Page 50 of Nightshade

“Black Forest gateau,” Katya said wistfully.

Evie tilted her head. “Can you have cake, Altair?”

“I could probably have a taste? If I’m . . . when I’m drinking blood, everything in me works better. When I dry up, it all goes stiff and useless. I won’t die, but if I were starving, human food wouldn’t help and actually makes it worse. Now that I’m—” I swallowed, avoiding looking at Katya even when I felt her eyes on me. “I’d be willing to try. I doubt it’d do me any harm while everything’s working as it should.”

“Cool! Then I definitely want red velvet cake.”

“With cream cheese icing?” Katya asked.

“Yup!”

After that, their conversation turned to one of the books that Katya had read some time ago. She seemed amused that Evie had read it as well, and asked me if it’d be all right for her to borrow it while I was working my way through the Twilight series, which was apparently four books long.

Conversation flowed around for hours, and for long stretches, I just sat there quietly, watching the two of them toss ideas back and forth. Strangely, I never felt left out.

When Katya got up to finish making dinner, and the sun was going down, I asked Evie, “Would you mind going with me to find Viktor?”

The comfort of the day had settled it. We needed to make peace—or perhaps he didn’t, but I wanted to. I could only hope that being forthright about Ivan and what was coming would convince him that I meant no harm. Perhaps he would value honesty and the chance to prepare, my willingness to help.

I couldn’t fight Ivan, couldn’t even hurt him, but I knew as much about him as anyone could, at least at the time I’d escaped.

Evie smirked. “Don’t want to face him alone?”

I snorted. “Don’t want to find him alone. I have no doubt you could pinpoint him in a second, and on my own I’d be wandering around the territory for ages, putting everyone on edge.”

She rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to make up excuses, Altair. I’ll protect you from the big bad wolf.”

I laughed. I had no doubt she meant it, but Leo was already stuck between his twin and me. I wasn’t throwing a young girl into the mix too.

“I appreciate it,” I said nonetheless.

“Be back soon!” Evie promised Katya as she skipped toward the porch. “Should I bring Uncle Henry over for dinner?”

Katya smiled, her head bobbing. “Please. We’d love to have him.”

I trailed after Evie, a sinking feeling in my stomach. I thought it was just because of having to face Viktor and didn’t realize anything was wrong until an ozone scent zapped through the air.

My foot hit the ground beneath Katya’s porch, then it went straight through it. My panic had the dirt rolling back from my foot and I tumbled, one leg encased in the ground and the other half buried.

It worked out though, as a spell flew over my head and erupted in a spray of sparks against the wall of Katya’s home.

I cursed, shrinking, and Evie yelped.

Next thing I knew, she was a small gray wolf, spritely and snarling, and she sent up a howl that had every wolf in the area scrambling.

There were witches in the square.

And me? I’d become one with the damned dirt.

Again.

CHAPTER 25

Leo

It was too bad I didn’t have laser eyes. I could just shoot Viktor and not have to deal with him stopping work occasionally to glare at me.

The big jerk.