“There is no sanity in the dark. There is only chaos.”
My stance falters. Confusion floods through me. “What does that mean?”
“There is no sanity in the dark. There is only chaos.”
“You said that already. I—”
“There is no sanity in the dark. There is only chaos.”
Then, moving with vampiric speed, the weeper bolts. A string of curses escapes me and I burst into pursuit. After Lucas, though, I know I shouldn’t pursue her alone. Slowing to a halt, I report the attack on my walkie talkie and wait in a wide, brightly-lit tunnel for the others to arrive. My mind spins. Did that really just happen?
I hear a single pair of footsteps, and I raise the sword again, breathing hard from the force of my fear. When Drew’s tall, lanky form comes into view, I nearly sag. “By the blood,” I breathe.
At the sight of me, Drew jerks to a halt. “Are you okay?” he asks. His voice is tight and strange. He won’t look directly at my face.
When I say nothing, he raises his gaze. Our eyes meet for a breathless moment, but instead of the happiness I felt before, now a knot forms in my stomach. I don’t know what to say—seeing his expression answers my questions about us. Whatever we were before, we aren’t anymore.
Even if there’s a part of me that wants to speak to him, repair the damage, Alexander’s warning still rings in my head like the echoes of a bell. It’s for the best, I tell myself. But the lies we tell ourselves are always the hardest to believe.
“I’m okay,” I say finally. The lie tastes sour in my mouth. “Not a scratch on me. The weeper is probably still loose in the tunnels, though, since I haven’t heard anything on the walkie. Has everyone been warned?”
“Where the hell—” Drew starts. With her usual, impeccable timing, Nina walks around the corner. She’s followed by Gulshan and Leo. Drew’s voice is tight as he says, “You were supposed to be with Charlie.”
Nina just shrugs, keeping her gaze pointedly on Drew. “Obviously, she didn’t need me.”
His pulse races. “That’s not the point, and you know it. We’re in pairs for a reason, Nina. She could’ve been hurt.”
“You could’ve been hurt,” she snaps, now shooting me a glare. I force a surge of anger back down, clamping my jaw shut so I’m not tempted to say something that’ll add fuel to this fire.
“Why do I get the feeling something else is going on here?” Leo asks, exchanging glances with Gushlan.
“Shut up,” Nina snaps, then storms out of the tunnel. After a brief, thick silence, the boys go after her. I watch Drew until he turns a corner, and after that, I listen to his footsteps fade.
Even now, though, it doesn’t feel over between us.
“Did the weeper bite you?” Gulshan asks. As always, her manner is brisk and detached. I shake my head mutely. “Good. You and I are sticking to this tunnel. Nina made a grid, so we can cover the entire city. Ready?”
The question feels like a needle in my heart. I see Drew in my mind’s eye, standing at the bottom of the porch steps, smiling up at me. Ready?
I adjust my grip on the sword, nod, and follow the other girl into darkness.
Chapter Three
The moment I get back to my hotel room, I start making a blood cocktail.
The maid must’ve just restocked the fridge—the shelves are lined with glass containers of chilled blood. The sight makes my mouth water, and there’s a telling discomfort in my gums. Ice cubes fall into the glass with soft clinks. I take an exploratory sip and almost choke. Strong, way too strong. Just as I reach for the bottle of soda water, there’s a knock on the door.
I stop breathing, as if by heartbeat alone I can discern who’s standing in the hallway. Drew? No, he has no idea where I’m staying. Is it the Vampire King again, come to tell me I’m out of time? Should I try to run? But look where that got my mother. My mind races and my pulse ricochets as I waver between terror and courage.
Then a familiar voice ventures through the door, “Mija? Are you in there?”
For an instant, I wonder if I’m hallucinating. In the next, I’m yanking at the handle, pulling the door open. Gabriela stands on the other side, and as our eyes meet, she doesn’t disappear like the cruel dream I fear her to be. She smiles, the lines around her mouth deepening. I stumble forward, going into her arms like a child, and start to cry. Gabriela holds me as tightly as her strength allows. She feels like home after everything else has become debris.
After a minute or two, I pull back. My vision is blurred with the tears I still refuse to release. “How did you find me? What are you doing here?”
She cups my elbows in her work-roughened hands and speaks quietly. “I heard one of Alexander’s wives talking about it. You should be careful, Charlotte. It won’t be long before the press finds out where you are—those silly brides don’t know how to keep a secret.”
“Come in, please. Oh, but…” I hold a finger up to my lips, then tap my ear and point at the ceiling, hoping she’ll realize what I’m trying to say. Someone could be listening. The small-boned human nods as she steps over the threshold. I glance toward both ends of the hallway before I step back and close the door. Hopefully, the staff downstairs mistook her for a feeder.
“Has something else happened?” Gabriela asks, facing me. She holds the front of her coat with anxious fingers, and I think of how much she’s risked by coming here. And for what? Just to offer a few minutes of comfort?
Even as I realize how selfish it is, I can’t bring myself to send her away, as I know I should. “No. Well, yes. Not so much something… but someone. His name is Drew.”
The human’s mouth begins to droop. Secretly, I had hoped she would be glad for me. Glad to hear that I found a friend, after everything that happened. Seeing her frown makes my heart start hurting again. “A human?” she guesses.
I move back to the minibar where I abandoned my cocktail. Ice shifts in the glass as I pick it up. “Would that really be so terrible?” I ask without looking at her.
“You must let him go,” Gabriela urges. “To love a vampire is to invite death into his life.”
You don’t even know him. You don’t know anything about us, I want to say like the spoiled child I once was. But her brown eyes are bright, almost feverish, and the protest in my throat fades. Gabriela’s influence over me is more powerful than any whirling current or steady moonbeam… and I know she’s right. Even if the king didn’t already know about our relationship, even if he hadn’t already threatened Drew’s life, we could never have a future. Only a life of stolen moments and whispered professions. I would be keeping Drew from having a family.
“It’s over, anyway. That’s why I’m throwing a pity party.” I smile bitterly and take another sip. “Well, among other things. I’ve had a pretty bad month. Would you like a drink?”
Ignoring this, Gabriela comes closer and takes one of my hands in both of hers. I look down at them, distantly noticing how stark her brown skin is against my paleness. “I know, mija. That’s why I’m here—to give you hope. A chance at a family. I came to tell you about your father.”