Luna 4l4m3r

Luna

The Dark Between Series

Rae Else

Anchorite Publishing

Copyright © 2021 Rae Else. All rights reserved.

ISBN 9781916904910

Cover design by Adriatica Creations

raeelse.co.uk

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is fictionalized or coincidental.

Created with Vellum

Contents

1. Castle Of Crap

2. Crossing Over

3. Wicked Witch

4. Pen Party

5. Big Bad Wolf

6. Accomplices

7. Dark and Hungry

8. A Keen Sense

9. Wild Woods

10. Anemia and Blood Slaves

11. The Restless Dead

12. Not Running

13. Black and White

14. Soulless

15. Smoke Signals

16. Nests

17. Para Psychology

18. Where the Dark Things Are

19. Splinter

20. Fall So Deep

21. Alphas

22. Lit Me Up

23. Sworn

24. The Sidhe

25. Freed

26. Bad Blood

27. Castle Nox

Initiation

Acknowledgments

Also By Rae Else

About the Author

1

Castle Of Crap

Jess cracked the front door open. Her gaze went to the cardboard fort in the corner of the living room. “Psss, Caylee.” Nothing. She huffed a sigh. Damn. Her younger foster sister was a willing accomplice in her smuggling activities. Jess narrowed her eyes, listening for any noise from the kitchen. She eased her rucksack off her shoulders before slipping off her mud-caked sneakers and dragging the mangled camping chairs over the threshold. The beer bottles wrapped in the seats clinked. A stale waft of booze suffused the air. Shit. The bottles reeked more than she’d banked on. Tossing her bag on one of the bundles, she manhandled them upstairs, one under each arm. She trailed down the hall and pushed the bedroom door open with her foot … and froze. Her older foster sister stared back at her from the vanity mirror. Emma’s perfect pout drooped. Emma wasn’t supposed to be here. She worked the evening shift at the local diner every Friday. Jess jutted her chin out. Emma’s glossy ponytail whipped around like a horse’s tail flicking away flies. “No way.” She jabbed the lipstick she’d been using at Jess.

“They said I could,” Jess lied, trailing over to her side of the room. There were too many paints, paintbrushes, and papers strewn across her desk, so she dropped the bundles by her bed. “Colleen!” Emma yelled. Why does she have to be such a bitch? She and Emma shared a room and were both seniors in high school but that’s as far as their similarities went. The only thing Emma cared about was her looks, her worries consisting of nothing more substantial than over-plucked brows and broken nails. Jess didn’t waste time on such things. There were more important things, like CRAP, the Community Recycling Art Project. She’d ed last summer when she’d been placed here. The initiative to turn litter within national parks into art had inspired her to develop paintings and sculptures of native animals then photograph them against the landscape, highlighting both pollution and endangered wildlife. It had been her ticket to Portland Art School in Maine. In a few months, she’d be there and out of this backwater town. Jess sprang up from the carpet as Colleen, one of their foster moms, walked in. Colleen’s unease deepened the crow’s feet at her eyes. “Jess brought back more trash,” Emma griped. “Just camping chairs. The canvas was too good to leave.” Colleen swept her hand across her tired eyes. “Not in the house, Jess.” “It’s raining,” Jess protested. “I can’t paint in the garden–” “I’m not arguing,” Colleen answered. “Put it outside.” Jess stewed. Now that she’d got into art school, Colleen didn’t seem to place as much importance in her art activities. Her tone seemed to reduce her work to a hobby, to something that she could toss aside. Yet the panorama she planned for the chairs already consumed her. She knew from experience it was best to ride the wave of inspiration when it struck. The scene she itched to create already

seemed more vibrant than her current surroundings. It was as if the moose she wanted to transpose on the frayed material was already there. The broken chair arm could be its antler. She’d put its calf on the other canvas chair. She imagined them against the burnt scrubland where she’d found the litter, her broken animals as bruised as the Maine sky—a silent accusation to the viewer. An idea entirely lost on Emma. The I-told-you-so face she pulled sent a jet of heat through Jess. Jess clenched her fists. “Too bad, Ghosty,” Emma taunted. She glowered at Emma’s stupid face—and lunged. Emma’s glossy mane was swiftly in hand. Jess yanked it. Emma screamed. Colleen wrenched Jess off, wrestling her out of the room. “Psycho!” Emma shouted after her. Heat swelled through Jess, her pale face flushing and breath erratic. If it wasn’t for Colleen’s wide berth already shepherding her to the stairs, she’d be knocking that smirk off Emma’s face. Ghosty. The name needled its way under her skin. Her foster sister had spread it around school, on of her pale hair that was so blonde it was almost white. Her eyebrows were the same; you basically couldn’t see them. It was the one thing she tended to pencil in, except she used an art pencil instead of a make-up one. She’d been nicknamed Whitewalker at the last school, Albino at the one before that, along with a hundred others the creative geniuses of Maine dreamed up. No, Jess wasn’t into her looks, but it wasn’t only that there were more important things; it was that the way she looked was yet another thing that made her stick out. She’d dyed her locks lilac and blue recently, claiming it was an alternative look picked up in Portland. During her recent trip to the art school there, she’d seen lots of people with dyed hair and other alt looks, with piercings and tats. Of course, then she’d come back here to Oblivion, and she’d had no end of

gawking. But the bright, brash colors were a better alternative to her natural white locks and the memories of teasing they all too easily conjured. Colleen steered her into the kitchen, blocking the doorway like a bouncer. The aroma of meat and spices filled the room. Barb, Jess’s other foster mom, was bopping at the stove, big headphones over her ears. She prodded beef around the pan. As she saw them, her eyebrows quirked. “What’s up?” Barb took in Jess’s clenched fists and red face. She gave the wooden spoon to Colleen and switched places. Where Colleen had stood behind Jess, Barb was in front of her, more relaxed—or did a good impression of appearing so. “Breathe, breathe.” Barb took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Instead of focusing on her warm eyes, Jess stared at Barb’s hair, flattened by the headphones. Barb was always more understanding than her wife, Colleen. Yet her gentle tone made Jess feel like she was fragile. She tuned her out. She didn’t need coddling. She could take care of herself. All that was needed was to get through the final months here. It was a while before the tight knot of anger loosened itself. It was always the same. It happened about once a week. When something set her off—usually Emma—Jess couldn’t control herself. She had to lash out. Now that Jess’s breathing was calmer, Barb asked gently, “What happened?” Colleen answered for her, “The two of ’em knockin’ heads as usual.” “More like locking horns,” Barb quipped, a wry smile on her lips. Jess had overheard enough of their conversations about her ‘issues’ to know that Barb thought learning to laugh at herself would help. She believed that laughter was the best medicine in life, as if Jess hadn’t had enough therapists try to psychoanalyze her over the years. But Barb had faith that her own special brand would cure her. “Have you been for a run this afternoon?” Colleen asked, her voice a little high. Jess caught the strained note but forced herself to answer civilly. “No, but I will.

Before it gets dark.” Colleen nodded. “You always feel better after a run.” “How about a movie later?” Barb suggested. Jess wanted to get away from Barb’s big brown eyes and exerted herself. “As long as it’s a princess one.” Barb guffawed. “Caylee will be back from Bree’s … so yeah … Disney it is.” Jess offered her a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Caylee was about the only thing capable of drawing a genuine one. Her younger foster sister was ten years old and going through a princess phase. The Princess Diaries was currently her favorite movie. She was still young enough to believe that her deadbeat mom, Bree, would one day sort out her drug addiction, and they’d live happily ever after. If that happened, it wasn’t that much of a stretch that she’d get a kingdom on the side. Colleen reminded Jess, “When you’re back, put that stuff out, okay?” Jess nodded. Her foster moms had the whole good cop, bad cop routine down. “And , no more butt bunnies.” Barb laughed. Butt bunny. Emma’s least favorite of Jess’s animal creations. She’d collected cigarette butts for ages and used the filters discarded from them to sculpt a cottontail bunny. Barb thought her art was a good outlet but disliked the highly-charged theme Jess had chosen to work on. She wished she’d stick to drawing still life, fruit and flowers, she supposed. Jess had overheard Barb’s complaint that her depictions of orphaned animals were hardly a healthy thing for her to fixate on; a little too close to Jess’s own baggage. Jess had been an abandoned baby. Left in a forest in Maine. Found by hikers. She’d entered the care system only a few days old—the authorities reckoned anyway; they couldn’t be certain of her date of birth. Such a beginning should have guaranteed her a forever home. If she’d only been normal.

From the age of five she’d bounced around Maine, losing track of the number of homes and schools she’d been to. It meant that she’d been exposed to a lot of people. To the idealists like Barb and the realists like Colleen. Jess knew that money made the world go round. The reality of the foster system meant that once you were past the cute phase, there really wasn’t motivation besides money for caregivers to take you in. At seventeen years old, Jess was no spring chicken. The meager state pay-outs only kept people happy for so long. Each of her fights with Emma reduced the luster of whatever her foster moms received for housing a delinquent like her. Jess swallowed the bitterness that threatened at the bleakness of her situation. She was almost there. She only had to get through another two months then she’d be at art school. With that steadying thought, Jess was determined to get out for her run. She usually took her phone for music when running, but it was upstairs in her rucksack; she knew from Colleen’s face she wouldn’t let her up there for anything. But dressed in leggings, a sweatshirt, and sneakers, she was otherwise ready. Always ready to run. Jess snuck out the back door, past Barb who was back to bopping, and Colleen’s nervous glance. The oak tree in the garden caught Jess’s eye. Ribbons fluttered from its lower branches: Fort Caylee. The main one. The one in the living room was merely an outpost. Jess used its trunk to stretch out her calves before breaking into a run. As her feet left the grass for the dirt road, she picked up her pace. With each footfall, the rhythm soothed her, as if each step were a beat in a song. The movement took her away from her anger. Colleen was right. When she ran, she felt better. Movement was the best thing she’d found to quell her anger. While she ran, it felt as if it were possible to outstrip it, that the roar so dangerously close to the surface faded. She turned out of the house’s track and onto the tarmac road. A lake ran alongside it, only a few trees punctuating its bank. The other side of the road was densely populated by cedar and pine. She usually did this stretch twice a day— sometimes three at the weekend. She needed to. Sweat prickled along her brow as she pushed herself, pummeling the road. Thankfully, it had been more than a year since she’d had one of her outbursts. Not the minor ones with Emma … the

real ones. The ones that made Colleen look at her like she did. Every time Jess’s temper flared, Colleen pictured the horrific incidents from her case file. The ones that caused her to be shunted from home to home. Last year’s had happened at school, on the hockey field. One of the girl’s on her team had deliberately tripped her over. Jess ed the burning rage stealing through her as she landed in the dirt, but that was it. The next thing she ed was being restrained by her teacher, a bloody hockey stick in hand and her team mate unconscious on the floor. The minutes that had ed in between those memories were a blank. Only from the reports of her classmates and teacher did she know that she’d beaten the girl unconscious. The same pattern that her other blackouts had taken over the years. Rage blackouts: the diagnosis the psychiatrists and psychologists had given her. She suffered from explosive bouts of anger that she couldn’t recall afterwards. Sometimes, they lasted a few seconds, the longest episodes whole half hours. And when Jess came out of them, she found herself invariably kicked out of a home or school; the consequence for actions she couldn’t . When she’d been younger she’d been freaked out by them, feeling as if a monster shadowed her, waiting to sabotage her life. Now she only felt pissed off at said monster. It was something to be stifled. Something she managed with her art, running, and by keeping away from others as much as possible. The thing she most longed for about art school was that she’d be able to keep herself to herself even more. Yeah, there’d be classes to attend, but she’d have a hell of a lot more freedom and anonymity than high school offered. As well as having her own space, away from annoying foster siblings. A future in which she spent little time around others and had the freedom to spend as much time as she liked on her art sounded like bliss. Colleen’s anxious expression swam in her mind. Jess quickened her stride, letting the aroma of pine fill her lungs. She wasn’t mad at Colleen. This had been her longest placement. Ever. A year. A whole year here on the outskirts of Fort Kent. If anything, she was grateful. Yet with each step as her feet pounded the ground, her worry grew. Colleen’s tired looks were becoming ever more fearful. Jess had been through this often enough to recognize the signs. Would she send her away? She only had a few months left here, then she’d be in Portland instead. Surely she wouldn’t send her away when there was so little time left? Bitterness swarmed through her. Of course she might. Nothing was guaranteed in life, Jess reminded herself.

She reached the stretch of trees that she usually turned around but continued running. The road wound north beyond which lay twenty more miles of Aroostook County. Jess had crossed county lines in the past: running from this horrible foreboding that she was about to be kicked out … and from the awful things she’d done. If they were going to get rid of her, maybe she should just keep going. Aroostook bordered on Quebec. Twenty miles was nothing to her. Part of her managing her condition, were these savage workouts. Always ready to run. She could cover that distance in three hours. The far-flung freedom of the wilderness seemed to call to her. She gritted her teeth, picturing the way Barb’s kind eyes had tried to hold hers. Her feet pounded the road. A flash of Caylee sitting in front of the TV, waiting for her flickered through her thoughts. Jess slowed her pace. She’d suck it up, whatever happened. In two months, she’d be in Portland. She’d gone for a whole year without a rage blackout. That had to count for something with Colleen. A little longer and it would be as it was meant to be, just her. Besides, who was she kidding? Quebec? Her French sucked. Jess swerved back, retracing her steps and feeling the tension in her limbs ebb. The light was fading. The branches and trunks of the trees were stark as night fell. As well as the motion of running, it was the etching of the trees that imbued Jess with peace. She’d always loved the forests of Maine. The tree-lined tracks felt like her true home. It felt right that they’d been her crib as a baby. She still felt their presence around her like a safe harbor. When she was running, sometimes she had the sense that they were guiding her, as if they could somehow lead her back to where she’d come from. Sometimes, she had the overwhelming sense they were calling to her. In a way, it was why the landscape and animal topic had been what she preferred to draw for years. She almost felt as if the ravaged land and wildlife was trying to communicate through her. In the trees’ presence, something thrummed through her, as if all that was within her was waiting to pour out. She struck the road harder as the fancy engulfed her, as it so often did. Jess trampled the thought into the dust. No, the reason she loved the trees and wilderness was simple. Out here she was away from everyone. People came with too much baggage, just one big heap of trash to wade through. Everything she saw in life confirmed it. Caylee’s junkie mom, Emma’s locked-up dad … her own abandonment. Even the people in her life now were more trouble than they were worth. She thought of Emma’s smug face and Colleen’s fearful one. Life

with people was just a castle of crap you had to climb. But she’d almost climbed it. Jess thought of all the trash she’d collected from the wilds around her, recycled and reworked to show the destructive nature of people. Wasn’t that why CRAP resonated with her? Jess finally slackened her pace into a jog as she reached the lake. Her heart rate slowed, and her limbs felt deliciously relaxed. The prospect of a night in front of some soppy movie made her loiter. Then again, she’d steal whatever sweet cereal Caylee had on the go. That girl was seriously in danger of becoming a giant sugar cube. As Jess fantasized about binging, a short figure came into view at the end of the dirt track to the house. The red jacket was just visible in the low light. Jess’s brow furrowed. Caylee. What was she doing this far down from the house? Had Bree not bothered to take her all the way up? Jess accelerated. As she did, she caught sight of a flurry of motion by the lake between her and Caylee. In the dusk, she thought the streak was a bird, but as she fastened onto the object, she made out its shape. Long limbs, a tail, pointed ears. A jolt travelled through her. It looked like a coyote, except it was way too big. Cold sluiced through her, but as Jess pelted down the road, each of her footfalls compacted her fear, compressing it like molding leaves. Her eyes remained glued to the animal, running along the bank, running towards the dirt track … towards Caylee. Jess’s heart thundered with urgency. She threw her limbs out and sprinted. It felt as if the white animal matched her, its strides lengthening as if racing her. Jess’s gaze swung to Caylee. She stood at the end of the track, clearly unaware of the predator running towards her. Jess didn’t want to waste energy on anything other than getting to her. But she forced herself to yell, her lungs burning. “Cay –lee!” Caylee turned. She looked down the track towards Jess and the white animal, now ahead of Jess. Caylee’s scream pierced the gloom but she froze. Jess’s feet pounded the dirt like a drum, her arms pumped the air, and adrenaline flooded her. The branches to the left blurred. Necessity swarmed through her like never before. The hot prickle of rage stole across her skin. The dangerous roar never far beneath quickened. Ferocity flared. She’d get to her. She’d get to her

before the wolf. As she careened down the road, her brain acknowledged that that’s what it was. Even if wolves were supposed to be extinct in Maine, its size and coloring made it unmistakable. Jess watched the wolf lunge at Caylee. She pelted on. She’d wrestle the animal off with her bare hands. But a sharp pain erupted in her shoulder, and something knocked her sideways. Jess cried out, going down hard in the dirt. Shock rippled through her. She couldn’t breathe. Something was on her. Through tear-filled eyes, all she saw was a flurry of white. It was as if she were caught in a snowstorm. Except this snow was warm and furry. Another wolf. She gasped for air, pressure constricting her windpipe. In her blind panic to breathe, her thoughts somersaulted; the image of the moose with its broken antler in the dirt skittered across her mind then darkness swam.

2

Crossing Over

The ache in Jess’s shoulder and neck made her think that she’d dozed off at her desk. Sure enough, she felt encrusted acrylic on her fingers and cheek. As she raised her head, she expected to find one of her paintings ruined by her faceplant, but the breeze stirring along her skin coaxed her memory back. She bolted up from the road and opened her eyes. “Cay –lee,” she rasped out into the blackness. Her voice was thick, and she ed the choking sensation she’d felt. Her hands darted to her throat, but apart from feeling achy, there weren’t any obvious wounds. Her heart thudded. If she was all right, maybe… “Cay –lee,” Jess uttered louder. Her hands roved the dirt in front of her as she crawled, patting the ground, searching. When she’d been knocked out, she hadn’t been far from… Her fingers closed around something. She traced the shape: a shoe. Her hands trembled. Her fingers wound up a leg, smoothing the poufy material of a coat. “Caylee.” She felt along and shrank away. Her sister’s neck. Wet. Jess pulled off her sweater and bundled it around Caylee’s neck, wincing at the coldness of her skin. “I’ll get help,” she murmured. Jess thought her eyes were adjusting to the dark but traced the disturbance to a glimmer ahead: the lake. She could see it. It rippled with some sort of light. Rings crisscrossed its surface, as if a pebble had plopped into it. Jess blinked at the ripples. The light seemed to be coming from each of the undulations. It grew stronger, illuminating the bank and dirt where

she knelt. She blinked down at Caylee. The gray sweater was already sodden with blood. Jess let out a strangled sound. Caylee’s eyes were wide open but unseeing. Jess tumbled back. A moment later, the lake glowed brighter. Her gaze swung to the ripples that ignited. The aroma of smoke filled the night. Jess’s disbelieving eyes took in the semi-circles of flame painting the lake. What the hell? A figure emerged from the center of the disturbance, striding out from the murky water and arches of flame. Then another figure. Until four men dressed in black, their faces and hands stark in the flickering light, strode towards her. Her head felt fuzzy as she blinked at them. Had she hit it? A chill crawled down her spine. I’ve lost my mind. Jess scrambled back in the dirt. The men strode towards her. Their clothes were military-esque: black combats, vests, and berets. Her mind latched onto their uniforms. They must have come to help. They knew about the wolves. They’d come to hunt them. Her uncertain thoughts tripped through her head as she tried to make sense of what she saw. Where had these military guys come from? They seemed to appear from the water. Maybe they’d parachuted in or come off a boat. The fiery ripples were some kind of spilt fuel set alight. When the first two men reached her, they grabbed Jess’s arms. They were burly, all of them easily over six foot. “Caylee,” Jess murmured, looking back as the men wrenched her up. Hot anger prickled across her skin. The men didn’t seem bothered about her sister. “Help her,” she demanded. They were silent and pulled her towards the lake. They didn’t care that she wasn’t walking; her sneakers dragged against the grassy banks. Some rescuers.

She tried to pull away from them, but their grip was like a vise. “Let go!” Jess shouted. They pulled her off of the bank, plunging through the fiery ripples and into the lake. She screwed her eyes shut, expecting to feel both the sting of heat and bite of cold. Instead, the sensation of smoke filtered through her lungs. She’d once tried a cigarette at school, and the sharpness hitching in her chest and throat felt similar. Yet this smoke was thicker and heavier. It was as if she could feel its tendrils reaching through her mind, as well as her body. Is this what drowning feels like? But as the men’s crushing grip continued, she realized that she was still breathing. Frantically. She coughed and spluttered. Her feet stumbled along, easing the pain in her arms and shoulders as her legs took her weight. Jess caught her breath. She forced her eyelids open. She stared at her surroundings with utter confusion. Impossible. A city square lay around them. Dim light revealed grand Greco-Roman styled buildings. Jess twisted her neck, trying to see how they’d gotten here, as if she’d find the Maine landscape that she knew behind her. But all that she saw was a large fountain, its water glowing and smoking as the lake in Maine had been. The men marched on, marshalling Jess with them. Pillars and arched windows towered around her, the stone an unvarying gray. The men marched Jess under a walkway and into a courtyard. Jess’s palms grew clammy as she took in her fleeting surroundings, her heart climbing into her still raw throat. This isn’t possible. Here and there stood mature trees, their haphazardness contrasting strangely with the orderly classical building behind them. High metal fences issued up and over the building and trees in a caged dome. Two women, with a golden tree embossed on their dark uniforms, stood outside the double doors of the imposing building they approached. They opened the entrance. The corridor the men led Jess down felt as if it belonged to a different building. It was modern and crisp. No sign of the stone exterior. The utilitarian

space reminded Jess of doctors’ offices she’d visited over the years. The functional space seemed to be the first thing that made any sense. She latched onto the thought. She’d blacked out. She was in a psych ward for evaluation. Just like she’d been a few times over the years. They stopped at a door. One of the men knocked. “Enter,” a voice sounded from within. The men restraining Jess brought her into the room. One of them finally spoke. “The Maine juvenile, Warden.” A woman sat behind a desk, typing on a tablet. She didn’t look up. “Thank you. You can leave us.” The men left, shutting the door. Jess rubbed her bare arms where they’d bruised her, feeling goosebumps along her skin. The woman didn’t stop typing. She wore a well-tailored suit, and her dark hair was locked into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. Jess’s eyes tracked the sterile room. She’d met enough clinicians to know one. But this room was one of the coldest she’d ever seen. Aside from the desk where the woman worked, the only other furniture was the single chair in front of it. One high window bore blinds, and a single lamp with white light lit the desk. Even the usual framed certificates of doctorates that this sort of person valued because of the number of letters after her name were absent. Yet for the first time ever, the presence of a shrink sent a tumult of relief through Jess. She’d blacked out. That explained this. Her condition had gotten worse. All the things she’d seen tonight weren’t real: the wolves, Caylee being … injured, the military personnel, travelling through the fiery lake to this city. None of it was real. She was hallucinating. “I need to go back on medication,” Jess said, jutting her chin out. “I saw stuff after I blacked out–” The woman cut her off, “Triodia Penitentiary operates under a different jurisdiction to your home in Maine. Besides, any physical or mental illness

would have been detected on entry here. You are physically and mentally healthy, Jessica.” This in itself was enough to shut her up. No clinician has ever called me mentally healthy. But what was the woman talking about? She hadn’t had any tests coming in here. She’d simply been brought to this room. Unless she’d blacked out again. Jess argued. “I must have blacked out—” “Yes,” the woman said. “Something caused by your lack of control.” She indicated the chair in front of the desk. “Take a seat, and we can talk about the particulars of your case.” Jess frowned, prickling at the woman’s detached tone. It was always the same with shrinks. They sought to use that tone of neutrality as if to highlight how inappropriate your own heightened emotion was. But Jess knew she was far more likely to get the meds she needed if she complied. She grudgingly sat. The woman finally looked up from her tablet. “I’m Warden Whitmore. I oversee the Triodia Penitentiary here in Naples. New York’s juvenile center was full, so you were transferred to one of our main facilities here in Italy.” Jess eyeballed her. She’d never been out of Maine. Now, this lady expected her to believe that she was somehow in Italy! Jess balked. I’m still hallucinating. The warden folded her hands. “The para regiment in Maine–” “Para regiment? As in parachutes,” Jess blurted, grasping at one of her stray thoughts from earlier in the night. The military personnel had arrived by parachute. Finally, something made sense. “As in paranormal,” Warden Whitmore answered. Jess shook her head. Frustration made her skin hot. “I don’t understand. Where are my foster moms?”

Whitmore glanced at her screen. “The para unit have wiped their memories: Barbara and Colleen McKenzie. They have no memory of what happened tonight, or of you.” A lump rose in Jess’s throat, but she asked, “What about Caylee?” Whitmore frowned. “Your foster sister will receive proper burial.” Jess’s stomach lurched. She shook her head, trying to deny what she’d witnessed, even as she ed clutching Caylee’s shoe… Her heart climbed into her throat as she thought about the stickiness that had come away on her hand when she touched her neck. Caylee. The wolf. It was real. Jess’s gaze darted to her palms. A dried stain caked her right hand. “You’ve been living in the human world,” Whitmore continued, “without any awareness of what you are, Jessica–” “I prefer Jess,” she growled, the familiar anger rising as if it could shield her from whatever was happening. Her brain caught up to digesting the warden’s words: ‘human world’. She frowned in bemusement. “You have my sympathies that your abilities were unknown to you, but that does not expunge the crime,” Whitmore went on. “The paranormal world operates under strict laws, and the killing of a human is something the Triodia Coven cannot take lightly.” Jess’s hands trembled, but she balled them into fists. “A wolf attacked–” “You shifted tonight, Jess. As I understand it, for the first time.” Whitmore’s dark eyes locked onto hers. “You’re a shifter. A para who can change into a wolf. You shifted tonight and killed Caylee Harding.” Jess’s thoughts crowded her and the room swam. Caylee’s scream reeled through her head, the white wolf running alongside the lake … its pace seeming to match her own. She shook her head furiously. She’d seen the wolf ahead of her. She’d watched it

lunge at Caylee, just out of her reach. Her heart thundered. “I would never hurt…” Her throat closed up as she pictured her foster sister, grinning down from out of her oak fort in the garden. Her thin brown hair escaping the braids that Colleen plaited them into every morning. Whitmore’s uniform voice read out from her tablet. “Jessica Bradley, diagnosed with rage blackouts from the age of five. Suffers from episodic outbursts, impulsive and violent in nature, from which she dissociates. The bouts range from seconds to half hours in duration, during which she inflicts verbal abuse and physical violence on those around her, and which she has no memory of.” As she summarized Jess’s condition, her gaze pierced her. Jess fought the fragmented memories that threatened to stampede through the walls she’d built up over the years. Whitmore proceeded. “At the age of five, Jessica assaulted her foster brother, Jacob Bradley, who suffered a concussion, a broken rib, and dislocated shoulder.” Jess’s hands shook. She clenched them. That was the first time she’d blacked out. Her first foster family: the Bradleys. She’d carried that name around the rest of her childhood like a sick joke, a constant reminder of the family she’d almost been a part of. The Bradleys themselves, she barely ed. What was most vivid from that time was the social worker coming to take her away. The Bradleys had been too horrified by what she’d done to tell her themselves that she was leaving. They’d stayed at the hospital with Jacob, her seven-year-old foster brother, who she’d beat unconscious. Each of Whitmore’s clipped words was like a hammer cracking the walls she’d worked so hard to build. As always, the record made it sound black and white, the attacker and the victim. But Jess ed the suffocating fear when she’d come out of that first blackout to find the bloody pulp before her. Her hands bruised and aching. Since then, she’d learnt that fear must be swallowed, must be crushed before it had the chance to consume her. Jess gritted her jaw, shaking her head, fighting the feeling that her chest was caving in, fighting the trembling that threatened to sweep through her body. A flicker of when she’d come to over Jacob crossed her mind. She ed the horrible awareness of the stains caking her hands and face. Dirt and blood.

Just like tonight… Jess released a breath. She felt sick to her teeth. She reminded herself she’d tried to staunch the wound at Caylee’s neck; that was why she had blood on her. She knew that she was a danger, she’d done so many terrible things over the years, but only when she felt threatened, only when the roar below her skin overwhelmed her. It hadn’t tonight. She’d felt the roar beneath her skin as she always did. But she’d only felt urgency and protectiveness for Caylee. She’d tried to get to her. She’d wanted to save her. A pang shot through her chest as once more she pictured Caylee grinning, peeking out of the cardboard fort in the living room, this time with a paper crown on her head. Jess clenched her jaw. No. She cared about Caylee. She’d never… Whitmore coolly pronounced, “Jessica Bradley, you stand accused of killing the human, Caylee Harding. Your rage blackouts are an indicator of dormant shifter abilities that manifested tonight. You will be incarcerated here in the Triodia Penitentiary to await trial.” Everything whirled around Jess as the warden’s pronouncement burrowed deep. Screw it. Whatever bullshit this was about shifters, about people who could change into wolves, it had nothing to do with her. All she knew was that she hadn’t—would never have killed Caylee. “This makes no sense!” Jess argued. “I know nothing about shifters or–” The door opened behind her, and one of the guards stepped inside as if he’d received some silent signal. Jess cut her eyes at the warden. Was this seriously all the explanation she could expect about what happened tonight? “A para officer will address any queries you have,” Whitmore said with a final perfunctory nod. Jess’s rage churned. “Wait a minute. Something hit me,” Jess protested. “Before I could get to Caylee. Before I blacked out. I felt it.”

