And it couldn’t have been Rook, either, I realized. If Rook was in on the plot, he wouldn’t have directed me to Valserak’s office in the first place. If he’d been the culprit, and I’d gotten too close to the truth, it would have been easiest for him to pin me in his bedroom and drain me dry. Then he could have buried me and pointed the finger at the shadowy enemy, claiming they’d found and taken me. Which meant...

  “Goddess,” I breathed. “It was Morgana—she told Valserak we were coming.” I shook my head because I didn’t want to believe it but the truth was staring me back in Oleander’s eyes as he nodded. “She’s the traitor.”

  Oleander breathed in deeply. “I reached the same conclusion.”

  “I can’t... I almost can’t believe it. Why would she be in league with him? A vampire! Witches hate vampires!”

  “I fought the conclusion too but then I figured there’s no way around it. Valserak must have promised her something, I guess. Maybe... her freedom?” I nodded as he continued. “The bigger question now is what do we do about it?”

  I seized his hand and barreled forward, stepping into a glimmering white-gold curtain of power, stepping through into the courtyard of Blood Rose only seconds later. We staggered, almost tripped on the cobblestones, and then recovered our balance.

  “We run,” I answered, and broke into a full gallop, praying I’d find Rook in the same shape I’d left him.

  ***

  Maverick

  Morgana shuffled, so we were facing forward, my body between hers and Rook’s. The vampire produced a sword from somewhere. Don’t ask me where he’d been hiding it all this time, but I was just glad one of us was still armed. The sword appeared long enough to spear us both if he thrust it right.

  As to me, I was now past seeing red. This was the woman Astrid had trusted. Morgana had claimed to be her friend and then ratted her out to Valserak the moment Astrid was out of earshot. And for what? As a witch, Morgana should have hated Valserak.

  “I said don’t move!” Morgana snapped at Rook, pressing the edge of her blade into my throat. A shallow line of blood welled up and began trickling down my throat to pool in my collarbone. “And put the sword down now, unless you’d like to explain to your girlfriend how you got her brother killed...”

  Rook was practically vibrating with an echo of my rage. “You turned Astrid over to him—whatever’s happened to her is because of you.” He almost spat the words at her.

  Morgana sighed. “We’ve already covered that, Chesley. Now put the damn sword down. Last warning.”

  I opened my mouth to speak but my words came out a wheeze when Morgana kneed me in the back, knocking the air from my lungs. It pressed the tip of her knife into my skin again. Blood ran down my neck faster this time, and I heard Rook swallow compulsively. The sword clattered to the ground a moment later.

  “Good,” Morgana purred as she moved our bodies in a slow circle, always keeping me between herself and Rook. The look he leveled her over my shoulder was nothing short of murderous—it said that if he got his hands on her, he’d tear her throat out. And at this point, I’d let him.

  “I should have guessed something was wrong when you joined Oleander’s search,” Rook said, glaring at her. “You don’t have an altruistic bone in your body.”

  “You were stupid to believe otherwise,” she sneered.

  “This entire time you pinned all our suspicions on Aurea.”

  “Because she was the easiest—you all wanted to believe the worst of her,” Morgana said cheerfully.

  “Then she isn’t behind any of this?” I asked, still a little surprised.

  “No,” Morgana answered. “Her guilt extends as far as not knowing what was going on with the missing students and not caring enough to find out.” I shifted, trying to pull away from her but she only held the blade harder to my throat. “Now stop wriggling, Depraysie. If I slit your throat, I want it to be on purpose.”

  Rook reached Valserak’s side and began seizing fistfuls of ice, prying it away with ease. The stuff was already beginning to melt without Tally’s powers to keep it frozen and Rook must have realized we’d soon have Valserak to deal with. As to Taliyah, she was still sprawled on the floor, breathing shallowly. Her eyelids were fluttering this way and that, though, which I took to be a good sign.

  “Why are you doing this, Morgana?” Rook asked.

