Chapter 5
Even as I try to focus on following the cloaked woman down the darkened street, my mind continuously pulls me back to the stranger at Finn’s apothecary. I still can’t shake the feeling that there was something familiar about him.
You felt it too? Athriel’s whispered words carry the same confusion that coils inside me.
I nod.
Shaking away the thoughts, I move silently through the night, taking every twist and turn down the cobblestone street to keep up with the woman.
It didn’t take long for Cora to admit that she knew exactly what Amabel’s bloodring was.
She may not have wanted to tell me, but the truth is it might be the only way to keep Willow alive, so in the end, she gave in.
This isn’t the first time I’ve stalked a stranger, but they’re always vampires, not humans—and usually, I’m planning to kill them.
. I hate what I’m about to do, but since Cora was right about the increased patrols, I’m out of options.
Perhaps if Willow’s life weren’t on the line, I may have taken the risk, but that’s not an option.
In the distance, I see the exit to the alleyway and know I must act now if my plan has any chance of working.
I keep my footsteps light as I move closer to the woman.
I make quick work of grabbing the back of her cloak and slamming her body against the rain-soaked wall.
She grunts as she hits the dark gray stone, but I act quickly, pressing the tip of my blade into her spine, just enough to hurt but not cut. She instantly freezes.
I drop my voice down low. “Make a sound and I will slit your thro—”
The back of her head slams into my face, cutting my sentence short as a rush of wind leaves my body in a flurry of grunts.
I stumble backwards, barely catching my balance before her fist connects with my face.
The familiar coppery taste of blood fills my mouth, and my veins heat with rage. Athriel’s rage.
For the love of the seven courts, stop letting her hit you!
I’m not letting her hit me, I hiss.
You could have fooled me.
She caught me by surprise.
Twice?
I zone him out before she can land another blow, twisting just as she pulls her fist back again.
I curse as I duck, barely missing her attack.
Her form is off, and her blows are weaker than what I’m used to, but it doesn’t lessen the throbbing in my face.
I clench my fists in frustration and focus on the target.
As angry as I am, I can’t kill her. She’s a pureblood, and I would never turn my blade on my own kind.
She throws out a kick that causes her hood to slip down, revealing a black and gold mask that covers the top half of her face. I can just about make out its intricate swirls and patterns, not too dissimilar to the red and black one I’m wearing.
I dodge her attack and land a punch to her stomach, forcing her to double over.
With a swift kick, I sweep her legs out from under her, sending her crashing to the ground.
Before she can recover, I straddle her, pinning her arms with my weight, and press my blade to her throat.
The threat doesn’t work as she thrashes beneath me uncontrollably.
“Get the fuck off me before I rip out your throat.”
I freeze. I would recognize that voice anywhere. Shit. I rip the mask from her face, and as expected, a pair of angry blue eyes stares up at me.
“You have got to be kidding me,” I say.
She instantly stops moving. Athriel’s laugh roars through my head.
This is not funny.
On the contrary, my dear.
“Adina?”
I move the blade from her throat and push my own mask atop my head. I get up, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet. As soon as she is standing, she snatches it back, pinning me with a scowl.
“Why in the realms are you attacking me?” Tori asks.
My eyes scan the dark alleyway, making sure we are still alone, before I turn to face her.
“I didn’t know it was you, obviously. Do you want to tell me what you’re doing dressed for a blood orgy?”
I gesture to the mask I’m still holding, and she takes it from my hand.
“Evidently the same thing you are.”
She points at my own mask. Damn it, I almost forgot I’m dressed the same.
“Trust me, we are not doing the same thing,” I say. “I can’t believe you were on your way to one of Amabel’s blood orgies. I thought you knew better than to get mixed up in that.”
She lets out an incredulous laugh.
“It’s called a bloodring, and how can you judge me when you’re clearly doing the same thing?”
The side of my temple pounds, and my blood heats as I think about my best friend in that dangerous place.
How am I supposed to explain this?
Oh, now you want my advice?
It was just a thought, Athriel. It’s what normal people do uninterrupted when they don’t have a voice permanently residing in their head.
Touché.
“Look, I know what this looks like, but it’s not what you think,” I say.
