Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Tonight’s meeting doesn’t have a dress code, but it appears the three of us got a silent memo to wear black.
It’s too early to mourn, and that isn’t the intention, but I enjoy matching.
It feels like we’re a unit. Caldwell may not be able to make it into the meeting so easily.
To my surprise, he brings the bird mask that’s been hiding in our dormitory.
“It doesn’t suit you.” I wrinkle my nose.
“But it may help me blend in,” Caldwell says. “This thing is involved somehow.”
“I suppose, it is..”
But we still don’t know how. The clocks make sense, but the bird mask is the final remaining mystery.
“Doubt it,” Jun says. “No one in the order dresses like that.”
“Then I’ll be the first,” Caldwell says. “I think it shows my dedication.”
“And it hides your face,” I say.
If Tobey is involved, no one must recognize Caldwell—especially my father.
This time, we’re not meeting the Order on campus, but at the vampire club I know so well. I didn’t realize it, but it’s connected after all, just as Tobey expected in the beginning. It’s a meeting place for the Order.
Whether they have other meetings here, I’m still not sure, but it’s the location for this one. It would please Tobey if they were here to know they were right about the club all along. They were right about so much.
There are a few cars parked around the dirt lot, but it’s less than I’m used to. It must be a private party. Soft music flows from the inside, and Caldwell waits in the car for further instructions.
We don’t know how yet, but the plan is to sneak him in later, when no one else is watching.
This leaves Jun and me approaching the door hand in hand.
We step inside to find a small party, consisting only of the Professors and the other students who have made it through the trials. Each living student has a racing heart.
“Margaux!” My father approaches to give me a big hug. He does the same to Jun, to my surprise. “And Jun. I’m happy you could make it.”
Admittedly, we’re thirty minutes late, but I don’t apologize for the tardiness.
“Thank you for the invitation, Papá.” I smile tightly. “What is the occasion?”
“Why, it’s the last trial, of course.” He leads us through the room. “Come along. The others already know their orders.”
“Great.” I hold Jun’s hand as we walk through the winding house.
Try as they might, it still looks more like an abandoned home than a club. Tonight, it feels like a maze. Where am I, and why are we here?
“This trial,” my father says, “is the hardest of all. I hope you’re prepared.”
“Harder than fighting demons? I struggle to believe that.”
“Much more difficult.” My father leads us up the stairs and stops at a room, pausing outside the door. “The trial is a show of loyalty, greater than last time—and a sacrifice. I do not know if you’re ready, but I hope you are.”
I exchange a brief look with Jun. “What does that mean?”
My father’s lips twist. “The ritual for immortality requires a sacrifice. You must sacrifice the person you care for most.”
I squeeze Jun’s hand tighter. Will I have to sacrifice him, or…?
I can’t even think about the other option. The clearer option. Where did Tobey go?
“It is more than a sacrifice for immortality,” my father continues, “but the safety of us all.”
There’s too much coming at me all at once. A trial. A sacrifice. The… safety of us all? I shake my head, as if that’s enough to chase the thoughts away.
How can he be saying this as if he’s informing me about the weather?
“I know it sounds bleak, but the fate of Castine relies on these rituals. I don’t like it any more than you do.”
“Papá… I don’t understand.”
“Strode founded the school, and he requires sacrifices to keep us safe. I have prayed to him that, when this day comes, you will understand.”
I know all about Strode’s ties to the school, have pored over books in the library recently, and was forced to learn in my first semester. Nothing could have prepared me for this—for the thought of sacrificing others for our safety.
Of course, I don’t. I have a million questions. My father is a mysterious man to some, but he’s never been so ominous to me—until today. For the first time in my undead life, I understand why others consider him so intimidating. He claims to give answers, but he tells me nothing at all.
I have to pretend as if I understand. It’s the only way of getting out of this… and saving Tobey.
“I do.” I hold my head higher. “Sometimes, sacrifices are necessary. What… are we being kept safe from?”
That’s the last piece of the puzzle, the only thing I don’t understand.
He frowns, his ageless face looking just a bit older. “I am not at liberty to say, carino. Not yet. This is a trial of trust, too.”
And for the first time in my life, I no longer trust my parents.
My father opens the door.