  “Because I don’t have another choice,” Morgana hissed. “Because I’m done with this fucking hellhole, done with playing the part of hostage, and done with every vicious little twit who decided I deserved to be stuck here for the rest of my natural life.”

  “You realize this will cause another blood war?” Rook asked.

  “I don’t care!” Morgana yelled at him. “The only way we’re free of this curse is if the powers that be reverse it or if another war breaks out. And we both know no one is ever going to reverse the curse. So... that just leaves war.”

  “When that first drop of witch blood is shed,” Rook started.

  “We’re free,” Morgana finished for him. “I’d have asked you to help me if I’d thought you had enough balls.”

  Rook ripped another chunk of ice from Valserak’s body, baring his teeth in a savage snarl. “Come over here, Morgana, and I’ll happily shed witch blood for you.”

  Morgana trilled a laugh so loud and long that it made my ears ring. “Stop pouting, Chesley. I’ve done you a favor.”

  He scoffed at that. “You’ve done me a favor?”

  “I freed you, stupid. And your girlfriend still has all her powers. So, you can just walk right out the door, down to town, and find her in the clock shop’s cellar. In fact, I’d suggest you leave before things get messy...”

  “Astrid isn’t in the cellar,” Valserak suddenly spouted, wriggling out of the hole Rook had torn into his ice prison. “Morgana, what the bloody hell do you mean Astrid still has her powers?”

  “She escaped?” Morgana half-shrieked. Her grip on my hair slackened just a little.

  “Astrid is a witch, and that means her powers are gone,” Valserak continued, shaking his head but there was fear in his eyes. “She couldn’t have used her magic to escape when she has none! It had to be Oleander who came back for her.”

  “She’s half fae, you moron!” Morgana screamed at him.

  Valserak narrowed his eyes at her. “Did it never dawn on you to tell me she was part fae?”

  “I told you as much in my message when I informed you that she and Oleander were on their way here!” Morgana yelled at him. “You imbecile! That’s why I told you to put her in iron chains!”

  “Telling me she’s fae and telling me to put her in irons are two different things,” Valserak spat back at her.

  My heart picked up because this meant Valserak didn’t have Astrid. She was alive. Or... at the very least, she was undead and away from him, which I’d take as a victory at this point. Now, if I could just get loose...

  A squeaking near the door drew my attention. A huge, dust-covered rat had wriggled its way under the door. It made a frantic motion toward the floor several times before I realized what it was trying to say.

  I wrenched my hair free of Morgana’s lax grip and threw myself to one side as I looked up at Rook and nodded to him. He didn’t hesitate, just followed my example. The knife grazed my collarbone on my way down, a lick of hot pain as I fell. I hit the stone with a bone-jarring impact but I was still the lucky one.

  Seconds later, the door exploded inward, flying across the room to hit Morgana, driving her back against the wall, where she impacted with a sickening crunch.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Astrid

  Stunned silence filled the room after Morgana hit the wall.

  Even I stood completely still, shocked at what I’d just done. I hadn’t really been thinking when I rounded the corner and felt a strange buzz in my energy that hinted to the fact that people were behind the door. Using my expert vampire hearing, I was able to overhear a conversation between Morgana and Valserak and that was when I realized she had my brother hostage.

  I wasn’t sure when the big lug had gotten here or how long he’d been looking for me. It was just pretty heart-warming to know he had been looking for me. Even though he’d been unhappy with my decision in attending Blood Rose, he’d still come after me. And that meant something. It meant that when push came to shove, my big brother cared.

  But the warm fuzzies quickly drained away when I realized exactly what I’d done. Morgana slumped to the ground, the door half on top of her. It didn’t do much to conceal the smear of blood she’d left on the stone walls. The scent blossomed like a puff of sweet-smelling perfume in an enclosed space, so compelling, it was difficult not to breathe it in. I took an involuntary step in her direction, fascinated by the color and consistency of it. I stopped myself before I could move closer. A low moan of pain escaped Morgana’s lips, though her eyelids barely flickered.

