Somnus is still pinning me against the wall. But as Natalya bares her fangs and sinks them into my wrist, pulling an excruciatingly long draw of blood from me, there is a soft knock at the door.
"We are not to be disturbed," Del Mar booms angrily. "Who would dare?—"
"It is Pia, sir."
The prophetess from the temple of Galene? I'm too dizzy from suffocation and pain blossoming in my arm to understand why on earth she would be knocking at a time like this. For a moment, my ears ring, and the voices in my head come roaring to the surface. I'm left pinned to the wall, choking for air whileNatalya releases my wrist, exchanging words through the door that I can't make out.
Abruptly, Somnus releases me with a sharp swear just as Engela moves for the first time, throwing the office door open and storming out. Del Mar, Somnus, and Natalya follow her, leaving me blinking in confusion as I'm alone in Hearst's office with a burning wrist and the prophetess standing nearby.
The white-cloaked figure's head turns in my direction.
"You're bleeding," she says quietly.
I fight for breath as I stagger to my feet, gripping my burning wrist. Natalya is a vampyr, meaning unlike legacy vampires, her venom has the ability to turn someone into a vampire…if they die with the venom in their system.As I do now.
But they're gone, so I have no plans to die.
"Where did they go? What's going on?" I ask hoarsely.
The only thing I can think of that would draw their attention away so quickly would be if Pia announced that someone had tried to escape the wards. What if she was reporting Maven's attempted escape? What if my keeper is about to be caught and killed at any moment?
"Your keeper is perfectly safe, Silas Crane," Pia replies, reminding me that she's clairvoyant and quite possibly a mind reader. "She is currently outside the wards surrounding Everbound."
That only adds to my panic, though. "Are they looking for her? Did you tell them?"
The prophetess shakes her white-robed head. "No. I merely came to report to them that a swarm of wisps broke out of Limbo and are ripping to shreds anything and everything they come across within the western wing. Without the Nightmare Prince, it will likely take them a couple of hours to trap and fade the wisps."
Why is she mentioning Crypt? Her words spin in my head, not making sense. Between the earlier blood loss and the vampyr venom pulsing through my system, I can't seem to focus on anything. The ringing in my ears is getting worse.
"I need to get to Maven," I mutter. Only too late do I realize I spoke in fae.
But Pia must understand because she hums. "So loyal. Just as we had hoped."
That statement also makes no sense, but I'm far too exhausted and pain-riddled to ask follow-up questions as Pia supports me and helps me leave Hearst's office. But when we arrive at my quintet's apartment and not an exit, I blink blearily and scowl.
"Maven," I repeat emphatically. "I must get to my keeper."
Pia doesn't even acknowledge my protest as she knocks on the door. A moment later, Baelfire opens the door and stares at us. His eyes are wild in the way that tells me he's struggling with his inner dragon. The scratch marks around his neck, as if he's been trying to pry off his collar, further prove that he's struggling.
"Where were you?" he snaps, dragging me inside and slamming the door without so much as a hello to the mysterious prophetess. "Maven left an hour ago. Why the fuck didn't you get here sooner to go with her outside the wards?"
I squint at him through the blurriness crowding my eyes, determined to make his three heads converge into one. "I was preoccupied. But why the fucking hell didn'tyougo with her?"
He swears and yanks hard on the leather around his neck again. "She pointed out that we don't know whether this motherfucking collar has a tracking spell woven into it. It might've tipped off the Immortal Quintet if I left, and then we would've been fucked."
"You're saying she's alone out there?" I snap, storming toward the kitchen to get spell ingredients to null the venom.
At least, Itryto storm into the kitchen. But my equilibrium has started to spiral, and I smack right into the wall, falling on my ass and hissing at the pain in my leg.
Everything spins as the edges of my vision darken, but I can make out Baelfire standing above me with a frown that almost looksconcerned, of all things.
"Shit. What the hell happened to you, Si?"
I'm about to black out, but I can't let myself go unconscious with this venom in my system. What if I somehow die while unconscious and come back as a vampire? I wouldn't have my magic anymore, and my powerful line of blood magic is utterly invaluable. I refuse to ever give it up.
So I try to focus on Baelfire's six pairs of eyes and grit out, "Wyvern blood."
"Come again?"
