My hands feel numb. Until now, all my confrontations have been with vampires. But there’s something about this man that sets all my nerves on edge.Does he know?
“Who are these vampires?” he asks. My mouth is dry. Before I can think of what to say, he continues, “You should know that Tynahine takes these kinds of allegations seriously, Miss Smith. If you’re reporting someone due to your own prejudices, there will be consequences.”
My face burns. “I have to answer this,” he adds. “If you don’t mind waiting.”
Useless bastard,I think, and walk out, swallowing hard. Why did I expect him to help me in the first place? Campus security is clearly here for vampires only. I rush back to Tynarrich, taking off my glasses as the wind blows rain onto the lenses.
By the time I reach Tynarrich’s dining hall, Ife and Stephan are already there. “It’s too early,” Ife complains. The cosy dining hall is quiet, most vampires still asleep. “You better have a good reason for waking us all up.”
It’s for your own sake.I bite my tongue and look down at my satchel. “Depends on your definition of ‘good,’ ” I say. “I went for a walk this morning. Through the tunnels under the campus.”
“As one does,” Stephan says, while Ife yawns into the billowing sleeve of her jumper. Julia appears, slightly out of breath, and takes the empty armchair next to mine.
“Why are we here?” Julia asks, her eyes red with sleep.
“Cassie is telling us about her adventures in the tunnels,” Stephan says.
“Aye. Well, I had a run-in with the Red Ribbons.”
Ife is suddenly wide awake. Julia leans forward, gawking at me. “What happened?” Julia asks.
“They didn’t see me. At least I don’t think they did.” I leave out the chase and my narrow escape. “But they have a plan to get humans kicked out of Tynahine.”
All three of them stare at me, stunned.
“Well, go on,” Ife urges.
“They want to compel a human to kill a vampire.” And that human is Stephan.
“What?” Ife says, eyes wide as she looks around the dining hall. “Have you told the Night Dean?”
“No,” I say. Perhaps I should have. But considering how I was treated by campus security, it would have been a waste of time. “And I won’t. Do you really think they’ll believe a newly arrived human over vampires who may have been here for decades, if notcenturies?” No one says anything. “Butyoucould tell them,” I say carefully. “If it comes from a vampire…”
Ife rubs her eyes, drawing out a flask from her bag. She takes a swig and clears her throat. “I’ll need names,” she says. “If you see any of them, point them out to me.”
“You’ll have to be careful,” I add. I glance at Stephan, ignoring theguilt that’s made a home in my chest.I have to warn him.“Anyone could be a target.”
“You should also be careful, then,” Julia says, narrowing her eyes at me. “Perhaps going on walks down in the tunnels by yourself is a bad idea.”
“Definitely,” I say, before looking away from her. The worst thing that could happen if I cross paths with a Red Ribbon is they get staked. Bad idea, indeed.
I struggle tofall asleep, dread tightening my stomach. I saw Jannet again, in Gustavsson’s class, but she didn’t spare me a glance. They don’t know it was me. After two miserable hours of sleep, I wake to the sound of slurping. I grit my teeth. Why must she wake me? I push my bedsheets off my skin, far too warm, and take a long and careful breath.
The slurping has stopped. Maybe she’s retreated to her coffin already. I sit up and bleary eyed, I peek through the gap in the curtains. The black drapes splitting our room in half are wide open.
Astra is on top of her coffin, lying flat on her back, with one leg dangling over the edge. In one hand she has a book, and in the other, a paper cup, presumably empty. I wish I could stop staring at her.
“You do realise how creepy you’re being, don’t you?” she asks.
I’m still hidden behind the curtains, staring through the sliver of open fabric. She tilts her head to the side, catching my gaze.
“I can hear you mouth-breathing. It’s quite unsettling.”
“Forgive me for being alive,” I say, pulling the curtains open. I’m not wearing my glasses. I feel strangely naked without them. Astra’s dark gaze trails down my body. I know why she’s staring. My low-cut nightgown leaves very little to the imagination.
I’m used to vampires salivating over me, but Astra seems nothing except amused by my getup, pressing her lips together to hold back laughter. She looks back at her book, still smiling. If my blood wasn’t laced with garlic, she wouldn’t be so composed.
“Could you drink a little quieter, please?” I say, not hiding the acid in my voice.
