Chapter 17 Achromatic
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ACHROMATIC
The red rooms in Feeding Grounds are for those who want to become a direct Feeder for a house in the Undercity. Nightwalkers are not to harm the Feeder if they decline their offering.
— Serun’s Law
A mirror stands before me, the wooden frame embellished with intricate, blooming flowers that shimmer in silver and gold. My hands flex, and my throat constricts at the sight of my reflection.
My eyes are deep crimson and glow a pearlescent red, while my white hair flows like silk down my shoulders.
Icy-blue skin—flawless to the touch but cold—covers my body. An unsettling feeling stirs within me as I settle my gaze on my ears. Long and pointed at the tips, the sight is enough for me to pull back my lips into a sneer. Fangs, sleek with saliva, appear behind dark purple lips.
A hunger comes with it. Eager for something to sink into.
This is who I am.
Balancing between life and death.
A daywalker without a glamour.
“Feeder zero-zero-eight, your night was a success. It’s time to wash.” A voice slices through the fog and lifts the weight of sleep. Fragments of last night float back—a nightwalker who assaulted me, and a nightwalker who was unexpectedly gentle.
“Human,” the Bleeder insists. “Wake up.”
The simplicity of the words, sharp as the crack of a whip, has me sitting bolt upright. The sticky sheet clings to me, but it’s not until I peel it away and step out into the bright light of the corridor that I realise just how dreadful I look.
I’m covered in the blood of the dead nightwalker. Gripping the edges of the torn gown, I cover my exposed chest as best I can.
We turn the corner and pass the praised room as Laura steps out. “Holy fucking—” She jumps, letting out a strangled gasp and covering her mouth with a hand.
Despite my weariness, a vibrant energy stirs within me at her shock, and I give her a thumbs-up and smile. The nightwalker was dead.
More dead than dead.
Ash.
As I step into the bathroom, heads turn. Some eyes widen, while others narrow. Holly drops her soap, and whispers float into my sensitive ears.
I turn on the shower next to Emily, who shrieks, “You’re alive!”
“You alright?” Manni asks as I strip off my ruined clothes. She moves in closer and grabs the dress from me, only to let out a sharp breath. “What the fuck is that?”
Emily leans over as I step beneath the water to start washing away the blood. I’ve only got three minutes. “Is that a tattoo?”
“Moonflowers,” I say flatly, dragging a cloth down my chest. “You’ve seen it before.”
“No,” Manni insists, gently touching my back. “There’s a new one here. A snake.”
What?
Looking over my shoulder, I reach over and tug at my skin, catching a glimpse of a snake’s head amongst the moonflowers. I can’t see much, but it’s clear that a black snake now weaves through the petals, along with thorns and vines.
“It goes all the way down to your waistline!” Manni says, her fingers brushing lower.
I lift my arm and draw my skin closer to try to examine the length of the tattoo. There really is a scaled serpent twisting and coiling all down my back. What the fuck?
Emily wipes the water from her eyes and cocks her head to the side. “Did the nightwalker ink ya?”
The nightwalker bit me. Could that be connected? Can a bite create a fully healed tattoo? Jax might know, but do I really want to tell him about this?
Considering everyone in here is gawking at me like the newest toy in Darkovish, I might have to.
“What happened in there?” Manni asks when we finish washing and get dressed. I slip on a long-sleeved shirt and button it up to the collar. “Did the nightwalker just bite you and bail?”
“Yes,” I lie. “I did what Jax said.”
And if it weren’t for the second nightwalker, I would be dead.
My mind is in disarray. The last thing I want to tell them is that a nightwalker assaulted me, only for another one to show up and kill him.
Not only that, but he asked me strange questions that I’m still trying to understand, bit me, and then lured me to bed to sleep in a venom-drunk stupor.
Odd. More odd than strange.
Also, I kissed him. I kissed a dead creature that crawled out of the ground after Mother left us, and the last thing I want to do is tell my friends when I don’t even want to remember it.
And if Jax found out, he would not understand.
I wasn’t myself. It was the venom.
“Times up,” the Bleeder announces.
We leave the bathroom, but a Bleeder abruptly steps in front of me. “You don’t have to bleed today. A god chose you last night.” He spins on his heel and calls over his shoulder, “Follow me into the mess, Feeder zero-zero-eight.”
Manni flashes a grin and nudges me while Emily gives me a thumbs-up and says, “You’ve earned this, babe!”
“Are you my situationship now, Em?” I say flatly.
She winks.
With a sigh, I turn away from my friends and follow the Bleeder. My thoughts wander to Cole. I’m relying on Jax to help my brother at the bloodbank today because I won’t be there to do it myself.
The Feeders from the men’s bathrooms approach, and I stop to scan the sea of faces. Jax and I lock eyes, and his relief at seeing me is palpable. He is walking with Cole, and too quickly, they are almost out of sight.
Shit. I wanted to tell him to take care of my brother.
“Feeder, follow,” the Bleeder snaps.
I tear my focus away after the Feeders enter the bloodbank, and resume following the Bleeder.
Inside the mess, I’m directed to sit at our usual table, then the Bleeder brings me a tray of food.
My mouth waters, thick with saliva at the sight of a carton of milk, a bottle of water, and a juice.
At the centre of the tray, there is a plate piled high with scrambled fucking eggs on toast, and a stack of pancakes drenched in a sweet syrup that tickles my nose.
“Why?” I look to the masked Bleeder in disbelief.
“A god has allowed you to live,” says the Bleeder.
“As a reward, you will be given a day of tranquillity. May peace be with you today.” I knew Bleeders were fanatics, but hearing how excited this man is over their gods is something else.
Cult behaviour cranked up to one hundred.
They are treating me differently because a nightwalker has chosen me.
It’s everything these sycophants dream of.
Or did the second nightwalker say something to them?
And what did they make of the dead body?