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"I..." I hesitate. "I need blood."

Cassian doesn't even blink. He simply rolls up one sleeve. "How much?"

I stare. "That's it?"

"You wouldn't have asked if it weren't important." A small smile touches his face. "I trust your judgment."

Something warm settles inside my chest. Not relief. Gratitude. Rhyven, standing quietly beside one of the shelves, says nothing. But I catch the smallest shift in his posture. Approval.

Cassian reaches into the pocket of his jacket and removes a small folding knife. Elegant. Practical. He places it on the table. "I assume we don't need much." He says.

"No." I answer quickly. "Just a drop."

He nods. Without ceremony, he draws the blade across the side of his thumb. A thin line of crimson appears. One bright bead of blood follows. He extends his hand toward me. "Ready?"

I don't feel ready. But I nod anyway. I touch the blood with the tip of one finger. The world tilts. Not violently. Naturally. Like opening a familiar door. Warmth floods through me. The smell of rain. Laughter echoing through the village streets. The sting of losing a sparring match when we were sixteen. Embarrassment. Determination. The taste of cinnamon. A voice. Mine. "You're impossible." Cassian laughing. "I've survived worse accusations." The images flicker one after another. Not complete memories. Echoes. Emotions. Threads woven together into something unmistakably...Him. The sensation fades gently.

I open my eyes. Cassian is watching me carefully. "Well?"

I let out a slow breath. "It worked."

Relief flashes across his face. Then disappears. "So." He glances toward Rhyven. "That's good?"

"No." I whisper. "It means last night wasn't me." None of us likes that answer.

Rhyven is the first to speak. "The student."

I nod. "We need to find him."

We don't have to search for long. His name is Aldric. An Ash Wing first-year. We find him outside the infirmary after lunch, sitting on a low stone wall while a healer replaces the bandage on his forearm. He looks up as we approach. Recognition brightens his face.

"Hey." He smiles. "The vampire who caught me." He adds.

"I tried."

"You mostly succeeded." He lifts the wrapped arm. "Apparently I bruise dramatically."

The healer snorts. "You fall dramatically."

"I like commitment." She rolls her eyes and walks away. Aldric looks between the three of us. "This feels official."

"It isn't." I say quickly. "I actually wanted to ask you something."

His smile fades into curiosity. "Sure."

I choose my words carefully. "My manifestation reacted strangely when I touched your blood last night."

He glances instinctively at the fading wound. "Strangely?"

"I usually experience emotional echoes. Memories." I pause. "I didn't. I'd like to see whether it happens again." A pause. "Only if you're comfortable."

He studies me for several long seconds. "Does it hurt?"

"No. You won't feel anything."

"Is it dangerous?"

"I don't think so."