Whitmore looked momentarily peeved but said evenly, “As I said, a para officer, another shifter, will examine your case before it goes to trial. Anything you wish to say will be noted by him.” Jess tried to argue again, but the guard took hold of her. She tried to dig her heels in, determined to make the warden listen to her, but the strong man steered her towards the door. Jess’s skin grew blotchy as she strained against him. Blood pounded in her ears as she saw the cold warden resume her typing as if Jess’s imploding world barely warranted notice.

3

Wicked Witch

The broad-shouldered guard deposited Jess deeper in the penitentiary, where a pale woman, dressed in one of the uniforms with the golden tree, led her to a shower block. She ordered her to strip. The guard didn’t give her any privacy and watched her every move. Jess had the urge to try to cover up but refused to let on that she was bothered. She had had a couple of stints in psych wards after some of her most violent rage blackouts. She pretended that that’s where she was, an ordinary psych ward. Never had she thought that she’d wish herself back in such places, but there it was. The thought that she’d had a mental breakdown, which she was still suffering from, was oddly comforting. While the warm water rushed over her, she allowed herself to indulge in the idea. When Jess opened her eyes, she found a distraction in the tree symbol on the guard’s uniform. The tree’s golden branches and roots connected, so they formed a circle around the whole thing. Jess had seen the design in a new-age shop in Portland, and ed it being labelled: the Tree of Life. That one had been warped and twisted; this logo had no irregularities. Like a pruned tree in a landscaped garden, it was orderly and symmetrical. Jess dressed in the gray jumpsuit provided and roughly towel dried her hair. And stared. The permanent blue and lilac dye had been washed away. Her locks were back to their natural blonde-white—the color she hated. What the hell kind of water washes out permanent dye? Jess stared questioningly at the guard, but her only response was the hair tie she gave her and an order to tie her hair back.

The guard escorted her to a cell, and as she locked the door behind her, Jess’s heart thundered in her ears. Jess winced. The small space had two bunks and a vacuum-type toilet, like the ones you got on trains. She sat down on the edge of the bottom bunk, putting her head in between her knees as she tried to breathe. Her mind was a jumble as everything that had happened clamored for attention. Warden Whitmore’s accusation dominated, You shifted tonight and killed the human, Caylee Harding. Her cold tone tore at Jess. The key scraped in the lock. Jess’s heart pounded. A different pale-faced guard, a guy, in a tree uniform opened the door, shutting in a girl about Jess’s age. Jess stared at her. She had the exact blonde-white hair as she did, natural too, as her almost non-existent eyebrows proved. “Hey!” the girl exclaimed. “I wondered when I was going to get company. I’m Lea. Got picked up for shifting in front of some a-hole humans.” Jess ed the way the girl seemed to distinguish herself from humans, but instead she blurted, “You have the same hair.” The girl laughed, halting as she took in Jess’s confusion. “You’re not kidding.” She bit her plump lower lip. “Umm, all Remus Clan have the same colored hair.” A frisson of frustration shot through Jess. Paras. Shifters. Remus Clan. When were these people going to start making any sense? Jess controlled herself. This girl might be able to help her. “I was brought up in the human world,” she said slowly. “I didn’t shift until … tonight.” She forced herself to say it, even if she didn’t believe it. Supposedly, that’s why she was here. Caylee’s scream ricocheted through her thoughts. The white wolf running by the lake flashed through her mind or … a reflection on the water… Jess trampled the thought. It wasn’t me.

The girl eyeballed her. “Guess you shifted in front of a human?” Jess stifled the coldness that sluiced through her as Whitmore’s accusation pounded through her head again, but she only said. “Yeah, in front of my foster sister.” “Bummer,” the girl said. She stood there as if waiting for more from her, but Jess didn’t know what else to say. The truth was she hadn’t really bothered to make friends for a long time, what with constantly changing schools and homes over the years. Besides, her foster sister, Emma, had made sure that from day one, she’d been a loner at school. Not that it bothered her, she was best alone. Even now she didn’t want a friend, but she could sure use someone to clue her up on the ins and outs of where she’d found herself. “Umm, what’s your name?” the girl asked, adding a little awkwardly. “The bottom bunk’s mine.” Jess got up. She must have spaced out. “Sorry, it’s been a long day.” She chided herself. Of course, names were a good start. “I’m Jess.” Lea looked up at Jess, clearly surprised by her height; at five foot nine, Jess was used to it, yet another thing that made her stick out. “Of course, it’s not every day you find out you’re a Rem.” Lea winked. Jess forced herself to return the smile, despite this girl reminding her of foster kids who insisted on calling one another sis and bro the moment they were under the same roof. “I still don’t get it,” Jess broached, feeling crazy even as she forced the words out, “how I shifted?” “Were you in the woods?” Lea asked. “Shifters draw their power from trees.” A chill crawled down Jess’s spine. She thought of the feeling emanating from the woods every time she ran past them. That feeling that the trees could somehow lead her home, that they were speaking to her … calling her. The same feelings she’d had tonight as she’d run past them.

Despite the chill filling her, Jess forced herself to keep calm. “So, nothing to do with a full moon?” Lea laughed. “That old chestnut.” She added, “Is that an American accent?” “I’m from Maine.” “That’s sooo cool. I’ve never been outside Europe. I live in Rome but I’ve exhausted all the shops,” Lea complained. “I’d love to go shopping in New York. I bet you go all the time.” Now that Lea mentioned she was Italian, Jess noticed the slight accent she had, but it was barely perceptible. Jess shrugged. “Not really. Maine’s more rural.” And … like over a day’s drive away from New York. Jess got the impression that Lea wouldn’t be so enamored if she knew that her favorite pastime was picking up trash in New England’s wilderness. This girl would totally have more in common with her bitch foster sister. Ex-foster sister. “Speaking of shopping,” Jess said. “I spent loads on my hair recently and got it dyed.” She hadn’t. She’d done a DIY kit in a hostel bathroom in Portland but thought Lea would sympathize with this version. Jess picked up her ponytail. “And it’s all gone. What’s that about?” Leah looked surprised. “You dyed your hair? But a Rem’s white hair is like … sacred.” She smiled and shook her head. “Of course, you didn’t know.” Damn. This girl’s obsessed with this Rem thing. Note to self, I love my white hair. Jess took a deep breath. “But does the penitentiary have some kind of magic water that washed the dye away?” Lea chuckled. “Triodia Pen has magic shields around it—spells—set by the witch warden. When you entered, those wards would have stripped away your hair dye and any other chemicals that could be used by us inmates to do magic.”

Jess ed what Whitmore had said about the health check taking place on entry. It must have been carried out by these magical wards. And witch warden? Course. If there’s shifters, why not witches? Then again, she had no trouble painting Warden Whitmore as the Wicked Witch of the West. “It’s natural things that we paras use to bring our power about,” Lea added. “That’s why we’ve got to wear these stunning things.” She pulled at the gray jumpsuit collar. “Made from synthetic materials. Just like the building— polymer, plastics, and the like. Synthetics that don’t have enough natural fibers in them for us to draw power from.” Lea wrinkled her nose as she added, “Even the toilet we’ve got can’t have water in it.” “But the building outside was stone?” Jess questioned with a frown. Lea nodded. “Paras require skin with natural fibers to access our power. So only the inside of our cage has to be stripped out.” Jess’s skin crawled as she thought of Whitmore’s office. It had been colder than a shrink’s. No paper or writing tools, no wooden frames or certificates, not even a potted plant. She ed the guard who had been so quick to take the soap away. Had she been watching her so carefully while she was showering because of the soap she had? Jess shook away the unease that trickled through her. Checking she was understanding, Jess said, “So everything that’s remotely ‘natural’ is zapped off of us?” “Exactly,” Lea said. Bitterness coursed through Jess as she thought of the cold and unnatural feel of Whitmore’s own person. Her crispness and the sanitary environment were a sign of her power over them all. Jess’s gaze slid over the neutral walls and the vacuum toilet, the sparse bedframes—some sort of plasticky looking frame, the blankets beige and thin. Sweat prickled along her forehead as the magnitude of what was happening settled on her. Her heartbeat started to race as she felt how cut off she was from the outside world.

Lea’s words also sank in and caused her to push up the right sleeve of her jumpsuit. She stared at her bare arm. “Shit. My tattoo!” “Probably contained iron oxides or metal salts,” Lea answered, sitting down on her bunk. “My brother spent time in a Triodia Pen. Lost all his tats, too.” The loss of the dream catcher she’d got in Portland stung. Her cheeks and neck flushed. It had been one of the first things she’d been able to buy herself. Earned entirely off her own back from selling her paintings online. “So, did you portal from Maine?” Lea asked. Jess frowned. “Portal?” Lea’s lips twitched. “The para unit, they brought you here from Maine?” Ah, she’s talking about the whole fiery, smoky lake … And using portal like a verb. Jess nodded. So that’s how she’d gotten from the States all the way to Italy. Lea stretched out fully on her bunk. Jess climbed up onto her own. The mattress was thin and lumpy whatever it was made from. The thin blanket and pillow felt scratchy against her skin. Lea’s curious voice sounded from below her. “So, if you grew up in the human world, I guess you thought you were human. Did you live with your mom? I’ve heard of that happening—shifters, generally guys, not careful with humans they hook up with.” “I never knew my parents,” Jess answered numbly, her stomach somersaulting at the way this girl lumped her in unquestioningly with paras. She added, “I was brought up in a foster home.” She wasn’t about to tell Lea that she’d lost count of how many foster homes. Silence. Apparently, even Chatty Cathy didn’t know how to respond to that. “On second thought, if you were given into care, it’s likely your mom’s the shifter.”

Nope. This girl has no filter. Heat prickled over Jess’s skin as a sheen of anger coated her. But she’d wanted to find out all she could from her roommate; wanted to find out anything that might explain how she’d ended up here. The statement hung there. “What makes you say that?” Jess finally asked. “Rems don’t generally have offspring with humans. Too little chance of them having the shifter gene. I imagine if a female Rem found out she was pregnant by a human, she’d probably give up the baby.” Or abandon it in the woods. The ache that she’d managed to stifle for so long pierced Jess’s chest. Was this the truth behind her orphanhood? Had her shifter mother abandoned her in the woods? As the possibility took root, dread at what else this meant mounted. A flash of the white wolf running alongside the lake—or glimmering on the water’s surface—shot through her. Her palms itched as if she could still feel dirt … and blood on them. Her stomach somersaulted. I didn’t. I would never hurt her. She pictured Caylee chomping through a bowl of Lucky Charms, her eyes square as she watched Anne Hathaway discovering her kingdom and her long lost gran. Jess’s stomach knotted. How had she not gotten to her? How could Caylee be… She swallowed the lump in her throat. Caylee was meant to get her happily ever after. She pictured Barb’s gaze, so warm like the spices she flavored her cooking with. The way she mucked around with Caylee. Even Colleen, with her more practical nature, had seemed to soften around the two of them. Jess had thought it was only a matter of time before Caylee got her forever home. Jess held up her bare forearm. The empty patch of skin sent a wave of anger through her. She thought of the wicked witch whose wards had stripped away pieces of her. As if she hadn’t lost enough already.

Jess embraced her vehemence, her constant companion. She wouldn’t let Whitmore’s or Lea’s words, worm their way in, she resolved. Jess gritted her teeth, resolving not to ask anything else. She hadn’t hurt Caylee. She wasn’t a shifter. She would outsmart the witch warden. She would run. Always ready to run. She traced where the webbed dreamcatcher and feathers had dangled over her skin, as though she could coax them back from thin air if she only stared long enough. Not so crazy. They vanished into thin air. As quiet permeated the cell, Jess realized Lea’s quizzing had ended. She could hear her roommate’s breathing had deepened. She’d nodded off to sleep. Jess hauled the smooth cover over her, wondering when the bright strip lighting would be shut off. Jess kept tracing the lines of her dreamcatcher. When she’d first gotten it, it had seemed to symbolize that she could make her own world. She didn’t need anyone to make one for her. Even as the movement highlighted her loss, though, the motion soothed her, making her feel as if she were sketching. When the lights finally went out in the cell, Jess continued to trace the missing lines as if trying to recreate the world she’d lost. Eventually, tiredness sank into her bones, and her fingers stopped their relentless work. She dreamed. Of a forest, strewn with different paths. She stalked through it. She traced one path after another. Down one, Jess caught a glimpse of red. Her heart quickened as she raced towards the red cabin. But as she careened down the dirt track, scattered ribbons tumbled in the wind. She reached a bare oak and hollowness suffused her. Without its ribbons, it looked lifeless. And the absence of the pigtailed girl rang through its empty branches, and echoed through Jess.

4

Pen Party

Penitentiary duties were what Jess imagined they’d be. Not that she’d planned them to be a big part of her future. She was meant to be painting masterpieces, not being a laborer. But the few barbs that she’d thrown at Emma, about her jailed father, proved annoyingly accurate, as if the skillset she’d snickered about him getting had unknowingly been her own future. The morning’s course consisted of scrubbing dirty toilet pans, cleaning hair out of shower plugs, and mopping floors ingrained with grime. By midday, she was thinking longingly of Fort Kent. If she were back there, she’d likely have already been for two runs… Even as she tried not to think of Fort Kent, her thoughts fell to her familiar running tracks, imagining the trees that swathed the road and the texture of mulched leaves beneath her feet. Their reds and browns below the green canopy seemed like a festival of color against the barrenness of the penitentiary. What she wouldn’t give to look out on the wide panorama of Maine’s seemingly unending horizon, too. She’d never take for granted even a gray day, sure that she’d find a dozen hues in the gloomiest sky compared to the sickening beige of the penitentiary’s walls, where the windows were so high and thin they offered no view of the sky. As if Jess’s prayers had been heard, a couple of pale guards finally led her and Lea outside in the afternoon. They were taken to a teensy patch of earth in the shadow of the prison. Jess finally unclenched her teeth; she was outside. Air. On my skin. In my lungs. Jess felt as if she’d been entombed as she emerged into the daylight. She squinted at the brightness of the sun. The same iron bars, like a giant birdcage, encased the back of the gray building here, too. Despite the bars, she stared at

the slivers of miraculous blue sky. Soon enough, the pale guards who had escorted her and Lea out here put them to work. They were to gather some vegetables from the small kitchen garden. Jess relished the feel of the dirt as she pulled up potatoes. She felt as if she were communing with the earth. Hippy. She lost herself in the sheen of dirt as if it were a balm revitalizing her skin. Too quickly they were back inside the penitentiary, on peeling duty. Yet the vegetable rind felt comforting beneath Jess’s fingers. The next best thing to being outside was having something natural in her hands. She found herself looking at the produce with a new awareness, bordering on awe. Paras drew their power from natural sources. She pulled the vegetable peeler over the spud. Could there be any truth in what Lea had spoken last night? Jess was still adamant that she wasn’t a shifter. But if paras existed, then somehow Jess had found herself locked up with them and accused of murder, no less. If Lea was a shifter, maybe she could help Jess out of here. She eyed the potato in her hand again. Dangerous potato. Her lips quirked. The outdoors had definitely bolstered her mood. She looked at Lea, peeling beside her. They hadn’t really been near one another throughout the morning. Jess hadn’t yet had a chance to pick Lea’s brain anymore about where they were stuck. Jess eyed the guards by the kitchen door and dropped her voice. “So, if I pocketed this spud, could you draw from it to shift?” Lea laughed, her head ticking to the guards, then back. “Course not. It’s only witches and mages that can do different spells from the natural fibers I was talking about. It’s why they use us shifters for kitchen duty. I told you, shifters draw their power from the woods, something sorely lacking at the back of the pen here.” Jess’s mood dipped. She prickled at Lea’s simper. All this para stuff was new to her. Really, it should be her mocking Lea as she talked about all this power stuff. She didn’t exactly believe her. But then again, seeing was believing, and her hair

dye and tattoo had miraculously vanished yesterday. But at least she was trying to think of ways out of this place. She threw the spud in the pan. Not so scary potato. Jess realized the lack of trees outside had escaped her. The sky and dirt had overwhelmed her. She chided herself. If she was going to suss out how to get out of here, she was going to have to get a grip. Lea looked at her conspiratorially. Jess’s heart thumped. Had she thought of something? “But I do have a use for them.” Lea flung a long sliver on the floor. “An L. The beginning of my future love’s name.” Jess stared at her. Lea giggled. “Your turn.” Clearly thinking Jess’s incredulity was about its inaccuracy, she added, “My witch friend swears by it. Yeah, it’s a human custom, but all the lore that’s worked its way into the human world stems from us paras.” Jess’s nose was still crinkled with distaste as she thought that this was exactly the type of game Emma would like. Jess had no interest in boys. Not that she didn’t feel stuff. Attraction. But it was kind of hard to imagine getting close to any of the guys she liked at school. Her violent reputation always preceded her. Everyone gave her a wide berth, knowing she was much more likely to kill than kiss. “Come on,” Lea said. “What if he’s here?” “Call me old-fashioned,” Jess retorted, “but I don’t really want to meet my prospective partner in prison.” In answer, Lea slapped some peel into Jess’s palm and shook it until it fell. “M!” Lea squealed, finally drawing a disgruntled look from the female guard at the door. They went back to their dinner prep. But, clearly, the topic of boys was a favorite for Lea, who quickly resumed it.

“Of course, I can narrow down who my future partner will be because he’ll be a Rem.” Jess sighed internally. Okay, she might be stuck with this roomie for a while. She better ask what the Remus Clan was before it got awkward. “So, what’s this Remus Clan, and how many other clans are there?” Lea smiled at her. “Rem Clan is our clan.” Jess was about to complain, but Lea went on. “And there’s only one other clan. The Romulus Clan. Our rival. The clans have been rivals for thousands of years. The story goes that the twin brothers, Romulus and Remus were the first shifters. When Romulus killed Remus, the clans swore enmity to one another ever after.” Okay, Jess didn’t usually like history, but as she was stuck here for the time being, she guessed this information might be useful. “What about the Triodia?” Jess asked, thinking of Warden Whitmore and the Triodia Penitentiary they were locked up in. “Whose side are the Triodia on?” “The Triodia Coven are the governing race of the para world. Their rival coven are the Enodians. The Rom Clan are allies of the Triodia,” Lea continued. “It was Rom Clan who likely picked you up. Big, beefy paras.” Jess nodded, based on her traumatic memories of the para unit from last night, that sounded about right. Jess pictured the bitch warden, Whitmore. The cold efficiency with which she’d treated her had definitely suggested that Jess barely warranted her notice. “And the Rem Clan work with the Enodians, I guess?” Jess asked. “Yeah,” Lea agreed. Was that why Whitmore hadn’t believed her when she said she hadn’t shifted? If the Triodians and Rom Clan were rivals of the Enodians and Rem Clan, then she was unlikely to get a fair hearing. Her stomach somersaulted as she wondered what her sentence might be if she was convicted of killing a human? At the thought, Jess ed the warden’s assertion that a para officer, a shifter, would be assigned to her.

“Whitmore said there’d be someone assigned to me. Will that be–” Lea’s smirk said it all. “Yep, a Rom. I met this pen’s officer a week ago. He’s a hoot. Preached about my irresponsibility shifting in front of humans. He didn’t think that their wolf-whistles,” she said, grinning, “pardon the pun, were reason enough to terrify them, but guys shouldn’t get away with objectifying women, don’t you think?” Jess only nodded, caught up in what she’d learned about the institute and those who officiated. It didn’t bode well that the official who was going to review her case was from the rival clan. If he thought Lea’s shifting in front of humans was bad, what was he going to make of the charge against her? She shook herself out of that way of thinking. No matter what Lea said, it would take more than sharing the same hair color to make her part of the Rem Clan. She’d never been part of any clan or family; she didn’t see why she should start now just because of her hair. After all, she was without the main accoutrements of teeth and claw. Surely when that was proved they’d realize that an error had been made? Yet worry somersaulted through her. Would a member from the rival clan, faced with the information in her case file, give her time to explain what had really happened last night? After their kitchen duties were complete, the guards led them back to their cell, and Jess couldn’t help laughing at her roommate. Internally, anyway. All the way back, Lea kept making eyes at the pale guy in the golden tree uniform. What had she said about objectifying the opposite sex? After dinner in her cell, Jess was restless and settled on using the toilet’s pipework as a foothold for doing some sit-ups. Judging from yesterday, she’d reckoned their duties round the pen must be done and was surprised when their escorts came back. “Thank god,” Lea said, rolling off of her bunk. “Social.” Jess bolted up. “What?” “That’s where I was when you arrived yesterday. Juvies get an hour’s social in the evening with the other inmates.” Jess eyeballed the guards, wondering whether social included her. Given what

she was accused of, surely they wouldn’t allow her the same liberties? Yet when the second guard waited for her expectantly, Jess sprang off of her bunk, wishing she’d smuggled out the vegetable peel. What if there were witches or mages who could cast some sort of spell to help get her out? They were led down blank-walled corridors and into a modern room. Lea murmured, “The Rec Room.” As far as Jess could tell, the spartan room had nothing besides sofas to warrant the label of recreation. Just sofas, and a few people. Or paras. A guy and a girl sat on sofas facing one another in the main area. The other guy sat with his back to them on the third sofa before the sole window. For once, it was low down, but had bars on it, both inside and out. Jess thought the guards would stay, but once they’d delivered them to the room, they left and shut the door. Guess the barred windows and the fact that they had no natural resources from which to draw power meant they didn’t need to supervise. Jess frowned again, annoyed at Lea for not mentioning that there was a social hour. Lea had already gone to sit next to the guy in the main area of the room. Although Lea’s gaze hovered about the window … or on the guy there, looking out. “Who’s that?” Lea asked the guy beside her. The same awkward feeling Jess got on the first day at a new school came over her. Usually when confronted with new people, all she had to do was scowl, and they’d get the hell out of her way, leaving her to stalk to classes alone. No such luck here. Besides, there’s work to do. The guy Lea had taken a seat by answered, “That’s my new roomie.” His eyes

swung to Jess. “See you got one too. Thank the Night and Netherworld things are finally livening up, eh Lea?” The guy’s eyes were set wide apart, giving him a striking look. They were an unusual pale green, too. With his shoulder length sandy-brown hair, he was undeniably handsome. Lea explained, “It’s only been us two for the last week. Juvies aren’t allowed to socialize with the older more dangerous paras in the pen so there’s not many of us at any given time. That’s why social time is co-ed too.” She gestured to the girl opposite. “Astra only arrived yesterday. This is Jess,” she added. “She shifted for the first time yesterday, in front of her human sister.” The sandy-haired guy flashed her an enigmatic smile. “Charmed to meet you, Jess. I’m Theo of Enodia.” Theo of Enodia? He sounds like a fricking prince. His smooth English accent did make it seem as if he were talking about his kingdom. Before her imaginings ran away with her, Jess reminded herself that Enodia was the rival coven to Triodia. Jess felt her cheeks and neck flush. But it wasn’t with anger. No one had ever smiled at her the way Theo smiled at her now. Not knowing what to do, she simply nodded and crossed the room to take a seat beside the other girl. “I’m Astra,” the girl beside her offered again. “Jess,” she repeated. She looked at the girl next to her. She had russet eyes and an almond complexion. Her hair was in tight little knots across her scalp. Her ears were particularly pointed. The gray jumpsuit swamped her petite frame. She’d definitely be cute if it weren’t for the serious expression she wore. All this Jess took in in seconds, but it wasn’t her seriousness that made her stare. It was her … wings. This girl has fricking wings.

They were draped over the back of the sofa, falling like a blanket, black and feathery. She noticed that the girl’s jumpsuit even had slits and poppers to allow for her wings. “Astra’s fae,” Theo explained. Jess could hear the smile in his voice and quickly stopped gawping. Fae. As in fairy? With the wings, I guess so. Not wanting to get off on the wrong foot, Jess said. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. I’ve just never seen someone with wings.” Astra shrugged. “Reminds me of my first few days in high school; kids couldn’t stop staring.” “You went to high school with wings. As in a high school in the human world?” Jess asked, her curiosity making her gaze rove over the sleek, black feathers again. “I glamoured my wings invisible, of course. But I couldn’t help mess with some of the kids…you know, now you see them, now you don’t.” Her expression remained deadpan as she spoke. A little unnerved, Jess asked, “So you got locked-up for scaring the shit out of high school kids?” “I got caught trying to steal a pucca,” Astra said and added, “Pucca are winged horses.” Jess was flummoxed by this image. A winged fairy stealing a winged horse. Why? As she’d spent the entirety so far pointing out the fact that the fae had wings, Jess decided it was probably best not to quiz her about why she’d needed a flying horse. “Pucca take phenomenal skill to yoke. Astra’s a thrill seeker,” Theo said, studying the fae. Astra remained poker-faced.

Her resting-bitch face might actually rival mine. Jess realized that the inmates were introducing themselves by their misdemeanors. The way Lea had introduced her must be standard form. After all, their misdemeanors were what they had in common. Relief washed through Jess. Once more, she’d managed to by the need to own what she’d actually been accused of. Although Jess managed to stop staring at Astra’s wings, it hit her in retrospect why they unnerved her so much. There was no denying their otherness. This girl was clearly a fae. Everything else she’d seen and heard, although strange, such as her permanent hair dye washing out, had seemed deniable. But the flesh and blood fae she was sitting beside was proof that paras existed. “Theo got locked up for practicing Necromancy in Tuscany, Triodian territory,” Lea chipped in. “Necromancy?” Jess asked, curiosity chasing away the last of her awkwardness around the mage. “Is that an Enodian thing?” Theo’s expression was serious but his eyes glittered. “Indeed. Our power comes from the spirits of the dead. I was … communing with them when I was caught.” A shudder crept down Jess’s spine. Spirits. Yet even as the idea creeped her out, she held Theo’s gaze. Communing with the dead. A lump rose in her throat. Caylee’s freckled face swam into her thoughts. If Theo can commune with the dead … maybe he can talk to her? Theo’s voice pulled Jess from her musings. “You’re missing out, Rune.” He looked at the guy, sitting at the window. “Come meet the girls.” The guy by the window came over. He was pale. As pale as the guards dressed in the golden tree uniforms. His high cheekbones defined his face, which looked too sharp. Jess noticed that his collarbone, above the gray jumpsuit was overly prominent, too. He had deep-set eyes, which were in danger of being lost

amongst the shadows around them. His dark hair fell in waves. Theo teased, “My roommate, Rune, ladies. Perhaps he’ll share with you what brought him here.” Rune answered, “As you’ve already said, I’m not feeling talkative.” When he looked at Jess, the black sheen of his eyes arrested her. It was a split second, but she felt as if his eyes were liquid pools, full of currents pulling her into them. Jess’s heart hammered as she gazed at him, even as he returned to sit at the window. Lea hurried over and squeezed herself between her and Astra. The fae scowled and moved to sit beside Theo. “Pssst,” Lea called Jess’s gaze, which had followed Rune to the window. “Cool it. He’ll hear your noisy heart even better than I can.” “You can hear my heart?” Jess exclaimed, staring at Lea. “When it’s drumming like that, course I can. But vampires and fae can hear it even better than shifters.” Jess’s thoughts raced. Shifters could hear someone’s heartbeat. But she couldn’t hear anything of the sort. She looked at Lea’s chest, wondering whether you had to focus to catch sounds inaudible to the human ear. Was this further proof that she wasn’t a shifter, that there had been some horrible mistake, and she didn’t belong here at all? But even as she thought about it, Lea’s other words claimed the majority of her attention. Rune’s a vampire. Jess reeled. For the second time since entering the room, she went lobster red. Rune must have heard her frenzied heartbeat. Talk about cringe. And the only other person in the room who didn’t possess this enhanced sense of hearing was Theo. She really wished her roommate had clued her up on paras’ preternatural senses before she’d made a fool of herself.

Jess was struck by something else. Rune looked as pale as the guards about the penitentiary. “The guards are vampires too.” Lea nodded. “Yeah. The pallor, right? Even whiter than us Rem.” She added in a hushed voice, “But the guards aren’t blood starved. You should be careful around that one. The Triodia’s probably giving him the bare minimum quota while he’s locked up.” Her gaze swung to the brooding guy by the window. “Para blood’s no good, but you’re part human.” She nudged Jess’s shoulder. “Watch it or you might become a juice box.” Jess balked. “The Triodia allow vamps to feed on humans?’ Lea shook her head, her voice falling to a whisper. “No, they’re supposed to subsist on animal blood. But if they give into the temptation, they often get carried away. Most of them usually end up killing humans and get locked up.” She leaned nearer. “I’ve never got close to one, but I’ve heard from friends that all of their appetites are wild, if you get what I mean.” Jess gulped. She thought of all the guards in their golden tree uniforms that flanked them around the pen and her skin crawled. Did they listen to the rhythm of her pulse, too, like Lea seemed able to? Was that why Rune separated himself from them? Was being around a part-human, with the thrum of blood, torturous? She realized that he might be the first para that she’d met accused of murder. Like her. She didn’t miss Lea’s implication that vamps were known to be pleasure-seeking beings, driven by more than just their desire for blood. Judging by Lea’s covetous glances and tone she intended to try to get intimately acquainted with the vamp while here. Jess felt the urge she always did when agitated to move. She longed to run. It had been a whole day that she’d been idle. The physical labor of cleaning duties had done little to expel her excess energy. She realized this was the most anxious she’d felt all day. She clenched her fists, wishing they had been allocated exercise time instead of social. “Do we get gym time?” Jess asked Lea, hoping that this was something else her roommate had overlooked. “That depends on the Rom officer,” Lea said. “Don’t hold your breath. He’s not

allocated me any.” Jess exhaled slowly, unclenching her palms. Her fingers itched, wanting to do something. If she were holed up in Fort Kent, she’d crack out her art supplies and lose herself in sketching. She’d already asked Lea earlier in the day if there were art materials about the place like she’d had in the past on psych wards. But Lea had laughed at her naivety, and proceeded to tell her that wooden pencils were precisely the kind of tool suitable for shifters and other paras to draw power from. Once more bitterness coursed through Jess. This Rec Room was laughable. Other than each other, there was nothing. No books, no drawing stuff, not even a TV. These stupid beige, characterless walls were suffocating. She pictured the cabin in Fort Kent, and it seemed in this moment the most wonderful place imaginable. How often had she thought it was run-down and cluttered? Its décor probably hadn’t been redone since the nineties. Everything was so … quaint; the tartan curtains, the patchwork quilts, the old armchairs … and so much wood. The ceilings, the floorboards, the bannister, the cupboards in the kitchen. Just thinking about it, she felt as if she could smell the scent of wood, wool, and dust. It was as if her mind were caressing the tactile materials that her fingers ached for. What I wouldn’t give for a pencil or paintbrush. She imagined the texture of paint or graphite on her skin, fantasizing about a crisp piece of paper. Despite Rune looking away from her, she pictured his face and what an interesting study he’d make: all angles and shadow. She glanced furtively at him. Was he staring out the window? Did he miss the outside world as much as she did? She wanted to go and look at the view. Wouldn’t seeing the outside be better than staring at these walls? But Lea’s caution kept her rooted. Jess realized she was absentmindedly tracing the lines of her missing dream catcher on her forearm again, sketching out the dangling feathers. She hoped that tomorrow would bring forth the fabled para officer who could clear up whatever mix-up this was. How long would it be before she got out into the world where she belonged? How long before she was safely ensconced with her sketchpads and pencils in Portland, crafting the future that she’d worked so hard for?

