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My heart slams.

Then his head jerks to the side, fangs bared, hands clawing at the stone. The Twelve close in as one, but the sigils flare higher, forming a barrier that throws them back a pace.

Not me.

The barrier shivers when I move, but it doesn’t repel me.

Fantastic. Wonderful. The creepy vampire circle recognises me. Someone tell the committee I resign.

Malachi notices and his gaze cuts to me, lethal and bright. ‘Step inside.’

‘No.’ The word comes out instantly. Everyone looks at me. I clutch the sheet tighter. ‘Sorry, was I unclear? Let me try again. Fuck. No.’

‘He’s reacting to you,’ Malachi says.

‘Yes, and if any of you geniuses knew why, I wouldn’t be standing here in a bedsheet fielding orders from Tall,’ I point at Iskander, ‘Dark,’ I shift my finger to Aaron, then finally to Malachi, ‘and Emotionally Repressed.’

Luca’s mouth twitches again.

‘If your proximity stabilises him, you will get closer,’ Malachi snarls.

‘If proximity is the answer, why did my blood send him into a full horror-movie possession spiral?’

Well… shit. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that out loud.

Aaron frowns at me, then his gaze locks on Valentin. ‘His blood recognised something. Or the curse did.’

My throat closes as Bride’s Mercy burns colder under my tongue, as if it’s listening. I swallow carefully. ‘Recognised what?’

Aaron doesn’t look at me. ‘We do not know.’

Malachi’s eyes stay on my face. ‘Perhaps she does. Are you keeping something from us, hunter?’

I lift my chin. ‘I’ll give you one guess, vampire.’

‘Enough,’ Aaron says.

Malachi’s jaw flexes. ‘No. It’s not enough. Our sire is down, most likely after drinking from her. And she just… stands there with his blood on her mouth and a bite at her throat, and we’re expected to treat her like an innocent coincidence?’

Valentin’s blood on my mouth. Fuck, I forgot about that.

Not forgot. Refused to process why I’m human and yet have been as bloodthirsty as these bloodsuckers lately. Ever since I first smelled Valentin’s blood.

After taking Selphine’s first blood-disguising potion.

Fuck.

My gaze drops to my hand, to the red smear on my fingers. His blood. My blood. Mixed maybe. I don’t know.

The room tilts suddenly.

Aaron tenses. ‘Eira.’

‘I’m fine.’

‘No, you are not.’

He takes a step towards me. I take one backwards. ‘I said I’m fine.’