The little room that waited for us was a sitting room, complete with two cozy armchairs and a fireplace that flickered with flame. Bookshelves covered every wall, and about six Persian rugs overlapped each other on the floor. The scent of paper and leather binding filled the air, along with fresh flowers. I spotted the cheerful bouquet of peonies on the windowsill, then turned.
Grey waited just inside the door, his gaze on me.
Indecision tugged at me for a split second, and then I threw my arms around him. His arms came up, and he gripped me tightly to him, seeming to melt into me in a way that should have felt heavy but instead felt blissfully light. Like being surrounded in perfect peace.
I clung to him, his scent of flickering flame and whisky wrapping around me.
“This is a bad idea,” he murmured against my head.
“I don’t care. I haven’t seen you in two days.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been busy.”
“Of course you have. At what?” I didn’t pull away. He could explain just fine like this.
“I may have found something.”
“Yeah?” This time, I pulled back to look at him, but didn’t let go. “What?”
“Don’t get too excited. My last plan didn’t work.”
“I’m hardly any further along at finding answers in the Shadow Guild tower.” Unless the book panned out. “What did you find?”
“My maker is still alive, apparently. He’s the oldest turned vampire, though I haven’t seen him for centuries.”
“He can help?”
“Possibly. If he can’t, then he has connections with the most powerful seer in the vampire world. She’s an expert in all matters pertaining to us. She may know a way out.”
It was all we had, so it had to be enough. “Where is your maker?”
“In the town of Siaora, in Transylvania. We can leave now.”
“Now? You want me to come?” I was glad but surprised. He’d been so distant and secretive lately.
He nodded. “You’re half of this, and more than likely, we’ll see the seer. Her gift works by touch, just like yours. If we want full answers, we both need to be there.”
“It’ll give Seraphia time to work on the book I found.” Quickly, I filled him in.
When I finished, he nodded. “I need to stop by my flat for some things. Will you meet me there once you’ve collected what you need for a trip to the mountains? It could be cold.”
I nodded, already thinking of how I’d stop by Eve’s for some weapons. “I’ll see you at yours.”
Together, we left the library. On the street, we parted ways—he headed toward his tower, and I headed toward Eve’s place.
I reached her shop a few minutes later, finding her buried up to her chin in books. All around her, the shelves were piled high with gleaming glass potion bottles. Every color of the rainbow glinted under the lights, making it one of the most beautiful places I’d ever seen.
Today, Eve’s hair was a brilliant copper. It gleamed like freshly polished metal and was twisted into intricate braids. Her dress matched, though in a slightly darker tone.
“Hey.” I shut the door quietly behind me.
She looked up, her face pale and her eyes tired. “Carrow! How are you? Figure things out with the mysterious raven?”
The bird was nowhere to be seen, and I thought she looked a bit shifty about it.
I shook my head. I was probably making that up.
“No idea what’s up with the raven, but that’s okay.” I gestured to the books. “What’s with the library here?” I was more used to her slaving over little cauldrons, not old books.
“Trying to create a new potion, but something’s not working right. I was hoping I’d find answers in these.” She sighed and stood. “No luck so far. How can I help you?”
“I’m going to Transylvania with Grey and was hoping you could help me out with some potions. Defensive, mostly.”
“Sure thing.” She came around the desk, her magic smelling like a fresh breeze and feeling like soft grass beneath my feet. “Follow me.”
She led me to the back room, where she began to fill a bag with potions. As she held each bottle up and described the potion’s use, I memorized it and the distinctive color and shape of its glass container. Some were for defense, some were for healing. They’d be marked, but when one was in a hurry, it was better to just grab and go.
Finished, she strode toward me and handed me the bag. “Be careful, it’s dangerous there.”
“What do I owe you for these?”
“A favor later.”
I grinned. “Sure thing.”
“Now get out of here, I have research to do.” Her smile was friendly, but her eyes were tired. I debated asking again about the raven—could she seriously not see it?—but I knew the answer I’d get. And anyway, Grey was waiting.
3
Grey
Carrow and I arrived in Siaora three hours later. She had been delayed in meeting me at my flat, but she’d come bearing a bag of potion bombs from Eve—a wise move.
We’d used a transportation charm to make the journey. Just holding her hand as we’d walked through the portal had made my heart race.
Who the hell was I becoming?
“This is…different,” she said, looking out at the darkened city. The sun hovered over the peaked roofs, and the golden glow should have made the place look beautiful. Instead, it only looked more ominous. A trick of the light made the sun look like blood on the cobblestones, and the ramshackle buildings were as dreary as ever. Though it was midday, it seemed dark as dusk. It would be worse at the castle.
“It’s far different than the rest of Transylvania,” I said, remembering the colorful shopfronts of my hometown in Sighișoara. And Brasov, where I’d taken her before, was also a bright, beautiful city.
But Siaora, the home of Silviu, was everything that humans thought vampires to be—dark, frightening, dreadful.
A face peeked out of a window to our right, then ducked back behind the curtain when I turned to look.
“Come,” I said. “It will be an unpleasant walk up to Silviu’s castle. It’d be best to make it before the weather turns.”
She nodded and followed me down the street, sticking close as we passed darkened houses and stores. The streets were entirely empty, as if the citizens were afraid of stepping foot outside.
Some were, in fact.
All, actually.
With the exception of my recon trip, I hadn’t been to Siaora since I’d left it hundreds of years ago. By the time I’d moved on, still deep in the throes of Silviu’s blood lust, I’d terrorized the hell out of the inhabitants.
Perhaps I should make amends.
The thought startled me.
I’d never considered it before. Until now, I’d assumed that not killing people was the best I could do.
But maybe I owed something to these people, the descendants of those I had terrorized so long ago. They obviously still remembered me—I supposed the stories had been passed down through generations.
“What are you thinking about?” Carrow asked.
“Ah, nothing interesting.” I wasn’t keen to admit to my past, especially in front of the person who had inspired me to be better. I pointed to the hill that loomed over the city and the castle that sat atop it. “We’re going there.”