The large painting greets me first, stinging my eyes. The man in the painting is a stranger, I know that now, but he wears the same mask Caldwell plans to don for the evening. I’m brought back to times with Tobey—investigations, sneaking around the club together.
It’s all come full circle.
Beside me, as we speak of his demonic father, Jun is still and silent, but his heart races louder than the rest. He can’t look away from the painting.
“I’m glad you see reason,” my father says. “This should clear things up for you.”
In the room, perched daintily on the bed, is Tobey. They sit as they always do, their legs crisscross. There is nothing to keep them in place, and if I didn’t know better, I would think they are a house guest, not a sacrifice.
This is it. This is why Amelia said they were keeping Tobey around—for me to sacrifice her.
Damn it all. How could my father keep these secrets for so long? He may be a better actor than I gave him credit for.
“I see,” I breathe, doing my best to sound calmer than I feel.
Tobey stares blankly, crossing their arms.
“They are having a silent protest,” my father says, turning his back. He closes the door and chuckles without humor. “They stopped speaking four hours ago. It’s a bit of a relief—they were rather chatty before.”
I spare one last look with Tobey. Between the crack of the door, they look at me, and hope sparkles in their eyes. My undead heart breaks as the door clicks shut.
They need me to save them, but I still don’t know how. We’re outnumbered—three against the crowd downstairs. And, by the sound of things, the party is growing.
I can’t let my father see my worries. We follow him down the hallway. Jun is still in stunned silence.
“Are there other sacrifices tonight?” I ask.
How many people do we have to save?
“No,” my father says. “It must be one at a time. The others will have their opportunity to prove their loyalty. Tonight is all about you. I wanted you to be the first of this group to make the sacrifice.”
“Ah… thank you.”
Wonderful. I’m finally the star of the show, and, of course, it will end in blood and death. I’m meant for tragedy, not comedy, and I’ve always known it.
Jun hasn’t said a word. I’m practically hyperventilating as he and I return to the party. But party doesn’t feel like the right word. This is a horror show. Even the people around don’t seem to be enjoying themselves. Glasses go untouched, and the music is eerie rather than energizing.
We step into the room to find it crowded, and—Caldwell might have had the right idea with the mask, after all. Now, everyone else is wearing them. I’ve never found the masks particularly alarming, but seeing a room full of them leaves me uneasy.
I no longer know who’s hiding behind each mask, and that’s where the fear lies.
The other guests are as on edge as I am, but they don’t have a reason to be. This is my day. It’s not a role I auditioned for…
But I suppose it is. The trials I’ve been through were my audition, and a life at my father’s side was as well. Was there anything I could have done to keep from finding myself here?
Jun doesn’t speak until we’re in the middle of the party. We stand close to the speakers, and I hope the music can drown out our conversation from the rest.
“You can’t be serious about doing this,” he says.
I turn to him with rage in my eyes and flaring nostrils. “And you cannot possibly think I want anything to do with this. I won’t hurt Tobey.”
Nothing can convince me to. I don’t want immortality, and if I have to choose between my life and theirs…
I will choose theirs. Jun should know better.
His eyes widen. “You seemed awfully convincing in there, princess.”
“Good. Then I still know how to act after all. It’s a matter of self-preservation, and Tobey’s preservation. I’m pretending to go along with it until I can get them out of here. I won’t be sacrificing them to… to… to your father.”
“Shit.” He lets out a breath of relief. “I didn’t know if the fear I felt was yours or mine.”
The words have no meaning at first. They would be confusing to anyone else, but they click together after a moment. He’s talking about our mating bond. That means he feels it the way I do. Jun confirmed it already the night before, but to know he can feel me through it is something else.
My expression softens. “You feel me, too?”
He nods, giving me a confirmation I don’t need. “I do. I’m not fucking used to it, but… I feel everything.”
“The fear belongs to both of us, then. This is terrifying. Anyone would be afraid.”
“I don’t want to be.”
“But it’s okay.” I squeeze his arm. “If you weren’t terrified, that would be even more terrifying to me.”
“Great.” He lets out a slow sigh. “What now? What are we supposed to do?”
“We’re going to save Tobey,” I whisper. “But we can’t do it if my father knows what’s happening.”
He nods. “Then that’s what we’re doing. Going along with the plan.”
