Thalia ran a hand over her face, unable to imagine what Cassius must have felt when he read the letter. Because humans had always been taught to fear the monsters to the north. And to know that one of them was his own kin?
“I went searching for her four years ago.” Cassius’s words broke through her thoughts.
She sucked in a sharp breath. Four years ago …
“What happened?” she finally asked. The question she’d avoided for so long finally needed to be brought to light.
Cassius sank onto one of the armchairs, his shoulders heavy. “I heard rumors that there were a few Vampyrs who’d be willing to talk to humans. After the treaty failed over a decade ago, and given the war between our two worlds, I knew it was a risk. But I needed to find her—to see her. So I had Marcus find me an old map of our world.” Thalia felt a sudden sting of betrayal from her friend back home. “And I looked for the Vampyr ports. I took a boat, knowing that despite the rocky waters, I could navigate them as opposed to trying to go through the forest. I landed in a little town not far from Irenbis.
“The Vampyrs have been dealing with other humans for as long as they can remember. It was only Agripa they cut off all connection to, so finding me on their shores wasn’t a great surprise. I managed to make my way to House Lorenzia. Sybil had already been serving on the prince’s council, same as Camilla and Keegan. It was then I learned about the first rumors of the bitten, the blight which was threatening the Vampyr world. I left with the promise to try and see if Agripa would be willing to aid them. But when I left to return home, I ran into a rogue Vampyr.”
Thalia swallowed, watching Cassius’s eyes shift. “The Vampyr didn’t have the self-control as one should. He was still young. He smelled my blood, and I could do nothing to stop him before he bit me.”
“How did I not know you were going to find her?” Thalia whispered.
“It was right when the Scarecrows began to appear. Your mother sent me away often to try and figure out what was going on.” That was around the same time Thalia had accepted the marriage proposal meant to save her world. The growing Vampyr attacks had urged her to finally accept the human prince’s treaty.
“You lied to me?”
“What would you have done if you’d known?” Cassius said softly.
Thalia looked away, suddenly ashamed to realize she would have refused to allow him to find his sister. Because at the end of the day, Sybil was a Vampyr.
“Damien found me, right on the border of Vaccarium. I begged him to make the pain stop, so he let me feed. Then he took me back to the prince’s council, where I’ve stayed ever since.”
Everything was falling into place. The reason Cassius was so intent on helping the Vampyrs—it wasn’t just because he was now one of them but also because of his sister.
“What happened after?” Thalia asked.
Cassius took a shuddering breath. “I recovered from the bite, and I—I went back to Agripa. To find you.” He met her stare. “When I finally got to the castle, I discovered that Prince Darius was planning to attack Agripa—to take it by force in whatever way necessary so he could have a better foothold to attack the Vampyrs in Vaccarium.”
“That’s why you killed him?” Thalia felt the breath punch out of her.
“Yes,” Cassius got out. “I couldn’t—I couldn’t let him live. Not knowing he had plans to kill you and your mother.”
Thalia’s world faltered, the truth baring itself brighter than the sun shining on a darkened bay. Guilt whirled in Thalia’s gut as Cassius continued. “After I got back, I joined the prince’s council officially. The rumors of the creature were spreading, along with the bitten, who began leaving Scarecrows in Agripa. We needed to search for a cure and to try and stop the bitten. I spent three and a half years doing that.”
“What about Sybil? What happened to her?” Thalia met his stare.
The muscle in Cassius’s jaw flickered. “Six months ago, there was a rumor that the creature had been wounded in the forest. Me and Keegan were away dealing with the Mages in Lorceium, but Sybil got word and took it upon herself to try and stop it. She was bitten.”
Thalia sucked in a breath, and Cassius leaned back in his seat. “I-I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t kill her once I found her. She hadn’t yet gone mad, but the poison in her bloodstream was spreading. We—Keegan,Camilla, and I—we brought her here. Warded the place so no one would venture in but also so she couldn’t escape.”
“Is this place really one of the prince’s estates?” Thalia asked.
Cassius nodded. “Yes. He gave it to his council. I didn’t lie about that. Camilla and Sybil stayed here the most. This was her room.”
Thalia’s heart twisted as she glanced around the space. The soft decor was the polar opposite of the crazed Vampyr who’d bitten her.
“Where is she now?”
Cassius swallowed. Hard. “She’s been dealt with.”
Thalia jerked. “You killed her?”
Cassius looked away, his eyes filling with too many emotions to name. “No. But I asked Keegan to drain her blood. She’s in a comatose state now.”
Which meant she was as good as dead. Sybil would only come out of her suspended state if she drained the blood of another. Then the vicious cycle would continue—
