So much for my great revolt.
“Now where shall we start?”
Frankenstein’s ruthlessly pleasant chitchat was grating, building the itch of foreboding. I thought I caught a glimpse of Lee’s grizzled beard out of the corner of my eye, pressed at the bars of his cell. I yanked on the chains once. They were heavy, cold iron, and locked tightly.
“What’s the point of this?” I asked, cringing back away from the sharpened railroad spike he held in his hand. “You won’t get a ransom if you kill me.” Keep them talking, Dad would have said. Keep calm and negotiate.
Mom would say kick him in the balls.
But there were chains looped around my ankles.
Frankenstein used the tip of the spike to pull the frayed edge of my shirt away from the dirt-and-blood-encrusted arrow wound. The rusty point of the spike sliced through the ragged flesh that hadn’t had a chance to knit together. Blood seeped. I gritted my teeth and refused to react. A shrill scream echoed from one of the cells.
Frankenstein smiled, almost gently. “This is noble work Dawn has charged me with.”
“Dawn? Is she the one behind this?” I asked. “What does she want?”
“She’s very clever. She knows it’s not enough to kill the vampire, but one must find out how he works so we might eradicate the plague from humanity.” There was an unholy glint of mad joy in his eyes. Blood and viscous fluid were dried to his leather apron.
“Are you Helios-Ra?” I asked, hoping to keep him talking, desperately searching for a way out of the chains. “Or a Huntsman?”
“I was Helios-Ra,” Frankenstein said, whipping his head back to stare at me. The point of the spike pressed deeper. I clenched my jaw against any sound of pain. It might be the only currency I had left, and I wouldn’t hand it over until I absolutely had to. “Before they kicked me out. Said I was unstable, said I needed help.” He spat. “Bah. They didn’t know genius when they saw it, no one did, not even my own parents. Not until Dawn. Not until the worm in the heart of the Helios-Ra ate at the rose.” He laughed. “Treaties.” He jabbed deep with the spike and I jerked back, grunting. Muscles split, blood oozed. “They make us weak, vulnerable to the plague.”
“Then why the humans?” I forced out, cursing. “Why do this to your own kind?”
“It’s science. Sacrifice. They are casualties serving a grander purpose.” He wrenched the spike back out, and the yank of iron scraping against my shoulder bone, the tear of flesh, the vicious bite of pain, made me thrash in the chains for a moment. My fangs extended as far as they would go; sweat gathered on the back of my neck.
I tried to remind myself what Mom would do in a tough situation like this, how she’d fight her way free, how she’d survive—but I couldn’t think at all. There was just pain, like fire nibbling at every part of me, consuming, burning, eating away as if I were made of paper.
When the rattle of the links quieted again, the Host guard was grinning at me over Frankenstein’s shoulder. He handed his dagger to the scientist. “Here, use mine.”
Frankenstein circled me once slowly. The dagger darted in and out, stabbing under my other shoulder blade, over my kidney, under my ear. He circled back to the front, slashing shallow cuts on my chest, my neck, my arms, even my palms. I hissed, jerking violently at each slice. I tried to picture Lucy’s face, tried to imagine the exact way she smiled at me.
It helped a little.
I’d used Lucy as a talisman to pull me through the worst of my bloodchange, and I’d do the same now. And all I had back then were mostly memories of her punching me in the nose.
The dagger jabbed into me, and Frankenstein turned it as if it were a key and I the lock.
The way Lucy smelled like cherry bubble gum and pepper.
Blood dripped into the foul trench in the ground. It seeped from leaching strength and healing. I struggled, feeling every drop as it trickled down my body.
The way Lucy giggled when she thought no one could hear her.
Even my pupils dilated painfully when he swung a UV bulb liberated from a tanning bed into my eyes. It seared into my brain, left me feeling weak as if it were noon.
Lucy playing her guitar.
Frankenstein reached for a beaker of clear liquid and dipped the spike in. “Holy water,” he said, almost conversationally.