The rest of their social hour ed slowly. At least back in her cell, Jess could do sit ups. Here, she was too aware of Rune’s presence and keeping her heartrate under control. She did manage to do something useful. She quizzed Theo about whether swiping any natural produce while on kitchen duty would be of any use. Unfortunately, he answered in the negative. Other than some Tassology— divining the future through the earth like humans do from tea leaves—he wouldn’t be able to do much with such things. Nothing of consequence. She thought of Lea’s use of the potato peel. She’d definitely had enough of such vacuous pastimes. Jess listened to Theo speak about Whitmore with scorn. Apparently, the warden was his officer and was on a mission to reform him from his dark Enodian ways. He joked about copping a feel of Whitmore—he’d brushed her hand—and now knew her first name: Raine. He insinuated that he knew more useful things, too. The idea that through touch alone, Theo could glean such an insight, both intrigued and unnerved Jess in equal measure. Jess noticed again that Theo questioned Astra more about her joyride on the pucca. At first she thought that his curiosity was because he didn’t believe her. Then Jess noticed the way that Theo studied Astra’s reactions minutely when he quizzed her about the Netherworld portal in the pen that her para officer had brought her through. There was something mercenary in his watchfulness. He kind of reminded her of Kyle, a particularly resourceful foster sibling she’d had the misfortune to encounter at one of the homes she’d been stuck in. At first she was unnerved by the mage, but the more she watched, the more she reckoned he was fishing for resources that might lead him to an exit. Could it be that he wanted to find a way out of the pen as much as Jess did? As she tried to suss out the paras around her, Jess felt as if she’d stumbled into a surrealist painting. Nothing was what it seemed, and everything was imbued with deeper meaning. Was the winged woman as devilish as her black wings and expression seemed? What about the feline-eyed man who spoke to the dead? Did the wolfish woman really have her back as her continued use of the term ‘our clan’ would have Jess believe? As for the vamp, he continued to sit by the window as if his brooding presence would overshadow everyone else if he came any closer.

5

Big Bad Wolf

Monday morning and Matteo’s first case was a Rem. Typical. Could it get any worse? Yep, this Rem’s a murderer. In some ways, he’d rather be interrogating vamps or Enodians. A Rem who had killed might as well be one of them. Rem power came from the earth, just like Roms, yet they had a deep affinity with the Night and Netherworld, too. Rems dominated the territories in northern Italy: Florence, west to Milan, and east to Venice, places that the Enodians were so well established in, that they were basically lawless regions outside the control of the Triodia. Why couldn’t they just keep to these territories? Why did they still intrude into Romulus territory, toying with and frightening humans? He’d been here only last week to grill another Rem about shifting in front of humans and been disgusted by her lack of remorse. No doubt, this Jessica Bradley was worse. This Rem was a killer. He didn’t hold much hope for redemption. Matteo entered the small interrogation room. He eyed the young woman on the other side of the table, her back tense. Even sitting down, her statuesque form was clear. She possessed the usual pale Rem hair and brows that gave them that otherworldly air. Her eyes, too, were that unnerving shade of blue that most Rems possessed, as if almost all their color had been leached. Matteo put down his computer tablet on the table. The Rem was watching him with guarded eyes. He took a seat in the chair opposite her. He didn’t look down at his screen, at the

official paperwork, but fixed his brown eyes on her. This Rem was unusual in coming from the States, but Warden Whitmore had already filled him in on New York Triodia juvenile facility being full. “I’m Signor Romulus,” he said. “I’m to determine your program here while you await trial.” His tone became graver. “You’re charged with killing a human.” She scowled and shook her head. “A white wolf attacked my sister, but it wasn’t me–” “Should you fail to accept responsibility for your actions,” he stressed, “I will be forced to deem you a danger to human society and recommend postponing your sentence until you turn eighteen in a few months’ time. As such, you’d be tried as an adult, and face the penalty of execution.” He caught the waft of her ambery scent. She was sweating. Her heartrate accelerated. The girl’s façade cracked as she blurted, “Execution!” Her eyes darkened with shock… and fear. Good. We’re getting somewhere. Her words spilled out. “I was running in the woods. I saw Caylee at the end of the dirt road. Then I saw a white wolf by the lake. It started to run. I tried to get to her, but something jumped on me. I felt it on my chest and then I couldn’t breathe. I think it was another wolf. I thought I’d die. Then… I blacked out.” Matteo bristled. Maybe not. He frowned, turning his attention to the official documents, looking for the Rem’s most recent violent episode. Aside from murdering her foster sister. “A year ago, you assaulted a fellow student on the hockey field. You struck the student with a stick so violently that she suffered extensive internal bleeding. Something you have no memory of. These rage blackouts seem born from your

dormant shifter abilities, which manifested fully two days ago.” The Rem unclenched her fists, clearly trying to keep her temper under control, but her hurried heartbeat betrayed her. He was getting to her. Still, she refused to comment. “These rage blackouts were likely caused by your shifter instinct,” he pushed. “Not channeled into transformation, it has instead fueled these violent episodes, which you have disassociated from. Isn’t it likely that you shifted two nights ago, and as with your other episodes, are experiencing memory loss of the shift and your violence?” A steely look came over her elegant face. She looked down at her hands. Her jumpsuit sleeves were rolled up to her elbows. She traced the skin of her right forearm as if she were sketching something. “When I woke, it was too late.” Matteo gritted his jaw. She was ignoring his line of questioning entirely now. Her tone rang hollow. “Then the para regiment arrived from the lake and dragged me here.” “Excuse me?” Matteo’s voice sharpened. The girl’s eyes shot to him, questioning. “The para regiment. You said it came from the lake?” She frowned. “Yes.” “Describe the portal to me,” he demanded. “There were ripples on the surface of the lake,” she murmured. “The ripples cast light. Everything else around me was pitch black.” She closed her eyes as if having trouble ing… no, squeezed them tight, blotting something out. “The ripples caught fire. In semi-circles like an archway. That’s when the para regiment rose out of the water and fire.” Matteo stared at her, his expression becoming staid. An Enodian portal. She claimed she’d been brought here by Enodians.

“What did you feel when you travelled through the portal?” he asked, scrutinizing her. Her pale eyes were wide as she spoke carefully. “I thought I’d get wet or burnt as they dragged me into the fiery lake but I didn’t. All I felt—tasted and smelled— was smoke. It was so thick, not just in my lungs, but in my head too … in all of me.” “Did you tell the warden this?” She frowned. “I don’t .” She added bitterly, “I don’t think so. She didn’t really let me say much … Just dumped the whole you’re a shifter and killed your sister accusation on me, then locked me up.” She bristled. “My roommate, Lea, says that shifters have heightened senses. She could hear my heartbeat. I can’t hear people’s heartbeats. Doesn’t that prove that I’m not a shifter anyway?” Matteo examined her closely. Was this Rem really as inexperienced as she seemed? He supposed it was possible if she hadn’t shifted until the other night that her heightened perceptions still hadn’t kicked in properly, and she really wasn’t experiencing sensitivity yet. But did this Rem seriously expect him to believe that she hadn’t shifted? That she was innocent? Her entire personal history of rage blackouts was against her. It smarted of a dormant shifter gene that due to being bottled up had manifested suddenly. And, as with all the other violent incidents in her past, she’d suppressed the memory of it. But if it had been an Enodian portal that brought her here, something wasn’t right. The local Triodia branch should have been alerted to this Rem’s first shift. But if they hadn’t picked her up, if it was an Enodian portal used to bring her here, then there was more to her case than met the eye. One thing was certain: something didn’t add up. If there was corruption in the procedural and justice system of the Triodia from the darker forces of the para world, Matteo must find out. He answered slowly, “Triodia Pens only it paras. If you weren’t capable of shifting, you wouldn’t have been able to enter. You’re definitely a para, capable

of shifting into a wolf…” Her throat bobbed. Then she clenched her hands. “Why did you ask about the portal?” He straightened in his chair and turned her question around. “Do you know there are different types of portal?” “No, I don’t,” she snapped. “Until two days ago, I didn’t know paras existed. Now, apparently, I’m a shifter accused of murder. Is it too much to ask why this portal’s important?” Matteo stared. Should he believe that she didn’t know the difference between Night and Netherworld portals to Earthen ones? His tone was cautious. “The way we paras move around the world—through these portals—is called the Between. It’s a kind of…” He frowned, searching for the word in English. “… a threshold. A … liminal place between areas of the world.” He fixed his gaze on her. “The Triodia Coven accesses the Between through earth magic. If the Triodia Coven had arrested you, their portal would have opened from the woods.” Her face slackened. “It was an Enodian portal?” Matteo stiffened. So this wasn’t all new to her? “Lea told me they were Triodia’s rivals.” “Yes.” His gaze was warier. “The Enodians draw their power from the Night and Netherworld, from the dead. Their portals through the Between are from the air and water.” She nodded, her gaze on him unfocused, as though deep in thought. “I need to look into what you’ve said,” Matteo said, drawing her attention back to him. “I’d like you to write down an of the attack and then the para regiment, the portal, and any other details you can from the night of your arrest.”

He ed her the computer tablet. “Be particular about timings, details, locations, descriptions of the paras—both in wolf form and the unit who picked you up. Everything you can . No matter how small.” She nodded. Her hands trembled as she took the tablet. She gritted her jaw. An unexpected pang of sympathy went through Matteo. He’d read her file fully. He’d been predisposed to expect a typical Rem—one of the rotten ones, who didn’t value human life. With all of the psychologists’ and psychiatrists’ reports about her violent episodes, it was easy to see her as such. Matteo’s mother was a shifter, but his father was human. It was safe to say his father didn’t … understand him. As he watched the girl in front of him, he wondered what it would have been like if he’d only ever had humans around him? What if no one had known how to direct his temper and instincts into shifting? His voice softened. “Once I get more from the para regiment who picked you up, I’m sure we’ll get somewhere. And then from there, we can see what’s going on with your shifter power.” The tension in her shoulders only increased. He smelled her fear. She was scared of her shifter power. Did she doubt her own innocence then, despite her insistence that she hadn’t shifted the other night? She didn’t look up from the screen. “What’s with this tree of life symbol everywhere?” she asked. The document he’d given to her to type her was blank, except for the Triodia’s symbol at the top of it. “It’s the Triodia Coven’s symbol,” Matteo answered. “Representing the earthen power they draw from.” She nodded. He noticed the ever so slight flush on her milky cheeks. Against all odds, he thought she was genuine. She’d been ostracized from the para world at birth, had no memory of shifting for the first time the other night, and had so little knowledge of the world she’d landed in she didn’t even know the Triodia’s symbol.

She started to type. Matteo watched her with furrowed brow, a prickle of tension climbing through him. This girl was—unwitting murderer or not—completely out of her depth with all the other dangerous paras she was locked up with.

6

Accomplices

Despite being a bundle of anticipation to get her plans moving, Jess wasn’t sorry to have the same initial arrangement to their seating as yesterday during social. Lea instantly claimed a seat beside Theo, which left her the one beside Astra. The one by the brooding vamp was left vacant. Jess may be new to the para world, but she’d spent her whole life being shunted round the care system. She knew first hand that you couldn’t trust officials and institutions to treat you like an individual. You’d always be reduced to a file. To a number. Although Signor Romulus claimed he’d investigate, she couldn’t rely on him. She could tell that he thought she was unequivocally guilty of murder. After all, her file was against her. He’d openly said that her violent episodes spoke of dormant shifter abilities in her. Yep, just add murdering shifter to the misdiagnoses I’ve had. She wasn’t going to hold her breath and wait for Signor Romulus to clear her of her charges. But he had given her one lead to work with. It had been an Enodian portal that had brought her here. Something that he had clearly thought strange. Luckily, there was an Enodian here who she could start her investigation with. Someone that her instincts told her was as keen to find a way out of here as she was. Despite being eager to talk to Theo directly, she’d done the legwork with enough foster kids in the past to know that it was important to suss out who was on your side before trying to run. Sometimes, they knew the lay of the land better than you, other times they’d cover for you. Equally important was knowing who would snitch. What she was about to start here was no different; except those she was locked up with were paras, and breaking out would need magic. What Signor Romulus had said about her definitely being a para, that she could

shift niggled at her. Somewhere in her, there was a kernel of power that if unlocked would change her very skin and bone. The thought had cycled throughout her head all day, but as she sat once more beside Astra, for the first time she felt a thrill at the idea. The fae’s ruffled black wings seemed impossible, but there they were, as plain as day again. Jess felt a glimmer of possibility flare within her. “How was your day, dear?” Jess opened, mimicking the way Barb would ask Colleen. She did her best to match the fae’s poker face. Shit this girl was good. Astra’s lips actually twitched. “You know, a good catch up with my para officer.” “I take it they’re from the opposite clan or whatever?” Jess asked. Astra nodded. “There are two fae courts. I’m Unseelie. My para officer is Seelie.” Of course. The fae courts. Jess thought of one school where she’d read A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Or the Sparks Notes version of it anyways. She thought she ed something about fairy courts in it. Jess had caught some info about Astra while Theo had quizzed her about her pucca riding yesterday. From Theo’s nosing around, she knew that Astra had been caught on Seelie territory, in the Silva Mountains, which was why she’d ended up in here. “Guess you met your para officer today, too?” Astra asked. Jess nodded. “He’s got some more investigating to do into my case.” She kept it vague, not wanting to give away what she was accused of. At least not until she knew more about her fellow inmates. Astra raised one eyebrow. “That’s a good sign. The clans, covens, and courts aren’t known for going out on a limb for their rivals.” Jess shrugged. “It’s early days, but Signor Romulus said he’d investigate.”

Astra cracked a smile. “Signor Romulus. Usually, Rems just refer to them as Roms. Maybe you won him over with good manners.” Jess laughed. “No one’s ever accused me of that.” Lightness washed through her. Surprise filled her. She felt genuinely refreshed by Astra’s company. “I must seem so green to you,” she added as Astra reminded her of how Signor Romulus had looked at her with similar surprise. Astra’s straight expression returned. “It’s refreshing. We’re all—I mean each clan, coven, and court is so hostile to its counterpart. Put it this way, if I were in Umbra…” Catching Jess’s bewildered look, she added, “The fae world, my Seelie interrogator would likely be torturing me.” Jess stuck a pin in the whole fae world thing. She’d only just grasped that there was this Between that paras used to travel through this world. If she tried to fathom a whole other world, her head was definitely at risk of exploding. She wondered what Astra was hiding from the Seelie interrogator but quickly stamped that thought out. It didn’t matter; Astra’s business was her own. She didn’t want to press her to open up, especially when she wasn’t ready to it what her own charge was. The idea that the fae would torture one another sent a chill down her spine. She realized that the world she now found herself in really did function under different rules to the one she’d grown up in. Astra’s take on the division between the clans, covens, and courts, also made Jess feel a smidgeon of gratitude for the way Signor Romulus handled her case today. He hadn’t dismissed her of the portal as outright lies, and seemed earnest about investigating further. She thought of how his towering figure, short black hair, and the black outfit he’d worn had reminded her so much of the guys from the para regiment. She felt as if she’d had a heart attack when he came in. Once the information about the portal had piqued his interest, though, he’d lain off on the execution stuff. His arrogant features had become more accepting. He was younger than she’d expected. No more than early twenties she reckoned. Desirous to break the reflection that Astra seemed in danger of sinking into, Jess said flippantly, “Well, it could be worse, your para officer could have threatened execution.”

Astra balked. Her eyes shone with the precise question Jess had wanted to avoid: what did you do? Shit. Jess shouldn’t have said that; she’d meant to find the lay of the land before divulging that she was a psycho … or an accused one. The troubled look Astra was giving her was all too familiar. A shadow of the one that had plagued her at every school and home she’d ever been to. Echoes of Emma’s taunting voice rang in her head: psycho… Jess downplayed it. “He was trying to get me to take responsibility for shifting in front of a human.” She echoed Signor Romulus and Lea’s words. Astra nodded. “We always clash with one another, but if he’s agreed to do some digging it sounds like you’ve got a more open-minded officer than most,” she reassured. “Thanks,” Jess said, feeling buoyed up. Astra rolled her shoulder forwards, grimacing as she did so. “Sorry, I need to stretch my wings.” She stood up and stepped lightly between the main sofa area and the one at the window, then unfolded her wings. Their span was at least double Astra’s height, which was about five foot. The petite girl with her wings unfurled suddenly looked much more intimidating. Jess gazed with iration at the sheen of her black feathers, lustrous in the artificial strip lighting. “There’s not enough room in my cell,” Astra added, throwing a look back at Jess. “You wouldn’t believe how much I miss flying.” Jess smiled. “If it’s anything like I miss running through the woods, I get you.” Astra answered her with a smile before proceeding to flex her wings in different positions. Jess experienced a twinge of insecurity. Had the fae made an excuse to avoid sitting with her after she’d made the comment about the para officer threatening execution? Psychopathy might be catching after all. Then again, Jess could definitely understand not pas the opportunity to

stretch her wings. It felt strange worrying about what Astra thought of her. For so long she’d told herself that she didn’t care what anyone thought of her. But she’d felt a kind of ease talking to her, as if she was a kindred spirit in some way. Jess noticed that sometime during her chat with Astra, Lea had drummed up the courage to go and sit beside Rune at the window. She could hear them talking, or rather hear Lea’s high, rolling voice as she talked at the vamp. Which left… Jess’s mouth went dry as she met Theo’s inquisitive gaze. Had he overheard her slip to Astra about the threat of execution? She shook the thought away. It didn’t matter. She needed to find out what she could from him. He was Enodian. And more than that, from everything Jess had seen of Theo—his attempt at wrangling information out of Astra concerning her pucca yoking—seemed to see people the way Jess did, as resources to work with. She took a deep breath, trying not to feel self-conscious beneath the pretty boy’s scrutiny. She sorely felt her lack of experience with the opposite sex. Yet, she refused to let that be an obstacle to getting out of here. Theo was a person first and foremost. With his own reasons for wanting out. If she could tap into them, she’d have an accomplice to help her. “What’s up, USA?” Theo greeted as she sat down in the corner of the sofa, facing him. “Can I ask about Enodians?” Theo’s eyes danced with amusement. “Ask away.” Jess shook her head, indicating with her eyes the other inmates behind her. “In private.” His lips curled. “Do you have a way?” She searched his face. His feline-like eyes considered her. “There’s always a way.” He ran a hand through his sandy hair and tugged a few strands out. “Put them in your pocket.” He leaned close. Jess caught his scent: spice and smoke. He indicated the single breast pocket on her jumpsuit.

She flushed as she tucked the few strands of his hair in the fabric. Her pulse quickened, the sense that she was doing something illicit washing over her. A feeling that was strengthened by Astra’s wide wingspan behind her that acted like a room divider between them and the others. Every so often, Astra’s feathery wings shuddered. She was doing press-ups, and her huge wings shuddered with the exertion. So, Jess wasn’t the only one missing exercise. “Your turn,” Theo whispered. Jess took a deep breath. “I know you saw into Whitmore’s thoughts by only touching her. You must swear by the Night and Netherworld that you won’t read my thoughts if I give you my hair.” Earlier, when she’d first wondered whether there might be a way to establish some sort of magical with Theo so as to talk to him, she’d quizzed Lea about Enodian power. Lea had led her to believe that it was within an Enodian’s repertoire to be able to hold a silent form of communication with another through the exchange of DNA. Jess had also grilled Lea about whether there was anything holy that the Enodians believed in. She had informed her that the Night and Netherworld, the dark gods from whom the Enodians believed their power came from, were the most sacred. So, Jess found herself embarking on this hairbrained scheme. A smile spread across Theo’s face. “Nicely proposed.” He nodded. “By the Night and Netherworld, I swear not to read your thoughts.” She held his glittering eyes, then unbound her hair and copied him, wondering whether this was a mistake. What if this gave him untold power over her? What if he broke his word? But she needed to find out all she could about the Enodians. If Signor Romulus was right, they had brought her here. Who better to learn about them than from one of them? Besides, she didn’t have a better plan. She needed to do something. Currently, Theo was her best bet. A shiver ran down her spine as she watched the few strands of her pale hair disappear into his chest pocket. Their exchange took place in the nick of time. Shortly, the guards came to escort them back to their cells. Jess was perturbed. Theo hadn’t explained what else she’d have to do so that they could talk. Was it going to take long, whatever magic he intended to work?

Theo smiled, diverted by her scowl, which only deepened as he willingly volunteered to be the first led out by the guard. He didn’t even try to say anything. He did look back, though. Then smoke filled her lungs … head … and Theo’s voice travelled through it. Later, USA.

Back in their cell, Lea blathered on about their resident vamp. Apparently, he’d answered some of her questions. From what Jess could tell, these consisted of nos and yeses, probably given by nods and shakes, but Lea was determined to see it as a success. The surreal experience of having Theo’s voice filter through her head still transfixed Jess. Her mind felt fuzzy. Like it had the time she’d had a few swigs of vodka, an experiment to see what the fuss was about, and to blot out a particularly bad foster home. Actually, it had been during her time in the home with Kyle, the resourceful foster sibling Theo reminded her of. Kyle had been the oldest kid there and always got what he wanted. He pinned his various misdemeanors on the younger kids, and found ways to humiliate those who didn’t go along with him. She recognized a similar cunning streak in Theo. A tumult of disquiet shot through her. Just who had she allowed into her head? She stamped down her doubts. It was precisely that resourceful streak she needed to employ to find a way out of here. Jess dwelled on the memory of Theo’s smoky voice in her head once more. At first the scent of the smoke enveloping her had reminded her of the portal she’d come through. On reflection though, this time it had been mellower, like a newage shop in Portland, suffused with incense. Aromatic and soothing. Jess pitched out of her reflection when Lea said, “So, you and Theo were cozy in social.” Jess’s heart picked up. Lea chuckled from the bunk below. “You’re seriously gonna have to work on that tell.” Damn shifter hearing. Jess experienced a jolt as she thought about Signor Romulus’s words about her possessing the shifter gene. Did that mean that the same preternatural ability lay buried in her? She should try to work on accessing it. She tucked the thought away, determined to go back to the idea later. “I needed his advice, that’s all,” Jess said.

“You don’t need to be sly,” Lea said. “It’s cool. He’s good looking. I think you should go for it. Just think how much more fun social time will be if you make out with him and I get Rune.” Jess scowled up at the ceiling. She couldn’t believe she was wasting her time on this and felt for the umpteenth time that she’d drawn the short straw having to bunk up with this girl. Why couldn’t she have gotten Astra? She’d much rather be shacked up with the steely-faced fae, who was keener on doing press ups than chatting. Lea’s entire world seemed to revolve around chasing guys. I guess I was annoyed by how little there was to do in rec time. Gotta hand it to her, she’s better at seeing everything that’s around as a potential recreational tool. Jess decided to try to work with what she had in this moment, too, to learn anything else that might prove useful while she waited for Theo. “So, you talked to Rune. Did you learn what he’s in for?” Jess asked. She forced herself to breathe calmly, wondering whether he was accused of murder as Lea had suggested was likely. “No,” Lea itted. “He’s more the silent brooding type. But he’s a bit of a mystery. He has none of the wildness of a young vamp. Sure, he’s in the juvie block, but I think he’s much older than the paras here reckon.” She caught the disappointment in Lea’s tone, and Jess’s lips twitched. Guess her roomie wasn’t going to get her itch scratched. “What’s old in vamp years?” Jess asked curiously. “For how in control he seems, especially around a half human like you, over a hundred.” Such an age threw Jess. She pictured the thin, pale vamp, his cheekbones so angular they were almost jagged. Apart from his thinness, he looked as young as they were. Would he always look that way, no matter how much time ed? The memory of his liquid black eyes like a lake beneath the night made her heart quicken. In a way, his being more than a century old seemed right; so much seemed to lie within the depths of his gaze. How much they must have seen in the space of such time.

Jess clenched her fists. What was wrong with her? All this guy talk with Lea clearly wasn’t a good influence on her. But the one fleeting look that Rune had given her seemed to flood her thoughts. The way it preoccupied her disturbed her. She shot up in bed. “Do vampires possess glamour?” Jess demanded, thinking of Astra’s ability to glamour her wings invisible to humans. “Yeah,” Lea said, “but they can only glamour humans.” Jess gritted her teeth. What about half humans? Suddenly the way Rune’s midnight gaze and brooding expression played on her mind seemed suspicious. Had he influenced her with that fleeting look? She seethed at the idea that he had somehow planted this fixation for him in her mind. Well, she was going to make damn sure she didn’t look his way from now on. Wanting to clear her head, Jess steered the subject to safer ground. “I spoke to Astra tonight. She said that each of the clans, covens, and courts clash with one another. What I don’t get is why?” “Pfff, you don’t half ask a lot of questions,” Lea grumbled, less enamored with Jess’s subject choice. She answered reluctantly, “I guess it boils down to the different approach each of the clans, covens, and courts has to the Between.” Jess ed what Signor Romulus said about the Between. “The Triodians open the Between with earthen power. Whereas Enodian power comes from the Night and Netherworld, from the dead.” “Yes,” Lea agreed. “And similarly, the Unseelie Court, Astra’s that is, and our Rem Clan, believe like the Enodians believe that the boundaries to the Between’s power should be pushed and explored. Whereas the Seelie Court, Rom Clan, and Triodians fear it and would only use the power of earth, stopping those who would delve deeper.” Jess fell silent, contemplating this. Lea’s breathing deepened. She soon fell asleep. Jess ired her ability to fall asleep with the lights on. For the next couple of hours, Jess’s gaze roved the small cell, as if Theo’s voice would somehow become visible, as if the smoke she’d felt suffusing her lungs and mind would drift through and collect in the corners of the room. Anticipation palpitated through her as she waited. Waited for the smoky voice she’d invited.

