“I’m on it,” I say, catching my breath. “But we need to get the humans out first.”
“You’re here to kill Trellis, not rescue his victims.”
“We can’t leave them here,” I say. “We’re outnumbered.”
Penny studies me for a long second. My neck burns, each individual line of the Familiar’s mark itching as I wait for her to notice it. But after a sigh, she tears her green eyes from mine and looks at the humans behind us. “Eugene Trellis should be in the rooftop bar.” Slowly, I stand back up. Penny fights with the window until it squeaks, giving way. “I’ll deal with him.”
“Wait,” I argue before she goes. “Trellis ismytarget.” Penny didn’t see his smug face when he sentenced his victims to death.
“Then why are you wasting time at the other end of the castle?”she snaps. Is saving liveswasting timeto her? I ball my fists, but before I can argue, she nods. “Fine. But don’t waste another second.”
She’s angry. But I’ll deal with her anger later. And I know that she’ll be able to get the humans to safety much quicker than I could. They seem to be in shock, unable to process what happened. I put my hand out in front of the girl holding Gustavsson’s silver cross.
“If Callisto tries to recruit you, say no,” I whisper, not letting Penny hearme.
As I run through the castle, something feels off. I don’t come across a swarm of vampires searching for their prey. Just silence. Now that the lights are on, I can find my bearings. There’s even a sign pointing towards the rooftop garden.
I keep waiting for an ambush. But then it hits me. The guests know a hunter is in the building. They’ll be expecting the full force of Callisto. Everyone must have fled. I’ll be lucky if Eugene Trellis is still around. Penny will kill me if he got away. I run, making sure my gun has bullets, and finally find a staircase leading to the roof.
Automatic doors slide open, and there he is: the same man who announced the rules of the game with such jubilation, now on his phone arguing with someone over the band. “This is the first blood party in Inverness in over two centuries, and the harpsichord was out of tune!” he hisses, before sensing my presence. “Oh, dinner’s here,” he says and hangs up. “How’d you get so much blood on you, darling?” he asks.
I expected it to be harder. But Trellis hasn’t planted any traps, as some of my past victims did. And unlike his guards, he doesn’t think of escaping. Nor does he put up much of a fight. I screw on the silencer and shoot him in the shoulder first. He screeches, the silver far more painful than the bullet wound itself.
The streets of Inverness are still lively, buildings well illuminated. When I look up at the moon, it resembles a hook, digging right into my soul, telling me that my time is running out.
“I’d give you a ten-minute head start, just like you gave us,” I say, looming over him, blood dripping from my red dress. “But I have a feeling you wouldn’t get far.”
“Mortal scum,” he hisses, eyes flashing red. “Don’t you know who I am?”
“A terrible party planner,” I say, pressing my lips into a smile. I pull out a stake, and just as I’m about to drive it through his chest, something smashes against my waist, a kick like a wrecking ball. My weapon falls from my hands, and I roll across the ground, as though gravity suddenly changed direction.
I groan, and when I look up, I see her standing eerily still next to Trellis and looking at me with indifference. Her bun has come undone, and her chestnut waves fall past her waist.
Elia’s eyes glow red in the darkness, but she doesn’t try to compelme.
Because she knows what Iam.
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
Cold slips through my damp dress as the blood dries on my skin. Her red gaze flickers to my stake, just a metre away from me. I can reach it—my body aches as though I’ve broken a rib, but I can reach it, I have to. Just as my fingers crawl mere inches from the weapon, Elia kicks it aside, all the way to the other end of the roof.
No.I look up at her, expecting her to kick me next.
“I’m afraid I can’t let you kill him, Rebecca,” she says, and a chill runs throughme.
“Thank you,” Trellis says, the silver bullet still burning through his shoulder. “Now get this bloody—”
But then Elia does something bizarre. She crouches, the hem of her black gown brushing against the damp floor. And Trellis gawks at her, confused, while she draws out an old camera and snaps a photograph of him.
I still have my gun. Somehow, the pain in my chest seems to have faded, as though I imagined it. Whatever Elia is planning, I won’t let her get away with it. I’ll fucking kill Trellis, just as Penny ordered me to. I stagger to my feet, and Elia puts her camera away just as I aim my gun at Trellis again.
She tuts and slams me on the ground before I can pull the trigger, knocking the air out of my lungs. My face is pressed against the stone, and I feel her on top of me. She clasps my arms tight behind my back, and I let out a strangled sound as pain shoots throughme.
She leans close, lips next to my ear. “Don’t get in my way.” She tightens her grip, and I get a whiff of her rosewater perfume. “You’ve done your job. Now let me do mine.”
My arms feel as though they’re about to break, but I blink, taking in those words. Her nails dig into my skin, and I can’t move. I bite my tongue, trying to distract myself from the pain. “You’ll behave now, won’t you?” she asks as Trellis continues to moan, the stench of burnt flesh rising from his wound. “Hm?”