Lucy and I stretched out on the grass watching the northern lights.
He flicked drops into my cuts, inspecting them curiously as they blistered and peeled. I choked on a yell, gagged, fought.
The way Lucy’s mouth moved under mine, the way her body fit against mine, the way she whispered my name.
He dipped the spike in the holy water and dragged it lightly over the wound, enough to make my eyes roll back in my head, but not enough to cause the kind of lasting damage that might take me out of the game.
Lucy and I sitting in the secret tree fort, listening to music.
Shallow cuts over my heart. More blood, more pain.
Lucy …
Chapter 22
Solange
Tuesday, 3:00 a.m.
I didn’t know what to do with myself.
The walkie-talkie Dad gave me was wedged in my pocket. I itched to use it. I could call Mom to apologize, or Lucy to help me figure out why I kept insisting on ripping my life apart like I was looking for the caramel in the middle of a chocolate candy. I could call Kieran.
I fisted my fingers together before I could give in. This was no time to crawl back home. There was too much that needed figuring out. Too many questions, too many secrets.
Constantine passed me a wine glass of blood-doctored wine. The others were talking quietly, shooting me curious glances. Candle flames flickered inside the lanterns, casting patterns of light on the rugs and the tree trunks, like fireflies. It was getting colder, snow sticking to the grass and branches.
“What just happened?” I asked, drinking the wine.
“Destiny.” Constantine sat back comfortably, his leg pressed against mine. “No one said it would be comfortable.”
He’s right. It’s our time now. My time.
Everyone else probably thought I was throwing a tantrum, but he understood there was something else burning under my skin. I just had to figure it out. Sometimes, I didn’t even feel like myself anymore. And I wasn’t sure how to figure out who I was if I wasn’t Solange, rare vampire daughter, Drake princess, baby sister.
“My brothers were nearly staked.” I still felt a little shell-shocked about that.
“An accident,” Constantine said, his hand tickling my lower back, as if I were a wild cat that needed soothing. I did feel a little bit like purring. It was like there were two of me: the Solange who knew better and the Solange who didn’t care. “It won’t happen again,” he assured me. “You have my word.”
I wasn’t worried about it happening again, not with my pheromone compulsion. I was just worried that it had happened at all. It dulled the shine of being on my own.
On my own.
I could make decisions for myself now. Like the one to save Constantine from an unjust execution. I felt good about that. I just had to hold onto that for the moment. It had to be enough.
But I couldn’t help but wonder what Madame Veronique was doing right now.
I shivered. “What do we do when the sun rises?”
“I have a spot, love. Not to worry.”
“So what are we going to do about these disappearances?” Elijah asked. “How do we find Ianthe?”
“We’ve tried tracking her,” Jude said, frustrated. “But aside from her scarf, we found nothing.”
“How many are missing?” I asked.
“At least seven that we know of.”
“Even with the Chandramaa?”
Marigold snorted, stretching her legs out onto the table. There was glitter on her toes. “Chandramaa care about the encampment and the queen, nothing else.”
I frowned. “Wait, so my mom could order them to search?”
“Y
es,” Constantine replied.
“Technically, yes,” Elijah corrected. “Chandramaa might protect the queen, but they take orders from someone else. Whoever that might be. And they’re not likely to split their focus with the ceremonies and councils starting so soon.”
“That doesn’t seem fair.”
Marigold shrugged. “Doesn’t have to be. But realistically speaking, there’s no need for any of us to leave the camp. It’s secure and they have enough blood for everyone. If we leave and we get nabbed, it’s our own fault, really. They were clear on that when we set up the Bower.”
“But who’s doing it?” I asked. “Hunters? Other vampires?”
“Does it matter?” Marigold yawned, rooting through her beaded bag. “I need more sugar.”
And then my mother, Madame Veronique, and missing vampires were suddenly not the worst thing that could happen to me.
Lucy.
“Solange! Let me go!” I heard her yell from the woods. “She’s my best friend!”
