Finally, the ground gains an incline. I find a staircase I haven’t seen before and rush up it, terrified it might just vanish. When I reach the top, I sit back down, catching my breath. I open a translator on my phone, quickly typing the words.
Dear sister,
you have my blood,
but—
I clench my teeth, trying to remember what the last line was. I scribble this into my notebook, beneath the Gaelic, hoping it’ll suddenly make sense.What was that?
The sound of footsteps draws me away from the notebook. I shove it into my satchel and turn to the tunnel behind me. The silhouette of a woman comes into view, barely illuminated by the scarce lamp, and as she approaches, she covers her mouth and nose. “Cassie?” Julia’s voice is muffled as she looks around.
“Yeah, it’s me,” I say, and she coughs. “What is it?”
“Something smells weird.”
I sniff the air. “I can’t smell anything,” I say, getting up. “What are you doing down here?”
Julia points at a sign on the wall, an arrow above the wordsTraquair Hall.“Just finished class,” she says and takes a step back. Her pale blue eyes gain a sudden red tinge, but she blinks, and it disappears. “Is that yourblood?” She pulls up the collar of her jumper until it covers her nose. A sharp pain pierces my chest for a second as I realise what this means.
The garlic has left my system. I swallow hard.
“Aye,” I say.
“But your blood didn’t have a scent before,” she says, confused. She stays at a safe distance, and I nod.
“I was taking garlic supplements,” I say. “It neutralises the smell.” She still hasn’t moved, tense. “But I had to stop.”
“Why?” she asks, her voice tight. This isn’t good. Vampires like Julia, treaties-abiding vampires, have never tasted human blood. They’re used to the synthetic, fragrance-free stuff that keeps them healthy and full, but doesn’t indulge their desires the way my blood would. But if she attacks me, I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to knock her out without hurting her. Julia remains tense, slowly walking towardsme.
“It was upsetting my stomach,” I say.
She takes a deep breath, then lowers her jumper. “Sorry,” she says, trying to calm her voice. “I was just a bit shocked. I don’t mean to be rude.”
I gawk at her, watching as she inhales slowly, as though she’s trying to get used to my scent. “Maybe I should have warned you,” I say.
“It’s fine; it’s not your fault your blood smells like this,” she says, and I stare at her.
My throat tightens.
Type-S blood doesn’t only smell good. It makes all those who smell it thirsty, and depending on the vampire, that thirst can become all-consuming. But despite the tension in her features, Julia’s eyes are no longer red. She’s controlling herself.
I follow her as she makes her way along the so-called shortcut. Julia is incredibly thin, her cheeks sunken. As years pass, she’ll start to fill out, blood will rush to her cheeks, and she’ll build muscle. But I’ve heard it can take a Convert vampire decades to regain their strength.
“With that kind of blood you’re a target for blood parties,” Julia says. I hide my reaction. Blood parties aren’t exactly a secret, but they’re certainly not something that mostcivilisedvampires would openly admit knowing about.
“Have you ever been to one?”
“No,” she says, and she steps further towards the wall, keeping herdistance. She was probably quite pretty when she was alive. What if Julia was a blood party victim? And instead of getting drained at that party, she was sired? I’ve had a few vampires offer me immortality before I revealed I was a hunter. Perhaps they do keep their promises.
“Well, almost,” she says, breaking the silence.
“Almost?”
“I almost went to one, back when I was human. But they turned me instead.”
Her words are light, but I can feel all the broken pieces behind them. “You were turned against your will,” I say, and Julia looks back at me. After a short pause, she nods.
“I’d rather not talk about it,” she says.
