and featured a window overlooking the forest, making Tess feel like she was bathing in a canopy of leaves. It was just another casually breathtaking place on the Isle, one more moment of staggering beauty; it gave her a pain in her chest.
It had only been a few days since she first kissed Callum, and she was terrified that if something went wrong tonight, she could lose him forever. Was it foolish to go to this ball? Should they wait until next month—or the month after? There were so many places on this island she’d yet to explore: She imagined lazy days and weeks together, swimming in silver pools under starlit skies, horseback rides along the jagged cliffs of the western coast, visiting magnificent buildings glamoured by vampires who no longer lived there, making love in gorgeous ruins overgrown with ivy.
It was all just a fantasy; Tess knew that. She’d almost been killed more than once on this island, even within the walls of this compound. She knew Callum would do anything to protect her, but she also knew it was unreasonable to believe he always could—especially since Felix’s entire clan wanted him dead. The longer she stayed here, the greater the risk that something would go wrong and she would never be able to leave. She knew they had to do this—not just for themselves but for Nantale, Sylvie, and the others too.
Tess threw on clothes and went back to her room—she needed to find Sylvie to finalize her gown for the ball. Since Felix’s apparent crush on Tess was crucial to their plan to find out where Isobel’s rooms were, it was important that Tess look as beguiling as possible. She and Sylvie had discussed a number of options yesterday, and Sylvie promised that she’d come back with a few finished choices for Tess to try. To Tess’s delight, Sylvie was already waiting with the dresses when Tess got back to her room.
“Someone slept in.” Sylvie raised an eyebrow—she obviously knew exactly why Tess was so late.
“Sorry,” Tess mumbled, though she couldn’t suppress a smile.
“Not a problem.” Sylvie grinned back at Tess. “Did you eat? Should I make you a little nosh before we get to the gowns?”
“I’m okay—Callum won’t stop feeding me.” She laughed.
“He likes taking care of you.” Sylvie nodded approvingly. “That’s how it was with Alberto too.”
“Was it very difficult?” Tess asked. “Loving someone whose life was so different than yours?”
“No, bubbeleh.” Sylvie rubbed Tess’s shoulder affectionately. “He never asked me to give up my priorities. I got to live my life the way I wanted, and at the end of the road, he was always waiting.”
Tess nodded tightly. It seemed too hopeful to believe that a future like this could be possible for her and Callum, but at the same time—wasn’t it? Wasn’t that the point of risking their lives tonight? Tess felt a sudden surge of determination, a belief that they really could do this.
“Okay, Sylvie. Let’s try on some gowns.”
Sylvie had made a whole variety, from a modern slip dress in forest-green satin to a full-on medieval gown draped in elaborate crimson brocade—which Tess loved, but it was far too heavy to be practical for an event where she might well end up running for her life.
In the end, they settled on a gown made of shimmering champagne lace embellished with tiny crystals. It had a bustier top that fit like a glove and showed off Tess’s cleavage, a skirt that was loose enough to move in, and sheer, flowing sleeves that caught the air when Tess walked or twirled, flying behind her like a cape.
“It’s perfect,” Tess breathed. “I don’t know how you did this.”
But when she smiled back at Sylvie, she saw Sylvie was on the brink of tears.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.” Sylvie waved her hand. “Just—my daughter, she could never stay out of my closet. And I loved it. Anything I had, I always wanted her to have it, because it made me happier to see it on her. I thought I’d get to do that with my granddaughters too, but now I missed their proms, their graduations…”
Tess hugged Sylvie tightly.
“I’ll get you back to them,” Tess promised. “I swear it.”
—
A few hours later, after Tess set her hair in loose waves, did her face in glowy makeup, and practically doused herself in Nantale’s Egyptian musk oil, she stepped back into the gown Sylvie had made her. She grabbed some gold hair clips and earrings from the top shelf of the armoire, and she noticed the purse she’d carried when she came to the Isle. She took it down to examine its contents—no more copy of Blood Feud (Callum still had that), but her phone and the tarot card Flora had given her were still inside. She remembered how she’d felt when she’d drawn the card, seeing the blindfolded woman trapped by a circle of swords. Tess identified with that trapped feeling so much when she first saw the card—but strangely, she didn’t anymore. She finally felt like she understood some of what Flora had told her: that she was capable of rescuing herself, if only she believed it was possible.
