On Sunday, we attempt to find a different entrance into the maze, but once again, we end in front of the alcove and its two doors. And neither of us dares to step back into the nightmares conjured within. As the blood party looms over me, my nightmares remain the same: Every night I dream of infiltrating Cieri’s party, and every night I fail to save any of his victims because I focused, instead, on killing him. Aliz, on the other hand, dreams her own strange nightmare, of being locked up in her room with no blood by an unfamiliar figure, growing thirstier and thirstier with each passing night.
When Monday finally arrives, I get ready to go to Inverness. Aliz walks into the room just as I finish zipping up my bag. There are a dozen weapons inside. Nocth told us we must stay together, and as much as I would rather remain here with her, I can’t let a blood party take place and donothing.“Where are you going?” she asks.
“To Inverness,” I say. “I’m meeting a family friend.” It’s only half a lie. Penny is sending another hunter as backup, despite my insistence on not wanting help. But whoever this other hunter is, I can’t letthem see my mark, and I definitely can’t let them anywhere near Aliz.
“But we’re not meant to be apart,” she says, coming to stand next to me. Her hand pauses upon mine, fingers cool as they press against my skin.
“As long as you don’t fall asleep, you’ll be fine.” I can’t be sure of anything anymore. “You have class, don’t you?” She nods. “And I’m sure Elia will have organised a party of some sort.”
“For once, she hasn’t,” Aliz says and sighs. I shouldn’t be relieved that they won’t be spending the night together. But I can’t help it. “Just…be careful. Last time you were in Inverness you got bitten.”
“I’ll be fine,” I say, glancing down at our hands, still linked. “And you’ll be, too, as long as you don’t go to sleep before I’m back.”
Her fingers run over my knuckles. “Come back soon, then,” she whispers.
This proximity is dangerous. “You’re so needy,” I say, trying to get under her skin. I look back up and freeze as she leans closer, nose almost touching mine. She tilts my chin up, and my breath catches in my throat.
“Needy?” She inches nearer, enough for me to feel her cool breath on my lips. “Me?”
I can’t summon a reply. All I can manage is to swallow and reach for the front of her shirt. And that’s exactly when she draws back, letting go and stretching her arms above her head. “See you when you get back, Cassie.” I stare at the door long after she leaves, digging my nails into my palms.
The Familiar’s markstarts itching as soon as I leave the room. I’ve covered it with tattoo concealer, which I reapply once I reach Inverness. I stop in a pub by the river with a blackboard advertising an open mic and get a can of Irn-Bru. Mismatched lamps hang from the ceiling, and potted plants, some dead, others barely alive, fringe the windows.
I don’t know why I do it, but I unlock my burner phone and take a picture, capturing the lights, the colourful ceiling, and the sparkling river in the background, and send it to Aliz.
we could get dinner here
once the days are shorter.
She replies two minutes later.
I would love that.
We can celebrate the mark being gone.
Reckon they sell blood?
I chuckle, staring at her profile picture. My neck itches more than usual. Nocth already told me being apart would worsen the symptoms.
Once the ice in my glass has melted, I glance out the window. The waning moon is reduced to a nail clipping in the firmament. The party doesn’t start until midnight, but I need to get ready.
I head to the train station and freshen my makeup in the bathroom. I can’t let anyone recognise me. A blond wig and no glasses should do the trick. I tighten my garter on my left thigh, Gustavsson’s silver cross and three sheathed daggers strapped to it. My gun and a stake are inside a golden clutch bag. I leave the rest of my stuff in a locker.
The walk to the castle takes longer than it should thanks to my high heels. I’ve got a pair of rolled up ballerina flats in my clutch, but I can’t put those on until my mission is done.
I reach the castle and hide behind a tree, waiting. Then I see them: humans in red suits and dresses. I can tell they’ve been compelled, based on how they drift towards the castle with glazed eyes. I know this is the vampires’ method: They taste a particular human’s blood, and if they like it, compel their victim to come to the blood party dressed in red. Like every other blood party, the vampires haven’t discriminated on gender or body type—it’s the taste of their bloodthat matters. I was worried that I wouldn’t know where to go, but the humans walk towards the north tower, entering through a small metal door.
I do my best to ignore my budding fear, reminding myself I’ve done this a hundred times. I’m not the inexperienced girl I was when I first infiltrated Cieri’s party.
I mimic the trance-like look on the other humans’ faces and slowly walk up the slope towards the stone buildings that form Inverness Castle. Outside the door in the northern tower, I see a vampire security guard. His nostrils flare when he smells my blood.
He doesn’t hesitate in opening the door.
I step through, and that familiar scent, metallic, sweet, smoky, slips into my nostrils.
The scent of a blood party.
Vampires, especially theconverted, prefer the cold. Considering Converts must die before being brought back to life, their body temperature tends to remain several degrees lower than that of a human. The castle is freezing, and if I wasn’t acting like I’d been compelled, I’d probably be rubbing my arms to warm up. Goosebumps cover my bare skin, and the silver cross Gustavsson gifted me with, strapped beneath my skirt, feels like a sheet of ice.