When the block was plunged into darkness, Jess knew it must be nine-thirty, lights out. The blackness seemed to vibrate with her expectation. Whether she shut her eyes or opened them, she felt the heaviness of the darkness around her. Every so often, her pulse thrummed with anticipation. She tossed and turned, wishing she could get up and pace, but she’d likely wake Lea. And she didn’t want to be disturbed when Theo got here. Or when his voice did. Her mouth went dry. Again, the thought that she’d been reckless, giving her hair to him, played on her mind. As time drew on, it seemed more and more likely that Theo had no power whatsoever, though. Maybe it only worked in close proximity, and she’d have to wait until tomorrow to talk silently to one another. Then she ed what Lea had said the first night about para power. It required with natural fibers. Sitting up in bed, she carefully pushed her hand into the breast pocket of her jumpsuit. Hi. Theo’s voice sounded in her mind, soft and susurrus as branches in the night. I wondered when you’d figure touch was key. The joss stick aroma pervaded Jess. Instructions would have been nice. Where’s the fun in that? Jess could hear the amusement in his voice as surely as if he were lying beside her. She sat up as much as the high bunk would allow her, disquieted by the sense of intimacy in this communication. Jess reassured herself, Theo could be her ticket out of here. She needed to move things forward in formulating a plan to escape. If she was right the mage was of the same mind. She knew that she had to give some hard truths before getting him to work with her. I’m being accused of murdering my human sister, Jess said. The words spilled out like the billowing smoke within her. She found that it was easier to confide to a disembodied voice than it would have been in person. The Rom officer threatened to keep me here until I turn eighteen and try me as an adult. I’d face the execution penalty. I need to get out. She pressed on, A white wolf did attack my sister. I saw it attack her, but then I

was knocked out. When I came to, she was dead. I think it was a Rem. But even the Rom officer thinks my case is suspicious because of the way I got here. It wasn’t a Triodian portal that brought me, but an Enodian one. Interesting, Theo murmured. Enodians will work with anyone, anyone who will grant them power in return. Whoever the Enodian was working for must have power and position to make it worthwhile. Jess considered this. It’s what she’d gauged about Theo, too, from his questioning of Astra, and from his watchfulness; he sought to use the people around him to his advantage. She reckoned that currently though, he wanted what she wanted: to escape the pen. You said Raine threatened to keep you in for another few months, as well. Is that to face a severer sentence, too? Not exactly, Theo answered. She’s hoping to keep me here so I miss the Enodia’s induction ceremony, as a fully-fledged mage into the coven. Missing it would lessen my position. It would be in your interest to get out, too, then, Jess broached. Indeed. Her heart accelerated at his affirmative. Is there some sort of spell you can do to get us out? He chuckled. I’m flattered by your belief in my power, but, currently, I have no means of accessing the Between. Triodia Pen’s precautions mean that everything natural that I could use to open it has been removed. Jess felt the barrenness of the prison press in on her again. The modern synthetic walls around her, the bed frame, its soft furnishings… everything seemed to emanate sterility. It felt as if she had watched the felling of a forest and stood amidst its ruined stumps. Except the destruction that had occurred was within her and all its inmates. They were divided from the natural world, which provided them with their power. Even after just two days locked in here, Jess felt the loss of the outside and the trees like never before. When she’d been in the psych wards, she’d had tokens of

nature: pads and pencils, woolen jumpers and cotton bedclothes. Here, there was nothing. The idea that the trees had always been communing with her, offering her power … magic, seemed to grow with each ing moment. What about what you’re doing now? She asked, acutely aware of the smokiness running through her as she wondered about how Theo could still do this if they had all been cut off from their source of power. A chill stole down her spine as she anticipated his answer. When they’d first met, he’d spoken about communing with the dead. Both Signor Romulus and Lea had said, too, that Enodian power came from the dead. Despite the chill, a flicker of hope twisted through her as she wondered whether he had the power to put her in touch with Caylee. I was picked up for communing with the dead in Italy, right? Theo began. Yeah, Jess answered. We Enodians don’t just commune with the dead: we tether them. It’s this network of spirits I’m using to connect with you. Sluagh, the restless dead. It’s also this power over the dead that I use to open the Between. Disquiet rippled through Jess. Theo had multiple spirits tethered to him. She pictured ghosts, floating around the dark cell like mist. Creeped out, she stole under the covers more. She stifled the thought, reminding herself to be thankful that Theo still had access to some power. Otherwise, mounting an escape plan would likely have proved impossible. Jess experienced a swill of unease. How had the wards in the pen not stripped Theo of his power completely? Aren’t you afraid that Raine will find out about these sluagh that you’ve tethered and take them from you? Theo chuckled. Tethered sluagh aren’t something that can be taken away. When I say they’re tethered to me, I mean they’re tethered to my soul. Disquiet climbed within her. She’d thought Theo’s voice in her head was uncomfortably intimate. But he was sharing his soul with who knows how many sluagh. Jess swept past the alarm that threatened her and pressed on. And you use these

sluagh to open portals in water and air? That’s right, Theo agreed. Their soulfire in my soul allows me to evanesce through the Between. Is that why there’s a domed cage over the prison? Jess asked, ing the bars above in the courtyard out front and those around the back of the pen. It’s partly to prevent Enodians portaling in from the Night. It also stops the fae, who use such portals to travel, too. An image of Theo flying through the night like a witch on a broom made her want to giggle, but she controlled herself, and focused on the task at hand. Instead, she pictured Astra descending from the night, on her powerful wings, her resting-bitch face suitably cowing her. What about water then? Is there any in the prison we could access from which you could open the Between? The prison will have a pool with sufficient depth for when fae are visiting. Such as the Seelie interrogating Astra, Jess suggested. Precisely, Theo said, the hint of a smile in his voice. Are you sure this para stuff is new to you … it feels like it’s not your first time thinking of exit strategies? Jess smiled. It pays to be aware of your exits in the human world, too. Her tone was dry. She never thought she’d be pleased for the erratic childhood she’d had, but it had certainly provided her with a unique toolset. But she’d bared enough of her sob story to Theo, and had no desire for him to know more. She pressed on. All our para officers visit at the same time, correct? Correct, Theo said. She thought of Astra’s Seelie interrogator. She’d likely want some more time with her prisoner, and thankfully, judging by Astra’s steeliness, that girl wasn’t going to crack any time soon. If we timed our break out for just after the Seelie arrives, you could get us out through the portal. Yes, he said. But that still requires the rest of us to get past our officers, which

would require natural resources to enable us to shift and perform magic. Worry needled at her. She didn’t know how to shift. Signor Romulus had alluded to investigating her shifter power the next time he visited. She didn’t know how she felt about the prospect, but it sure looked as if her being able to shift would help in their endeavor to escape. But, Theo chipped in. I have a solution. Jess waited with mounting expectation. Rune. Jess frowned. He hasn’t shown the remotest interest in any of us. What makes you think he’ll help? Besides, how can he? Before you reached out tonight, Theo explained. I had a good chat with him. He said more to me than he’s said in the last two days. What brought this change about? Jess asked. Theo laughed. You. Jess’s heart quickened. She was at a loss as to what to say to this. A flash of his liquid black eyes came upon her. The uncomfortable thought that that single look had been sufficient to influence her tripped through her mind again. Apparently during social, the personal items that you and I exchanged didn’t escape his notice. His curiosity was stoked. He told me what had landed him in here, in exchange to knowing what we were doing. Did he kill? Jess asked. Those black eyes swam in her thoughts again, filling her with foreboding as she wondered whether he was a murderer. No. He took the fall for a young vamp who killed. A friend. It turns out Rune shouldn’t be in the juvie block at all. I thought he was way too calm for a young vamp. So, Lea’s conjecture was right.

Theo continued, But what’s useful about Rune being older is that while young vamps can glamour humans, as they get older, over a century old that is, they can glamour younger vamps, too. Comprehension beat through Jess. He could glamour a guard to let us out? The memory of his black eyes again, pulling her to him, rippled through her thoughts. Theo chuckled. ’fraid it won’t be that easy. But he could glamour a guard to bring us what we need, so I can overpower Raine, and then make a break for the portal. But anything natural is zapped by the wards on entry to the pen, Jess said. Everything brought in is. Something already in the pen could be smuggled to us. Such as a piece of yew, the most potent source of earthen power. Something that Raine has in one of her drawers. A smile tugged at her lips. The witch has a magic wand in her drawer. She couldn’t help being amused that some of the tropes to do with magic had a basis in the world she had been dropped into … like sort of flying and sort of magic wands. Theo laughed. It’s in the shape of a ring, but yeah, more or less. A small amount of potent yew is all that’s necessary to access our magic. Jess ed Theo saying that he’d found out more about the warden than just her name. This was it. A ticket out of here. Jess returned to the matter of Rune. She still believed it paid to be suspicious. She’d run away from enough homes to know that people couldn’t be trusted, unless there was something in it for them. She still couldn’t see what was in it for Rune. Sure, he was facing a murder charge, but if what he said about being older and able to glamour the vamp guards was true, he could simply glamour them to free him. He’d be well camouflaged amidst their ranks, and it would be a lot simpler than trying to break out in a group. Why hadn’t he already glamoured them and broken out? He could have glamoured the guards and slipped out alone. Why would he help us? she asked.

Theo chuckled. Once again, you’re the answer. He needs you to enable him to use his glamour. She frowned, not understanding what he meant. To glamour, he’ll need his strength up. He’ll need a proper meal. Jess bolted upright from her slump against the wall. What the hell? she hissed. If we power up the vamp, we can all get out of here. Power up? she shouted, balling her hands into fists. She wished Theo was physically here, so she could hit him. You just said how vamps lose control over their bloodlust easily. Young vamps. Rune’s not young. Besides, it’s the only way to get what we need, Theo said. Jess ed Astra could glamour, too. She’d spoken about glamouring her wings invisible at high school. Astra. She can glamour the guard. Fae can only glamour humans. Face it, we’ve lucked out by having an older vamp on our side. Jess seethed. It was easy for Theo to say. He wasn’t the one who was to be food. Rune’s black stare surfaced in her mind again. Even in memory, it seemed to pull her in. Anger teemed within her once more at the thought that the vamp might have already glamoured her. Wait. Theo said that Rune was too deprived of blood to use his glamour at the moment. Did that mean he hadn’t glamoured her? Yet the more she fixated on his black stare, the more she was sure he must have at least tried to glamour her. Perhaps when he’d deduced that she was half human, he’d tried to influence her. Maybe since she was half human she was more susceptible to his power, even if he was on rations. Had he meant to drink her blood, then glamour the guards so he could escape? She couldn’t if he’d tried to capture her attention tonight in the Rec Room. ittedly, she’d been occupied with Astra and Theo for the whole hour. Besides, she ed

Lea had been blathering away to him. Jess’s stomach sank. She imagined how well it would go down with Lea when she offered herself up to the guy she liked … to bite. Her mouth went dry at the thought. It wasn’t like it was a love bite. This was feeding. This was so that he could use his glamour on the guards. She reminded herself that this weird fluttering feeling in her stomach must have been brought about by the look Rune had used on her. Something she was going to make clear to the vamp was utterly detestable. Jess thought about telling Theo what she suspected, but brushed the thought away. She’d make damn sure that Rune knew there were boundaries he shouldn’t cross. Instead, Jess clued Theo in on the other potential spanner in the works. You’re going to have to ask Rune to talk to Lea. Get him to ask her to be on board with this break-out plan. Otherwise, she’ll get jealous. Lea would definitely take some managing. Theo chuckled. You’re right. That girl would die to be the vamp’s blood bag. Jess prickled at his poor word choice. Theo said more seriously, She’ll be on board if he asks her. I’ll get him to talk to her first thing in social. I’ll take care of onboarding Astra while you’re … with Rune. Jess fell to contemplating tomorrow, and Theo murmured, Sweet dreams, Remi. It took her a moment to realize what had inspired this new nickname. Remi, as in Rem Clan. Anger prickled along her skin at the idea of being designated with a name that she barely had anything to do with. Was it her lot in life to pick up names that followed her about like bad smells? But before she could lash out, the smoky aroma dispersed like an incense stick burning out.

7

Dark and Hungry

Jess sat on the sofa, trying to school her expression into some semblance of calm. She traced the missing feathers on her arm. Theo arrived. Her heart skipped, but she didn’t look at him … or Rune who was already asking Lea for a word. “Feathers?” Theo asked. “A dreamcatcher tattoo,” she answered. Their eyes met. It meant a lot to you, Remi? “I miss my drawing pencils, Teddy,” she snapped, disliking the way his voice infiltrated her mind. It was unnecessary when they were face to face. Theo cracked up. “Touché, Remi.” Her fingers did itch with yearning. She’d give anything for graphite and paper right now. A pang shot through her. She thought of Portland, with its brightcolored buildings fronting the coast. How long had she spent imagining losing herself in its art scene? She ed how quickly she’d taken to the place in the short visit there; where the art in the gallery and school was so diverse, infused with the influence of wide-ranging cultures, in a way she’d never experienced before. Yearning surged through her. She wanted her art and that future with a ion. Although, she’d settle for a run right now. Not just because she was pent up and in need of an outlet, but because she was about to donate blood … to a vampire.

A vampire who she was pretty sure had already tried to glamour her for her blood. She thought hitting the Enodian beside her would be as good a stress relief. She was sorely tempted to thump him but couldn’t afford to get worked up. She needed to keep calm, due to the vampire nearby, and what she was about to do. Jess’s mouth dried as Lea got up from her seat by the window. She was in front of her in a moment. Lea’s big blues fastened onto her. “I need a favor, Jess. I know Theo’s run the idea past you, but Rune asked me to talk to you, too.” Her gaze implored her. “It won’t hurt. He’s in complete control. Please do it. For me, won’t you? Besides, it’ll help all of us.” Jess wanted to scoff. Lea barely knew a thing about Rune. She certainly couldn’t guarantee that he’d not get carried away. But she did believe Theo that he was an older vamp and in control of his hunger. Instead, what kept her silent and rooted, was the thought of those black eyes training on her again. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Her crowded thoughts did a good job of mimicking uncertainty as she stared at Lea. Jess took a deep breath in and then exhaled slowly. “Fine.” Her scowl was genuine as she contemplated the craziness of what she was about to do. Lea beamed. Theo took over operations. “Lea and I will fill Astra in.” Astra had been watching their talk with one raised eyebrow from the other sofa. Jess hadn’t had a chance to explain. Now, Theo requested the fae do her wing yoga while they talked. This was part of the plan. Astra’s wings would do a good job of screening her and Rune from view, should the guards come in unexpectedly. Yet as Astra’s huge wings went up behind her, Jess felt as if a curtain were falling—or a shroud. Each step that she took towards the couch by the window was deliberate. Jess reminded herself that their plan hinged on this. Her blood would give Rune the power he needed to use his magic. He’d glamour a guard to

smuggle the piece of yew to them. Theo would then have something with enough power in it to open the portal to the Between. They’d be free. Jess still didn’t know what she’d do with that freedom. She couldn’t go back to Fort Kent; Colleen and Barb’s memories of her had been wiped. A pang went through her as she wondered whether they’d forgotten Caylee too. Had memories of her been removed from their minds as well? A heaviness filled her chest. She steeled herself. She’d make her way to Portland when she got out. She’d take up her place at art school. She’d be where she was meant to be. With each step, Jess’s heart pounded more. She approached the sofa. Rune’s long legs were crossed in front of him. She traced his protuberant collarbone as her gaze slid up to his face. The pallor of his complexion was stark against the gray jumpsuit. His dark chocolate hair was mussed. She took in the sharp angle of his cheekbones again but forced her gaze away as she sat down. Instead, she stared out the barred windows, at the lines of the walls surrounding them. The domed cage above could just be glimpsed. The bars seemed to fortify her resolve about what she needed to do. Allowing Rune to drink her blood would enable him to use his glamour, and get them out of here. She glanced nervously behind her. The broad span of Astra’s unfurled wings met her. The lustrous black feathers caught in the evening light from the window. It seemed a crime that something so beautiful was locked within this brutal barred cage. A prickle of anger shot through Jess. The fae’s wings made her think of the sculptured wire birds she’d crafted from scrap metal. Motion in all of their lines even when still. That’s what the shape of Astra’s wings were like now. She wasn’t supposed to be still. Neither am I. With her resolve strengthened, Jess demanded, “Did you glamour me?” A beat of silence, then Rune said. “No. And I won’t be able to use my glamour for a few hours. Only after I’ve had your blood and it has absorbed into my system. Besides, my glamour wouldn’t work on a shifter. Only humans and young vamps.” He paused. “That’s why you won’t look at me?” There was a distinct note of surprise in his tone. “You think I glamoured you?”

She felt his attention on her. Despite his reasonable words, she fought the urge to look. She realized that his voice soothed her. Like cool water across hot skin, she felt her anger ebbing. She scowled. “You’re doing it again.” “Doing what?” “Glamouring me,” she snapped. “Glamour works through eye . We’re not looking at one another.” Instead of feeling as if this disproved it, Jess felt vindicated. He had tried to use his power on her that first night. She ed the intensity of that single look he’d given her, and then her strange desire to sketch him. She staunchly stared out of the window. Despite distrusting him, Jess couldn’t see a way around their need for his glamour. She’d asked Theo what the vamps held sacred, wanting to have Rune swear that he wouldn’t misuse his glamour on her again. But Theo said that he didn’t know of anything that vamps held dearer than themselves or their appetites. Even though Jess felt as if she might as well be making Rune swear a pinky promise, she demanded. “I don’t like it, but we need your glamour. Promise me that you’ll only use it to get us out of here.” She still wanted his word. “I promise I’ll get you out,” Rune agreed. Once more his voice seemed to stave the anger in her. She frowned but held out her wrist to him, still refusing to look at him. “Let’s get this over with.” Her nonchalant words couldn’t disguise her nervous heart though. It struck her chest, growing faster as she felt his cold fingers. He cupped her wrist to his mouth. A sharp sting ricocheted up her forearm as he bit into it, but his cool lips on her skin countered it. Then his mouth drew on the punctures. Jess’s skin seemed to sing. Heat rippled through her arm. Everything in her turned to where he was tethered to her. She felt as if she were melting towards

him. The whole room and everyone in it disappeared. Only Rune remained. A dark and twisted hunger burned through her: for his lips, for his bite, and for him to draw more of her into him. Without realizing it, Jess turned towards him. She traced the lines of his face, mesmerized by its angles and shadows. Just like the first night she’d clapped eyes on him, she once more felt as if she were drawing him. She lost herself tracing the shape of his face. The black eddies of his gaze pulled her in. Untold depths swam in them. I want to sink. To drown. Rune bit into his own wrist and brushed it over the two puncture wounds on hers. She stared, then blinked again, gradually refocusing on her surroundings. She watched her wound clo. Rune let go of her wrist. Jess stared at him. At his lips. Her skin prickled as she ed their feel. She felt as if something vital had been wrenched away. Her surroundings returned: the barrenness stole upon her. She’d felt as if she’d been soaring. As if she’d been given Astra’s wings for a brief moment. Now, she’d plummeted back to Earth. The disorientation reminded her of how she felt after one of her blackouts. As if she’d lost time. Yet it was worse. She ed all too well the utter bliss she’d felt in the last few seconds. Her heart continued to hammer as she stared in horror at Rune. Was this the hedonistic pleasure that Lea had talked about when she’d got excited about there being a vamp? Maybe a vamp’s bite was always a rush. Jess’s temples pounded, her pulse drummed, and her heart smacked her ribcage. A whirlwind seemed to rage through her. Flustered and angry, she stood up. Rune’s hand clasped hers. “You shouldn’t move. The blood loss will make you light-headed.”

Her skin prickled beneath his touch, and even though he’d said blood loss, her cheeks heated as the word blood lust echoed in her head. His hand was warmer than it had been a moment ago. Her feelings churned. She flushed at her overreaction to his touch. The feel of his lips on her skin once more filled her thoughts. It was kind of her first kiss. Albeit on her wrist … and with blood involved. What’s wrong with me? As Jess stared down at Rune, her temper flared. She’d looked at him again. Despite his protest about not being able to glamour her, clearly he could. And clearly, he had. Again. Why else would she have reacted like this? As she stared at him she was reminded of a bear she’d once seen fishing with her cubs. The sheen of Rune’s eyes was like the sow’s black coat in the sunlight and water. Back then, she’d kept her distance from the predator. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized that she was mere inches from a similarly dangerous predator. It was as if his black gaze was consuming her. She shuddered as she thought of how she’d slipped into its current so swiftly. Jess pulled her hand from his. Her whole body seemed to howl in protest. Her stomach knotted as she thought of moving away from him. Ordinarily, when she was this emotional, she’d feel the urge to move, but everything within her seemed to be telling her to sit back down beside him. Her insides were still aflame from his touch. This desire that she felt towards him was alien. Like something Lea might feel. The thought steadied her. “That better have been enough for you,” Jess growled, narrowing her eyes. She focused on his hairline, avoiding his gaze again. “Because you sure as hell aren’t getting anymore.” Without waiting for a reply, she stalked away.

8

A Keen Sense

Matteo strode through the Naples Penitentiary. The wards always made his skin crawl; the natural world fell away at the threshold. He felt the change viscerally, the shock of it as if the oxygen had been sucked out, and he was still expected to breathe in a vacuum. It had taken him a whole week to get back here. He’d wanted to return sooner. Naples was the largest pen in the region, but he had a caseload of juvie paras to oversee in Campania. Not that his line of inquiry into Jessica Bradley’s case was going well. The para regiment who’d picked up the Rem attested that it was an ordinary Triodia portal they’d used. For a brief moment, he’d doubted her story altogether. But just because the official documents and people checked out didn’t disprove her . The more he fixated on her statement, the more he thought that it indicated that the corruption in the Triodia was high up. Wasn’t that, after all, why he hadn’t checked in with Warden Whitmore last time? He hadn’t ed Jessica’s statement to the pen’s system either, keeping it on his individual tablet. He’d merely asked for an of the portal and the Triodia witch that had provided the Rem’s transport from Maine. He’d known there was a possibility that if the Enodians had a foothold in this Triodia branch, it would be its warden. Right enough, the para unit that had picked Jessica up were Rom shifters under Warden Whitmore. Matteo could eventually go to his Alpha to overrule her. All shifters ultimately served their Alpha and would answer anything of him, but Matteo would need proof of wrongdoing before that. The Triodia oversaw the running of the para world, and Giovanni Romulus, the Rom Alpha, wouldn’t appreciate having the Triodia overruled prematurely. Certainly, Matteo would need more to go on than the word of a Rem. Her word against a whole unit of soldiers loyal to the Triodia counted for nothing.

Raine Whitmore was one of the strictest wardens in the region. Matteo had been working the Campania pen circuit for four years, since he turned eighteen and ed the region’s para regiment. Whitmore’s views were in-keeping with most Triodians. She believed firmly that Enodian youth could be saved and put most of the pen’s resources and time towards rehabilitating the witches and mages she oversaw. With Rem shifters, she was quick to slap them with sentences. Shifters were the brawn of the para world, and if that muscle was serving the other side —Enodians, or worse still vamps—then it deserved to be punished. As for the vamps, it was whispered Whitmore would happily slay them without giving them the chance to swear allegiance to the Triodia. It was well known that her ambitions leaned towards fighting their race, which as many Triodians saw them, were a blight on society. The ‘scourge’ was what such Triodians referred to them as. Matteo felt as if the Enodians, vamps, and Rems were all something to be kept at bay, especially from the humans, who had no awareness or means to protect themselves from them. But that didn’t mean that these rival paras weren’t entitled to a fair hearing. Yet, given the warden’s prejudices against Rem shifters, it was good that Matteo’s visit was in line with procedure. Like all the other officers, he was returning on the scheduled day. He would keep to protocol in this investigation so as not to raise the warden’s suspicion. Matteo knocked on Raine’s door, entering as she called out. Clearly, Warden Whitmore had recently arrived, too. She held a lint roller and was giving her jacket a brush. All the wardens had to maintain impeccable standards of cleanliness in their environment and person; the wardens—all witches and mages—oversaw the pen’s most dangerous inhabitants, other mages and witches. A stray hair or nail clipping could give an Enodian a window into one’s mind and soul. But it was as if Warden Whitmore had lost any sense of individuality: it was the lack of variation, always a dark suit and the same tight bun. Matteo had a hard job picturing her outside of this sterile place. He couldn’t, quite literally, imagine her letting her hair down. He had an image of her waking in the morning with the same impeccable hairdo and crisp suit. It was almost as if working within these walls year in and year out, something of their characterlessness had infused her. It unnerved him. It was as if the place were slowly changing her, as if its synthetic properties were seeping into her. “Signor Romulus,” she greeted him. “Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you. Regrettably, it’s just a quick word.” She nodded as she hung up her coat in the cupboard. “I’m going to start Jessica Bradley on weekly shifter training during my visits.” “I thought you’d be g her case off. She showed no remorse but claimed innocence instead. Unless she’s changed her tune, I would recommend postponing trial, so she can receive the maximum penalty in a couple of months.” Matteo frowned. He would have expected Raine to agree to a more thorough investigation, given Jessica’s history of memory loss. Unease rippled through him. She was writing this juvie off extremely quickly. Almost suspiciously so. “After deliberating on how new the para world is to her and the unawareness of her abilities, I recommend further . With training and successful shifting, I feel that her memory loss will be rectified, and thus she will take responsibility for the actions she cannot yet .” Raine sat down. “I believe her ignorance is feigned.” She clasped her hands. “Forgive me, but don’t you think you might be allowing your personal views to color your judgement in this matter?” He bristled. The warden was referring to his half-shifter heritage, insinuating that his lenience was because he empathized too much. Any shifter pairing with a human meant that there was less chance that offspring would be shifters. Even in the Rom Clan, human-shifter partnerships were frowned upon. Out of him and his three brothers, he had been the only one to inherit the shifter gene. It was fair to say he had experienced plenty of prejudice in shifter society for his mixed heritage. Jibes of mutt, mongrel, and the like had followed him through his school years at the Silva Academy. There were some paras that believed allowing a half shifter into a squad shouldn’t be allowed. But he’d more than proved his worth through four years of service since he ed at eighteen. Yet, he well knew there were too many like Whitmore, in positions of power, who believed that the purity of one’s blood was inextricably linked to one’s societal worth. He forced himself to keep his cool. “I don’t believe so. I feel I’m providing a

thorough investigation.” “Very well, but I think you’ll find that this is a typical instance of a Rem claiming ignorance, when really they are rotten to the core.” A line of color rose to her cheeks. This was the most emotion Matteo had ever seen in Warden Whitmore. His stomach knotted as he noted her agitation. Her heartbeat picked up its pace and he caught her violet perfume more pungently. He was used to observing unease play out in the inmates, not the wardens. His suspicion mounted. Clearly, the warden wanted this case done and dusted. Raine started to unpack her desk drawer. “I look forward to reading your next report.” The dismissal was evident. She didn’t look at him, and Matteo had the distinct impression she was trying to present the façade of calm. Likely she thought that a half shifter wouldn’t dare question a warden’s integrity. “Thank you.” He exited. He would ensure no matter what came of today’s first shifter training, that he ed a suitably regular of it. Raine was edgy, and he needed to present the appearance of normality. If an Enodian portal brought Jessica here, then judging by Whitmore’s reactions, it could well be her who had garnered their services. It was still too early to say why. As he sat waiting for Jessica to be shown into the small interview room, he brooded on what Whitmore had said about his bias. The longer he thought about it, the more he thought that something definitely didn’t smell right. He reckoned the warden had hoped to embarrass him by the mention of his human heritage. Allude to the fact that he was somehow being too soft on the Rem due to his own human sentiment. And yes, Jessica came from the Rem line. Yes, she was from the rival clan, but Matteo prided himself on his duty to be just. And that’s what he was, even when faced with a Rem who had committed murder. It was clear that she didn’t what she’d done, and from her history that this was in keeping with the rage blackouts she’d suffered from all her life. Justice demanded that he find a way to bring back her lost memory, therefore showing that she’d committed the crime, but that she’d done it without knowing it. When the shifter guard showed Jessica into the small interview room, she sat down and faced Matteo. She looked collected. Her expression gave nothing

away as to what she expected. “I’m approaching this inquiry carefully,” he began. “I touched base with the para unit that brought you here, who claim that they used a Triodia portal through the woods to bring you–” Her laugh rang hollow. “Guess I’m a liar.” He held her gaze. Like her tone, it darkened. “I believe an Enodian brought you here, but that would indicate that they’ve infiltrated this branch of the Triodia.” Jessica clenched her jaw. “Raine,” she ground out. Suspicion flickered across Matteo’s face. “One of the other inmates found out the warden’s name,” she itted with a shrug. Matteo frowned. Only a witch or mage had that kind of insight. It always frustrated Matteo that given how dangerous these paras were that they were invariably the ones treated so mildly by the wardens; they seemed to take so much risk to reform them. Unease stole through him at the thought of the other paras Jessica was mixing with. “Looking into the portal and para unit has proved ineffective,” Matteo continued, “that leaves the white wolf.” She stilled. He didn’t want to give her false hope; no matter how painful, she had to face up to what she’d done. “I believe that the night you were arrested was traumatic, and as such you’ve disassociated–” “I didn’t kill Caylee.” Her expression grew defiant. He determined to approach it in a more distant way. “Our wolfish instinct is so overriding at first, for all shifters, that it is highly possible that a shift occurred without you even realizing it…” She cut her eyes at him. Matteo pushed on. “The rage blackouts that you’ve suffered over the years are

very likely due to your shifter instincts, all that primal anger not having anywhere to go to. It’s logical that you were afflicted by one again, after your shift the other night.” Jessica clenched her jaw. He was reminded of how she’d been typing out the of the night she was arrested. Her face had borne the same hard expression, her features twisted with the same steely resolve. At times she’d thumped the keys on the tablet so hard that he’d thought she’d break the device. Reading through her , what struck him was how she’d kept it so … sterile. As he’d asked, she’d focused on writing down the facts of what she ed. When she’d gone running, where she’d gone, what she’d seen. The only time she’d described what she felt was when she’d seen the wolf running towards her foster sister, and she’d described her determination to get to her. He suspected there was a lot about what had triggered her shift that night to do with her emotions that would be useful. Clearly it wasn’t going to be as simple as asking about them though. It wasn’t surprising that she was trying to distance herself from what happened, from what she’d done. Matteo had read the other report in her case file, from the para unit that had examined the human’s body later that night. Her windpipe and the surrounding blood vessels had been torn; the girl had drowned in her own blood. The attack on Caylee Harding was savage. Jessica had much reason to want to repress whatever had set her off that night. As Matteo sought to find a compromise with the girl across from him, he found her defensiveness disarming. It was hard to believe that she could be capable of such viciousness. But Matteo forced himself to the extensive psychologist and psychiatry reports concerning her rage blackouts, stretching back to the age of five. Her complete disassociation with that savagery explained her seeming naivety. Pushing her towards something she still wasn’t ready for was only succeeding in making her turn away from him. He needed her cooperation if he was to find how and why the Enodians had put her in here. “I’ve recommended to Raine that I start you on weekly shifter training. I think a successful shift will bring back the memories you’ve lost through your

blackouts.” He tried to keep it general, as if he were interested in bringing back all of her memories, but her folded arms showed that she wasn’t fooled. He levelled with her. “It might lead me to who’s infiltrated this Triodia branch. You’d be doing the Triodia a real service, something that the Triodia wouldn’t forget, and would be reflected in a more lenient sentence for you.” Her eyebrows were drawn into a frown, and her full lips tensed. Matteo took a breath. This girl didn’t abide by authority. He tried another slant. “Raine wasn’t happy about starting you on training. Please work with me to find the truth, Jessica,” he pressed. She hesitated, then said, “I prefer Jess.” Matteo inclined his head. “Very well, Jess. Shifter training starts after lunch.”