She tucked her phone and the card into a pocket inside the dress and made her way down to the great hall of the compound.
“Wow.”
Callum stood in the compound’s doorway, wearing high-waisted black trousers along with a crisp black button-down, all beneath a flowing black cape that hit just below his knees. With his hair slicked back and his face shaved clean, he was every bit the dashing rake Tess had imagined for so many years.
“You look incredible,” she breathed.
“You’re one to talk.” He strode toward her and placed his hands at her waist, pulling her in roughly to kiss her. Tess wished at that moment that they didn’t have a ball to attend, a red diamond to steal, a stranded sister to rescue. All she wanted was for Callum to take her back to his room and lock the door.
Instead, he glamoured two masks to match their outfits: Tess’s was small and sparkly, to be held on a stick and cover only her eyes, since she needed Felix to recognize her. Callum’s, on the other hand, was black and covered his entire face, which hopefully would help him avoid detection by anyone from Felix’s clan.
“Okay.” She exhaled, her nerves starting to roil. “I guess it’s time to go?”
“One last thing,” Callum said, removing a small black velvet bag from one of his pockets and holding it out to Tess.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“Open it,” he urged.
It was a necklace, a simple emerald set in gold, hanging from a delicate chain.
“Callum,” she gasped, looking up at him.
“May I?”
She nodded and pulled her hair aside as he fastened the necklace. She turned to face him, and he broke into a satisfied smile.
“You were right,” he said. “It’s perfect with your coloring.”
—
Tess told Callum she was perfectly capable of walking through the forest, and that he should save his strength for the ball, but he insisted on carrying her. The now-familiar pounding of Callum’s steps thrummed through Tess’s body, the evening air whipping against them, until a couple of minutes later, when they arrived at Felix’s castle.
It was more beautiful than Tess could have imagined, even after reading about it so many times in Blood Feud. Every part of the building was circular, from the main fortress to the dozens of swirling turrets of all different heights, and every surface was coated in a substance that looked like mother of pearl. There were different shades—pastel rose and lavender and coral and gold—all shimmering as they caught the Isle’s waning daylight and the light of the lanterns and torches blazing throughout the courtyard. In a place without sunshine, the castle was the closest thing Tess could imagine to a sunset, and it took her breath away. Dozens of vampires in fantastic suits and gowns were in the courtyard drinking from silver goblets, chatting loudly as lively music played.
Even in this party atmosphere, though, Tess could see that this clan was far more orderly than Nantale’s. Guards lined the courtyard’s perimeter, keeping a watchful eye on everyone at the party. A chill ran down Tess’s spine as she and Callum passed them—but they didn’t seem to notice anything unusual.
Callum grabbed a goblet from a tray and swigged, then took another and handed it to Tess.
“Wine, not blood,” he whispered, and she smiled appreciatively and took a sip. She wanted to stay sharp, but her nerves were jangling, and a little liquid courage could only help.
The castle’s entryway was magnificent, all paneled in a glistening pale golden metal, with floating lanterns that glowed violet and pink. Per their plan, Callum stepped away from Tess as soon as they went in (seemingly to look at a painting), so Tess was on her own as she walked into the main ballroom, where the party was in full swing. Vampires danced to orchestral music that sounded like old-fashioned English country dance melodies, except the scoring was undercut with thrumming bass and pulsing drums, making it all feel much darker and more modern. The lighting was darker in here too—Tess had no idea how she could possibly find Felix in all this mess, so she moved on to the next step of the plan: She put down her mask and poured herself a drink.
She got a couple of strange looks from people who didn’t recognize her as she poured a goblet of champagne, and sure enough, Felix was by her side before she’d taken more than a few sips.
