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He sighs and shakes his head a little as he retrieves the dumbbells from the ground.
The door swings open again as a few more Marionettes step out, revealing a line that snakes all the way down the hall. My feet carry me forward, and a few vampires I don’t recognize shoot me dirty looks as I slip past them.
We’re all practically shoulder to shoulder in this hall, and I strain my neck to see what everyone is in line for. There’s a metal door at the end, and I think through what I know about Auclair, about what’s on this side of the estate…
The blood drains from my face as my steps slow.
The basement.
The voices around me buzz and blur together.
“—this is a waste of time—”
“—they’re refusing to even acknowledge the shortage—”
“—there won’t be any left by the time we get to the front—”
“—I don’t see why they’re not roping in the servants, at least for a few servings’ worth—”
There must be a blood farm down there, and with this many people flocking this way, the usual supply near the kitchens must already be out.
My gums throb, as if being in such close proximity to this many hungry vampires is contagious, though I already fed from the bag Reid brought me.
I push my way through the crowd, trying to get out, but the line curves around the corner like it’ll never end.
It shouldn’t be surprising. Of course the usual system wouldn’t be able to keep up with the demand of double the number of vampires, the same way they’re struggling to find accommodations for everyone.
But there’s a big difference between vampires without a bed and vampires without blood.
And I have a sinking feeling this is just the beginning.
CHAPTERFIVE
“Just five more minutes,Aid! I’m almost done!” I unwind the towel from my hair and toss it on the hook behind the bathroom door, double-checking the time on my phone to ensure I’m not running late, but I’m good. I have over an hour.
Adrienne pounds on the door again, and I sigh. She mustreallyneed to go to the bathroom. Thank God we never had to share one growing up. I gather the products I need and tuck them against my chest so I can keep getting ready at the mirror by the bed. “Okay! Okay! I’m coming out!”
I swing the door open to findConnorstanding there. To be honest, I wasn’t sure he was still at Auclair. I haven’t seen him around aside from the night I arrived and he came to see me in Reid’s room. Though with the entirety of the first region evacuated right now, I suppose he can’t go to his apartment in the city.
“I—oh.” The bottle of leave-in conditioner tumbles free, and Connor’s hand shoots out, catching it before it can hit the ground. “Thanks,” I mutter, glimpsing over his shoulder for my sister, but the rest of the room is empty.
“Adrienne’s not here. She said she’ll be back in a bit, and that you and I should…talk.”
“She asked you to come here?”
He nods, helping me unload the bundle in my arms onto the counter. “I’ve been wanting to come by anyway to see how you were doing. I’ve only heard bits and pieces about what happened with those Russian guys, and you know how rumors spread around here. But I guess the fiancée part is true, right? That’s why she…well, she came to me with an idea.”
“She came to you with an idea about Anya,” I parrot.
What the hell does Adrienne think Connor could do about this situation? And how could she think it’s appropriate after he and I broke up? I couldstrangleher. She is utterly incapable of minding her own business.
“She thinks we should pretend to be back together.”
“Look, I’m sorry. She never should have—she thinks we shouldwhat?”
He runs a hand along the back of his neck, his usualI’m uncomfortabletell. “She said the queen was on your case about it and is already unhappy since your mom left. And it would probably be best if Anya doesn’t know. She’s worried that…we’rebothworried that if the wrong people think the two of you are together, if they see your relationship as a threat, something might happen to you.”
“I—” I hadn’t thought that far ahead, to be honest. My mind’s still reeling from the fiancée reveal, not quite getting around to what other implications there might be.
