Page 110

“Neville, I’m coming,” I shouted.

When I tried to speed up, my satin slippers, well, slipped against the stones. I paused to yank off the ridiculous little things, then the silk stockings underneath. I didn’t have a satchel to put them in, I realized. My gown didn’t even have pockets. Women’s formal clothing was an absolute disgrace. I threw the slippers to the side of the hallway and began to run, my bare feet slapping against the flagstone floor.

Turning a corner, I looked down the next hall. There, wedged against the wall, his fur puffed out in all directions like a cat, was an orange-and-red ball of fluff. Neville was backed in between two ancient suits of armor. The fluffin’s huge tail swished back and forth like it did when he was upset or scared or angry. His mouth was open, tiny teeth bared in defiance.

“Neville!”

A tall young man stood over him. There was a blood-and-sword badge affixed to his uniform: one of Regan’s Bloodguards.

He must have gotten the wrong idea. Maybe he’d mistaken the little fluffin for some kind of a pest. Usually Neville scampered through the halls without even being noticed. The fluffin must have drawn attention to himself somehow.

“Come here, Neville!” I called, hoping the fluffin would shoot through the boy’s legs and we could run off.

What is happening? Where are you?

I was headed to my room after finishing in the library, I said, my heart speeding up. But I heard Neville cry out. A highblood boy has him cornered. Neville is scared. I’m trying to get to him.

Stay where you are. I’m coming.

There are no windows here. What can you do?

I’ll tear the roof off if I have to.

I was about to tell him not to worry, not to bother coming. Then Neville bolted, speeding straight towards me.

I opened my arms in relief, preparing to scoop him right up and run. I’d head straight back to the library so one of the highblood librarians could sort this out for me. They all knew Neville and his antics. Some of them thought he was a nuisance, sure. After all, he loved to run through the stacks knocking books off the shelves. All right, so technically, he was banned from the library.

But in the end, it didn’t matter. Because nothing went according to plan. The highblood moved with vampire speed, snatching Neville up by his scruff and holding him aloft. Neville’s paws batted helplessly against the air, his desperate growls and snarls echoing uselessly off the walls.

“Let him go!” I cried, stepping forward.

The highblood lifted his face and looked at me. I could see he’d been very handsome—until now. His skin was fissured by a web of sootblack veins. His eyes had gone a murky white. Dried blood rimmed his mouth like rust. My stomach crawled. What was this?

“What’s going on?”

I whirled towards the voice as Regan Pansera stepped forward, a pair of red highheeled shoes dangling from one hand. She frowned, looking at the Bloodguard.

“Brocklin, is that you?” She glanced at me. “Isn’t that Blake’s pet?”

“Yes,” I said, my voice almost breaking. “That’s Neville. Please, help me get him back.”

“Is this what you’ve come to, Brocklin, you dolt? Hurting little animals?” Regan sounded truly disgusted. “I never authorized this. You’ve gone too far. You’re out of the Bloodguard, as of tonight. I want your badge turned over immediately.” She stretched out her hand as if expecting instant compliance. But Brocklin didn’t move.

“Regan,” I whispered. “Look at him.”

“I am looking,” she complained. “He’s an idiot. I should never have appointed him to the Bloodguard. I can see that now. You don’t—”

She broke off as Brocklin growled, opening his mouth, revealing his fangs.

“You aren’t seriously about to bite that little creature, are you?” Regan shrieked. “Brocklin, I’m warning you.”

I sideeyed her, wondering what exactly she planned to do. “Regan, there’s something wrong with him. I think he’s … infected somehow.”

“Infected?” She wrinkled her nose skeptically. “Highbloods don’t get sick.”

“I know, but look at him,” I insisted.

She studied him. “Shit. You might be right.”