“You sure?” she presses, tipping her head at me.
“Quite. Thank you, Arella.”
“All right, Professor. It’ll just be a moment.” She disappears through a door into a back room, and I take a seat in a plush crimson armchair.
Pumpkin spice. How repulsive. Is that what young vampires are drinking these days?
I flick a fluff of lint from my slacks, trying to control the anger rising inside me.
Blood is sacred. Intimate. Flavoring it for the season feels... obscene.
Not for the first—or even the hundredth—time, I wonder what Maeve’s blood might taste like. Ozone? Summer storms? The thought makes my fangs ache and my stomach tight. One finger starts tapping out a rhythm on my knee. I hope Arella hurries up. I need that blood.Now.
A few minutes later, Arella emerges from the back room. “All right, Professor, got you refilled.”
I’m on my feet in a moment, already pulling out the eldertokens to pay her. I slide the coins across the desk, and she hands me my carrying case—it’s much heavier now, and the weight of it comforts some of my strain.
“Thank you,” I say, starting to back away from the desk.
“Oh, I meant to tell you, we’re hosting a party for Samhain this year. It’ll be at Gild, if you want to come.” Arella pops a hip and smiles at me. “It’ll be some good old-fashioned debauchery. I’d love to see you there.”
She blinks her red eyes slowly, and I don’t miss the way her gaze darts to my mouth.
“I’ll consider it,” I say. “Good day, Arella.”
She wiggles her fingers as I start to turn. “Bye, Professor.”
The way she says it reminds me of Maeve.Everythingreminds me of Maeve.
I push through the door and flinch against the bright golden sunlight. It takes a moment for my eyes to readjust yet again, and with my thirst scratching at my throat, the discomfort makes me even more irritable. I need to get back to the academy so I can quench my thirst in peace.
But is there peace for me anymore? With Maeve lurking in every corner of my mind, I’m not so sure.
As I start to walk, I think of Arella’s invitation. Maybe I’ll take her up on that offer. A distraction might be just what I need.
Chapter 17
Maeve
THE BATHHOUSE IS CROWDED TONIGHT, with thick steam rising toward the ceiling and numerous women soaking in the pools. Alina, Lyra, and Poppy walk ahead of me, and we find a place to put down our things and strip out of our clothes.
“Here you go,” I tell Isis, who’s curled around my bicep. I hold my hand out, and she slithers down the length of my arm, over my hand, and into a crevice in the rock wall. She enjoys the humidity in the air, and every so often she likes to join me here.
“Thanks,” she hisses, already coiling herself comfortably into her little niche. In the darkness and with her glossy black scales, no one will be able to see her.
With Isis settled, I turn to find the girls, and I have to squint through the billowing steam. Lyra’s bright red hair is like a beacon, making it easy for me to spot them.
I step down the few stairs into the main bathing pool, wincing a bit at the heat, then wade over to them where they’ve congregated in a corner. Poppy has her lavender hair pulled into abun on top of her head, and she tips her head back against the rocks, closing her eyes. Lyra and Alina sit on one side of her, so I snag the spot on Poppy’s other side. As I settle into the hot water, I tune in to what Lyra and Alina are talking about.
“I think it’d be fun. But only if we go together. I don’t wanna go alone.”
“I don’t know . . .” Alina says, tone hesitant.
“Go where?” I ask.
Lyra turns to face me, making the steam rising from the pool curl off in a different direction. “I heard there’s going to be a party in Wysteria for Samhain.”
I arch a brow. “Where’d you hear that?”