I leaped to my feet, dashing to the guards. “Lucy?”
“Yes, me. Ow!”
“Let her go,” I said quickly.
Lucy stumbled out of the tree, pushing her hair off her face. Her sweater was crooked and she looked furious. “What the hell, Solange?”
“Constantine posted a guard,” I said sheepishly.
“No shit.” She straightened her clothes. “Bruno says hi.”
“Bruno’s out there too?”
“Yeah.” She turned to peer into the shadows. “So’s Kieran. He’s waiting for the all-clear. Bruno seemed to think your guys would jump him for being a hunter.”
“Kieran’s here?” I sounded as freaked out as I felt. I wasn’t ready to see him, or for him to see me like this. I didn’t have sunglasses to cover my eyes. My fangs still wouldn’t retract. “You couldn’t have warned me?”
“I’ve been calling you for the past hour!” Lucy grumbled. “Not to mention the six thousand texts this week.”
“My phone’s back at the camp.”
“What the hell’s going on? Logan said you took off and nearly got them all killed.”
I scowled. “That’s not what happened. The Furies tried to kill me and Constantine saved me. And then I saved him back. Sorry, I didn’t stop to text you,” I added sarcastically.
“Oh, you are not pulling that crap on me, Solange Drake.”
“Back at you, Hamilton.” I wasn’t even sure why we were fighting. Lucy knew me better than I knew myself sometimes. I should have been asking for her help. Especially with Kieran lurking in the woods.
“Are you going to let him in, or what?” Lucy asked. “He came all this way with me to make sure you’re okay. You know, after you broke up and forgot to tell me about it.”
“Let him through,” I called out loudly, knowing they’d hear me.
Lucy stepped closer to me. “He misses you,” she said quietly as Kieran came out of the tree line. She glanced at me. “And I know you miss him too.”
“It’s better this way,” I said. She had no idea the thirst that screamed inside me, even just seeing his silhouette. Even when I looked at her, she was faintly edged with red, as if everything were soaked in blood. My gums hurt around my fangs. And there was that little thing about my going crazy. “You guys shouldn’t have come.”
“Too late now,” she said cheerfully.
Kieran looked good. He wore his usual cargos, his dark hair tousled from the wind, his shoulders hunched against the press of the cold circle of vampires in the shadows. I knew he’d have already catalogued the glint of eyes in the dark, the pale skin, the movement of guards on the other side of the Bower.
He stopped in front of me. I couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
There was a long awkward pause during which I contemplated staking myself just to end it.
“Pathetic,” Lucy finally huffed to herself. “Whoa!” she added when she caught sight of the Bower. The lanterns swung gently. From here you couldn’t see the moth-eaten edges of the lace or the worn patches on the velvet sofas. “Okay, that’s cool.”
“It’s the Bower,” I said, smiling slightly. “Isn’t it great?” Kieran barely glanced at it. My smile died. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Lucy said with dry nonchalance. “Kinda heard my best friend was going dark side.”
I scowled. “I was saving a life, actually.”
“And I’m grateful,” Constantine said, joining us. He was on my right, just behind me, and Kieran was in front. It was like a sandwich from hell. I shifted uncomfortably.
“Constantine,” I said. “This is Lucy and Kieran.”
“Ah,” he drawled. “The best friend who electrocuted you—”
“Hey!” Lucy interrupted.
“And the hunter ex-boyfriend,” Constantine continued smoothly.
“Constantine,” Lucy seethed, her hands curling into fists.
“Lucy,” I said. “Stop it. God, you’re as bad as my mom.” I shook my head. “Look, it’s not safe in the forest for humans, especially hunter humans. You should go.”
Lucy flinched as if I’d punched her. “Did you just call me a hunter?”
“Aren’t you?”
She muttered one of her mantras under her breath. Constantine looked amused. Kieran looked grim.
Lucy exhaled slowly before speaking again. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
“Look, I’m sorry, but this is no place for you guys right now. Vampires are missing. Everyone’s high-strung.”
