“When have Ieverrisked this place?” I ask. I lean forward, palms flattened against the table. My magic hums against my skin, and the stone vibrates beneath my touch. “When have Ieverrisked you? Or anyone else here?”
“I trust you,” Grace says. She stares at me, her blue eyes as bright as ever. “If you think it’s a good idea, I think we should do it.”
“Amelia?” Sebastian prompts. “Milas?”
“I vote we find a different witch ally. Surely—” Milas starts.
“Surely, you remember our last attempt to find an ally,” I interrupt. Sebastian raises an eyebrow, mouth opening as if to speak. When Grace quietly shakes her head, he stays silent instead.
“I am for it. I trust Cora, and so do all of you,” Amelia says. She starts stacking the loose parchments on the table, wordlessly calling an end to the meeting. “Three against two. That means Cora has the clan’s blessing.”
I nod again. My hand is back in my pocket, fingers smoothing out Elliot’s letter. I should have mentioned that he hasn’t agreed yet. That he very well may not, especially if his mama finds out.
“You have more dead blood?” Sebastian asks. When I nod, he rises from the table, holding a hand to Grace. She hands him her human electronic, and he tucks it beneath his opposite arm. “Start with that. Double check the wards.”
“I will,” I say. Then, because I can feel Beatrice’s open glare, I add, “It won’t be usable in spells. I promise.”
Beatrice doesn’t respond. She flounces out of the courtyard, chin tilted high as she brushes past me. I don’t take it personally. I also don’t expect her fury to last. Beatrice may be volatile and quick to anger, but she’s also incapable of holding grudges for long.
“We didn’t discuss anything on our agenda,” Milas protestsas Grace and Sebastian exit the courtyard. He holds up one of his collected artifacts, a severed werewolf ear from a previous ritual. “We were supposed to figure out?—”
“Next time, Milas,” Amelia says. She winks at me as she scoops up the rest of the parchments. She’s almost past me when she pauses, leaning in close enough I doubt Milas can hear. With vampires, you never truly know. “How long have you been sleeping with the enemy’s son?”
“I’m not,” I say immediately. My words sound frazzled, defensive, even though it’s the truth. My entire face feels like it’s on fire. “I’ve never?—”
“Good for you, girl,” she says, cutting me off. She pats my shoulder and shoots me a wide grin. “I’ve seen Elliot at realm meetings…he’s stunning.”
“I’m not,” I repeat, harder this time. My cheeks are bright red, burning hot enough it feels likeImight be flammable in sunlight.
Amelia only laughs before striding out of the courtyard. Milas is a few steps behind her, juggling the werewolf ear and remaining artifacts. Then, I’m alone, wondering if I’ve made a terrible mistake.
11
LIFE HASN’T BEEN KIND
CORA
Three days later, I’m in the neutral territory, not far from the place Sebastian and I first collided. I’d invited Elliot to meet me here, at this quaint cafe, rather than the manor. Everything—from the walls to the tables to the benches—is made of rough wood and black metal. Whoever runs this place didn’t put much into its interior. There aren’t paintings on the wall, nor are there curtains over the windows or even coverings on the tables.
It’s hard to care when I’m surrounded by warmth and the smell of freshly baked bread. I sit in one of the back booths of the cafe, selected both for its privacyandits proximity to the wood burning stove. The few other customers here are near the kitchen, their chatter barely audible through the crackling flames beside me.
I roll my sleeves to my elbows and settle my messenger bag onto the table. In it, there are a few vials of dead vampire blood and the supplies for today’s spell. I sort through it all, if only to keep myself busy.
He’s late.
By two minutes, but still. He’s late, and I’m stuck sitting here, alone and exposed. This is the first time I’ve traveled to the neutral territory by myself, and it feels wrong. Reckless, without a vampire guard to protect me. Magical violence may be impossible here—it backfires, harming the attacker, rather than their intended victim—so it’s supposed to be safe. It doesn’t matter. I know better than anyone that you don’t need magic to hurt someone.
I shouldn’t have come, but I did. Because ofhim.
Luckily, only Amelia knows where I am. When I told her, she’d grinned at me like we shared a juicy secret. It’s why I told her and not the others. Sebastian and Milas would’ve insisted on an entourage. Beatrice would’ve spied on us. She might’ve even taken a shot at Elliot.
Better Amelia assumes I’m having sex for the first time in my life than being surrounded by vampires. Nothing would scare Elliot off faster. Though, at this rate, that was an unnecessary worry.
He’s three minutes late now.
A human server delivers a steaming mug of green tea. It’s a different variety than I use, and it smells disappointingly weak. Still, I cup it toward my chest, breathing the scent deep into my lungs.
I’ll take one.
