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“Julian brought this upon himself,” he says. “I don’t yet know whether this was only about him or an open move against me. I’ve been patient with this city for a long time. I’ve lived here too long to cave. Despite everything, I like this dirt-eaten place.” His eyes glance out of the window. “When I find who did this, the debt will be paid.”

We sit in uncomfortable silence, and I am almost surprised by how much Julian’s death has shaken Marcus. He has let too much show, but he quickly composes himself, straightening the cuff of his suit jacket.

“If you hear anything,” Marcus says, “I would appreciate the information. You know vampires pay well.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I see werewolves and witches getting closer.” His gaze returns to me. “Perhaps vampires and necromancers should do the same.”

“I’m just a stardust girl.”

“We both know that’s a lie, Lara.”

I don’t want to continue this conversation, so I get out the car.

I call someone I didn’t expect to call.

“Kosta,” I say when he answers. “Can we meet?”

Kosta comes to my apartment because I don’t want to risk talking in public. When I open the door, he steps in with hesitation. The last time he was here it was my father’s funeral. He looks around the apartment.

“Place looks the same,” he says. “Just emptier.”

“I can’t afford to move out.”

He takes the seat on the sofa and unbuttons his jacket, looking as if he’s had a long week at work himself.

“I heard about everything,” he says as I sit in front of him. “The dead vampire prince. Wolf territory. Killed by necromancers and witches. Sounds like a clusterfuck.”

“It is. But that’s not why I called.”

Kosta is one of the few people I can trust. He has known me since I was born. He was my father’s cousin, but I always treated him like an uncle. He’s one of the few pieces of family I have left, though we don’t spend much time together.

“I touched the body,” I say.

“That’s what I figured. Hence all the information.”

“I saw something more. They didn’t only kill Julian. They didn’t only torture him.” I look toward the windows of my living room. “They took his blood.”

Kosta’s expression shifts.

“They took all of it,” I continue. “I saw rubber tubes, needles. They kept him alive as long as possible so he would regenerate, then collected more.”

As I say it, my nails scratch my forearms on instinct. My body is reacting to the mere recollection of needles. For a week after I got home, I’d woken up screaming and clawing at my skin, trying to rip out IV lines that existed only in my head.

“They took his blood because he was a hybrid?” he asks, but we both know the answer.

“I think so. At first, I thought they wanted him dead because he couldn’t be controlled. Because he was too powerful, too unpredictable. But the blood.” I look at him. “What are they going to do with it?”

“I don’t know,” he says. “I’ve never heard of a vampire hybrid in Midnight City. You know how powerful blood can be. Lara… You know what this means. You need to be careful. How many people know about you being one?”

The only new person was Nero. Can I trust him? I guess we’ll find out.

“Not many,” I say. “Old friends. People from the past. I don’t use my powers often. Most people think I’m just a shitty witch.”

“Good. Let’s keep it that way.”

“Who do you think could do that to Julian?” I ask.