“Does Callisto know about this?”Are you a mole?
“No,” she finally admits. I squeeze the coffee cup, curtailing my temper. “But Faust is useful. I didn’t tell you because I was hoping you wouldn’t interact. Why exactly—”
“And the fact that you were here?” I interrupt her. “You never thought it would be helpful to tell me that in advance?”
“You were given the information you needed.” Her cold voice tells me to drop the subject. But I can’t.
“Was I, really? You told me fuck all, Penny. Which other vampires do you work with?”
“Only him.” Her voice softens, and I want to believe her. “Like I said, Faust is useful, that’s all. He’ll sometimes tip me off on certain vampires or events. But I’m the only hunter he trusts.”
“And do you trust him?” A seagull lands on one of the flat rocks of the river, cocking its head as it stares atme.
“Of course not. And neither should you. Try to stay away from him.”
“That would have been a lot easier if you’d told me from the start,”I say, but my temper has begun to simmer down. At least she admitted it. Though I’m pretty certain she’s still hiding something.
As am I.
I walk intoGustavsson’s class, feeling my pulse against my ears. I look straight at him and wait for him to look back. I wait for his eyes to give it away, that Nocth told him what I am. But he’s busy fighting with his record player, cursing at it while another student offers to help.
According to the dean, Gustavsson dealt with the Red Ribbons, but I can’t visualise the scrawny vampiredealingwithanyone. The stark shadows of the crypt-like classroom only make his features look gaunter. When he finally casts his gaze in my direction, it doesn’t linger.
I try to pay attention to his lecture. But I can’t stop thinking about Penny. I play our conversation over and over, trying as hard as I can to believe her.
Callisto—Penny—has been the only constant in my life these past four years. Maybe she’s right. Getting information from someone as powerful as Faust Nocth must have its advantages. But he’s an Astra. She said it herself, they’re dangerous. Notordinaryvampires.
Whether Penny is telling the truth or not about my mission to find the book, I have no choice but to continue. And since I can’t focus on the lecture, I scribble away in my notebook, trying to make sense of the map of tunnels. There’s still so much missing.
“Cassie,” Ife whispers beside me once the lecture ends.
“Yes?”
When I look up, students are already making their way out of the music hall. And at the door, a mop of white hair. “Your roommate is here,” she says, shooting me an inquisitive glance.
I walk out and find Aliz slipping into a narrow stairwell. I follow and find her leaning on the wall, directly beneath a lamp. The staircase is made of steep slabs of granite, vanishing into the dark.
“I didn’t know if you’d follow me,” she says, as I step down the first two steps, into the dark and cold nook. She seems uncharacteristically awkward, and I remember her expression last night. I lean on the wall opposite hers, staying as far as the narrow staircase allows.
“I didn’t mean to snap at you last night,” I say, my voice painfully self-conscious.
Aliz stares at me, wide-eyed. And then, to my absolute horror, she smiles. A genuine, honest smile, the kind she’s not shared with me before. Warmth spreads through my chest, breath momentarily caught in my throat. “So wearefriends, then,” she says, and I blink, getting my senses back in order.
“Of course not. But I was rude.” I tug my scarf a little tighter, ignoring the itch. “Why are you here?”
Aliz glances out of the staircase, towards the tunnel outside the music hall. Professor Gustavsson is the last to leave, and when I peek out, he offers me a small wave before heading on his way, cello case almost as wide as his shoulders.
“I won’t let you become my Familiar,” she finally says, keeping her voice low. “We’re going to findThe Book of Blood and Rosesbefore the full moon. I promise.”
That warmth I tried to push from my chest is there again. I nod, trying to not let emotion show on my face.
“And what if I ask you to—”
“I won’t bite you,” she says before I can finish. “What happened in the bathroom was a mistake. I got carried away.”
“I did, too,” I say.
Aliz clears her throat. “All right, then,” she says, stepping forward, offering me her hand. “Let’s get to work.”
