“She knows,” I say.

He frowns. “If she knew, she wouldn’t get so close.”

I look down at the linen in my hand. It’s completely soaked in blood, as are the knees of my pants. Gaven has very little time.

He closes his eyes and swallows thickly. “Tell her I love her. I should have protected her much better than I did. I know she won’t forgive me for what happened six months ago, but I’m sorry anyway.”

“What happened six months ago?”

He presses his lips into a tight line but says nothing.

“Gaven, what’s the urgency?” I ask. “Why the urgency for the Carrenwells? Why did they agree to send her here so quickly?”

He blinks his eyes open. “Their well doesn’t work anymore.”

“Why?”

His head drops, and he loses consciousness for a moment. I slap him, and he startles awake.

“Why doesn’t their well work?” I ask.

Gaven shakes his head. “Don’t know.”

“How do you know it doesn’t work?”

Gaven rasps something that sounds like “Madness.” He shudders with a great, rasping sigh, and his body goes still.

I stare at him in disbelief. One swift swipe of the blade and ten years of meticulous planning have fallen apart.

OceanofPDF.com

48HARLOW

The moment I step back into my bedroom after dinner, I’m aware that I’m not alone.

Henry has been gone for hours, and I know it’s not him rifling through the closet.

Gaven still isn’t back from his single-minded mission of finally figuring out what’s in the recovery room, and Kyrin has been out hunting all day. I’m on my own, and I immediately regret agreeing to stay inside until Henry was finished with the hunt ceremony.

I strain to listen. Dread settles in my stomach, churning up my dinner. The room is dark except for the freshly stoked fireplace. Nothing appears out of place.

The rustling in the closet continues.

I place the book I just borrowed from the library gently on my bed and remove the poker from beside the fireplace as quietly as possible. Tiptoeing to my closet, I peek around the corner.

The noise continues from beyond the adjoining bathroom, but I can’t see anyone. I walk through the bathroom and pause at the door to Henry’s closet.

The safe room door is open, and the sound is coming from inside.

I spring forward, brandishing the poker like a sword.

But it’s not Stefan or one of his friends lurking inside. It’s my maid. Cora’s trembling hands are raised in surrender.

I stare at her, trying to figure out how she is in a room that’s supposed to be spelled so only I can enter.

“I’m so sorry to frighten you, miss,” Cora says. “Mr. Havenwood asked me to clean the whole suite, and he said that if you weren’t here, you were probably in the library. I certainly didn’t mean to give you such a fright.”

“How did you get in?” I ask. “This is my safe room. It’s supposed to be spelled so that only I can use it.”

Cora’s brow furrows in confusion, and then she smiles. “Oh no, miss. You must have misunderstood. The room isn’t spelled for a specific person. This room keeps out the bloodthirsty. No Returned allowed.”

The whole world tilts. The only thing keeping me on my feet is a lifetime of dealing with these sudden surges of adrenaline. Every nerve in my body is screaming to run, but this is not my home. I don’t know every alley and passageway in the fort. All I know are two ways out.

Trying to make it to the main gates and then through them without any sort of diversion is borderline impossible. I haven’t been here long enough for Henry to teach me the intricacies of their escape routes and evacuation plans. I only have what I absorbed on my run with him. And that doesn’t even take into account the fact that I’d then have to race through the Drained Wood alone at night.

I have to take my chances with the mountain caves. I don’t know where they dump out, but it has to be somewhere that I can find help, and I’m almost certain it’s not going to lead me out into a forest full of Drained.

Cora is still staring at me, her hands up in surrender. I need to be careful not to tip anyone off.

“Divine forgive me! I’m so sorry for scaring you,” I say, forcing false joviality into my voice. “I completely misunderstood when he described the room to me. I thought because of the blood lock that only I could get in.”

Cora relaxes and holds up her bloody pointer finger. “Oh, that’s an easy mistake to make. There are a few of them around the manor. The lock works for any of us who aren’t the Returned. Sometimes they get carried away when they’re feeding. Most of it is really well-monitored in the recovery room. There are guards who are responsible for watching feedings to make sure donors are safe, but you know how it is,” Cora says conspiratorially. “Sometimes when they feed in private—during more intimate moments, things can get a bit out of hand. Carter and Bryce have never had that issue, though—I’m sure you’ve seen. And from what I’ve heard, Henry has impeccable control, so I’m sure he just gave you this room so you’d feel safe. Not to mention that if there was another attack and breach of the wall, you would be able to hide in here and be safe from the Drained.”

She looks at me expectantly, and I realize I’ve been silent for too long.

“That makes sense. I think it’s just the terminology that throws me. I didn’t know about the Returned until I got here,” I say, forcing lightness into my voice.

Cora smacks a hand to her head. “Of course. You’re from the city, so you’re more familiar with the old term. You probably call them Deathless.”

The Returned are Deathless. She means all the people Evangeline Havenwood brought back to life are like the people from the story I heard at the Raining Star Bar.

My heart is pounding so hard, I’m worried she’ll hear it.

“Of course.” I smile brightly. “So this room will keep out Henry and Carter and Bryce.”

She nods and lowers her hands. “And lots more of them.”

I grip the poker in my hands tighter, fighting the urge to ask just how many blood thirsty predators I have been casually interacting with since coming to the fort. “Well, I apologize again for frightening you, Cora. I think I’ll treat myself to a stroll through the gallery, so I’ll leave you to your cleaning.”

She smiles. “Of course. You’ve had so much to learn in your new role married to the heir. I’m always happy to answer any questions.” She turns to her bucket of water and starts to wipe down the door handle.

I walk back into my bedroom with my heartbeat swooshing in my ears.

Run. The instinct is so strong, I can think of nothing but that. Run. But I can’t just sprint. It will attract too much attention. I need to go slowly and be smart.

I reach for my coat, then realize that wearing it will tip off anyone who sees me that I’m planning to go outside. It’s best to just go as I am. I take a moment to swap my silk slippers for boots and tuck my blade into my right boot.

When I poke my head out of my room, Gaven is still not back from his snooping. I don’t want to leave him behind, but if I start poking around the recovery room looking for him, I know I’ll at least run into the guards there. Now that I know what goes on in there, I’m less inclined to explore.

I hustle down the hallway and descend the back stairwell to the first floor. If I go out the doors in the art wing, I’ll be closest to the cave entrance, but I’ll still have to sprint a couple of miles. With this much adrenaline pumping through my blood, that won’t be a problem.

The Kennymyra sculptures loom in the shadows. Their veils are back tonight, and they rustle as I walk briskly down the hall toward freedom. Just as the courtyard exit comes into sight, I hear voices from around the corner.