9

Wild Woods

The hour spent in the Rec Room was the official quota of daily interaction para law required for those under eighteen. Raine wasn’t able to rob them of it, but everything else, such as communal meals, were extras. As such, Jess took lunch in her cell. Lea had her meeting with Signor Romulus, so she had the whole place, all five square meters of it, to herself. As the vamp guard locked her back in, Jess’s head was full to bursting. This was Signor Romulus’s second week visiting. The moment she thought it, she smirked. Visiting. Like he was a friend coming to see his locked-up buddy. She gritted her teeth, reminding herself that whatever training he was giving her, he believed she was guilty. He hoped to teach her to shed her skin, so it would bring back the memories of guilt he was certain she’d blotted out. So that it might achieve his primary purpose of giving him a lead to the corrupt person in the Triodia. For a moment, the anxiety she’d experienced in the interrogation room about those blank expanses of time came back to her. She’d lived her whole life with these holes in her mind. Signor Romulus thought that shifting might return them. Of course, he was only focused on bringing back the blank about the other night, believing she’d shifted and killed. But she knew she hadn’t killed Caylee. If Signor Romulus’s theory about successful shifting was right, and it restored all those other blanks in her mind, then the worst things she’d ever done would be known to her. Generally, she had the memory of what incited her violent episodes, along with the consequences, such as the first time: Jacob, her first foster brother, firing stones at her from his sling shot. He’d started with crows and savored maiming them. It hadn’t taken him long to see her as a target. She

ed the angry heat prickling over her body like a second skin after the stone struck her shoulder. The next thing she ed was Jacob’s bloodied face and her equally mangled knuckles. In a way, she realized living with a void instead of her violent outburst was a reprieve. Did she really want to know the worst part of herself? Jess reminded herself that whether Signor Romulus’s theory was correct, she’d agreed to his proposal because it served her interests. Being able to shift would help her escape. And above everything, she wanted to make damn sure that their planned break out was as likely to succeed as possible. Speaking of… She climbed up on her bunk and stared at the ceiling. The same surface she’d spent way too long staring at. She’d been in the pen for eleven days. Eleven days. Bitterness swelled through her, its heat so great it seemed it could melt the bars. But everything in this suffocating space remained unchanged. When the guard brought lunch, she sprawled out on the bed and made a smoke call. Teddy? Teddy? She let her voice pulse with meaning, let the smoke fill her as she probed for the sense, and scent, of his voice. This was the second check in today. Generally, she reached out three times a day, and that was before social. Always with the same question. Remi, his voice drifted through her. She laid her sandwich aside. She’d made the mistake of trying to eat while talking one of the first times. The smoke was so strong that it had been like eating ash. Anything? Jess asked. Nope, Theo responded as expected. Can’t stay. Guard’s here. His voice diffused, along with the smoke clouding her senses. Anger shot through Jess. If she’d been talking on a handset, she’d have hurled it. She would have smashed a dozen by now. On the fourth day here, she’d given her blood to Rune. On the fifth, he’d glamoured the first of the vamp guards he’d come into with. In the days

that followed, he’d managed to glamour a few more vamp guards. There were six who should have been rifling through Raine’s drawers for the damned piece of yew. But none of them had been successful yet. After two days, Jess had confronted Rune about the lack of a result. She’d been quick to suggest that his glamour wasn’t working. Unruffled, he’d disagreed. He laid out how many obstacles there were to the vamps completing their task: the majority of the time Raine’s presence restricted them, the other guards too— shifters, witches, and mages—who couldn’t be glamoured had to be avoided. Moreover, the theft had to occur on an evening before the fae officer was in, as they would be using the Depths portal through which she’d arrived to escape. Rune informed her that his glamour had worked, but that he’d urged the guards to act within these parameters. He assured her they were merely waiting for the right opportunity. Jess was pissed off at this delay. Yet even as she’d grilled Rune about whether his glamour was working, she resolutely avoided eye with him. Something he wryly commented must show that she did hold some belief in his powers of persuasion. Jess had stuck to being guarded around him. Multiple times Lea accused her of being a bitch to him. But what made Jess resolutely frosty with him was how much she still secretly yearned to be near him. Ever since he’d bitten her, she’d found herself dreaming about him. And whenever her thoughts were idle, they slipped to replaying that moment they’d been so close to one another. Jess constantly wondered whether this was a side effect to a vamp feeding off you. A dozen times she’d considered asking Lea, Astra, or Theo if this was a normal aftereffect. But she couldn’t stomach itting to any of them what she was feeling towards Rune. Could the obsession with him have been caused by the blood exchange they’d shared? The way Rune had bitten into his own wrist and used his blood to heal her wound rippled through her thoughts once more. His sensual lips, midnight black eyes, and wavy hair vivid in her mind’s eye. Yep, he’d sure done a number on her. Jess scowled as she bit into her sandwich. Even on such a short call with Theo, a hint of smoke lingered. She managed to convince herself it was smoked cheese. Teddy, as she’d grown to call him in their private smoke-fueled talks, had

become, to her surprise, a sort of … friend. Or the closest thing she’d ever had to one. Their shared goal of breaking out banded them together, and his lighthearted jokiness was a refreshing let up amidst the daily monotony of penitentiary duties and Lea’s never-ending soliloquies on guys. Jess had actually drummed up enough courage to ask about Theo’s power recently and whether it could put her in touch with Caylee. Yet, she’d learnt that even paras had their limitations. Theo could only commune with the souls he’d tethered, those sluagh that were part of his soul. With her question answered, Jess had at least been able to focus solely on the efforts to get out of the pen. Theo had assured her too that once they were out, he’d portal her back to Portland. The thought reassured her. She would get to art school, and put this stint in the pen firmly behind her. Shortly after lunch, a guard came to escort her. They proceeded down a corridor she’d never been through. Though the hallway was completed in the same modern synthetic style, so it was difficult to say for certain that she hadn’t set foot in it before. All she had to go on was her sense of direction. The few windows she went by were set so high in the wall that she couldn’t use the outside to guide her. Eventually, the guard opened a door and led her into a huge room. It was so massive that a public swimming pool could have fit in it. Its height, too, was at least three times that of an ordinary room. Signor Romulus stood nearby, beside two trees. Trees! Jess felt like legging it to them. She would have, had it not been for the guard’s grip on her arm. Signor Romulus dismissed the guard, and Jess stood still, feeling her posture relax as she breathed in the scent of green—leaves, freshness … life. The heady perfume emanated from the two huge specimens. She stared at the enormous trunk of one. It seemed to be an amalgamation of lots of trees rather than just one. It looked as if it had absorbed different trees over the years, but she knew it must have grown to form separate trunks over its lifetime. Some of its trunks were poker-straight; others were as sinuous as snakes. Its branches reached out in huge arcs. Some of its lowest boughs almost touched the dirt floor like fingers

reaching to stroke the earth. Yews. Her gaze drank in the trees greedily. She wondered if she’d have an opportunity to snag a twig. Her eyes roved over the bark and needles. Signor Romulus scrutinized her. Damn. “I thought we’d be in the interrogation room again.” She looked around at the high ceiling and at the vast area around them, trying to seem casual. In truth, it was no use. This space was such a restorative after the suffocating confined space she’d been subjected to. She was anything but casual. “You couldn’t swing a cat in that room,” Signor Romulus replied nonchalantly. Jess noticed his posture was much more relaxed, too. His stance was anchored, as strong and assured as the large trees he stood by. Jess’s lips twitched, feeling the tension ebb. “I hope that’s not something shifters do often.” Signor Romulus almost smiled. “No cats will be harmed in the shifting process, I assure you.” She laughed. What was wrong with her? She felt almost giddy. She blamed the trees. Her gaze gravitated towards them again. She felt her breathing deepening in response to their fresh aroma, as if she couldn’t get enough of them. Tree hugger. Her eyes fell to the ground. It was tightly packed, but she took in the soil. Not just where the trees were planted, but the whole floor was dirt. Signor Romulus tracked her gaze. “I wanted to show you what a Triodian portal looks like. What the portal transporting you should have looked like. A portal powered by earthen magic. There only needs to be a couple of yews on either side of the portal to open the Between. The Triodia is going to portal some of the

grove from its headquarters into this pen. It will make shifting easier for you.” A tremor stole through her. Shifting. Changing her body. She was really doing this. A flash of the lake, with the white wolf reflected in its surface shot through her thoughts. Her mouth grew dry. “The Triodia’s power comes from the earth,” Signor Romulus explained. “Their most potent source is from yew trees. Just like us shifters.” The modulation of his words washed over her. His Italian accent was much more pronounced than Lea’s, possessing a musical quality. “The Triodia call the power they … invoke… that of the Great Goddess. We shifters call it the power of the goddess Silva.” Whenever his pacing altered, she realized he was searching for the right word in English. Most of the time, his English was flawless. “I don’t know if you’ve heard of the legend about the first shifter twins?” he asked. “Romulus and Remus,” she answered, “Lea said they were the first.” “Legend says that their mother was the Great Goddess, Silva. In Latin, the word means woods, and it is her sacred grove that Triodia’s headquarters is built around. “The trees that will be portaled through are part of that ancient grove, known by us shifters as The Cathedral of Silva.” He stared at the space between the two yews; their branches were almost touching one another. The air began to glow between the boughs. Wide-eyed, Jess’s thoughts flashed to that unearthly glow that had come from the lake. The acrid smoke suffused her mind and her heart hastened. Signor Romulus drew closer to her. “It’s all right. It’s a Triodia portal.” His brown eyes steadied her.

She nodded. The scent of smoke was just a memory, a lingering taste on her mouth from talking to Theo earlier. There was no smoke. No fire. No sluagh in the portal opening. Her fingers dug into her palms, irritated that she couldn’t hide her apprehension. Damn these shifters’ sharp senses. Couldn’t so much as sneak a fart past them. Thoughts of gassiness fell away as a spectacular arch of golden light appeared between the two trunks and arcing branches. Jess’s thoughts stilled completely as silhouettes of yews appeared in the shafts of light, cast from the original two trees. The hazy forms rippled like desert mirages. Soon there were a handful of spectacularly huge trees in the room, and still the forest grew, more forms emerging from the glow from the Between. Real trees are just… appearing from thin air. When the radiant light finally faded, Jess let out a breath she’d been holding without realizing. She stared up at the network of boughs, the green scent filling her lungs as fresh as foliage after rainfall. Even without the golden light, the luscious woodland seemed to glisten around her like emeralds. Some patches of bark were smooth, others were spiny. Moss and lichen climbed over the roots that had supplanted themselves in the soil as if they’d long lived in the ground here. She drank in the details of the trees’ spiny needles, dark green above and gray-green below. Its name, The Cathedral of Silva, came back to her. The Cathedral is the perfect name. She felt as if she were worshipping the forest that had magically sprung up around her. The deep earthy, woody aroma blanketing her seemed to ring with potency and declare that anything was possible. A thrill ran through her. She wanted to leap between the trees’ trunks. Like a crazy springer spaniel. At the same time, she couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from the wonder of the canopy. The sensation she’d always felt emanating from the woods seemed magnified in this place.

It is a magic forest from the Between. The sentiment that this was what had always called to her made her skin tingle. Below the forest rafters, the sense that she was where she belonged mounted. It was as if the vastness of all the national parks of Maine were somehow packed into this small forest. Every time she had felt the call of the wilds before, whether scavenging for litter for art projects or running along forest-swathed dirt roads, she realized that it had always been this energy calling her. The forests outside that she’d taken comfort in had been a reflection of these original wild woods now around her. And more than that, she could already feel it connecting with something deep in her, as if its roots were burrowing into her and its branches stroking her soaring spirit. This sense of wholeness, of rightness was so unknown to her that it daunted her, and she finally came out of the trance the forest had sprung upon her. Her gaze pivoted to Signor Romulus. Was he as mesmerized by the cathedral? Was that its effect on shifters? Jess’s mouth went dry. He was staring. At her. She was used to his look being severe or suspicious. She was taken aback by the understanding on his face. She flushed, feeling embarrassed by how easy she must be to read. Abandoned. Homeless. A stray finally finding its den. Irritated that she was such a cliché, Jess asked something that had been on her mind. “What about the Rem Clan? If they draw their power from the earth, too, why do they ally with Enodians and vamps?” Signor Romulus’s expression grew somber. “Legend says that it was when witches and mages pushed the boundaries of their magic that the para world divided. In Para History, it’s called the Great Divide. When some witches and mages chose to draw from the Night and Netherworld, from the dead, and broke away to form their own coven.” “The Enodians,” Jess murmured.

He nodded. “The witches and mages fought against one another, and the twin shifters took opposite sides. Romulus slew Remus. It’s said that the Enodians resurrected Remus, and since then, Rems have an affinity with the Night and Netherworld, too. It’s said that’s when Remus got his pale coat, which all clan inherit. The white coat like the pallor of death was given to him by the god, Alba, the Lord of the Netherworld, who the Rems swear by.” Jess felt even more self-conscious about her white hair. So that was the hair … the coat … that Lea was so proud of. Tied to the Netherworld. To the dead. The Rem Clan just gets better and better. Her stomach somersaulted as his expression softened. She was used to judgment, to fear and loathing. She didn’t know what to do with this … squirming feeling that his concern was causing. Despite the gloomy tale, the energy of the Cathedral couldn’t be dulled. She didn’t give a rat’s ass about the first shifter twins, but she could feel the potent magic of the place. The longer she stood here, the more aware she grew of the charge in the air. It seemed to hum, and she had that urge again to run, as if the trees were summoning her. “Ordinarily,” Signor Romulus said, “shifters first train in groves like this at their respective academies. The main Silva Academy for Roms is in Rome while the Rems have their Alba Academy in Venice. There are other Silva and Alba academies in a few major cities across the globe to cater to the thousand or so elsewhere, but the majority of shifters live here in Italy. “With practice, a shifter can draw on an ordinary forest to transform, and eventually, a mere piece of yew will suffice.” Jess swallowed, thinking of the branches and roots all around her, precious pieces that could get her out of here. She focused, trying to ignore the charge running along her skin, making the hair on the back of her arms stand on end. She might be able, after shifting, to snap a piece of tree off and slip it away somewhere. She thought of all the useless, over-cautious vamp guards under Rune’s glamour, and determined that she would seize the opportunity. Signor Romulus cleared his throat. “I’m going to shift first.”

Alertness prickled through Jess. Her whole being sharpened. Her awareness shrunk to Signor Romulus. The charge flowing through the forest now seemed to thrum between them. “This method is somewhat … unconventional as a first,” he continued, “but it’s the swiftest way to cause a shift in you. There’s something in our core, in all Roms and Rems, which recognizes a member of the opposite clan. Especially in wolf form. It’s something primal.” Jess ed how Lea had put it. When Romulus killed Remus, the clans swore enmity to one another ever after. Each pulse of the forest resonated through her. Was this what that was? Enmity? Her heart clanged, and she clenched her fists. With a jolt, she realized they circled one another. Her feet seemed to have taken on a will of their own, and subconsciously she’d mirrored his movement. Or had she started this dance? The sense that they were mirror images of the other took hold of her, making their circling more and more hypnotic. “My movements produce the same in you. My shift will similarly affect one in you, too.” His brown eyes fixed on her. “I assure you, I won’t hurt you. Just follow me. Okay?” Her lips twitched. Despite it being her first time, she felt as if her body were a loaded gun, ready to fire. “Worry about yourself,” she said. It came out more seriously than she intended. He smiled. “Four years in the para squad and over a decade in Silva Academy, I can handle it.” The canopy rafters cast shadows upon their faces like prison bars. It was as if the sun or another light source were affecting them, but other than the few high-up windows letting minimal light in, there were no lights. They shimmered and flickered, at one moment thin and faint, at the next thick and dense, casting these flickering bars of shadow intermittently across the ground. Jess watched the shadows slink and stretch across Signor Romulus’s body. She watched the gloom darken his bronze skin and handsome features. They seemed to lengthen his form, pulling him down to earth. His entire body rippled with shadow, blurring. Just as the trees from the Between had, his form distorted. His

bronze skin darkened until it gleamed black. His ears grew pointed and his face lengthened. White fangs glistened against the luster of his coat. The deep brown hue of his eyes was all that remained of the man. Instead, a black wolf stood beneath the glade of trees. Signor Romulus’s wolf form was as impressive as his looming six-foot human one; the animal looked twice the size of a normal wolf. Jess anticipated the hostility he’d warned her about, but the pulse of energy between them remained the same. It was only wonder that traveled through her as she studied his poised animal form. Wonder at the shift she’d witnessed. Her rational mind had hardly grasped what her own eyes had witnessed, when, in the same way that her feet had led her to mimic him, her body sought to follow, too. The vibration drumming through her quickened. She felt as if the trees above her were growing, except they were reaching down, their wild summons descending. She knew on some instinctive level that the wild energy would transform her. As surely as the branches above must give way to a storm, she bowed to them. Yielding, the earthen power flooded her, bringing her limbs to the dirt. She tilted forward. Jess’s pulse thundered in her temples, and her blood pounded in her ears. She could feel the wild forest reaching through her… Jess stared at the network of branches. Branches or roots? Was she looking up or down? The vibration running through her strengthened. Like taut strings, her insides twanged and shuddered. The pitch resonating through her seemed to set her bones vibrating. Something’s wrong. As the certainty took hold, the pulsations sharpened, and she felt as if her body would shatter. She convulsed. She knew she was on the ground as she thrashed about, the pain making her limbs jerk wildly. A cry finally broke from her throat, raw and wild. She had so little air, she didn’t know how she did it, but the screech flew from her mouth, sharp and aching. Then … the vibration ceased. Jess’s tense body collapsed against the dirt. She gasped, gulping in air. Her ears rang. Her head pounded. She was sprawled out on her back in the dirt.

Signor Romulus knelt beside her. In human form. “Can you hear me?” She blinked, taking in his shaken expression. Jess could barely breathe but ground out hoarsely, “What … happened?” He looked grave. “I don’t know.” He breathed a sigh of relief as his gaze scoured her, looking for any signs of injury. “When you screamed…” He paused, collecting himself. “My wolf form should have caused you to shift. The amount of earthen power in the Cathedral alone should have been enough.” “I felt the energy,” Jess croaked, struggling to sit up. Her head throbbed and the room spun. Only the two original trees remained but multiplied as her vision blurred. She shut her eyes but knew from the low hum of earthen energy that Signor Romulus had had the other trees portaled back through the Between. That’s what had stopped the vibration. Jess felt bereft that the Cathedral and its power was gone … and a pang of relief. She’d felt so at home beneath its boughs until their power had traveled into her and attacked. “Rest a moment,” he said. He leaned closer, ing her as she swayed a bit. His scent bore a rich woodiness to it, like pine or fir. It was crisp and seemed to help clear her head. Jess didn’t listen but sat up. “I felt the earth energy. I followed it. Then … it hurt me.” He frowned. “You’re a shifter, Jess. The earth energy wants to change you. It isn’t your enemy. It can’t hurt you, only change you.” A prickle of heat shot through her, the usual tide of anger coming when someone contradicted her. “It did. I followed it, then it was like the trees were inside of me, but their power was too much … like it was too much to contain.” She narrowed her eyes, looking around at the earth, which had seemed so wonderful, so full of life … until it had tried to fill her. “Jess, the earthen energy is what enables shifters to transform. It can’t hurt you.” He hesitated. “You must have fought it. The war you feel is inside of you—it isn’t with the earthen energy. I think you’ve fought your primal instinct for so

long that it feels like the enemy.” His brown gaze steadied her. “The fact that you resisted the urge to shift against a rival clan member, in a way, shows colossal strength.” She realized he wouldn’t alter his belief no matter what she said. He was convinced she’d stopped herself from shifting. Heat rose to her cheeks, frustration swilling through her. Why am I not surprised? Even in the para world, I’m not like everybody else. I know something wasn’t right. “You’re still human, Jess,” Signor Romulus assured her, attuned to at least some of her doubts. “Just a different kind of human.” His brown eyes were unguarded as he looked at her. For a moment, it didn’t matter that he didn’t believe that the earthen energy had attacked her. She had the sense that he’d keep trying to find out what was happening to her. He’d keep trying to help her. Her stomach somersaulted at the thought. “Thank you, Signor Romulus,” she said awkwardly. Expressing gratitude felt alien, but she meant it and forced the words out. His lips twitched. “Matteo. My name’s Matteo.” She accepted Matteo’s hand as he pulled her up from the dirt.

10

Anemia and Blood Slaves

That evening, a general languor pervaded social. Everyone had had a trying day with their para officer. Theo complained that he couldn’t take much more of Raine’s reformation attempts. The warden couldn’t give him access to potent magic, so focused on safe magic like reading the future from tea leaves and coffee grounds. Theo swore that if he had to stomach much more tepid magic, he’d raid Raine’s drawer himself. On the plus side, he was so fed up that he was currently grilling Rune about spurring on the glamoured vamps. Jess decided not to share that she’d been surrounded by powerful magic today, and that she’d failed to take advantage of it … because it had turned against her. Jess tried not to fixate on it but it was difficult. She couldn’t help but dwell on what had happened. At first, the trees had seemed like the shelter she’d always sought in the wilds of Maine. All the whispering woods of the national parks seemed to have been collected into the magnificent mystical specimens within the Cathedral. Their power had been a song travelling through her. A song of belonging. Until it hadn’t. How could that sense of rightness morph into the horror that it had? The certainty that there wasn’t enough room within her to contain that power struck her again. Something had been wrong. And her scream had seemed wrenched from her, to scrape against her throat. Its memory alone disturbed her. Hadn’t Matteo mentioned it, too? She shook her head. She was reading too much into it. He’d looked her over afterwards as if afraid that she was hurt, disturbed by the sheer amount of pain in her scream, that was all. Her gaze swung to where Theo and Rune sat facing each other by the window.

They were in profile, but she noticed Rune’s gaze had strayed this way. Yep. He was staring at her. Jess cut her eyes at him before looking away. The sense of his nearness threatened to intrude on her thoughts, but she stamped it down. She shook away the dread that had stolen upon her concerning shifter training too. She was supposed to be trying to lift Astra’s spirits. Astra had had a particularly long interrogation with her Seelie officer today. The fae was so despondent she didn’t even want to do the shared exercises that they’d gotten into the habit of doing. They’d bonded over their shared love of exercise early on. Jess had quickly taken to doing yoga with the fae, minus the wing exercises, of course. It was refreshing to have someone who understood her need to move, and at the end of their yoga sessions she knew that they both felt a little less frustrated and revitalized. Jess had gleaned a little bit about the fae world, Umbra, from Astra. The two fae courts had separate territories. The Seelie officer presiding over Astra’s case wanted to find out why she had been in Seelie territory and tried to yoke one of their pucca. Yet, in the week and a half that they’d been here, Astra hadn’t shed much light on her motivations for tresing or her attempted theft. Theo had managed to get it out of her that she had been practicing on the Seelie pucca. When she was eighteen in five months’ time, she’d be trying out for the pucca rider unit in the Unseelie Court and be expected to tether one. Jess snuck another peek at Astra. Apparently, the Seelie Officer wasn’t buying this explanation, any more than Theo seemed to have. Today, Astra’s usually almond complexion was ashen. The interrogation must have been particularly intense. Jess frowned; the arm of Astra’s jumpsuit was stained. No … a stain was seeping through. Jess snatched Astra’s wrist. A prickle of foreboding came over her. She pushed the baggy sleeve up herself. A makeshift toilet paper bandage was wrapped up most of her forearm. “That bitch!” Jess exclaimed.

“I’ve had worse.” Astra shook her off. Jess’s exclamation brought Lea across from the sofa opposite. “What is it?” Lea’s eyes fastened onto Astra’s bloodied bandage that she was doing her best to conceal with her sleeve again. “The Seelie officer’s torturing Astra,” Jess bit out. “You need to tell Raine.” She knew from her own case that Raine likely wasn’t above board, but surely she’d intercede if she knew abuse was going on? “It was only a scian. A fae dagger,” Astra added in explanation to Jess. “I thought iron was poisonous to fae,” Lea interjected. “It is,” Astra agreed. “But a scian has a very low amount of iron in its blade.” Heat flushed along Jess’s skin. This fae official was poisoning Astra. She scowled; she’d give anything for another crack at shifting beneath the cathedral now. “I can take it,” Astra reassured her. “I took iron supplements when I was growing up here in the human world. If it had been a year ago, the blade wouldn’t have affected me at all, but I’ve been back in Umbra so haven’t had the stock.” Astra lifted up her sleeve again and peeled off the tissue paper. Jess was startled out of her anger. “Blue.” Astra laughed. “Yeah, we fae are blue-blooded.” Okay … blue. Jess blinked but soon schooled her expression. She’d seen a guy transform into a wolf today, and been attacked by the power of an ancient forest. She supposed she could handle different colored blood. Lea interjected, “You might want to ask to go to the infirmary. You wouldn’t want it to scar.” As usual, Lea’s concerns are empty-headed things.

Jess battled the urge to roll her eyes. “Is that why you Unseelie come to school in the human world?” she asked Astra instead. “To develop immunity from iron?” “Our queen, Mara, established the Changeling Program early on in her reign, allowing fae children to be swapped for human ones at birth, and raised on Earth while the human ones are taken to be raised and serve in Mara’s court. It’s been going on for almost three hundred years now. Gaining an immunity to iron is one of the benefits. Overall, she has us posted here, so we can become better soldiers than those in the rival court,” Astra explained. “So, you can learn to shoot guns and kung-fu, that kinda stuff?” Jess asked. Astra laughed. “I wish. It’s mostly to do with Earth’s stronger gravity. The fae world, Umbra, has a lower gravitational pull. It makes flying easy but doesn’t build wing strength or endurance in flight. So, we changelings who aspire to the aerial division grow up here.” Lea, bored of the war talk, chimed in. “Tresing and attempted theft won’t exactly get you the maximum death penalty. You’ll likely end up back in Umbra for your sentence soon I’d imagine.” Jess’s heart picked up its pace at the mention of the death penalty. Besides Theo, she hadn’t confided to the others what sentence hung over her. Lea quirked her head at Jess, but she ignored her curious look. “Sure, I’ll end up in Umbra,” Astra answered, “but the Triodia will portal me to the Seelie Court for sentencing.” Her gaze inadvertently slipped to her covered wound, and Jess could tell she wasn’t banking on a warm welcome from the rival court. A flash of determination shot through Jess. This was yet more reason to find a way out. She couldn’t have her friend end up in the enemy court, subjected to more torture. In amidst the seriousness, Jess felt her spirit lighten. She couldn’t say when it had happened, but since being locked up, she’d grown to think of Astra as a friend. She couldn’t the last time she’d felt as if she cared about someone like this. A lump formed in her throat. Not since Caylee anyway. Jess realized she was doing a poor job at distracting Astra from her problems. “By the way, what’s a fae portal like?”

Astra tucked her sleeve carefully over her bandage again. “They’re similar to Enodian portals in that the Between is accessed from the air and water. We call them the Heights and Depths. Fae power is only able to be used at dawn and dusk, though, that between time that naturally lends itself to portaling through the Between itself.” “I thought the Unseelie were like Enodians and tethered sluagh?” Lea said. Astra’s russet eyes grew solemn. “Many do. They’ve taken to tethering sluagh like Enodians, as it extends their ability to portal from Umbra to this world anytime, not just dawn and dusk. “It’s another thing Queen Mara’s encouraged during her rule of three centuries. The Changeling program ensures a steady stream of human servants to Umbra, who upon death, become sluagh for the Unseelie to tether.” Disquiet trickled through Jess. So the Unseelie like the Enodians used human souls to access the Between. She realized that she’d thought of Astra as being more like her. Someone who didn’t belong in the pen. Someone outside of the darker elements of the para world. Then again, Jess had been lumped in as a Rem by Lea and Matteo as soon as she’d arrived here in the pen. She resolved not to make any assumptions about Astra based on the court she belonged to. “Do you have sluagh tethered to you like Theo?” Jess asked, her voice quietening with unease. “No,” she answered, voice stiff. “I don’t need them.” Astra’s tone relaxed. “I’m going to be part of the pucca riders. We tether a pucca to our soul instead. We can call our pucca into the Between from wherever we are, so we have the ability to portal whenever we want.” So that was the purpose of tethering a pucca. It gave a fae power to portal whenever. The idea of a winged fae needing a winged horse sort of made more sense when its primary purpose wasn’t for flying but was to access the Between. Within, Jess shrank away from the idea of ing something to her soul. Maybe I have intimacy issues. She wondered again why Astra had chosen Seelie territory and a Seelie pucca to ride. Perhaps she’d wanted a particular one; the sleekest, most beautiful horse

there was. Jess struggled to picture her fierce friend gushing over a gleaming winged horse. “Never mind my stuff, how was your first shifter training?” Astra asked. Jess shrugged. The idea of going into the Cathedral again was anxiety inducing. She felt deflated at the thought of her false bravado. She wouldn’t be able to defend Astra against her bitch Seelie officer, even if she wanted to. Jess didn’t want to it how disappointed she’d been that nothing happened in the Cathedral. Well, not nothing. She quashed the unease threatening. Doubt inched through her. What if Matteo was right, and it had been her fault today? What if she was sabotaging her own shifting? “Nothing,” Jess answered. “It was pointless.” Her gaze strayed to Rune, who, she was disquieted to note, was staring at her once more. Heat prickled along her cheeks. He had some nerve looking at her when part of her was still convinced he’d used glamour on her. “Nothing?” Astra asked suggestively, calling Jess’s attention back with her meaningful tone. Jess frowned, her heartbeat going up a notch. Did Astra somehow know something about what had happened in the Cathedral? “I saw your officer earlier. By the Depths, shame your clans are mortal enemies. If he were my trainer something would’ve happened.” Jess was so surprised she laughed. Even Lea conceded. “He does have that whole boy next door look going on.” Jess suppressed a smile. If that was what the boys next door were like in Italy, maybe she should make her move to this side of the pond permanent. “Don’t forget the superman torso,” Astra said, waggling her eyebrows. Jess smirked at her friend’s expression. “So, he’s attractive because of his upside down triangle body?”