“You do know it’s a masked ball, right?” He grinned at her and tapped his own mask, which was silver and looked to be encrusted with real diamonds—though not the diamonds Tess needed. He wore black pantaloons and a ruffled shirt along with a waistcoat whose fabric looked like it was sewn from a repurposed tapestry. It was all so over the top—and, Tess kind of hated to admit, he was really pulling it off.
“I have a mask right here!” Tess laughed, lifting it to cover her eyes. “I just couldn’t hold it while I got a drink.”
“That’s my failure as a host for not being here to serve you. But I do appreciate any opportunity to see your face—which looks exceptionally lovely tonight, if I may say.”
“Thank you.” She bobbed a little curtsy—all the better for Felix to admire her low neckline. “You look amazing. I mean, this is all so amazing.”
“I’m so glad you’re here.” He smiled, but then his face turned more serious. “Has everything been okay? Callum seemed so angry when he saw us together.”
“He was fine.” Tess rolled her eyes. “Just stomped off to his rooms, as if I care whether he wants to be my friend.”
“I’d very much like to be your friend. If you’re still in the market.”
“Good to know.” Tess grinned. “I’m still shopping around, mulling my options.”
“Excellent—can’t settle too quickly,” Felix deadpanned. “Have to do your due diligence.”
“Exactly! What if your new friend has terrible taste in snacks?”
“Like hamster blood, blech.” He grimaced.
“Can’t say I’ve had the pleasure.”
“Allow me to save your taste buds—it’s thin, grimy, and impossible not to get little bone chunks stuck in your teeth.”
“Have you ever considered writing a book on fun conversation topics for parties?” Tess teased, and Felix burst out laughing.
Tess warmed with pleasure at his reaction, then felt a quick twist of guilt when she imagined Callum nearby watching. She knew how much Callum hated Felix—and understood exactly why—but Felix had only ever been kind to Tess. Sometimes it was hard to square the version of Felix she knew (not to mention the hero she’d read about for years) with the sniveling manipulator Callum described.
“All right then, what should we put on the friend-inspection agenda?” he asked genially. “Do you want to meet some of my clan mates? Or we could tour the castle, or dance if you like?”
“Oh, a tour sounds wonderful!” Tess effused. “The castle is so beautiful, I’d love to see more of it.”
This wasn’t part of the plan—she wasn’t supposed to leave the main room with Felix so Callum could stay close by. But meeting other hostile vampires seemed like a bad idea, and letting Felix lay his hands on her long enough to feel her human pulse seemed worse—while a tour could lead Tess directly to Isobel’s rooms. She couldn’t turn down that opportunity, could she? All she had to do was get back to the ballroom as quickly as possible, and then she could tell Callum exactly where to go to steal the diamond.
Felix led Tess through a labyrinth of hallways, many of them curved and twisting because of the castle’s circular shape. Tess could hear footsteps somewhere behind them; she hoped that meant Callum was following. She tried to remember everything they passed on their route: a waterfall running down a wall of crystals here, a larger-than-life mermaid statue made of pure coral there. Before long, they reached a spiral stairway, and Tess followed Felix as they started to climb. After a dizzying number of stairs, they finally arrived at an arched wooden door near the top of the tower. The keyhole had an intricate, octagonal shape, and Felix removed a necklace from beneath his shirt to unlock it—the pendant fit perfectly. He opened the door and held out his arm to welcome Tess inside.
“After you, milady.”
“Why, thank you, good sirrah.”
The room was like something out of a dream: a circular chamber made of stone, with a mammoth four-poster bed, a writing desk, shelves stuffed with books and boxes and all sorts of treasures, and huge windows and a terrace overlooking the forest, where the sky was almost dark and stars were beginning to appear. Tess recognized a few objects on the shelves from Blood Feud, including an intricately carved silver dagger—Tess was almost certain it was the same one Felix gave to Isobel in book one.
“This is so beautiful,” Tess said. “Where are we?”
