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“What the fuck happened?” I hiss.

I stumble upon my kindred within the small courtyard we chose as our meeting point for once we’d completed the task. It isn’t far from Gild the Lily, and I meant to check on Rory, meant to ensure she was safe, before venturing here. But in the chaos, the screaming and wailing of “Vampires!” from locals and travelers alike, I found myself needing to take an alternate route.

A route that led me to this… mess. This massacre.

Severed body parts and items of torn clothing squish under booted feet.

“A fucking waste, that’s what,” says Risna, no longer a feline. Eivor places a hand on her lower back, steering her away from a crushed sternum. “What the hell happened to you? One moment you’re moping in an alley, and the next you’re taking Adelphi’s Sacrifice back to Carver’s place?”

Carver’s dark eyes snap to mine. “Quill, tell me you didn’t.”

Eivor glances between us. “Oh, boy.”

“Where?” Carver stares at me. “For the love of all that is sacred, do not tell me you fucked her in my bed.”

Now is probably a bad time to tell him about the window, then.

“Look at his face!” Risna laughs. She pinches my chin, happy as ever to pile on. “Guilty is as guilty does. You know he has an eye for the finer things, Carver. You shouldn’t even have to ask whether or not he used your bed.”

“I didn’t,” I snap, thoroughly annoyed. If I let them continue, they’ll try to drag the truth out of me, and we don’t have time for that. I need to find Rory. I need to make sure she’s safe, and then I need to figure out how the fuck I’m going to appease Mihal without letting any harm whatsoever come to Rory. I rip myself from Risna’s grip and circle the courtyard, surveying the gore. “I will not speak of what transpired between Rory and me.”

Eivor flashes a shit-eating grin. “So, it’s Rory now, is it? Not Adelphi’s Sacrifice?”

I press my lips together into a thin line.

“Secrets don’t keep friends, Quill,” Risna goads. “Is she pretty? Did she convince you to break your fast? Tell us all about her.”

Zeroing in on the waif of a vampire across from me, I say, “How about you three tell me what the fuck happened here when you were meant to be surveying the city?”

Risna rolls her eyes. “I can only cover so much ground as a fucking cat.”

“I sat atop the clock tower to ensure you had proper storm coverage,” answers Eivor, running a hand over the shaved side of his tattooed head. “The slaughter across the city was over by the time we reconvened here a few minutes ago.”

Carver murmurs his agreements, refusing to look my way.

“We’ll have to report this to Mihal,” says Risna, tucking herself under Eivor’s large arm. She eyes me knowingly. “Along with a status update on our assignment.”

A status update on our assignment.

Dread fills my veins.

“Let’s head to my place before the hunters descend and blame us for this,” Carver urges. “I need to change my sheets anyway.”

“The house does that for you,” Risna points out as Eivor asks, “Who else would they blame?” He toes a dismembered foot in a macabre game of footsie. “This kind of carnage? If not a vampire, it could only be two other creatures. The fae or⁠—”

“Werewolves,” I say.

But would Cress and her pack murder two dozen innocents to dispatch the hunters on us? How would she have even known we would be reconvening at this specific courtyard? Sure, she has my scent, but… Did my selfish curiosity bring further danger upon my kindred?

“Werewolves?” Risna’s eyebrows dart upward. “You’re sure? Inside Wall Lilium?”

“At least one.” I choose my words carefully. “I was nearly staked by her tonight at⁠—”

“Quill.” Carver folds his tanned arms across his chest. “If you led a werewolf to my house, I will⁠—”

“The wolf shattered your window,” I say, unable to keep it from him another moment. “I’ll have it replaced.”

If he could’ve paled, I imagine he would’ve. “Which window?”