I leave class early. Vampires stare at me as I walk past them in the hallways. I rush outside, into the light rain.
I can’t shake the feeling, even as I trek into the pine grove, away from the busy hallways, that I’m being watched. I press my hands over my ears, trying to stay calm. But I can see them. Hear them. Every vampire that’s chased me. Every vampire I’ve killed.
Delicious,they say.
Fear is not an option. I knew damn well what I was getting myself into.
Aliz takes asip of blood, legs dangling over her coffin. The hours I spent in class, she spent down in the tunnels. “I found the flat tunnels,” she says. She’s mixed Marcus’s blood with a higher amount of synthetic blood to make it last longer, and so far, this new cocktail proves to be working. “But the walls didn’t speak to me.”
“They didn’tspeak,” I say, staring down at my map. “The words were written on the wall.”
My neck itches, and as I rub the scarf over my skin, she jumps down from her coffin, striding across the room. The saltward around my bed is still there.
“If I touch the mark, the pain will go away, won’t it?” she asks. Her eyes are black. She can’t overpower me. “Will you let me through?” I don’t want to risk it. For some reason, the thought of Aliz sitting on the bed with me seems like a terrible idea, so I get up, walking over to my desk, and sit there instead. She doesn’t complain, placingone hand on the desk at my side, and slipping the other beneath the fabric of the scarf. She can feel my pulse quickening but doesn’t say anything.
We’re close. I stare at her collar, trying to keep my mind on track.It would be so easy to look up, to fall under her spell. I glance at her grey waistcoat, my hands restless. I want to touch her. But I can’t. “The Halloween Ball will be in the hunting lodge,” I say, breaking the silence.
“Yes,” Aliz whispers. I’m not sure if she’s paying attention to what I’m saying. Her breaths are shallow, few and far between. Her thumb grazes the mark, rubbing my skin until she raises goosebumps. The hand on the desk inches towards my thigh, and before she takes that risk, I say:
“I thought this was torture.” I study the cut of her clothes, each seam lining up perfectly with her lean frame. I’ve already kissed her neck in dreams. I know what she’s done to me in hers.
“As you said,” her voice is strained, “I need to get used to you.”
Not that long ago, Aliz Astra was taunting me. And in my boiling rage I’d wanted to spill my blood, weaken her senses, have her at my mercy. Right now, as she cages me against my desk, leaning her head gently against mine, I know I should have never wished for such a thing. I thought I’d have power over her, just as I have with every other vampire. Instead, the onlypowerI have, at least right now, is restraint.
“The hunting lodge,” I say, peeling her fingers from my neck. I clear my throat, inching back on the desk. This gesture is a wall, cutting through the fine line we were walking seconds ago. Aliz stands straight, coming to her senses. “I want to go there. I know you said you’ve already looked, but—”
“Sure.” She walks over to her coffin. I can’t see her eyes. I wonder if they turned red. Maybe they still are. “How does tomorrow night sound?”
“It would probably be better if we could go during the day, but I understand that’ll be hard for you,” I say, jumping down from the desk. My legs feel numb, as though I’d been sitting there for hours instead of minutes.
“I’d rather not go up in flames, if that’s all right.”
She places a second cup of blood in the microwave, and when she looks at me, her eyes are a dark burgundy. I don’t know whatexpression I make, but she averts her gaze immediately, turning to the microwave. She drinks her dinner in a couple of gulps, with a thirst I’ve never seen her display back when her synthetic blood wasn’t laced with Marcus’s.
The following night,Aliz and I set out for the hunting lodge. We leave the campus village behind, heading to the stone bridge that leads to the woods. She’s in a coat she stole from her father before leaving Hungary, and despite having to walk through mud, instead of wellies, she’s wearing a pair of oxfords.
“Do you own anything that isn’t a suit?” I ask, as the cobbles are replaced by large slabs of stone, and the lampposts that fringe the stone bridge grow brighter.
“I was only allowed to wear skirts and dresses growing up,” she says. Her tone is light, but I can sense bitterness beneath the current. “So as soon as I got here, I chopped my hair and raided Faust’s wardrobe. His clothes were too big, of course. But he soon gave me an allowance to get my own suits.”
“Really?” I ask. I can’t picture Nocth being anything other than an insufferable arsehole.
“He’s always had a soft spot for me,” she says.
“Right. What about jeans?” I ask. “Or tracksuits?”
“Life is too short to dress casually,” she says, grinning atme.
“You are quite literally immortal,” I point out. Aliz laughs, giving me a push as we make our way over the river. “Why are you letting the university host the Halloween Ball in your palace?”
“Elia is the one who organises it,” she says. “I suppose it’ll be a good thing if she cleans it up. It’s been empty for five years.”
“Was it your idea?”
“No. But Elia never asks for permission,” Aliz says. “Like, a few years ago I had a crush on a French student, and Elia stole her from me before I even got a chance to get her number.” She glances down at me, hesitant with what she’s about to say next. “And even thoughneither of us like humans, if she thinks I’m interested in you, she’ll pursue you as well.”
Aliz clears her throat, and I take a careful breath. I know it’s just the mark, but she’s certainly showninterest.