“Isobel’s room,” Felix confirmed, and Tess got chills. This was it. “She loved books, like you. And she kept journals every day of her life—hundreds of years, all documented right here.”
Felix led Tess to the shelves that covered nearly half of the room’s curving walls. Tess traced her fingers along the books’ leather spines; in other circumstances, she could have spent hours in this room, reading Isobel’s journals and learning everything she could.
“You must really miss her,” Tess observed.
“I do.” Felix took a step toward Tess. “Do you mind if I take my mask off?”
“Of course not,” she said, but something about his tone was unnerving her. She put her own mask down as he removed his. “It’s nice to be able to see you better.”
He took a step toward Tess. “Would you like to see Isobel’s jewelry?”
Tess fought to remain calm, but something felt terribly off. This was too easy—was it possible he was really just going to hand her the red diamond?
“I’d love to,” she choked out. He slipped past her and opened a small wooden chest on the shelves behind her, extracting a worn gold ring with a scuffed red stone.
“It’s lovely.” Tess kept her voice low to keep it from quivering. “Is that the red diamond you told me about?”
He held up the ring, and even though the room was dim and the stone needed cleaning, it caught the light so brilliantly it looked like it might be possessed of its own inner fire.
“Indeed.” His voice was cold. “That’s what you came for, right, Tess?”
Tess felt her blood turn to ice water and her stomach dropped. She turned toward the door, but it was too late, Felix was already grabbing at her wrist.
“Stop it!” she shrieked. She tried to pull away, but of course he was so much stronger—
“The fact that you thought I didn’t know exactly what you are from the second I met you.” He smirked. “How stupid do you think I am?”
“Please, I’m not here to harm you—I—” Tess searched wildly for an excuse, any excuse. “This will sound crazy but there are these novels? They’re called Blood Feud, and—”
“Tess, please stop embarrassing yourself.” Felix ran his thumb over her wrist, massaging her pulse, which was thrumming so fast Tess thought she might be having another panic attack. “I know what Blood Feud is, I know that Octavia is back in New York, and I know exactly what you want with my ring.”
Tess’s head was swimming—was it possible he really was August Lirio?? It didn’t matter—all of this was a trap—she was going to die in this castle—
“Callum, run !” she screamed, but it was too late, he was already in the room wrestling Tess away from Felix.
“Don’t you fucking touch her,” Callum seethed. “Just give us the ring, and we’ll leave without any bloodshed.”
“Mm, no. I have a better idea. Hey, guys?” Felix called out to the terrace. “You can come in now.”
On Felix’s command, a dozen vampires filed into the room—all masked, all huge, hulking men whom Tess felt quite sure could destroy them without a second thought. Maybe Callum would have a chance against one of them, or even two, but twelve?! Callum and Tess moved closer together on instinct, Callum keeping himself between Tess and the other vampires. Tess almost wished he wouldn’t; she really, really didn’t want to stay alive just long enough to watch him die.
“Now, Tess, since you’re such a Blood Feud fan, let’s play a little game. Do you know who killed Konstantin Adamos?”
Tess pressed her lips together—she wasn’t playing any fucking game that Felix Hawthorn was running.
“You don’t want to play? Then let’s make it interesting. For every question you get wrong, I’ll break one of Callum’s fingers.”
He nodded to one of his goons, who yanked Tess away from Callum—two more grabbed Callum’s arms as he lurched forward to try to protect Tess.
“Come on, Tess,” Felix goaded. “I know you know the answer. Who killed Konstantin?”
“Callum did.” Tess gritted her teeth. “But only because you manipulated him into it.”
“Wrong.” Felix grinned.
“What?! But, Callum, you said—” Tess turned to Callum. He looked as utterly confused as Tess felt. But Callum’s expression changed to agony as one of Felix’s goons snapped back Callum’s thumb with a sickening crunch—he yelled with pain.
“No!” Tess shouted. She whirled around on Felix. “Why are you doing this?”
“Next question,” Felix hissed. “And I’m sure you know this one. Who killed Isobel?”
Tess closed her eyes. “I won’t answer.”