  When I looked closer, I could make out the bulge of white bone against her scalp, and I suddenly wanted to throw up. Goddess, I’d cracked her skull. I hadn’t meant to. I’d just meant to knock her off her feet, get her away from my brother, put her off her guard, and then lay her out. With my new strength, I was confident I could take her down with one thrust of the door. But I hadn’t wanted this.

  “Astrid,” Rook breathed, breaking the silence as he turned to face me.

  It was as if that one word broke the spell holding everyone captive. The room was suddenly a flurry of activity. One second, Rook was stunned into stillness on the opposite end of the room, and the next he was at my side, hands flying up to cup my face. His lips were on mine a moment later, hard and eager. I could almost feel the relief pouring off him in that one kiss. He was still warmer than me, though noticeably cooler than he’d been when I’d seen him last. He hadn’t fed in a while. I was freezing, by comparison. The blood Valserak had given me wasn’t nearly enough.

  Rook’s hands dropped from my face a second later, running over my throat, down my shoulders, then further, mapping every inch of me he could touch, as though assuring himself I still had all my parts attached. The smell of Morgana’s blood was still thick in the air and as much as I didn’t want to, I pushed against Rook’s chest.

  My bastard of a sire was currently trying to sneak out the door until a sudden, sharp crackle split the relative calm and Valserak froze in place. Literally. A sheath of ice encased his body from feet to neck. Now stuck in place and going nowhere soon, he hissed a vicious curse, eyes wheeling until he found the culprit. I followed his gaze and found a dazed and pissed Taliyah Morgan lying on the floor. She had a bump forming on her forehead where someone had knocked her around, but otherwise she looked uninjured.

  When her eyes finally focused, she spotted Morgana lying prone not far away. Taliyah army crawled to Morgana’s side, pushing the door off her with ease. Then she cradled Morgana’s neck, keeping it steady as she took Morgana’s pulse and nodded to Maverick, as if to say Morgana was still alive. I was sure Taliyah had been trained in some kind of first aid, and now she was showing it. Taliyah eyed the bulging bones grimly.

  “She needs a hospital, now,” she said as she looked up at us.

  “I’ll go,” Yew said, making Rook jump, who clearly hadn’t noticed the familiar I’d sent to warn them I was coming. I’d happened on him by chance in the corridor. “Though I suspect several staff members are already on their way,” he continued, facing me. “It wasn’t as if the entrance was subtle. You probably woke half the castle.”

  I winced again. He was probably right. I watched him scurry out, guilt turning my stomach. Morgana was in bad shape if Taliyah looked that concerned.

  Rook was snatched out of my arms with a suddenness that startled me. Before I had a chance to blink, I was seized by the waist and tugged hard into a familiar set of arms. Maverick hugged me to his chest, using every ounce of his strength to keep me there. If I’d been a witch, he’d have crushed the wind out of my lungs. As it was, air whooshed out of me, which felt uncomfortable, but not panic-inducing. I still hadn’t mastered this undead thing.

  “Astrid, you pain in my ass,” Maverick breathed. The emotion in those words robbed them of their sting. Maverick sounded as close as he’d ever come to tears. His arms flexed around me still harder, as if he was a python intent on strangling me. Maverick wasn’t a hugger, and it showed. He was clearly out of practice. I’d have to teach him a thing or two as he learned to stop hating everyone. For their safety, if not mine.

  “Love you too, Mav,” I said, squeezing him back, being careful with him. I wasn’t used to my new strength either.

  “You scared the shit out of me,” he continued, concern giving way to his usual bad temper. “I should hex you into oblivion for that.”

  I smiled faintly. He wouldn’t do it. Yet. Give him a few days and time to really consider it and I might be in for something nasty, just because I’d managed to make him feel something as annoying as fear and concern.

  “You’d have to catch me to do it and, um, I’m faster than I used to be.”