“I’m going to text Professor Connolly,” I mutter, taking my phone from my pocket.
I send out a few short texts.
Margaux
Vampire club. Come fast.
I don’t know if I should say what’s happening over text, but if you want to Sacrifice your evening, you should come by!
Writing out the word sacrifice makes it feel all too real, but I can only hope she reads between the lines. A drop of blood falls from my eye to my phone, and I lock the screen.
Before I can say a thing, Jun’s arms wrap around me. He squeezes me against his chest, and cinnamon and musk take me in, comforting me. Pressed to him, where no one can hear or see, I break down—hyperventilating, barely able to breathe.
Jun rubs my back, his lips close to my ear. “It’s okay, baby. We’re together. I got you.”
Even more comforting than his warmth and words is the fact that I can break down around him. I’ve never been this comfortable around someone before.
Except Tobey. We must save Tobey.
Jun sneaks to the back door to let Caldwell in, and I run upstairs, disappearing in a blur before anyone can realize I’m gone. Desperation to have a moment alone with Tobey leads me there. It’s easy to find the room, considering it’s the same one I was staking out with them a month ago.
How could so much have changed in one measly month?
The door is unlocked. How peculiar. Why wouldn’t they try to break out alone? I slip inside with ease, and Tobey is still there, resting on the bed with a book propped in front of them.
“You’re reading at a time like this?” I ask.
They look up, shrugging. “Your father was kind enough to lend me some reading material. Such a generous man.”
I roll my eyes. “Why are you here? The door is unlocked, but there’s no way you’re here of your free will.”
Tobey looks up from their book, their sharp gaze fixed upon me. “What am I supposed to do? He’s a vampire, and the room downstairs is full of other vampires, demons… whatever. I’ve seen how fast you guys are. I don’t stand a chance.”
“I’m faster than him. Don’t worry.”
They give me a shaky smile. “I’m not worried. I trust you. After everything, I won’t start playing games of mistrust again. If you’re here, I’ll make it out alive. I’d better.”
They’re putting too much trust in me. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, but I’m one person. How can I be responsible for Tobey… and the rest of the school? Hell, it sounds like I’m responsible for the rest of Castine.
We can’t keep letting the murders happen, but I don’t know how to make it stop if what my father says is true. Why are the sacrifices necessary?
I rub my eyes. They’re already a mess, between my bloody tears and streaming makeup. “I’m glad you trust me, but—”
“What’s the plan? Let’s focus on that first.”
“I don’t know.” I let out a laugh, one soaking with exhaustion. “Jun has the witch weapon, but what good does that do?”
“It’s better than nothing.”
“Not if we can’t find the demon.”
“Hm…” Tobey presses their lips together. “It sounds like we’re going to have to improvise.”
“Wait…” I think of the badge in my pocket and pull it out, showing it to Tobey. “This will allow me to summon the demon, I think. Or Jun can, as a backup plan.”
“So…” Tobey tilts their head to the side. “You summon the demon, slay it, and in the mayhem, we get out of here.”
“A mildly hopeless plan, but it’s better than nothing.”
They let out a slow breath. “I don’t have an alternative.”
“Killing Strode may be enough to stop the sacrifices,” I say. “My father says they’re making sacrifices to him for… for something. Protection, I guess. I don’t fully understand it.”
“Then the witch weapon should still be our priority.”
“Agreed.” I hesitate. “I’m so sorry, Tobey. I can’t believe my father dragged you here.”
They bite the inside of their cheek. “He didn’t drag me here. He asked me to come, and I agreed.”
“Why?”
“Because he said it needs to be a willing sacrifice.” They hold their head higher. “And I’m not about to be a fucking sacrifice, but I am going to get justice for Poppy—for real this time. It’s bigger than Amelia. It’s the demon. I want him dead. I want this whole thing over with.”
My lips quirk up at the corner. “I thought you were done with revenge?”
“Yeah, well… I’m done with being done with it.” They laugh. “I have the answers now, and you know what? They aren’t that great. Let’s finish this. For Poppy.”
“And for you. This demon, this school, whatever… it won’t take another friend from me. I won’t let it. I’m going to save you.”
“You’d better.”
Even though we have something close to a plan, the question remains…
How can I pull this off?