Astra ed Lea in an uncharacteristic bout of giggles. Jess rolled her eyes. “Don’t pretend you’re above reducing men to their shapes, Jessica,” Astra said. Then in a teasing tone, she added, “He’s even got a cleft chin. No one’s immune to a dimple chin.” Jess laughed, but started, “Matteo’s not–” She didn’t exactly know what she was about to say. Matteo was definitely a guy… of the tall, muscular variety but … she hadn’t considered him in that light. She’d gotten so used to the guys at high school not daring to look at her, that dating someone seemed like something outside the realm of reality. But… wasn’t that precisely where she was? Yet the squeal from Lea cut her off. “Matteo! You got an ‘M’, Jess. ‘M’.” Lea’s eyes were practically popping out of her head as if ‘M’ was the answer to the meaning of life. Jess just stared at her, unsure of what she was on about. Lea exclaimed, “The peel you cast on the floor. It was an M. You’re destined for each other.” Jess glared at Astra who was clearly enjoying this way too much. Then she eyed Lea solemnly. “He’s a Rom, Lea. That can’t be, right?” Lea’s face fell. “You’re right.” She laughed. “A Rom and Rem. Imagine.” Jess managed to suppress the urge to give her a massive side-eye, but comforted herself with the fact that she could always pretend to be into him at a later date to annoy her. For a moment, Jess’s thoughts lingered on Matteo. He’d come back to see her, after reporting in with Warden Whitmore, and his recommendation to proceed with more regular shifter training in order to bring back Jess’s memory loss had been reluctantly agreed by the warden. Jess would be seeing him every three days to work on shifting. Her stomach somersaulted at the prospect of going through what had happened today more frequently. But Matteo swore that they’d

approach it from a different angle, that he’d come up with other ways to get past her block. As well as assuring her that he’d find another tack, he’d been particularly thoughtful, checking that she was feeling okay, double-checking that she didn’t need to go to the infirmary. She pictured coming around after whatever had happened in the Cathedral, and the worry she saw etched on his handsome face. He’d propped her up from the dirt when she’d been unsteady, his evergreen scent refreshing. The memory of it soothed her, something wholesome and comforting to it like the fronds of feathery firs whispering in the breeze. Lea interrupted Jess’s train of thought. She wasn’t done on her favorite topic and commented, “Don’t you think the whole tortured soul thing is so much hotter?” She cast a not-so-subtle look Rune’s way. Astra laughed. “You mean soulless, don’t you?” Jess frowned. “Umbran History,” Astra explained. “A few thousand years ago when The Great Divide happened, rupturing the coven, clan, and court in two, it’s said that some Enodians drew so many sluagh together they created the first vampire.” Jess’s thoughts raced with this snippet. She ed what Matteo had said about Para History and the Great Divide. That that was when all the covens, courts, and clans had fractured. Something like understanding filled her as she thought about how the vamp lore was similar to that of the Rem Clan’s. Both had supposedly been infected with the darkness of the Enodians. Both consequently had an affinity with the Night and Netherworld. Something in Jess fought against Astra’s choice of word to describe vamps. “That doesn’t make them soulless,” Jess said. “More like soul-full.” “Totally soulful,” Lea murmured, her look in Rune’s direction longing. She looks at him as if she wants nothing more than to be Dracula’s bride. She flushed at her two-facedness. How many times had she consciously and, not so consciously, dreamed the same? She squirmed once more as she thought of the confusing attraction she felt for him. “Poor Rune,” Lea complained.

Jess hadn’t actually heard what sentence Rune faced. She knew he was charged with killing a human. Even if he was only taking the blame for someone as he’d claimed, wasn’t his sentence likely to be as severe as the one she faced? She asked, “Who’s Rune’s para officer?” Lea shook her head. “He doesn’t have one. Vamps don’t. They’re seen as irreformable. Even if they’re not caught young when they’re liable to kill while feeding, they’re deemed a threat because of their desire to spread their kind. The Triodia call them the ‘scourge’.” Jess felt the familiar heat enflame her cheeks as she thought of Raine. She thought the Triodia couldn’t get any worse, but they were writing off a whole race of paras as irredeemable. “What will the Triodia do with him?” Jess asked. “Once they’ve decided he’s served enough time,” Astra explained, “they’ll make him serve as a guard. Vamps swear a blood oath to the High Witch of the Triodia Coven, then they’re bound to obey the Triodia’s orders.” A chill stole down Jess’s spine as she thought of all the vamp guards stationed around this Triodia prison. They were blood sworn to serve the Triodia. Slaves. “But can’t the guards escape?” Jess asked. Astra shook her head. “A broken blood oath will kill a vamp.” A flurry of apprehension shot through Jess. She ed the way that the first evening here Rune had simply stared out of the window. She’d wondered if he felt as cut off from the outside as she did. She’d fortified her distrust of him so much that she’d refused to find out anything else about him. She was disoriented to find out that he was facing a life sentence of slavery. More than a life. However long a vamp’s existence went on for. Perhaps Jess had been wrong to think he wouldn’t do everything he could with his glamour to get out of here. She didn’t forgive him for whatever influence he’d tried to use on her with that initial glance he’d given her. Nor for how he must have influenced her when he drank her blood. But the fact that he had so much riding on getting out of here definitely made his behavior a little less detestable. Contrarily, she felt a new glimmer of hope. They were all united by the need to escape.

11

The Restless Dead

Golden light bathed the clouds where Jess … hovered. Is this what it feels like to fly? The glow rippling through the night sky was the same as that in The Cathedral of Silva. She stared at the night around her. The iridescent lights danced in everchanging revolutions. The urge to capture the scene on canvas gripped her. Then… darkness spilled through the archway of light. The night pressed in upon it. The radiance dimmed. Jess wanted to shelter the dancing lights, to bear them to her, to hide them from the invading night, but the darkness flowed on, smothering them and enveloping her. A scream rippled from behind her. Raw and ragged. The same cry that had escaped her in the Cathedral. Jess shuddered in the murkiness. She didn’t want to turn. Didn’t want to look. Her body had gone rigid. Every inch of her attuned to the screaming coming from behind. She clenched her fists, turned and… Woke up. Her heart pounded in her chest. She eased her fists open, releasing a breath. She sat up in the dark cell, hunching over so as not to bang her head on the ceiling. Just a dream. She ran her palms over her sweaty forehead. Sweat slipped down her back, making her shiver. Great. The para guards weren’t exactly liberal with dolling out fresh clothes.

Had today been a clean jumpsuit and bralet day? As Jess’s heartbeat calmed, she grew more exasperated with herself. What a mish-mash of stuff: the light from the Cathedral, the weird addition of twinkly lights, the Heights portal. Clearly, her brain was processing all this para stuff. Shifter training. The Between. Everything that Astra had spoken about. She should be thankful that vamps hadn’t appeared in her dream, given the topic of conversation in social tonight. A spark of heat stole through her; she wouldn’t mind one particular vamp appearing in her dream. He’d have a leading role. She told herself to shut up, wondering when this ridiculous effect from Rune’s glamour would finally wear off. At least her libido’s interruption dulled the dread left over from … the scream. She pulled up her covers, huddling for warmth. Sure, warmth. Unable to shut the memory out, the piercing cry replayed itself. Something from the traumatic experience of shifter training had been sure to end up in her nightmare. But as her arms prickled with goosebumps, she wished it had been anything but the scream. In the Cathedral, she’d already felt as if the scream had been wrenched from her. As if it were unnatural. In the dream, it had come from behind her, as if it wasn’t hers. She breathed in and out, too aware of her own breath as apprehension prickled over her. Jess doubted she’d get back to sleep. She wondered whether to try calling Theo. He might wake if he wasn’t in too deep a sleep. She wouldn’t know what to say. That she’d had a bad dream. He’d want to know what it was about. She didn’t want to speak to him anymore than she had Astra about what had happened in shifter training. Worries about what Matteo had said played on her mind. He’d said that the earth energy hadn’t hurt her, that she had fought the shift, that she had blocked it.

Jess breathed in the darkness and quiet of the cell, and for the first time wondered if Matteo was right. Not just about blocking the shift but … about everything. She squeezed her eyes shut. What if she was blocking the earth energy from changing her to stop the memories she’d lost during her violent outbursts? What if she’d blotted out the night she was arrested because it was too traumatic? What if it had been like all of her other rage blackouts? As the doubt crept in, she ed what she’d been thinking about before she saw the white wolf by the lake. She’d been considering running, hadn’t she? She’d wanted to keep running … because it was too hard to see the fear in Colleen’s eyes about her unpredictability, because it was too hard to see the warmth that her foster moms gave so naturally and abundantly to Caylee. The doubts swilled through her. Haven’t I a history of hurting my foster siblings? Is that what the scream meant? Did it signify the worst, most violent part of her, and her disassociation from it? She’d disconnected from it so much that she saw it as a separate entity. Jess bolted upright, whacking her head on the ceiling. She ignored the pain spreading through her head, her attention gripped by the prickling sense that… Someone was here. It wasn’t a sound, or any other sensory indicator that alerted her, but her whole being rippled with awareness. She knew someone, besides Lea, was in the cell. Jess inched down her bunk, putting a foot on the ladder, then sprung the rest of the way to the floor. She crouched, eyeing the outline of the cell bars ahead of her. Her gaze darted to the bottom bunk. Her stomach lurched. Something swarmed

over Lea. Jess braced herself, watching the shadows slink across her sleeping roommate. Their density thickened as if the gloom were coagulating. A chill stole through her as a human-like silhouette spun itself into existence next to the bed. Featureless. Faceless. It confronted Jess. She took a wavering step back and shouted, “Fire! Fire!” Silence rang in the corridor beyond. Where were the guards? The thing reached out for her, brushing her wrist. “Fire!” Jess shouted again. She recoiled. Its touch was icy, so cold her skin stung. She shrank back. Her gaze shot to Lea, shadows still teeming above her. “Lea!” Jess shouted. If she could wake her… The thing in front of Jess cocked its head as if it had only just heard her shout, as if its hearing were delayed. Jess noticed that its outline had become more solid and defined. It had ears now, the shape of a nose was slowly forming, as if gradually being molded from the darkness. Jess edged back against the wall, stealing towards the cell door. “Fire! Fire!” Her heart thundered in her ears. Horror pummeled her. The cell was locked. She wouldn’t be able to get out. She clenched her fists and turned to face the darkness. The thing lurched across the cell, its movement uneven.

Despite the revulsion somersaulting through her, she stood her ground. It seemed as if the gloom had fashioned all its features now, its mouth was drawn into a solemn line. Her heart galloped thunderously. She steeled herself. There was nowhere to run. The thing’s icy touch seared her neck as it reached out. The chill seemed to travel upwards, making her head hazy. Jess stared into its hollow eye sockets. The blackness hadn’t gifted it eyes. Pounding dread suffused her This skull face will be the last thing I see. “Jess.” A clear voice rang from behind her, sending a wave of shock and relief tumbling through her. She backed up, guided by the voice. The chill of the thing’s touch faded, along with the fog in her head. She fell against the bar doors, which suddenly flew open. She collapsed against a stone-hard chest, flinching as she thought it was another thing attacking. She blinked at the pale face, jagged cheekbones, and liquid-black eyes. Rune. His pallid skin was almost luminous in the murky corridor. He strode into the cell, clasping something in his hand. Jess’s brain caught up. “Rune, there’s… something…” She trailed after him. He thrust whatever he gripped into the shadowy mass and the silhouette shattered. The darkness scattered. He turned to the other shadow, who contracted as if trying to conceal itself. Yet Rune drove whatever he held into this one, too; its murky outline dispersed. “Lea,” Jess murmured. “They–” Rune went to Lea.

Jess held her breath. “Her pulse is steady,” Rune said. “The sluagh have only sent her into a very deep sleep.” “Sluagh,” Jess repeated. She unclenched her fists, feeling better that she had a name to put to the eyeless shadows. Relief swelled through her that Lea was okay, and that Rune had destroyed the sluagh. A little recovered, Jess found her voice. “Sluagh like Theo has tethered to him?” “No. Sluagh tethered to Enodians are more of a psychological tool. The most physical manifestation they have is in opening the Between,” Rune said. “These sluagh were iron-tinged, tethered to an Unseelie fae. They can manifest for short periods to do their master’s will. They render their target unconscious. A sleeper is much more in danger from them,” he added, still measuring Lea’s pulse, “their soul in danger of being pulled into the Between and lost to Oblivion.” Jess crossed her arms, nettled by his comment. She felt as if he were suggesting she’d had nothing to worry about. “They felt dangerous to me too.” “They were,” Rune said, his tone solemn. “Only iron can send them back to the one they’re tethered to.” He got up and came closer, showing her the dagger he held. “One of the vamp guards I glamoured got this for me this evening, from the fae interrogation room.” “The scian,” Jess said. Astra had only spoken about it this evening. She eyed Rune. Talk about being quick off the mark. Shame the vamps he’d glamoured hadn’t managed to get so lucky with getting the yew from Raine’s office. “How did you get here?” Jess asked. The usual distrust she felt towards him came back despite the fact he’d destroyed the sluagh.

“One of the vamps under my glamour was on shift outside my cell. I got him to swap his uniform with me.” In the murk, she hadn’t noticed what he was wearing and now took in the darker shade of his clothes; it’s what made his skin seem even more luminous than usual. The golden tree on his chest shimmered slightly. He seemed even stranger all in black, the cut glass of his cheekbones were accentuated in the shadows, too. His explanation only raised her suspicion further. “How did you know I was in trouble?” She knew from her pen duties that none of them were near one another. They were all in separate blocks, with lots of corridors between them and plenty of other guards, too. There was no way he’d heard her screams. He paused but confessed. “I felt your fear.” What the hell? “I saw your dream with the golden lights in the Heights too,” he itted. Jess flinched. “How?” “Ever since I tasted your blood, I’ve sensed your emotions. When they’re strong.” Heat flushed across her skin. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Her temper rose. “I tried,” he answered, coloring, “but you refused to look at me, let alone have a conversation.” Even in the murk, she could see the stain on his cheeks. Is he angry or embarrassed? Her mouth went dry. Had he detected the yearning that she felt for him? “Does this always happen when you bite someone?” She demanded, wondering once again if this pull she felt towards him was a side effect of the exchange of

blood. He shook his head. “I’ve never felt or heard of a blood bond like this.” The expressiveness in his voice made Jess’s heart race, even as she recoiled at the word ‘bond’. A palpable, charged sensation hung between them. He was close … barely an arm’s length separated them. Part of her was right back in the moment he’d bitten her, ing the exquisite sensation filling her. She shook herself out of the stupid daydream. She’d only just met Rune. This pull that she felt towards him was unnatural. She had another bone to pick with him. “What happened with the vamps you glamoured to get the yew? Why have none of them risked getting it when switching places with the guard tonight was clearly a risk?” He paused a moment, then itted, “Because I never told them to get it.” “What?” She gawped at him. “It’s not safe for you outside the prison.” “I’m facing a death penalty,” she said. Her temper flared. What right had he to make that call for her? “It’s safer in here than out there where someone framed you for murder,” he argued. “Someone from the Rem Clan, judging from your memories of the white wolf.” She blinked. He had seen a lot of her inner thoughts. The only person she’d told about the white wolf was Theo. Other than Matteo, of course. The white wolf had played on her thoughts the last couple of weeks plenty. At first as the enemy who had killed her sister. Then tonight, as the doubts had festered, she’d wondered if it was as Matteo had said. What if the white wolf was the worst part of herself? The part that was responsible for her rage blackouts all of her life. What if the night she’d been arrested, it had been fully triggered and turned her into a murderer? What if I killed Caylee?

“I believe you’re innocent, Jess,” Rune said. As his words reached her, breathtaking relief washed over her, buoying her up, as if his faith alone could carry her to safety. She hadn’t realized how much she needed someone to say that. She felt herself still in the current of his eyes. The eyes she’d barely allowed herself to meet. Their ebony seemed even deeper in contrast to the whiteness of his skin, and the black of his clothes. The emotions swilling through her were similarly stark: distrust and fascination. She ed how much she’d caught him looking at her in the Rec Room tonight. Had he wanted to talk to her about this bond between them as much as he said? ittedly, besides grilling him about his use of glamour on the guards, she had invariably shut down any conversation he’d tried to start. “That doesn’t change the fact that the wolves are circling,” he warned, pulling her out of her reverie. Her lips quirked at his choice of words. “With the white wolf in your memories, the Rem Clan wanted you in here.” Again, relief lightened Jess. She wasn’t alone in believing there were others at work against her, others who were to blame for putting her in here. Rune said it with a crystal-clear conviction that steadied her completely. Why had paras from the Rem clan framed her? She felt disoriented that the vamp she’d so distrusted was now the one reassuring her of her own innocence and talking her out of the doubts that had started. “Before these sluagh came,” Rune continued, “I would’ve said only the fae seemed not to care about you. With their arrival, I’d say you’ve captured the attention of the Unseelie Queen, Mara. I don’t believe anyone but she would have enough influence to get access to a portal in a Triodia pen and her sluagh through.” Jess thought of what Astra had told her yesterday. Queen Mara was an ancient fae queen who swapped human children for Unseelie fae, so the fae could be raised on Earth to become better soldiers. She certainly didn’t like the sound of attracting her attention. She ed, too, that Mara had encouraged the Unseelie to tether sluagh, these spirits that Jess had just witnessed manifesting in

creepy, shadowy forms. She shivered. Sluagh that had come for her. Why was this ancient fae queen interested in a nobody like her? “What would the sluagh have done to me?” “I’d wager once you were unconscious, someone was due to collect you and take you through the Depths portal to Queen Mara.” “Someone in the pen?” Jess asked. “Undoubtedly. The portal would only be able to be opened from inside the pen.” Jess’s unease mounted. She wasn’t safe outside of the pen, nor was she safe in it. And this was why Rune hadn’t glamoured the guards to get the yew from Raine’s office yet. “Whoever it is won’t try anything with a guard stationed outside,” Rune said. “I won’t leave until the morning guard change.” She thought of what he was risking by posing as a guard for the rest of the night. What he’d already risked by coming to help her. She ed what the others had said about the sentence he faced. “Don’t you want to get out of here? Surely, swearing a blood oath to the Triodia isn’t your idea of a dream job?” “I think the reason Mara wants you must have something to do with your dream of the Between,” he said. Jess blinked, aware that he was being evasive, but stymied that he’d seen her dream. “In your dream, you saw a Heights portal. You’ve never seen a Heights portal, have you?” Disquiet spread through her. The fact that he had such a window into her innermost thoughts was deeply unsettling.

“I went through an Enodia portal in the water,” she answered. “I saw the Triodia portal in the Cathedral during my shifter training today. Astra told me about fae portals, the Depths and Heights tonight. I think that’s why it was on my mind.” Rune was silent for a moment. Then said, his words weighted like stones, “Your dream portrayed the Heights portal perfectly. The vortex of the night, swirling with a myriad of colors.” Jess tried to be dismissive. “I’m just processing everything. It doesn’t mean anything.” His voice thickened. “Those lights you saw in the dream are only spoken about in ancient legend. They call it seed magic. Only known to the oldest vamps and written about in ancient Triodian grimoires.” “Okay,” she murmured, unease prickling over her and making her impatient. “But just because people are interested in me, doesn’t mean I can wait around in here forever.” For my potential death sentence. “No, you can’t. I think unlocking your shifter power is key. Not to bring back your forgotten memories, but to find out why you’re dreaming about seed magic.” He added, “I don’t think it’s coincidence that you started shifter training today and dreamt about seed magic tonight.” Great. Now Rune’s pressuring me to shift. Just like Matteo. Unease roiled through her as she ed the power of the woods that had attacked her today. If Rune believed she was innocent, then what did he make of her inability to shift? Was she blocking her shifting as Matteo believed? Or was there something else at work … something to do with the scream that had been wrenched from her and haunted her dream, too? Embarrassment squirmed through her. She wanted his reassurance again but didn’t want to voice her vulnerability. She wondered if he’d already picked up on her fears. Rune cautioned, “Until we get out of here, I advise you to keep this blood bond between us.”

Jess stretched her hands out, restless. “But the others might know something–” “In all my centuries on Earth, I haven’t heard of anything like our bond or seen anything of this ancient seed magic, so the others won’t.” Jess blinked. Centuries. Plural. Like the Unseelie fae queen, Rune was centuries old. Jess bristled. However old he was, she didn’t like things being dictated to her. “I’m not keeping something as big as this sluagh attack from the others.” Rune held her stare. She wondered if he was going to argue. She silently dared him to. He’d already been heavy handed in making the decision not to get the guards to steal the yew from Raine’s office. Would he presume to make another decision for her? Finally, he said, “Fine but don’t tell them I was here. They’ll turn on me if you do.” She frowned. “What’ll I say I did to defeat the sluagh?” He placed the blade in her hand. Their fingers brushed. A flush of heat spread through her. “Say you found it somewhere.” He shrugged. “Not implausible. You’re always moving; if anyone’s going to find hidden things in here, it’s you.” Her lips quirked. He’d noticed her incapability to sit still. The habit had always been a source of irritation, something social workers and psychiatrists had tried to label and medicate as ADHD over the years. But her sense of selfconsciousness was suffused with a thrill. She felt lit up beneath his gaze. The feeling threatened to catch her up as his nearness pressed itself upon her. But she reminded herself that he’d lied about glamouring the vamp guards to get the yew for their escape, about the insight he had into her emotions and thoughts since tasting her blood, and now wanted her to lie about his involvement in helping her. What do I do?

He interrupted her musings. “When you shouted, why did you shout ‘fire’?” Jess frowned. His question was peculiarly pertinent, and she wondered whether he knew she was debating on whether she should trust him. She watched him and replied, “Because you can’t trust people to help for the sake of it. ‘Fire’ is more likely to bring someone because they want to save their own backside … or watch things burn.” Rune’s expression grew solemn. She wondered if he would comment on how cynical she was, or appeal to her that he was trustworthy, and had rescued her from the sluagh. He simply said, “I’ll be outside until morning.” He locked the cell door behind him. As the lock scraped shut, Jess forced herself to that there were many guards between them and the outside. Rune had keys from the guard whose uniform he’d borrowed, but it wasn’t feasible to sneak out unnoticed. Besides, it wasn’t safe outside the pen, either. As she settled back into bed, the conundrum of what to do tomorrow warred within her: to tell the others about Rune’s intervention or not? He’d stopped the sluagh from rendering her unconscious, and right this moment, stood outside her cell, guarding her against whoever wanted to take her through the Depths portal to Queen Mara. Jess shuddered as she thought of those eyeless shadows. Her skin crawled with the echo of their icy touch, and goosebumps rose along her arms as she pictured the way the thing’s features had shaped themselves into a human form, except for the skull-like hollows where their eyes should have been. Thoughts about the sluagh kept creeping back into her head as if amassing from the darkness. She thought of the Heights portal that she’d dreamed of, the twinkly lights like a natural counter to the restless shadows. Seed magic. That’s what Rune had called it. She wondered if he was right, and her time in the

Cathedral today had set something off in her. The memory of the trees reaching into her, their vibrations so strong she thought they would snap her until Matteo had ordered the portal shut. Whatever had been set off in in the cathedral likely had something to do with why paras had put her in here and sent sluagh after her. It was typical that in order to discover what it was they wanted from her she was going to have to do the last thing she wanted to: shift. Her thoughts gradually stilled, and she drifted into the shallows of sleep. The ripple carried her into dreams about Rune and their blood bond. His ission that he’d kept it hidden both infuriated and excited her. His hushed voice echoed through her imaginings: if anyone’s going to find hidden things in here, it’s you. She would find out what had been set off in the deepest part of her in the Cathedral. She’d find out why so many paras were interested in her. But as Jess ired the shadows at play over Rune’s jagged cheekbones and sensual lips in her dreams, she interpreted his words as another challenge, too; he was as mysterious as they came… I’m sure as hell going to work you out.

12

Not Running

Jess peeled down the neck of her jumpsuit, exposing her collarbone to reveal the sluagh burn. Astra and Theo sat on the couch opposite while Rune stood behind them. Jess had found the white mark on her wrist like a burn earlier in the day. Lea had confirmed that there were similar white finger marks scarred into her neck. Lea sat beside Jess now, enjoying the unveiling of the marks as a mere addition to the tale that she was mostly recounting to everyone. Jess had told her roommate about the attack first thing this morning. She hadn’t really had a choice; she’d been so apprehensive about her that she’d sat over her until she’d woken. Typically, Lea was lapping up the drama. Other than showing the sluagh burn, Jess had barely opened her mouth yet. Lea was more than happily recounting the attack as if she’d been conscious for it. A version without Rune. Jess had settled upon leaving him out of last night’s . Her skin prickled with awareness of him. Since he’d taken up his stance behind Astra and Theo, she’d barely looked at him. Not because she was afraid of him glamouring her anymore but because of the strange feelings that churned within her. She was too easily transported back to that moment in the cell last night, when he’d confessed that he felt her emotions. Her heart pounded as thoughts of what had ed between them consumed her. She maintained steady eye with Astra and Theo instead. Lea continued to tell the others about the sluagh hovering over her in her sleep. Her comments about the mortal peril she’d been in were clearly aimed at Rune. Jess could see the way she constantly batted her long lashes at him.

When Rune smoothly said that he was glad neither of them was hurt, Jess noticed the way Lea beamed at him. Jess imagined the way Lea would swoon if she only knew that Rune had been the one to check her over after the attack. “A scian?” Theo interrupted Lea’s . Jess met his probing gaze. “I found it hidden in my mattress when I first got here,” she answered. She’d spent most of the early hours of this morning, roving the room and deciding where she could claim to have discovered the blade that saved her. All the smooth walls and floors in the pen left little in way of hiding places. Even the toilet, with its inbuilt vacuum system, didn’t have the usual cistern in which she’d stashed things in various foster homes before. “Lucky,” Theo said, his sandy eyebrows peaking, “iron’s the only thing that could have sent them back to their master.” She knew her luck sounded far-fetched, but she had to wing it. “What’s even luckier is that I didn’t even know what it was until your description of it yesterday, Astra.” She knew this was making it sound as if she’d been calm and logical. There was no way she’d have had the presence of mind to think things through as she was describing it or connect that iron might defeat the things that had attacked, given that she hadn’t even known they were sluagh. She took a breath and added, “Of course, I didn’t even know what they were, or if the blade would work. I just had a weapon hidden and it was instinct to use it.” Theo’s perceptive eyes went to Astra. “Very lucky that such pertinent information about fae weaknesses fell Jess’s way.” A frown spread across Astra’s face. She was Unseelie. It was possible that she had something to do with the attack. Rune had said that it was certainly someone inside the pen who would have taken her through the Depths portal had the sluagh successfully rendered her unconscious. Theo was suggesting that Astra had only told her that iron was poisonous to fae, and by extension fae sluagh, because she’d known that Jess was about to be attacked, and that perhaps she’d had a change of heart and shared information that might help her. In that scenario, she’d have had to know about the scian though, which, of course, hadn’t been in Jess’s cell.

