But no one answered. We continued to watch, until the corpse suddenly sat up and climbed to its feet. It had no shirt, so I could clearly see the planes of muscle and dark flesh. The head was on backward, but it began to right itself, shifting very slowly along the neck as a shaft of light from a window illuminated the creature more thoroughly for us.
The skin at its neck began to sew itself together, as if the flesh was merely melding into one another, the bloating of the face subsiding and the dark complexion beginning to match the body’s. Maggots were pushed out from the pores, dripping to the ground like squirming raindrops, as eyes expanded to fill gaping eye sockets. The jaw, hanging askew, swung back up into place as the man before us suddenly drew in a deep breath and blinked his eyes at us in disbelief.
“Oh my God,” I whispered.
Bram stared down at his hands. “Oh my God,” he echoed.
“Am I dead? Am I a ghost?”
“A werewolf,” Blanche said, recovering faster than the rest of us, and stepping forward to meet him. “You’re very much alive, I assure you.” She paused. “You were just dead for a few days.”
“A week,” I helped, feeling detached, like I was witnessing a dream. “Your head was … um …”
Bram closed his eyes as Blanche placed a hand on his shoulder. “I remember dying. Montoni was ripping my head … and then I felt my neck tingling and …” He let out a breath, meeting Blanche’s eyes. “You’re a family of werewolves.”
“We are,” Blanche agreed.
“But how …?”
“You must have been bitten by my uncle before he killed you.”
Bram nodded slowly, looking down at his hand, where I recalled he’d been scratched by Montoni through the door. Scratched not by Montoni’s claws, it would seem, but his teeth.
“The curse can be transferred through an alpha’s bite,” Blanche said. “Either Montoni didn’t realize he bit you, or he didn’t think the curse would take hold so soon before he killed you. My parents were probably right that the curse is stronger near Udolpho, so it likely set in sooner than usual.” She tilted her head. “But during a full moon, a body will heal itself from any wounds sustained since the previous full moon, so long as it wasn’t a lethal blow from silver.”
“Any wounds.” Bram swallowed hard. “That’s … something.” I noticed his hands shaking slightly as he looked up to meet my eyes.
“It’s okay,” I assured him, crossing the distance between us, caught between wonder and horror, relief, and disgust. I grabbed his hands, then hesitated only briefly before burying myself in his chest. “You’re okay. Thank God.”
Bram relaxed into me. “I think I’m in shock. I should be more disturbed by this.”
Annette raised her hand from the corner of the dungeon. “I’m still quite disturbed.”
I chuckled and looked up to find Bram laughing, tears in his eyes. “I’m alive,” he said.
“You’re alive,” I agreed.
Blanche glanced back at us from the window she had walked to. “And it looks like your body healed itself just in time to miss turning into a mindless monster. The sun is up.”
“And you look better as well,” I observed, looking her over. She stood steady, the poison finally driven from her system.
Blanche nodded, lifting a hand and flexing it. “I feel better.”
“Then Montoni might be starting to recover as well,” I said. “We need to escape this infernal castle and regroup.”
“After we find Ludovico,” Annette added, then ducked her head. “And Henri, of course.”
We made our way back to the front hall, where Blanche stopped us. “I’ll go ahead to make sure the gates can be opened. If they can, you all leave. I’ll go back for Henri and Ludovico once you’re safe, if they’re not already waiting for us.”
“No way,” I protested. “I’m coming with you.”
Blanche hesitated. “Emile, my uncle won’t hurt me or Henri. We’re family. Plus, we’re far more durable than a puny human.” She paused. “No offense.”
“None taken.” I crossed my arms and stuck out my jaw. “But I’m coming. If Henri’s in trouble, I need to be there. He would do the same for me.”
Blanche sighed but nodded. She pointed to Bram. “You, protect Annette and Madame Montoni. You’re probably more of a liability than anything, being newly turned, but just slash and bite if someone comes for them. Think you can manage that?”
Bram’s eyes were wide as he nodded.