“So are humans,” Kieran said grimly.
“Then you get it. I’m trying to keep you safe.” I didn’t know why they couldn’t just leave it at that.
“Mm-hmm.” Lucy sounded just as annoyed as the time Nicholas had hidden her homework back when they picked on each other incessantly.
“Lucy, I’m fine.”
“Okay, well you know what? It’s not just about you anymore, princess.” I knew she was only calling me that to get back at me for calling her a hunter. “It’s also about the two vampires who tried to kill Kieran.”
Now that I didn’t know. Dread soured my stomach. “What? When?”
“Just now, at my mom’s house,” Kieran replied quietly.
“Is she okay?” I asked, wanting to hug him or touch him in some way just to be sure. “Are you okay?”
Constantine arched an eyebrow at him. “You look all right, lad.”
Lucy pinned him with her patented glare. She wasn’t the least bit intimidated. I missed her. “Did you have anything to do with it?”
He just smiled, amused. “Why would I? I’m not the big bad wolf, little girl.”
Lucy shifted her glare to me. “Solange, can we talk alone?”
I couldn’t afford to let her back in.
“I trust Constantine,” I said.
“Good for you. I don’t.” She tugged on my elbow, pulling me into the relative privacy of a spruce canopy. “Sol, you can’t be serious.”
“He saved my life tonight. What’s wrong with everybody?”
“Well, you ran away from home. It’s not like you.”
She doesn’t understand us. Forget about her. She’s weak. Human.
“You’ve been running away from home since you were six.” Usually to our house. “And now you’re at the Helios-Ra high school. And you never even mentioned it to me before you went!”
Her eyes narrowed to slits. If she’d been a vampire they would have gone clear and cold as ice. “I tried to tell you.”
“When?”
“When you compelled my boyfriend to kick me out of your house for talking about Constantine,” she pointed out. “Remember that?”
I bit my lip. “Sort of.”
She blinked, nonplussed. “What do you mean sort of?”
I sighed, wishing Kieran wasn’t standing right there listening. “Look, sometimes things get a little fuzzy when the hunger’s on, okay?”
r /> “Are you blacking out?” Kieran asked sharply.
“No. It’s not like that. It’s just …” I shrugged, unable to find the right words. “I don’t know.” I didn’t mention the female voice, or the things she whispered to me. It was probably stupid not to, but I didn’t want them to think I was insane on top of everything else. Then they’d really insist I couldn’t take care of myself. I’m only here to protect you. You don’t have to be afraid.
“What does your family say?” Lucy asked.
“Uncle Geoffrey wants to run more tests.” I grimaced. “I’m his undead pincushion.”
Lucy half laughed. “I can just imagine. Still. Something big’s going on, Sol. Shouldn’t you stick with your family?”
“And sacrifice someone who saved me?”
“I guess not.” She sounded disgruntled.
“Why’s everyone so determined to think the worst of Constantine? He saved my life. When Kieran saved my life, everyone practically gave him a key to the house. And he’s a hunter. And after Isabeau saved my life, Logan went and fell in love with her. No one even blinked.”
“Are you in love with him?” Kieran asked quietly.
Lucy took a step back and pretended she wasn’t avidly eavesdropping. I honestly didn’t know whose side she was on, and I couldn’t blame her. I squirmed.
“Are you?” Kieran repeated.
“No,” I answered. “Of course not.” I wasn’t in love with him, just … intrigued. And I missed Kieran. I missed that he didn’t play games, that he stood up for what he believed in, even when others tried to knock him down. He was like one of those knights in the medieval stories. And I was the dragon. “We just broke up,” I reminded him. “Are you in love with someone already?”
When the wind shifted, the query became less about retaliation and more of an actual question that needed an answer. Right now.
Because I could smell girls all over him.
And for some reason it made my gums ache around my fangs.
“Sol,” Lucy said. “Your eyes are … weird. Are they usually that red?”