“Luckier still,” Astra said, “that whoever’s working on the inside against you, Jess, didn’t come for you.” Her eyes narrowed and strayed for the first time to Rune as she swiveled a little in the corner of the sofa. Jess swallowed the lump in her throat. He had come for her. She knew that made him a suspect, too, but he’d been the one to shatter the sluagh. She’d had the long hours of the night to think it through, and if it had only been his claim to have felt her fear through a blood bond, then she’d still be suspicious about his timely arrival. But he’d seen her dream. He’d been the one to talk about it first: the seed magic in the Night portal. And he’d known how much the doubts about the white wolf had played on her mind lately. As unsettling as the insight he had into her head was, it was something else Jess had decided she’d get to the bottom of. “I suppose once they realized the sluagh hadn’t been successful, they decided not to proceed,” Theo said. He also turned to look at Rune, who remained remarkably calm, and whose gaze didn’t waver. “Did you hear anything else throughout the night after the attack?” Theo asked. Jess shook her head. “I shouted, but no one came until the guard change in the morning.” Theo’s tone became shrewd again. “I wonder who could have glamoured the guards away from their posts?” Jess’s heartbeat accelerated rapidly, and she interrupted to try to gloss over her agitation. “Stop it. All of you. I can’t afford for you to turn on each other. I need all of you.” She fixed her gaze on each of them in turn. Rune’s black liquid gaze she caught last. The ebony of his eyes made her think of the night portal she’d dreamt of; a myriad of colors were buried in them. “Sorry, Jess,” Astra said solemnly, as if she sensed how hard this was for her. “Okay, Remi,” Theo said, a crooked smile on his face. “We’ll play nice. I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I would have ripped into those sluagh, got at their memories. Soul warfare is all part of an Enodian’s education. I’m surprised you didn’t reach out last night afterwards.” Guilt squirmed through her that she wasn’t able to confide in him but she lied. “I

tried, but you must have been in a deep sleep.” She knew from reaching out to him in the past that he didn’t need to touch the strands of her hair. His sluagh crossed the threshold of sleep and could bring her voice into his dreams. As long as he wasn’t in the deepest of sleep, he heard her. She took a breath, readying herself to explain that she needed to postpone their plan to break out, too. She’d itted to herself that something in the Cathedral had awoken a force in her that she didn’t understand. But despite the fear of it, she had to discover what it was. This time she wouldn’t run. “I want to put the brakes on getting out. Matteo thinks that if I shift successfully, the blanks from the night I was arrested will come back. I need to know what happened and who put me in here. If I find that out, then maybe I can understand why these sluagh were sent for me.” Silence settled over them. Before recounting the sluagh attack, she’d finally confessed to them all what she stood accused of. Of course, Theo had heard it from her before, in the smoky, ethereal confessional of the night. And Rune… he’d long known. The fact that he felt her doubts and fears too through the blood they shared, continued to weird her out, but at least he knew. Astra had listened attentively to what had happened the night she was put in here. Lea had lapped up the drama, but been keen to move on to recount the news of the sluagh attack. “You’ve got the most at stake, Jess,” Astra said. “If you want to postpone, it’s your call. I’ve not heard anything yet about my trial dates.” “Thank you,’ Jess said, trying but failing to smile. She knew Astra was having the hardest time out of all of them at the hands of her para officer. The fact that she was so readily agreeing to hold off on their escape meant more to Jess than she could say. She felt sure that her friend had nothing to do with the sluagh attack, ing the sober tone with which she’d talked about the sluagh and Unseelie tethering them. She intuited that Astra was as uneasy about the idea of tethering something to her soul as she was. Jess broached something she hadn’t had the chance to ask. “Why did the sluagh burn me but not Lea?” They knew the sluagh had swarmed over Lea and sent her into a deep sleep, but

otherwise she was unmarked. The same discomfort that had rested over Astra yesterday when talking about tethering darkened her expression again. “It’s because of the way sluagh in Umbra are tethered.” “Humans taken to Umbra are generally raised there, serve in the Unseelie court, and once past their usefulness are tortured to death with iron weapons,” Theo chipped in, cutting through Astra’s hesitance. Jess stared with wide-eyed horror. She ed what Astra had said about the Changeling program, in which human children were swapped at birth with Unseelie fae, so that the fae were raised here on Earth to be better soldiers. While a steady stream of human ‘servants’ went to Umbra, and upon death became sluagh. After being tortured and killed. Jess’s stomach roiled with sickness. The shadowy forms that had attacked her in the cell played on her mind in a new light. They had once been human, then tortured to death to become iron-tinged sluagh. It was barbaric. Terror of the Unseelie Court and its queen, Mara, clanged through her. “They call them iron-tinged sluagh,” Rune explained, tone grave. “Their masters keep a piece of the iron they use upon them, usually their preferred blade, and their soul remains tethered to them. It’s said that the marks the sluagh leave when they manifest here are the ghosts of the wounds they received upon death.” Jess was speechless; her fingers went to the white mark on her wrist. She felt as if she could still feel it burning. Her nausea deepened. She swallowed the bile in her throat. She realized that she knew so little about fae, partly because Astra always seemed so unwilling to speak about her world. She was starting to see why. She avoided looking at the fae, unsure of what to say about the people she came from. The sense that the para world was a darker place than she’d imagined deepened. She frowned, her gaze going to Theo. “Is the Enodian tethering process similar?” “We don’t kill those we tether if that’s what you mean,” he answered. “After all,

one of the few certainties in the human world is that everyone will die. There are plenty of tethering grounds to find sluagh; you just need to know where to look. That’s why we Enodians study Tassology, Hydromancy, and Astrology. We see where future death will come, warzones and places of natural disaster. That’s where we tether from.” Jess pushed past the turbulent feelings that climbed in her at the thought of Enodians scavenging at such places like vultures. She was determined to understand as much as she could about the para world and the different enemies circling her. “But Enodian sluagh can’t hurt or push their target into sleep like the irontinged?” Jess asked. “In their most physical manifestation, Enodian sluagh become the fire and smoke of the Between, capable of portaling us bodily through it.” He grinned, knowing she had experienced this. Jess thought about that powerful force capable of transporting you from one place to another. Theo’s pale green eyes bore into hers, and his next words drifted through her head, audible to her alone. And as you know, in their fainter form, this network of souls enables communication. Theo voiced his next words aloud, bringing them back to the topic of planning. “I’ll endure more Raine reformation temporarily. As long as we proceed with our plan in a couple of weeks’ time, I’ll make it to Enodia’s ball.” A smile inched over Jess’s face. “Thanks, Teddy.” She was surprised he hadn’t claimed that Tassology readings with Raine were as torturous as what Astra faced. Lea sighed, letting her irritation at being ignored by a particular someone be known. “My trial’s set for two weeks’ time. I’m expecting some community service, but I’ll probably be out long before the rest of you.” “I’ll tell the vamps to hold off until you want to try again,” Rune agreed. “Maybe don’t,” Theo said. “By the time they attempt it, it might be time to leave

for real.” Jess narrowed her eyes at him, and Theo held his hands up in apology. As Jess nodded in agreement to Rune, his ebony eyes locked onto hers. Her breath caught in her throat. She felt as if his eyes were a gateway to elsewhere, and once more thought of the Night portal she’d dreamt of. The strangeness that he’d seen it too shot through her. She thought of what he’d said about the seed magic and his belief that it was because of that that Queen Mara had come after her. There was so much she needed to grill him about and she found herself wishing that he had the same Enodian powers that Theo possessed so that they could speak silently. Jess realized her traitorous heart had started to gallop, and tore her gaze from Rune. Theo and Astra chatted between themselves and hadn’t noticed Jess’s gawping. But as she tried to play casually with the burn on her wrist, she grew aware of Lea’s narrowed gaze. For the rest of social, Lea watched her like a hawk.

13

Black and White

As soon as the vamp guard brought Jess into the training room, Matteo dismissed him. Matteo had already had a couple of trees portaled in. The golden archway shimmered behind him, still open so that the witch on the other side could add to or subtract from it at a sign from him—red berries for more and a branch to transport the forest back to headquarters. He hadn’t been prepared last time. Jess’s resistance was more than anything he’d anticipated; more than anything he’d seen or heard of. This time he wouldn’t underestimate the seriousness of her block and was determined to be systematic about the approach they took challenging it. Jess was already contemplating the trees behind him. She frowned. “Are you going to have more portaled in?” “In time,” he said. “I’d like to try something else first.” Her pale brows drew together again as she looked at the woods. “But there’s not as much power emanating from the woods. If I’m to shift, surely you need to bring more trees through?” “These two yews are potent with magic from the Cathedral of Silva. With practice, Jess, a twig will be enough to affect a shift.” She frowned as if trying not to argue. He knew from her file this was to be expected. It was natural for her to try to push back. She was afraid, and she’d learnt to combat the feeling with anger, and to meet what scared her with aggression. It was his job to get her to slow down, to make her aware of her reactions and help her disassemble the emotional blocks long enough to shift. Was this because of what happened last time? How

much did she fear the forest now? He turned around and bowled the berries through the portal. He pitched them a little too hard and hoped the Triodian witch on duty wasn’t too near the portal. As a few more trees were projected through, he examined Jess’s reaction. Both light and wonder flickered across her face. He felt lightened then realized why he’d given into her. He was trying to give her some joy before the grueling episode ahead. His plan didn’t seem fair, but he’d found no alternative as he theorized about her block. She should have longer to learn at her own pace and bask in the wonder of the ancient forest and its magic, but the fact that her eighteenth birthday was six weeks away meant that time was ticking. If they didn’t find answers as to what had happened the night she’d shifted, then he knew Warden Whitmore would push to have the maximum penalty wielded against her. Watching the flicker of genuine delight cross her features, though, it all seemed so … unjust. Why shouldn’t she have the kind of experience he’d had at the age of thirteen, first training at the Silva Academy in Rome? Then again, too quickly that seed of curiosity and wonder in him had been put to use, too: into claws and fangs, into training, and then into work in the para unit. “So what’s next?” she asked, the forest enlivening her tone. “Are you going to shift again?” Her eyes ran over him as if the prospect didn’t incite aggression in her. He reminded himself she was a Rem. If she really didn’t feel hostility yet, it only proved the extremity with which she was blocking her natural instincts. A flurry of unease stole through him as he searched for the charge that he should feel in close proximity to a Rem. Especially with the potent force of the original forest around them. The urge to transform that a rival clan member induced was a command. He’d been so caught up in walking her through the process last time, in talking about what she felt, that he’d not even stopped to analyze his own instincts. Only now did he the absence of enmity. The air thrummed with the power of the Cathedral, and there was a pull between them, the interconnecting energy that shifters shared, the same energy vibrating through them as that between the trees … but nothing more.

He forced himself to focus on her white hair. The color of Alba. The color of the Netherworld. The color of death. The absent enmity must be part of Jess’s block. The suppression she was exerting over all of herself. Her lips quirked. “Earth to Matteo?” He still stared at her hair like an idiot, so lost was he in searching for the strand of hostility. He shook his head. “Sorry, Jess.” He observed her ease grow beneath the canopy. Minute by minute, she relaxed like a blossom opening beneath the sun. He couldn’t help but want to foster that sense of belonging further, Rem or not. “No, I’m not shifting this time,” he answered. “I thought a different tack would be to see what effect one of your clan had–” The door opened, interrupting them. Jess whipped around. Matteo noticed her expression harden as she caught sight of Lea Remus. “Stay outside the door,” Matteo ordered the vamp guard who attended Lea. “Listen out, I’ll call if I need you.” Matteo switched his attention to Lea. “Lea, I’d like you to help us today with Jess’s shifter training.” Lea crossed her arms and loitered by the door. “I’d rather go back to scrubbing the toilet.” Tension feathered in Matteo’s jaw. “Uncooperating will be cited at your trial in two weeks.” Lea huffed but proceeded towards him, avoiding Jess’s eye. Matteo stood between the two Rems. Their fair hair was identical. Otherwise, Jess was significantly taller than Lea. He ired her statuesque figure, imagining her imposing animal form. Generally, the taller and more stately one’s human form was, the more striking their wolfish one was. “Lea, I want you to stand on the far left of the Cathedral, and you, Jess, on the

far right. Lea’s going to start her shift slowly, and Jess, as you did with me, try to follow the call of the trees. Okay?” Both Rems nodded. Their eyes locked on one another’s. The tension between them was evident. Matteo hesitated. He knew they shared a cell. He’d assumed as clan training together would be okay. He should have checked on the dynamic between them. He mentally kicked himself. But he’d spent the last few days theorizing that part of Jess’s fear of shifting came from her fear of the white wolf from the night she was arrested. And … what she’d done in that wolf form. She needed to confront that fear. Lea was the only other juvie Rem in the pen. Faced by a very real flesh and blood Rem, Jess’s anger might be provoked enough to induce a shift. Perhaps the fact that they weren’t exactly friendly would work in favor of accomplishing it, too. After all, according to her case file, all the times that she’d got so angry that she’d blacked out were when she’d felt threatened. And, if this worked, he wouldn’t have to try the next method. He realized how much he wanted this to work. By Silva, please don’t make me have to try the alternative. Matteo watched them take up their positions. He stepped back from beneath the canopy, leaving the network of thrumming energy to nurture the Rems alone. Looking between them, he announced sternly, “Only shifting, no engagement. Understand?” Jess nodded, but as Matteo looked to Lea, there was no agreement. Instead, she shifted. No circling. No time for Jess to feel and allow the rhythm of the trees’ energy to build. It was as if Lea couldn’t wait to shed her human form, discarding her body as easily as a glove. In its place was her wolfish form, ghostly in its blurred outline at first, then as solid as the two yews nearby. Its claws ground down into the earth as its body tensed, its shoulders opening up, as if squaring up towards its prey.

Matteo’s heart thumped into overdrive. He scowled at the shimmering snowy wolf, fury pumping through him that she hadn’t obeyed his instructions. Shit. Jess froze. She’d fallen out of even trying to transform. She stared at Lea. Where Lea had found the key of the trees, Jess had lost it entirely. She didn’t seem to realize that the roots, the towering trunks and branches above, were all reaching out to unlock her power, too, if she only gave herself to them. Her blue eyes were huge as she stared at the white wolf opposite her. Was it the suddenness of it, or had Lea’s wolfish form conjured something in her memories? Did she see a reflection of herself in the white wolf opposite her? Was that why her milky complexion had paled? Pure rage rippled through Lea’s animal form. Her ears flattened, and her flews drew back from her sharp teeth. She let out a snarl. Matteo lunged beneath the canopy, the trees’ energy reaching for him. It was as if it stripped away his flesh, and he became a blurred, black shadow. He leapt over the ground, powerful and purposeful. His teeth and claws honed on the target of white streaking past him. Everything within him wanted to go in for the kill, but he focused on reining in the desire for blood. Even after years of training, he found it brutal to curb the roar in him. But Matteo lunged and pinned the Rem down by her shoulders, before seizing the scruff of her neck like a pup. He hauled her out from beneath the canopy of trees. Shifting shadows streamed over Matteo and Lea. As her bulk became too much, he altered his hold on her; the trees re-furnished him with arms and he restrained her. “This’ll be cited at your trial,” he growled at the Rem as he marched her to the door. Lea laughed. Her head whipped back in Jess’s direction. “Worth it to see the look on your face, Mutt!” Matteo’s hold tightened on her, making her hiss. He shoved her out the door and into the arms of the waiting vamp.

He strode back across the training room, exhaling the tension in his chest. Blood pounded through his temples, and all his muscles ached as usual after such a swift shift. Jess was rigid. More or less where she’d frozen when Lea transformed. Except now she’d curled her palms into fists. He brooded on her defensive stance as he approached. That was meant to be the easier method. He stepped tentatively beneath the canopy, approaching her slowly. “Are you all right?” “It takes more than Lea to get under my skin,” Jess commented with an unconvincing shrug. Matteo frowned. “I’d never have had her in here if I’d known there was such … bad blood between you.” A wry smile spread across her face. “I’m a Rem. Isn’t bad blood all there is?” He forced himself to ask, “Did she trigger anything from the night you were arrested?” She shook her head. “Nothing concrete. Just the memory of the white wolf running by the lake ahead of me.” He frowned. She was still sticking firmly to her delusion. The white wolf, which had lunged at her foster sister, mere meters from her. Close enough that when Jess woke up, she’d found the body in the dark. Never mind the fact that she’d had blood on her face, neck, and T-shirt. He’d read the report enough to know it inside out. He changed the subject. “Does she call you things like that often?” “Only recently.” She had another dry smile on her face. “My human heritage has only become a thorn to her over the last few days.” Matteo knew all too well that many shifters were prejudiced about shifter and

human couplings. The Rom Clan were more tolerant of such pairings, but they still weren’t common. In the Rem Clan, it was almost unheard of. He ed how Raine had cautioned him about his personal views impairing his judgement with Jess’s case. He knew he was about to muddy the waters … but as he watched the bitterness souring her, he didn’t care. “My mom’s a shifter and my father’s human,” Matteo confided. “My three brothers are all human.” Her hard smile fell away and her expression opened. Matteo couldn’t help but think how human she was. Lost. So out of her depth and becoming so quickly acquainted with the darker side of the para world. Jess hesitated, then asked, “Do you think my part human heritage is why I was abandoned?” Since studying her file, he’d thought long and hard about how a half Rem could end up in the States with no knowledge of her heritage. He wanted to lie, to save her from the harsh reality, but answered honestly. “I think it’s likely your mother was a Rem. Any shifter pairing with a human would have known that their offspring was unlikely to inherit the shifter trait and might have abandoned their offspring.” Jess’s eyes darkened, but her voice was steady. “I better get to proving her wrong then, hadn’t I?” Matteo smiled. They had about another half hour of the portal remaining open. It should be just enough time to try the other method he had in mind. But it wouldn’t work if she had forewarning of it. “We’re going to try some sparring beneath the Cathedral,” he started casually. “Sparring?” Jess’s tone was doubtful. He retrieved two long poles from the edge of the room. She eyed the weapons. “These are gae, Umbran spears. Ordinarily, they have iron blades atop, but these are training ones,” Matteo explained.

“Do all paras learn to spar with iron?” Jess asked. She stared at the weapons in his hands with distaste. “Witches and mages are schooled in wielding iron. Their preferred weapon is a dagger, a scian. It works well, paired with their ability to portal and use stealth to sneak up on their enemies.” He chucked her one of the wooden poles. She caught it, mirroring how he held the spear midway up with both hands. “And in Umbra, the fae land, from where these iron weapons are made, they learn to wield all manner of weapons against their rival court.” Again, her expression darkened, and he got the distinct sense that she’d unfortunately heard tell of the uses that the Unseelie fae put their iron to. Matteo stepped farther back beneath the Cathedral of trees, only stopping when Jess was ensconced beneath the canopy, too. He positioned his feet apart, readying himself into a fighting stance. Jess’s quick eyes took in his change in position and copied him. “Shifters don’t learn to spar with weaponry unless they a para unit,” he went on. “Then they have recourse to fight other paras and encounter limitations upon their shifting ability with wards. Our wolf form would always be the first weapon of choice, though, far more effective in any fight.” She looked at him quizzically, as if to ask why he was showing her how to spar then. “With how ineffective your attempts at shifting have been, there might as well be wards ,” he answered. She frowned. Her grip on the spear tightened. He gripped the spear tighter, too, then struck at her. She answered, throwing her weight behind her weapon as they collided. Her pale eyes were set again, anger clouding them.

His lack of explanation and his words clearly needled her. “Good,” he affirmed. He swept his pole around and landed a hit on her side. Jess stumbled before finding her footing and bearing her spear across her defensively. “Come on,” he teased. “Where’s the hockey player? I want to see some of the moves that you thrashed the other side with last year.” He smirked as he referred to the classmate she’d hospitalized on the playing field, that had yet again resulted in her being shunted to a new school, home, and life. Shock sparked in Jess’s eyes before she lunged at him, swinging the spear at his torso. He met the clash, only to block another one as she struck again. She rained down strike after strike upon him. Each one he blocked easily, increasing her frustration as she failed to land a single blow. The thrum of her anger quickly became palpable. It seemed to feed off of the energy in the trees. Jess had forced down her anger whenever others were around, except when she felt threatened. Her violent incidents over the years showed that when cornered, her primal instinct took over. Matteo had spent so long with her file that he could picture the scared girl beneath the steely façade in front of him. At fourteen, two boys had tried to rob her, and she’d beaten them up. At fifteen some girls had incessantly teased her about her hair, name calling and eventually spitting gum into it; they’d ended up with chunks of their own ripped out. If he got her riled enough, would her anger reach a pitch beneath the Cathedral that she would be catapulted into a rage and finally, a shift? She circled him now, and he allowed her to catch her breath a little. Her cheeks were flushed, her neck pink. Her ambery scent washed over him. He needed to bait her more. He needed his next taunt to get under her skin, as she’d put it earlier. Lea’s jibe hadn’t been enough because it was about the para world, too new to Jess to be relevant. It was the older wounds that Matteo had to open up. He thought of the occasions

where she’d attacked foster siblings for stealing her pencils or damaging her drawings. His stomach somersaulted as he felt a pang for her again as he pictured what he’d read in the file. Most of her artworks were created from discarded and broken things. It was such a heartfelt plea by someone lost and broken to be found and healed. He was getting distracted. He focused on what needed to be done. There was a deeper hurt festering in her, evident from the foster siblings she’d attacked. Those who had unwisely rubbed their luck in—their reunions with parents or their fortune in being adopted. Matteo struck with the spear, and Jess countered the blow. They met time and time again, each blow filling them both with adrenaline. Matteo felt the prickling power raising the hairs on his arms and knew her skin was singing with the same charge. Her rich, warm resiny scent rolled over him. He listened to her thumping heart and struck out with his final barb. “Your blackouts are walls, Jess. Walls you’re hiding behind. You know what happened last time. It wouldn’t be the first time you’ve been jealous of your foster siblings’ luck, would it? What about Anabelle, Kyle, and Quinn?” The flicker of knowing sparked in Jess’s eyes. She was clearly thrown as she ed the foster siblings that she’d attacked in a jealous rage. All those incidents that had been detailed in her file, and that he now used against her to bring out the pain she kept at bay. She struck out at him, again and again, an onslaught of blows, as if desperate to stop him from saying anything else. Matteo could hear the thrum of her pulse as she was pushed to the breaking point. “It was the same this time, wasn’t it? You were jealous. Colleen and Barbara were going to adopt Caylee, weren’t they? So you killed her.” He could see the secret pain rising in the way it brought the blood rushing to her cheeks, in the way it made her expression vicious and her body rigid; she struggled to hold it together. The statement needled its way under her skin. The idea grew within her like a seed. Doubts and fears festered, sprouting and forcing the fury in her body to connect with the trees’ energy, a tempest brewing

both around and within her. She hadn’t used the key of the trees to shift willingly, but he could see his words pushed her into their transformative power. Like last time, Jess dropped to the ground, pulled into the forest’s current. Matteo took the chance and pitched through more berries. The grove grew out around them, the Cathedral of trees spreading upwards to form natural vaulted halls, flooding the huge room with golden light and power. The shadows of trees swarmed over Jess. He watched them mark her body with their silhouettes. Matteo offered a silent prayer to Silva. Let it work. Come on, Jess, shift. Yet once more, Jess pitched in the dirt. Her body became rigid and convulsed. The shadows shifting across her body were the only change occurring. Once more, as Jess screwed up her eyes as if in grave pain, a raw scream flew up into the canopied Cathedral like a great flock of shrieking birds. The piercing cry curdled Matteo’s blood. Any thought of putting her through more vanished. He hurled a branch through the archway. Then another. The forest retreated, leaving both the hall and Matteo’s chest as empty as a fallow field.

14

Soulless

Jess felt washed out after her shifter training today; could you call it such if you continually failed at it? She barely had the energy to drag herself to social, and as soon as she got to the Rec Room, she collapsed in the sofa by the window. “I’m sure it wasn’t all bad. Come on, at least there was Geometry,” Astra said, waggling her eyebrows. Her allusion to Matteo was the last thing Jess wanted. After throwing Atsra a black look, the fae wisely left her to stew. Lea took Jess’s obvious dejection as a personal triumph and hadn’t stopped smirking since they’d been locked in their cell. In truth, Jess hadn’t really thought about Lea’s attempt to maul her in the Cathedral. As soon as Lea had been let in, it had been obvious that she’d try something. A few days ago, after Jess’s agitation around Rune, Lea had quizzed her about what was going on. Of course, Jess had claimed there was nothing going on. But thanks to Lea’s preternatural senses she’d known she was lying to her. Besides Jess’s own overreactions around Rune, he had been noticeably distracted by her too. Something Lea was embittered about. She’d given him the cold shoulder the last couple of days, noticing that he was more engaged in looking at Jess than in listening to her. With trepidation, Jess had finally claimed a seat by the vamp in social yesterday. They’d had their first proper chat, a stilted one, full of code. They’d managed to talk about Queen Mara, the likelihood that someone in the Rem Clan had framed Jess, and the topic of her shifter training. This last subject had been used to allude to the seed magic. Rune had pressed his point that he believed that it was Jess’s self-belief, a nurturing of light-ness, that would allow her to shift. Jess’s heart skipped once more when Rune entered the Rec Room. The vamp made a beeline for her. Astra started to practice her wing yoga, screening off the main area where the others were seated. Jess wondered if her friend was

deliberately giving her and Rune some privacy. The semblance of it, anyway. Just like yesterday, Jess was acutely aware that the others could hear everything they said. After Rune had left yesterday, Astra had commented on Rune’s new intense look. The fae said that the way he had looked at Jess was the look most people reserved for chocolate bars. Her comment had again thrown Jess’s feelings into disarray. Was it possible that Rune felt the same pull of attraction that Jess felt towards him? When she’d asked him in the cell the night of the attack if he didn’t want out of the pen, he’d evaded answering. He’d commented that the seed magic was likely the reason Queen Mara had come after her. But he’d held off glamouring the guards from getting the yew from Raine’s office because of the danger outside the pen for Jess. The question was, why did he care? Jess heard Theo chatting away to Lea in the playful, flirty way that came so naturally to him. At least Lea was occupied. She imagined the girl once more trying to pick a fight. A prickle of anger threaded through her. The thought of her standing frozen in place as Lea wolfed out made her fume. Her own ineffectiveness made her enraged. Her cheeks grew hot as she thought of Matteo’s description of her efforts. As Rune took the seat beside her, part of her wanted to turn to him and have the allure that his pitch-black eyes brought her. But Jess’s feelings were too knotted from everything today, and she wasn’t ready to abandon her anger, for whatever messed up feelings were going on with her and Rune. She stared sullenly out the window instead. She’d anticipated the advent of training today as a fresh start, after the seed magic appeared in her dream. Rune’s certainty that something had been awoken in her dream and that it would help unlock her shifter abilities had buoyed her up. Jess felt the prickle of frustration towards him grow. What were the pearls that he’d offered in her cell after the sluagh attack? I think unlocking your shifter power is key … to find out why you’re dreaming about seed magic. The seed magic Rune was so obsessed by hadn’t appeared. Neither in dreams, nor in the Cathedral. Instead, the faceless shadows seemed to be hogging Jess’s

dream time since the iron-tinged sluagh attack. When the trees had been portaled through in the Cathedral today, the golden light had seemed so similar to the light of the seed magic that Jess had actually let herself believe that it could work. She’d felt as if the natural avenues, thrumming with earthen energy, could transform her. It smarted as she itted what pissed her off. She’d had faith. She’d … hoped. What an idiot. As if shedding her skin could somehow solve her problems. Could somehow change who she was. “I understand you’re disappointed,” Rune broached. Her cheeks heated. He could feel the chaos of her emotions through their bond. It riled her that he had such a window into her innermost landscape. “You can’t,” Jess snapped. She felt nettled by his presumption. He felt her emotions because of this fricking blood bond, but that didn’t mean he understood. Clearly, he understood her feelings about as much as he understood the seed magic. “Just because you didn’t shift this time, doesn’t mean you won’t next time,” he urged. Jess crossed her arms and ground her jaw, his assurance only succeeding in irritating her more. Rune felt her emotions, but not what caused them. He couldn’t read her mind or see her memories. The only time he’d seen something was her dream of the seed magic. He thought that the frustration and anger rippling from her in waves was due to her failure to shift today, and the fact that the seed magic hadn’t appeared. And it was … but only in part. The rest of her despondency was about Matteo. He’d confided personal things to her about him. He’d owned that he was half human, that he had a human father and brothers. She realized she’d felt as if he understood her, and because of that she’d felt safe with him. Like being on safe ground for the first time in her life.

Fort Matteo. Stupid. She’d mistaken him for … a friend. She’d lowered her guard, only to have him lash out. Not with the stupid fae spears, but with his emotional barbs. He’d thrown the worst things she’d ever done at her. The times she’d attacked foster siblings out of jealousy. Jess must have been about seven when she’d lived with Anabelle. The girl had kept drawing her own stupid happy family; the mom she was soon to be reunited with. She’d relished rendering it and shoving it in Jess’s face. In a blind rage, Jess stabbed a pencil through Anabelle’s hand. And Kyle? What a piece of work. He’d been the oldest in one of her foster homes. The caregivers there held him up as a model for all of the younger kids. Turned out, they were his scapegoats. His wrongdoings—nicking stuff, breaking things, and landing blows—the younger ones took the blame for. He’d tried to get Jess to heel. She ed him holding her down. She’d bitten the golden boy, breaking his stupid nose during the rage blackout that followed. As for Quinn? Jess was an inconvenience to the girl when she’d moved into the Robertsons’ home. But Quinn hadn’t liked to get her hands dirty and had spread rumors about Jess’s violent outbursts at school instead. She’d let the bullies taunt her and push her around. On hearing that Quinn was to be adopted by the Robertsons, Jess had lost it. She swallowed the lump in her throat. When she’d come out of her rage blackout, she’d found Quinn’s dark hair in her fist, complete with clumps of scalp. These memories had roared through Jess as Matteo bombarded her. The final straw had been the one about killing Caylee. It had succeeded in catapulting her into an explosive rage. She’d hit out without even seeing Matteo. She didn’t the last of their sparring or her attempt at shifting. When she’d come to, Matteo had filled in the blanks. About her convulsions, and her violent scream. Not that she’d needed telling. Her throat felt like sandpaper. She had wondered if her inability to follow through with the shift was in some way related to her rage blackouts. Yet Matteo had catapulted her into one, pressing on exactly the right buttons, and still she hadn’t shifted.

“Did you see or feel anything?” Rune murmured, interrupting her train of thought. She knew what he meant. The seed magic. Although their conversation yesterday had been vague and cryptic, it was clear that that was forefront on his mind. He wanted to know if the seed magic had appeared at all. She felt smothered by his obsession. It occurred to her that if Astra had noticed him looking at her intensely, it wasn’t because of any attraction for her; it was because of the seed magic in her dream. She clenched her fists and turned to him. “No. Okay? After everything you said, there was nothing.” Her temper ebbed and her voice dropped. “Why are you so obsessed by lightness anyway?” She bit out, keeping to his stupid code. “They’re in the ancient stories about how we vamps came to be.” His voice grew hushed. “I think you’re key to discovering more about this magic that disappeared so long ago.” Jess ed what Astra had told her about how the first vamp had been stitched together from sluagh. Soulless, she ed the fae saying. Rune’s intoxicating gaze clasped hers and her pulse quickened. Why did it feel as if magic were possible when she looked into his eyes? Memory stole through her. From when she’d blacked out. From trying to shift. The feeling of the trees reaching into her, of them trying to scale her, of their roots digging into her… That feeling of confinement came back to her. She ed how the trees had sought to find ground within her … and failed. As she stared into Rune’s eyes, she knew it was the universe inside his eyes that had triggered the memory. It was the space she wanted. The space she craved. The fathomless depths she saw reflected in them. The space she knew the forest sought and found her lacking in. The unnerving sense that she was on the cusp of something made the hairs on her arms stand on end. She shook her head. Jess reminded herself he didn’t mean that she was key. His belief wasn’t in her. She knew the fervor in his eyes was for the seed magic. His obsession was about the seed magic. Not her.