“So, you’re not heading to a secret location to take part in an illegal bloodring then?”
I pause for a beat too long.
“Just as I thought.” She huffs.
“Tori, I wish I could explain, but I can’t. Please just trust me when I say you don’t want to get mixed up in whatever Amabel’s got going on.” Or me, for that matter.
When I confronted Cora last night, she explained that Amabel has been charging sired vampires a cheap amount of coin to indulge in the blood of her finest Blackwood purebloods—blood they could never afford otherwise.
She has been calling these events bloodrings.
If the Blackwoods found out, she wouldn’t last the night, but that woman seems to have somehow earned the favor of the Gods despite them being nowhere to be found.
“That’s where you’re wrong. Do you have any idea what she’s offering in exchange for me attending one of these rings?” I say nothing. “A chance to move to Blackwood estate.”
Her words silence me. Moving to any estate promises a more glamorous life for a pureblood, but for most, that’s not the only appeal.
Every year, each noble house selects a single pureblood from their estate to spend the rest of their days in the human settlement across the mountain.
A place where vampires do not interfere.
It might just be another trick to keep us in check by acting like we have something to gain, but it’s the closest thing a pureblood can get to freedom.
The only other way is to wait until the potency in our blood withers, and we are sent there, but for most, it can take decades before becoming an oldblood.
It’s an opportunity Cora gave up, and deep down, I know Willow and I had everything to do with her decision.
I step forward.
“I know how badly you want to get to the settlement. Gods, don’t we all? But doing things like this will get you killed before you even get the chance.”
“So, what am I supposed to do? Just dream of the day some high noble purchases me on a whim instead?” She snorts. I hate that she’s right.
“No…I just want you to be safe.” I hesitate for a moment. “I’m sorry that I attacked you, but I need you to pretend this never happened. I need you to go home.”
She laughs at this, but it lacks any real humor.
“So, you can what exactly? Do the same thing you’re stopping me from doing?”
“Something even more dangerous,” I admit. “Something I don’t want you involved in.”
She watches me for a long moment before her face softens.
“If what you’re doing is more dangerous than attending a bloodring, then I’m not leaving you alone, so we can either waste time talking about it or we can get going before they close the doors.”
“Gods, why do you have to be so stubborn?”
Her mouth finally curves into the mischievous smile I’m so used to.
“Would we even be friends if I weren’t?” She cocks her head and pins me with a look. “Besides, there’s a code word you need to give at the door, and I’m going to guess you don’t know it?”
“I was going to ask you.”
This time, she laughs.
“Not a chance. We’re either both going, or we’re not—but either way, we do it together.”
This one is not as bad as I initially thought.
You literally said she was a spoiled brat that required exterminating when we were just eleven years old.
She’s growing on me.
Of course she is.
“Fine, lead the way.”
“Let me do the talking,” Tori warns as we arrive outside of an old tavern. The broken sign hangs precariously over the arched entrance, and I pray we make it in before it falls.
“Exactly how many times have you done this?”
She gives me a look that says 'not now,' but we will revisit this later. I may have my secrets, but I know how to keep myself safe. Mostly.
Hidden in the shadows of an alcove leading to the entrance stands a tall, cloaked figure. From his size and build, I can tell it’s a male. As I draw closer, his red eyes glow in the darkness.
“What’s your business here tonight?” The vampire’s gruff voice breaks my onslaught of thoughts, and it’s only then that I notice his chipped fang. No doubt, he gained it in one of the fighting rings the sired love to spend their spare time in. It’s nothing more than a pissing contest if you ask me.
“Amabel sent us,” Tori answers, keeping her voice sweet.
I almost roll my eyes. Acting demure in the bloodhouse makes sense, but outside of it, I’m not accustomed to playing by those same rules.
The vampire’s gaze trails the length of us both as if assessing whether the truth hides somewhere beneath the slits of our dresses.
I thank the Gods for the mask covering my face—the last thing I need is for him to commit it to memory after what I plan to do tonight.
He turns his attention back to Tori as if the entire thing bores him.
“And the code?”
“Essence.”
What an odd code name. I guess it’s better to have something nobody would ever suspect.
He steps aside to let us through the door. I move closer to Tori as she sashays her hips with every step. She’s so dramatic.