I let out a breathy laugh, sit up and shuffle over until I am on the edge of the bed, gripping the mattress and hunched so as not to hit my head. Cole turns around, his brows furrowed and his lips pressed into a thin line.
“You mad at me?” I ask.
“Yeah…I guess.” He rolls his eyes as he stares at the door without expression. “You’re always listening to Jax because he’s your boyfriend.”
I rest my hands on my lap and pick at the skin around my cuticles. “Jax isn’t my boy?—”
Cole sits up, his gaze fixed on me. “We used to be part of the Praised before Jax came along and convinced you to escape with him. I know I can give blood if we are good and become Praised again. Ireallydo! But since he arrived in Darkovish, you want to leave even though there’s no reason for us to go. Under Serun’s Law, we’re safe here!”
“Serun’s Law?” I murmur. “I don’t believe Serun’s Law intended this life for us. Trapped in a Feeding Ground and denied release by the Bleeders. They are supposed to let us out if we don’t want to be Feeders anymore. Besides, we’re here because I?—”
Blood soaks the moonflowers, dripping with dollops ofcrimson. A violent stench fills the air, and panic quivers on a mother’s tongue.
I shake my head and press my hands into the foam mattress, grounding myself. Through a glass strip in the door, a Bleeder surveys the room, and I wait for them to move on before I speak. “You don’t get it because you grew up here. But there’ssomuch out there I’d forgotten about until Jax showed and reminded me.”
“Still…”
I lean in closer to him, nudging my shoulder against his. “Come on, Cole. Let’s give it another shot. If it doesn’t work this time, we will stick to the rules.”
He picks at the lint on the blanket. “Promise?”
I wrap my arms around my brother and say, “I promise.” After releasing him, I lean back more comfortably. “Did you want me to tell you about Cherry Bloom and the games we used to play there when I was a kid?”
“You played? Didn’t you just dance a lot?” I open my mouth to tell him I like ballet, but he rolls his eyes. “Not tonight, Saya. Besides, I don’t care for fables anymore.”
Fables? Is that what we’re calling our lives now?
My hands tighten around the springs of the mattress. “What about all the cool things you used to craft with your imagination?” I give a thin-lipped smile to mask the ache from seeing him like this. “You built a gun with wooden blocks and some springs. You were great at creating things like that.”
“Look, Saya, I don’t remember enough to bother,” he murmurs, sinking deeper into the bed.
I reach out to squeeze his shoulder, but I hesitate.
Instead, I murmur, “Okay. Goodnight, Cole.” And as Iclimb into the bunk above to feign sleep, I pick at the skin around my fingernails, wondering if I am getting any of this right. Should I have pushed? Should I have demanded we have a conversation, or was giving him space the right thing to do?
Mum would know, but she isn’t here.
It’s just me.
CHAPTER THREE
BETWEEN YOUR LEGS
Feeding Grounds are provided to humans who don’t have anywhere safe to sleep. However, one must offer blood in exchange for safety.
— Serun’s Law
When I’msure the others are asleep, I kneel underneath the vent in the ceiling above me. My fingers slip through the mesh squares and curl into a firm grip. As I pull, a creaking sound rings in my pricked ears.
Shit.
Carefully, I remove the panel and place it up and into the duct. I thought I was being cautious. Quiet. But as I reach up to climb in, I catch movement from the other bunk. Manni sits upright, her dark hair glowing auburn in the orange light, messy strands falling around her face.
She brushes aside the straggly bits and whispers, “Don’t be gone for long. Bleeders will make their rounds at midnight.”
I give a sharp nod, grab the edges of the open vent, and pull myself up. Metal clinks as I take hold of the panel and position it back into the opening. Then I make my way through the airshafts, crawling over vents and dodging the lights hanging from wires.
When I first ventured into these airshafts, I had a nagging feeling that Bleeders used them, but after using them more times than I can count, I mentioned it to my friends. That was when Jade—who isn’t around anymore because she never returned from the private room—told me nightwalkers were known for sneaking through them.