  I took a deep breath to say more and then froze. The smell coming off Maverick’s collar was nothing short of mouthwatering. In that second, I understood exactly what Rook and Valserak meant when they talked about my blood. The stuff pooling in Maverick’s clothes smelled spicy and so damn good, my fangs instantly started throbbing with the need to go for his jugular. I could see the beat of his pulse just under the pale skin of his throat. I wanted it. No, I needed it. I pushed up onto my tiptoes and...

  Rook yanked me back hard enough to wrench my neck. The pain distracted me from the bloodlust long enough for him to wrestle me into submission. I couldn’t take my eyes off the blood staining Maverick’s collar, but I was aware enough to be ashamed of what I’d almost done. Goddess, I’d almost bitten him. After what he’d gone through with Janeth, I wasn’t sure he’d ever forgive me if I had.

  Rook’s arms were as firm and unyielding as iron bars, even as I strained against them. He shoved his arm close enough to my face that I could smell his scent, distracting me from Maverick’s long enough for me to calm down.

  “I wouldn’t hold her like that while you’re bleeding,” Rook warned Maverick. “She’s new. She won’t be able to control the blood lust and considering your past, I doubt you want to be bitten again.”

  Maverick paled a little when that sunk in. But to my surprise, there was none of the disgust I’d expected. Maybe I’d been wrong about him. Maybe months with our cousins, William and Amos, and their vampire cronies had mellowed him out when it came to vampires? He probably wouldn’t trust bloodsuckers outside of the family, but this was still an improvement. There was a chance he wouldn’t hate me, after all.

  “Oh,” he said, tugging his collar closer to his throat, covering most of his wound.

  “Sorry,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry, Maverick. I didn’t mean to. Valserak didn’t give me much and I’m so cold and—”

  “I get it,” Maverick said, cutting across me. “The bastard starved you. He’ll pay for it. Just... uh... don’t eat me, okay?”

  I let out a weak laugh. Maverick opened his mouth as if he’d respond and then shut it again when we heard the slap of high heels outside the door and heading down the hallway. Moments later, Professor Hecate, Headmistress Aurea, and Professor Lavant appeared in the doorway. Professor Lavant seemed to take in the whole picture first and put a hand over his mouth in obvious distress.

  “Oh, my. Let me help you, Miss. That looks nasty.”

  Professor Lavant pushed past the others, who’d frozen in place, taking in the tableau with mirrored looks of horror. Lavant knelt by Morgana’s side, across from Taliyah, who was still doing her best to help the fallen witch. Morgana’s breathing was growing shallow and the thud of her heart was slower. I could still smell her blood sluggishly pumping from her head.

  “I’m not much of a healer, but I’ll see what I can do,” he said, rubbing his hands together, muttering words to a spell under his breath.

  I could barely hear him over the loud sounds echoing from outside the building. More faerie-on-vampire hybrid battles were taking place on the grounds. Everyone would be awake by now. Hopefully, people would have the sense to stay put.

  Headmistress Aurea’s shock gave way to fury a moment later and power gathered in a crackling halo around her hands as she stared me down. Hecate still looked aghast and a little disgusted as she took me in, understanding dawning on her face as she spotted the blood and filth that smeared my clothes.

  “Depraysie,” she said in an icy whisper. “What in Hecuba’s name have you done?”

  “It wasn’t her doing,” Rook said. “Valserak—”

  “Silence!” Aurea commanded, her voice like a whipcrack. Rook was momentarily stunned, the words strangling in his throat. She jabbed a finger at me. “You. What have you done to my niece?”

  “Stopped a war,” I said. “She was working with Desmond Valserak, helping him take faeries from the castle in order to turn them into vampire half-breeds.”

  “That’s absurd!” Aurea started but I could already see the doubt in her eyes.

  I shook my head. “It’s not absurd because the fae keep their magic when they’re turned, which makes them the perfect foot soldiers for a vampire with a grudge. And those sounds you hear outside?” I paused so she could take them in.

  “Yes?”

  “That’s Prince Reynard who’s currently keeping the fae-vampires away from the dorms. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you but any witch who dies kicks off the Blood Wars again.”