I can’t hurt her.
Three whole dayspass during which I manage to avoid her, never looking her way when she walks into Ambrose Hall. I haven’t seenJannet in Gustavsson’s class, but I can’t shake the feeling that it’s only a matter of time before the Night Dean calls me to his office. So I have to finish my mission as fast as I can.
I split my day into three blocks. The main one, findingThe Book of Blood and Roses,gets six hours, early in the morning, when I know I won’t run into any leeches in the tunnels. And although I haven’t found it yet, the map in my notebook has started to take shape, a great tangled labyrinth of a thousand tunnels, with as many as six floors digging beneath the earth.
I split another five hours between Integration and mynormalclasses. And what’s left, I spend in Kinsnet, gathering books from the archive, searching for the wordsblood contract.Vampires walk past my cluttered table on the fourth floor, filled with empty coffee cups and a dozen books. Occasionally, they stop to stare at the subject of my research, but none of them say anything. So far, the only cure I’ve found is death.
I know I should try again, before it’s too late.
On the fourth day, Aliz Astra finally decides to crack through the wall I built between us. I find her sitting on my desk, early in the morning, just after I finish showering. The mark aches against my neck, becoming itchier with each passing second. I know that if Aliz touches it, the discomfort will vanish, just as it did the morning I found the mark.
“I got you this,” she says, lifting a long white box. I stare at her, not daring to step closer. “It’s a topical cream, with aloe vera and”—she squints at the box—“chemicals. It’s for rashes and bites, and hopefully—”
“Why?” I ask, folding my arms.
“I know you don’t believe me, but it wasn’t on purpose.” She rushes, seemingly afraid I’ll interrupt her. “I didn’t know. I swear it.”
I want to tell her that her words don’t mean shit. But something stopsme.
She pulls a tube from the box and holds it out like an olive branch. I grit my teeth, but finally walk over and take it from her. “You’ve been looking for a cure?” I ask.
“Of course,” she says, gaze locked with mine. “I’ve searched through five libraries already.” I blink. She’s covered more ground than I have. I unscrew the tube and squeeze a pea-sized drop of gel onto my fingers. I rub it against the mark, and for a few seconds, the itch vanishes.
“I’m assuming you’ve found the full list ofqualitiesa Blood Familiar has,” I say, spreading a little more. Aliz gives a small nod, swallowing hard.
“Cassie, I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
I want to tell her to fuck off. But when I look at her, I get the sense that she’s telling the truth. I’ve never seen her so fragile. I keep my lips pressed tight before letting out a sigh. “Sure, you didn’t,” I say. “We should test it.”
“What?”
I step closer. “We need to know if it’s true. If yourwordalone can compel me.”
“I can’t do that,” she says, panic-stricken. “We’d be breaking the treaties!”
“I’m pretty sure we already have,” I say.
We haven’t.
If I was an ordinary human, then yes, I imagine that forming a blood contract without the human’s knowledge is punishable with a century in prison. Fortunately for Aliz, however, vampire hunters are an exception. We are not protected by those laws. “We need to know how much damage this has done,” I say, pointing at my neck. “So, hurry.”
“But what—” She takes a deep breath, and you would think that Aliz was the one branded with a Familiar’s mark. “What do I say?”
“I don’t know,” I say. “Just give me an order. Tell me to clap my hands or something.”
She takes another deep breath and closes her eyes. “All right,” she whispers and finally looks at me with an odd resolution. “Twirl,” she says.
My body remains firmly in place. I don’t feel anything, but Aliz’s expression is twisted with worry.
“I didn’t do it, did I?” I ask.
“No,” Aliz says, and she lets out a long breath. “So, it’s not working.”
I lean against one of my bedposts, exhaling.I’m not under her control.But my relief is short-lived.
“Don’t be so quick to celebrate,” I say. “We don’t know enough about the mark. Maybe it hasn’t come into effect yet.” My neck itches again just as I say this, and I dig my short nails into my skin, unable to get rid of the feeling. Her little gift only worked for a few seconds. “Can you touch my neck?” I ask without thinking.
“What?”