“Would you rather I break your fingers instead?” Felix stepped toward Tess.
“If you like,” Tess said defiantly.
“No,” Callum interjected. “Tess, I heal quickly. It’s fine. Just answer.”
“I can see why you hate Felix so much,” Tess said to Callum. “He’s not even strong enough to do his own petty torture.”
“Are you going to answer the question or not?!” Felix shouted.
“I don’t know, okay?” Tess fumed. “ Blood Feud says it was Callum, but he says—”
“The book says exactly what I wanted the world to believe.” Felix’s grin was ice-cold. “But alas, I’m the one who killed sweet Isobel.”
Tess gasped. “But—”
“Don’t tell me you got snowed by a couple of novels, Tess—they’re nothing more than fiction. And I’m afraid that means you’re wrong again.”
Felix walked up to Callum, and Tess’s stomach roiled. She felt the most awful fear for her lover, the most terrible guilt for every time she’d doubted him about how much of a monster Felix really was.
“Callum, we should be breaking another of your fingers now—”
“Go ahead.” Callum spat right in Felix’s face—which didn’t seem particularly wise, but Tess couldn’t help internally cheering.
“You think you’re so much better than I am.” Felix wiped his face with a velvet glove. “But you’re not good for anything but taking orders—first from Konstantin, now from Nantale. So I have an order for you, Callum. I want you to put on this red diamond ring you’ve been so keen to steal.”
“Or what?” Callum narrowed his eyes.
“You can always refuse me.” Felix smiled. “But if you do, I’ll chop off both of Tess’s hands.”
“You’re not gonna touch her,” Callum growled.
“Callum, it’s okay,” Tess whispered. “Whatever he wants with that ring, please don’t do it.”
“He’ll just make me wear it anyway,” Callum said. “I won’t let him hurt you.”
Callum held out his hand, and Felix grinned. “Excellent choice.”
Then he slipped the ring onto Callum’s pinkie, and the entire room flooded with icy blue light.
“What’s happening?” Tess called out. She threw up her arms to block the light—it was absolutely blinding. And unlike the light they saw in the meadow, it wasn’t going away.
“I don’t know,” Callum yelled, grabbing for Tess. She clung to him, and he kept his arm around her, even as Felix kept hold of Callum’s other hand so he couldn’t remove the ring.
After a couple of moments, Tess could make out something in the doorway to the terrace. It was like there was a hole in the light, an archway. But it wasn’t leading out to Felix’s balcony—it was a window to somewhere else entirely.
To a rooftop in New York City, just after sunset.
Where a tall, terrifying man was standing beside a beautiful woman—a woman wearing a gold Georgian cross set with a mammoth red diamond.
“Octavia!” Callum yelled. “Are you all right? What’s happening?!”
“Aw,” Felix mocked. “Is Callum sad I’m the one Konstantin chose to confide in?”
“Enough.” The tall man’s voice was deep and resonant, and everything went silent the second he spoke. Tess squinted to make out his face—she saw Callum’s eyes go wide as he recognized him—
“Konstantin?” Callum gasped. “But how—I thought you were—and you were never on the Isle—”
“You thought a little fire would kill me?” Konstantin smiled wide, brute force emanating from his body—Tess had never seen such a terrifying creature in her life. “Felix, no more games. End this now.”
With that, Felix’s men began filing through the portal, and Felix walked up to Tess and Callum.
“Tess, I want you to know that it was a genuine pleasure to meet you,” he said. “And I’m very sorry I never got a chance to drain your blood and leave your mangled corpse on Callum’s doorstep to pay him back for sleeping with Isobel, but hey, maybe we’ll see each other again sometime, yeah? Then again, my entire clan knows there’s a human in the castle, so, you know. Good luck getting out of here. Callum, let’s go.”
Callum tried to fight, and Tess was screaming and reaching for him, but there was nothing either of them could do. Felix’s men dragged him through the portal, and once he was on the other side, the blue light disappeared and the portal closed, leaving Tess utterly alone.