She’d trusted Matteo without even realizing it. More than that, she’d felt like he was guiding her towards something new, something fresh in the Cathedral, helping her become something else, the something more that she’d been waiting for her whole life. Jess realized she had similarly bought into the belief that Rune had in the seed magic. How had she let herself believe that there could be more in here? She’d long known that there wasn’t a cure for her rage blackouts. Why had she fallen into believing that there could be light in the darkness? She took a breath, fighting to loosen the knots in her stomach. She didn’t care now if the others overheard. She needed to know something. As uncomfortable as she was at the idea Rune could feel what she did, she hadn’t yet broached the other disquiet she felt concerning the blood bond between them. “You feel what I feel, but … why don’t I feel what you feel?” He was silent for a moment, then he said, “I know the others told you how we vamps came from sluagh. That we’re soulless. That’s the reason. There’s nothing inside of me to feel. Other than hunger for blood, other than our appetite, we vamps are empty.” A chill crawled down her spine, even as the universe in his eyes belied his words. A flush stole across her cheeks as she ed the storm of emotion that had struck her when Rune drank her blood, and had only succeeded in growing the more time she spent around him. He was saying, other than craving her blood as much as any other vamp would, he didn’t feel anything. She thought of the attraction she fell into whenever he was near; something she could feel lapping at her now. He said that he felt none of that. And yet Astra’s comment about his intense look suggested otherwise. She clarified, “It’s because of the lights then, isn’t it? What you feel for me, you feel for the lights.” “Even for someone like me, whose centuries old, I can’t explain what’s happening.” His voice was so low that, infuriatingly, she had to lean closer to him. “But yes, I want to know more about the lights.” The knot in her stomach intensified. She nodded, letting what she already knew sink in. She’d allowed Rune to convince her too easily to think of this seed magic that had appeared once in her dream as the solution to solving her problems. She realized that just as she’d felt safe with Matteo, she’d let the

allure that she felt around Rune persuade her to share his faith. Hollowness rippled through her. It wasn’t that she wanted this blood bond to be reciprocal but when he’d assured her that he believed she was innocent of murder in her cell, she’d felt a little less alone. Now that he’d told her he was incapable of feeling anything for her, she felt washed out. Just as Matteo’s true voicing of what he thought of her stung. Jess stood up. She reminded herself that this was the way things had always been. She didn’t need anyone. She didn’t need Matteo to like her. And she certainly didn’t need a blood bond with a vamp. She didn’t get close to people. Jess loosed a breath, avoiding Rune’s gaze. “I need some space. I need to think.” She went to the far side of the room, eased herself down the wall, and counted down the minutes until recreation was over.

15

Smoke Signals

Cold sweat streamed down Jess’s back as she jolted awake. One of her fists was clenched around her blanket. Her hand spasmed. The image of what she’d held in her dream skittered across her mind: A white wolf pelt… It had been dripping globules of blood … fresh. Not again. She’d had a similar nightmare yesterday. Jess felt nauseated as the wolf coat she pictured morphed into dark hair. Quinn’s long, blood-covered locks, with clumps of flesh dangling from them. Okay, so much for sleeping. Worries about her next shifter training tomorrow were definitely looming large in her thoughts. Or was it today? How much of the night had ed? She ran her sleeve over her damp forehead. No doubt Rune would have felt her fear. Jess shuffled back in bed, exasperated by her one-track mind. She hadn’t been awake longer than a minute, and there he was, back in her head. The thought of him pulled her against her will. His pale face like the moon and she the ocean. She felt as if her mind were constantly sketching him. Too often he seemed to adorn her thoughts, his jagged cheekbones and bruised eyes constantly rippling through her head. How easy it would be to give into them, to close her eyes, and

fall into more pleasurable imaginings. Nope. She refused to give any more thought to him. She had to get over her fixation. She knew the only way to do that would be to go cold turkey. Hard to do when he’d made a beeline for her again this evening at social, wanting to know about the dream she’d had yesterday. As if it were socially acceptable to be seeing into her mind in the way he was. He’d tried to talk about the lights yet again, too. She’d shut him down. She refused to let him persuade her again. He’d convinced her last time that the seed magic would show her the way to go with regard to her shifting power. Jess wouldn’t trust herself not to buy into his belief in it if she let him talk. But that wasn’t the reason she felt so … bruised, was it? He’d itted that he didn’t feel anything for her when she was cursed with this attraction towards him. She’d felt the ache grow over the last couple of days in a way she couldn’t explain. Why did she even care? She’d never felt like this before. She’d tried to remind herself that she’d only just met Rune, that they’d barely spoken, that she knew nothing about him, that he was a vamp, that he was hundreds of years old. She reminded herself too that what she felt towards him was unnatural. This bond had been caused when he drank her blood. Certainly, it had something to do with the exchange of blood. Since then Rune said he’d been able to feel her emotions. Yet, she even found herself railing against this argument. After all, what was attraction but a chemical reaction? Endorphins and dopamine released in the body to make you feel a certain way. She argued with herself that the various medications she’d been on to manage her rage blackouts had transmitted similar chemicals through her. If what she felt for Rune was brought about by magic instead of science, why did that make it any less real? But no rational argument could change the fact that he didn’t feel. All he felt for her was bloodlust. Nothing more. The worst thing was he couldn’t even be blamed for feeling nothing else. He was incapable of it. Soulless. Talk about falling for an unemotionally available guy. She gritted her teeth, pummeling her lumpy synthetic pillow, infuriated that she’d let her thoughts slip to him again. She thought back to the white wolf pelt she’d dreamt of. All she ed was the fur, slick with warm blood in her

grasp. What does it mean? Goosebumps prickled down her arms as she felt the sense grow that it symbolized the external block preventing her shifting power, even if Matteo said that it was her. She felt as if Quinn’s long locks that she’d dreamt of in her hand, morphing into a wolf pelt tonight, hardly boded good things about tomorrow’s shifter training. Worry sluiced through her. She didn’t want to go through that sense of the trees attacking her again in the Cathedral, but this creeping dread grew … what if it was worse this time? She didn’t know what to do about it. That sense that there wasn’t enough space in her for the trees to work their transformation took over once more. It merged with the cold walls of the penitentiary around her, and she felt the weight of it all pressing in on her. She’d considered trying to talk to Astra in social about her growing concern but didn’t know where to begin. As for Theo, he had his hands full entertaining Lea. The girl had taken to flicking her glossy hair when in his presence rather than Rune’s. Jess hadn’t been in the mood to deal with the backlash that interrupting them would have gotten her. A pang twisted through her at the thought of both Astra and Theo. She felt cut off from them. But it was best, wasn’t it? She didn’t get close to people. Doubt crept through her mind like smoke. It was only after Rune had told her to keep the blood bond they shared secret from the others that she’d withdrawn from them. A chill crept through her. What if he’d meant to cut her off from them by asking her to keep their blood bond secret? As her fingers crept into her pocket, she felt like she was retaliating against Rune. The hot brush of anger made her feel more like herself. She would get answers. She would find another way of working out what was going on. Teddy? You awake? she asked within. The hairs on her forearms shot up as his presence palpitated in her head. Insomnia, Remi?

Her skin tingled along the back of her arms like a caress. She’d forgotten how intimate this was. There was more meaning in his tone than a simple question about the late hour of this call. He must be ing how beat she looked earlier. For once she wished as Lea constantly did that they had make-up in here. She could have concealed the dark circles under her eyes that proclaimed to all of them that she wasn’t sleeping. Hardly surprising, given that first the memories of the irontinged sluagh had caused her nightmares, and now worries about impending shifter training meant that she basically was an insomniac. Yeah, she itted. Shifter nightmares, I think. It was about Lea mauling you, wasn’t it? A smile crept across her face. He’d obviously heard about Lea’s attempt to bite her face off in shifter training. By Alba, you got it in one. He laughed. She relaxed, slouching up against the wall. It felt good to joke about it. She couldn’t the last time she’d smiled. I’m not the only one in danger of Lea drool, Jess ribbed him. Theo laughed. She’s easy on the eye. And I kinda got the impression you and Rune would appreciate her being distracted. Jess’s feelings churned at the thought of the vamp, and she regretted bringing up the topic of Theo being a flirt. Don’t sweat it, Remi. You don’t need to spill the beans about whatever’s going on with you two. He paused. Want to talk about your dream? She felt the knot in her chest loosen as he offered. It’s difficult to explain. I know something’s wrong when I try to shift. Matteo thinks it’s me blocking it but it’s not. When the trees’ energy reaches into me, it’s like there’s not enough space for it. I could have a look, he suggested. When you’re at the point of shifting, you could reach out to me. I could see what my sluagh can sense?

Jess thought about the network of sluagh that allowed their communication. The idea of the restless dead tethered to Theo’s soul, reaching out and examining what was going on in her deepest, darkest, most screwed-up region didn’t exactly appeal. She hesitated. Why would you want to play para shrink to me? He chuckled. Most people, even young Enodian witches and mages, recoil at the darker side of our magic. What I’ve sensed down the connection between us, from the beginning, is how open you are to the sluagh. He paused. You interest me, Remi. Apprehension prickled through her. Why was it that wherever she went she was an interesting case study? She thought about what Matteo had told her about the legend concerning Enodians resurrecting Remus. Don’t all Rems have an affinity with the Night and Netherworld? Jess asked. I heard that Remus was resurrected from the dead, and that since then all Rems have an affinity with the Night and Netherworld. Sure, but the force is strong with this one, he joked. Jess shook her head, an incorrigible smile spreading over her face. Theo hadn’t struck her as a Star Wars dork, and it was kind of … cute. It’s usually after lunch, around one thirty, she informed him. Her stomach roiled as she thought of seeing Matteo for the first time since he’d told her what he truly thought of her. I’ll be on pen duties, so that’s perfect. Tomorrow was Matteo’s extra weekly visit, so it didn’t clash with Theo seeing Raine. Jess’s anticipation about tomorrow deepened, but with another method to examine what was going on, she felt a return of focus. Rune had side-tracked her with his intense certainty that the twinkly lights were the key to unlocking her shifter power. But it was good to there were always other ways. At the thought of the network of smoky sluagh examining her, a prickle of anxiety crept along her skin. She couldn’t help thinking back to the shadowy manifestations that had invaded this cell a few nights ago. The way the darkness

had molded their features, except for their eyeless hollows. She shuddered as she pictured their delayed responses to her screams and their shambling movements. Although they had the semblance of life, it was clear that they were only mimicking it. She pictured Theo’s sluagh that were only perceptible by the scent and feel of smoke in her and wondered if they were equally disturbing if they delved deeper. She wondered as she had when she gave Theo her hair, whether she was being stupid by agreeing to have Theo’s sluagh look into her in this way. You’re sure your sluagh can’t hurt me like the iron-tinged ones? she asked, sharing something of her concerns. His voice sparkled through the darkness. Don’t sweat it, Remi. My sluagh are of the psychological world, not the material. Okay. Her heart sped up as she agreed to the examination. By the way, don’t tell Rune about it. He chuckled. He does seem like the jealous type. She scowled. If he was, it wasn’t her he was jealous of; it was anyone getting close to his precious lights. Just promise me. Cross my heart and hope to die, Theo quipped. The weight in her chest eased slightly. Thanks, Teddy. Don’t let the vampires bite. She heard the smile in his voice as the smoke faded away. She wondered how much he intuited about what was going on between her and Rune. Hell, at this point, she wouldn’t be surprised if he knew more than she did. Maybe he could tell her tomorrow after he’d delved deep into her soul.

16

Nests

Ablack wolf slunk from the shadows towards the Accademia Bridge. The timber of the structure thrummed with earthen energy and seemed to call to it. The wolf pricked his ears, and his tongue tasted the air for danger. It had been a risk coming through the streets of Venice like this. Not for the revelers, his sensitive hearing and smell enabled him to avoid them, but Matteo’s pine-scented fur would be distinguishable as a Rom’s. It was said to be the scent of Silva that gave Roms their coats, the aroma wafting from them as if they’d just run through a forest. Not a favorable fragrance to have in Rem country. Its ebony color might allow him to blend with the night, but its aroma was dangerous. It was a trade-off for speed, though. He had to be back by three AM for the portal to Rome. The portal here was on the outskirts of the city as although the Triodia technically had jurisdiction over Venice, there were too many Enodians, Rems, and vamps to make it safe for them to have a branch within the city itself. It felt alien to be stalking through the shadows of Rem territory and trusting in his ebony coat alone to conceal him. Yet, knock on wood—he sniffed the scent of the timber bridge—it had got him this far. But now, he had no choice but to shift. Even in the dead of night, central Venice was too popular. In the gloom of an alleyway, fur became flesh, and a man in black strode into the Dorsoduro district. For many years, the artsy area had hosted many bacari, quirky watering holes, popular with artists and students. A number of paras had set up shop here, too. The glamour cast over the buildings ensured that they went unnoticed by humans. He byed The Golden Bough, more popular with shifters and sure to be full of Rems, and made for Incanto. The sign was illuminated in an unearthly glow. Smoke and fire cascaded over the winged skull on the sign—the wings symbolizing Lady Night, the skull, Lord Netherworld. The bar was owned by an Enodian, and since The Golden Bough was so close, he hoped it would be empty

of shifters. Technically speaking, there was no law that prevented a Rom from visiting Venice, but that was just it. Venice was lawless. The playground of Rems, Enodians, and vamps. Luckily, para bars were sacrosanct, places that all paras could meet for business. If there were Rems inside, he wouldn’t have to worry immediately. Only when the time came to leave. Matteo pushed the door open, the sickly sweet scent of beer and sourness of wine hit him. His senses were heightened after being in wolf form. Even the undertone of sweat … and blood were discernible. He took in the quietness of the place. Only one booth was occupied by a couple. He breathed an internal sigh of relief: a witch and a mage. He licked his lips, a residual habit from being in wolf form, and tasted the incense-like aroma their tethered sluagh gave off. Enodians. At the bar, there were two patrons. As he sidled up and ordered a beer, he noticed that these two customers were precisely the paras he’d hoped to find: vamps. He’d been at home in Naples when he’d heard about the raids on the vamp nests. A whole network of nests had been destroyed in Rem territory earlier tonight: Bologna, Milan, and here in Venice. By none other than a para squad under Raine Whitmore. He’d asked for a few favors from friends in Rome to get him portaled to Venice. Matteo had known that Raine was anti-vamp, but to destroy nests in these locations was taking out some of their major strongholds. The estimated number of scourge that were destroyed was in the hundreds. The exterminating of such a number was significant in itself. But it was more about the location of these destroyed nests. Because these vamps should have been safe. All these cities were in Rem territory. Only a Rem could have leaked the location of them to Raine. It begged the question: What had Raine done for the Rem Clan to warrant such information and garner such a personal victory? As soon as he’d heard the news, he’d known the answer in his gut.

Jess. Matteo’s world crumbled. How long had he studied all the facts in her file but failed to listen to what she said? Bitterness for how prejudiced he was roiled through him. To think that he’d actually congratulated himself on his own openmindedness for working with her, a Rem who had committed murder. He’d prided himself that he had the forbearance to work with a rival, and selfrighteously thought that there might be something redeemable in her if he could get her to face up to what she’d done. But… Jess was innocent. Raine had made a deal with the Rem Clan for information on the scourge in return for incarcerating Jess in the Naples facility. Determination to prove it spurred him to come to one of the cities and find proof. He steadied himself, focusing on his surroundings. Matteo paid the witch behind the bar and took a sip of his pint before looking down the bar at the vamps. Both vamps sipped on glasses of red. Para bars were licensed to serve animal blood to vamps. Matteo’s stomach turned; in Venice, he didn’t think it improbable the laws were twisted. The vamps’ faces were ruddy and plump. More than that gained from drinking the occasional glass of illegally enhanced red. Could Matteo have got lucky and come across nest material straight away? The vamps who were part of a nest had connections in the human world that made them useful, enabling the vamp at the heart of the nest to extend their power and wealth. In turn, each nest was well-fed and blended into human society. Inevitably, the vamp at the center of the operation was generally discovered to be a century or so old. A rarity among vamps, as driven by their bloodlust, they rarely survived more than a few decades. Or if they did, they only did so by their bondage to the Triodia, the command of the coven curbing their reckless nature. It was why it was so hard for the Triodia to discover nests, with the unusually calm control that the few successful vamps seemed to cultivate with age. The most successful couldn’t be distinguished from the rich and well-connected humans; nests had stakes in all sorts of industries. Raine’s victory would get her noticed by the Triodian High Witch. No doubt what the warden was after: a promotion. With this kind of blow to the scourge, Raine would likely get reassigned to Rome’s headquarters, to fight against the scourge as opposed to managing a penitentiary.

“I heard nests got hit here,” Matteo put it to the vamp nearest. The vamp cut his eyes at Matteo. His companion asked, “What’s it to you?” If Matteo could discover which Rem was linked to the nests, he’d know whom Raine had made a deal with. He’d know who set Jess up. He’d chosen to come to Venice, as it was closest to where the most influential Rems lived: Vicenza. Villa La Alba, home to Lorenzo Remus, the clan’s Alpha. Venice’s proximity to Vicenza meant that there might well have been some interactions between the Rems nearby and the nest that had been destroyed. And vamps in the area were the most likely to know. They kept their ears to the ground, eager to hear of opportunities to sell their glamour to Rems or Enodians; if anyone were to know which Rem had held links to a particular nest, it was other vamps in the area. “Get my friends a refill,” Matteo requested of the bartender. He eyed both vamps. “Word is that the same Rem was in charge of all three nests hit tonight.” Both vamps looked shrewd. When their fresh glasses of ‘wine’ arrived, they sipped them. The one nearest asked, “And how would a Rom know that?” Matteo shrugged. “I’ve my sources but I need confirmation.” He knew that whenever nests got taken out, vamps got twitchy and tended to flee the area. They were eager to find somewhere to lie low for a while until the dust had settled. He hoped he had banked rightly on how these vamps were feeling. “I need something to tie all three nests to the particular Rem. I need the company names that they would be linked to.” Finding out which Rem was linked to the nest through the many companies that it had dealings with would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Rems were known for their wealth, though, and would have stakes in one of them. The vamps downed their drinks and Matteo thought they were about to leave, but they signaled to the bartender. “Your best vintage.” Matteo buried his disgust and nodded reluctantly to the bartender to refill their glasses. The vamp asked, “And what would a Rom pay for such information?”

Sourness rose in Matteo’s throat at the scent of blood tainting the air as the vamp swilled the glass of red delivered to him. Matteo had known that this information wouldn’t come cheaply, and he wasn’t just talking about the bar tab. He’d known before setting out tonight that this would cost him. He’d come anyway. Discovering who was responsible for putting Jess behind bars would require him to cross some lines. Yet as the thought had settled on him and he’d risked being tracked by Rems, he’d accepted it. Because, as soon as he’d heard the news tonight, he’d been unable to stop thinking about her. He kept picturing her lit beneath the golden light of the Cathedral; her eyes such a pale blue they were like clear water, her skin milky, and her hair like moonlight. So breathtakingly beautiful. And innocent. Once more, she filled his thoughts, and he knew he’d do whatever it took. Matteo took a swig of beer. “I’m based in the Campania region. I’m on weekly patrol between the Castel dell’ Ovo and Vigliena Fort in Naples.” He slid a card down the bar, with the Triodia logo, district, and his mobile number on it. “When you’re in the area, give me a call.” The shrewd vamps’ eyes alighted with hunger. Matteo felt the sting of his hypocrisy. He’d turn a blind eye to an attack. He’d heard of these shady deals being made, but never in a million years imagined offering hunting ground on his stretch, where he was duty bound to defend. His head spun as he pictured his home city’s streets, saw his brothers out with their girlfriends, or his father out in the bacari with his friends: the very pickings he was offering up. If these vamps that he’d invited to his turf lost control when feeding, any deaths would be on his hands. “Campania … quite a way from here,” the vamp said, hopeful of more. Matteo shrugged and swigged his beer. “You shouldn’t discount friends in other areas, especially in these times.” The vamp’s lips curled, and Matteo knew he had him. “I look forward to taking you up on your hospitality. The Rem who had stakes in the destroyed nest in Venice took her share from a subsidiary of the company Ibis. In the Milan nest, I believe she was an investor in Lotus, and in Bologna, she’ll be on record as a shareholder in Philomaris.” With bated breath, Matteo waited for the Rem’s name.

“Dearbhla Remus,” the vamp delivered up.

The aroma of coffee wafted from the polystyrene cup in front of Matteo. He’d managed to scrounge a coffee from the shifter guard—a friend—on duty. Technically, coffee wasn’t allowed around the inmates of a prison, but breaking this rule was hardly his weightiest transgression of late. He sipped the coffee, its bitterness akin to what he felt for the walls of the Naples Pen around him. He felt as if he could feel the corrupt warden’s presence in the featureless surroundings. His fingers drummed on the table as he waited for the guard to return with Jess. The shifter guard entered with her in tow. Jess’s clouded eyes told him she hadn’t forgiven him for his attempts last time to propel her to shift. Regret twisted through him for what he’d accused her of during that session. At the time, he’d detested throwing the barbs that he had to induce a rage blackout in her, but at least he’d felt a grim sense of being duty bound to do it. Now, it was the heavy weight of regret for the physical and emotional anguish he’d inflicted on her, mixed with the hollowness that it had all been for nothing. “Why aren’t we in the training room?” she demanded. She didn’t sit down. Matteo’s chest ached as he looked at how bruised her eyes were, as if she hadn’t slept in days. Was that a result of the accusations he’d thrown at her last session? How much had she doubted her own innocence because of what he’d said? As he wavered, not knowing how to start, he said, “Please, sit down, Jess.” She folded her arms. “I don’t think I’ll be here long enough, Signor Romulus.” He grimaced as she went back to his formal title. He forced himself to push on. He needed to apologize for everything. His eyes sought hers. “I’m sorry, Jess. Not just for what I put you through last time, but for not believing your about the night you were arrested.” Jess’s hands curled into fists. She scowled at him as if she didn’t trust a thing he said. He couldn’t blame her.

“What’s brought this change on?” she asked, her scrutiny sharp. “Para squads under Raine’s command destroyed a network of vamp nests in Venice, Bologna, and Milan last night.” Jess frowned, clearly unfamiliar with the significance of the cities he listed. “They’re all Rem territories. Vamps are usually safe in these areas.” Matteo swallowed the rising sourness in his throat; he fought the memory of what he’d done last night before continuing. “They work with Rems and Enodians, selling their glamour for safe feeding grounds, away from the Triodia.” Jess sat down opposite him. Her pale eyes were alight with consideration. “Raine must have done something important for the Rems if they gave her these vamp nests.” Matteo nodded. “Such as allow a juvenile half Rem to be set up for murder and incarcerated in her facility.” Jess’s pale brows shot up and she leaned forward. “Matteo, what if someone’s listening?” Her attention darted to the corners of the room, as if she expected to find CCTV cameras. She probably did. She was so new to the para world. His lips quirked. Lightness spread through him at hearing her go back to using his first name. “We’re fine,” he assured her. “The shifter guard is the only one at risk of hearing, and he’s solid, a friend.” She still looked unconvinced and paler. Was it shock or tiredness? Guilt swilled through his stomach as he thought of how lousy he felt after only one night without sleep. He hadn’t got home until six AM this morning and had set out for the prison quickly. He pushed his coffee towards her. “Want some?” She lifted the cup, closed her eyes, and inhaled.

He watched her quizzically. “I don’t like it black, but I like the smell.” She pushed it back to him. She added more quietly, “Reminds me of Fort Kent.” Fort Kent. Her last foster home. Colleen and Barbara McKenzie had fostered her for almost a year. Her longest placement. He shook his head. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.” She didn’t say it was all right, just watched him. Waited. Her expectant expression telling him she wanted answers, not apologies. His jaw tensed. The revelations that had transpired over the night’s course threatened to catch up to him, but he focused on the young woman facing him instead. She needed his help. She deserved it. That began with explanations— everything that the long hours of the night had thrown at him, and the more shadowy inferences he’d drawn from them. “Last night, after I heard about the raids on the nests,” Matteo said, “I went to Venice. To find out which Rem had links to all the nests.” Jess bent toward him, “How could a Rom get that kind of information?” “At Incanto,” Matteo said. “A bar. Para bars are the few places that all paras frequent. Alcohol, the great leveler. I asked around the vamps there for info on what they knew about the Rem who had given these nests up to the Triodia.” Jess stilled. “You got a name?” “Dearbhla Remus, a high-ranking member of the Remus Clan.” “Dearbhla.” Jess’s focus was intense, and Matteo could see her thoughts were turning vengeful. He ed her of waking in the dark, groping until she felt Caylee’s shoe, tracing the outline of her body until her hands found her neck, cold and sticky … torn out. He imagined if the roles were reversed. If it were one of his brothers, he knew he’d be the same.

“In recent years, Dearbhla’s been made right hand to the Rem Alpha, Lorenzo Remus,” he answered. He added thoughtfully, “Your said that there was one wolf that attacked from the lake and then another who attacked you.” “Someone or something knocked me out, but I didn’t see enough before I blacked out,” she answered. He took a breath before voicing his theory. “What if someone found out that Dearbhla, many years ago, had had a child by a human, one she’d abandoned, and now used it to blackmail her, and threaten her position as right hand to the Alpha?” Jess stilled. “Rems have a poor view of shifters who have offspring with humans.” Matteo nodded. He pressed on, determined to share everything that he’d theorized with her. “It could even be why you haven’t shifted, Jess. I’ve begun to consider what you’ve been saying from the beginning is right. What if Raine was able to let you enter the pen by altering the wards, a half-blood shifter, yes, but without the ability to shift?” Jess frowned. “So it’s possible?” Matteo sighed. “I’m not ruling anything out. What about your sense of smell?” he pressed. “Or other senses? Any heightening?” Jess shook her head. “I’ve tried to activate them by concentrating on listening out and such.” “Again, it would suggest that you didn’t shift that night.” “And with how ineffective I’ve been in the Cathedral, that I can’t,” she bit out. Matteo cringed, recognizing that she was quoting him. “Jess, if I’d known–” “I want to try something in the Cathedral,” she interrupted. Her gaze clamped upon his, alight with determination. He frowned. “I can’t–”

She drew closer. “Please, Matteo, I need to be sure that I can’t shift–” “You resisted shifting in front of a rival clan member,” he interrupted. “Lea’s threatening behavior didn’t affect a shift in you, and if I’d really stopped to question it earlier, I didn’t feel the enmity between us that is present in the company of a rival.” With shame, he thought of her screams. They had been so raw, as if the power of the Cathedral had been tearing her apart. Once more, it pointed to the likelihood that she wasn’t a shifter, and that Raine had affected the wards. He added firmly, “I won’t put you through that ordeal again, Jess.” To his dismay, Jess scowled. “I need to try again.” “Jess, I only came to tell you what I found out. I’m running short of time as it is. I have a portal from here to Rome in ten minutes. I need to present these findings to my Alpha. With this evidence, he’ll be able to intercede with the shifters under Raine who brought you here, and we’ll be able to depose the warden and get your charge dropped.” She crossed her arms. “When will you be back?” “My Alpha should be able to question the para squad quickly. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was back tomorrow.” The scowl on her face suggested she didn’t believe him. Then again, she’d spent her whole life not trusting anyone to stick around or fight for her. Protectiveness surged through him. He tried to put himself in her shoes, having been stuck in here for a month, and her version of events being so disregarded until now. He thought of how he’d only succeeded in being part of the process of breaking her more, using her history as a weapon against her. “I promise I’ll get you out,” he swore. A strange look came over her face. Uncertainty or distrust. It was too fleeting to be sure. She nodded, then scraped her chair back. “Guess I’ll see you when I see you.” Frustration twisted through him. She didn’t realize what he’d done to discover

what he had. He mocked himself: Was that why he’d done it, to get her gratitude? The shifter guard entered; he must have heard the chair. He looked expectantly at Matteo. “All done?” Matteo was about to affirm that their interview was over when Jess asked, voice agitated, “Why are there shifter guards on?” Matteo frowned, not understanding what she meant. “Where are the vamp guards?” she clarified. “Word spread quickly of Raine’s units taking out the nests last night,” Matteo answered. “Even the vamp guards here, sworn to serve, fled to the Triodia headquarters for reassignment. Raine may be a hit with the Triodia, but I don’t think she’ll have any scourge serve her directly for a while.” Jess’s face flushed. The skin at her neck grew blotchy, too. Matteo watched her clenched fists and heard her quickened heartbeat. As the guard led her away and anger sharpened her features, he deliberated with increasing concern why vamp guards, or the lack of them, could possibly be of importance to her? As his thoughts darkened, he was sure of one thing: the quicker he got her out of here, the better.

17

Para Psychology

All day, the fact that the vamp guards were gone worried Jess. She’d reached out to Theo to tell him that Matteo had been called away so there’d be no opportunity for his sluagh to do investigation during her shifting practice. She wasn’t ready to talk about what she’d found out. The more she thought about it, the more her focus changed. Far from being reassured at the prospect of having her charges dropped and being released, Jess felt increasingly pissed off. The feeling that she shouldn’t have put their escape plan on hold mounted over the day. Now without the vamp guards, it was impossible to get the yew from Raine’s office. By the time evening dawned, she found herself extremely desirous of social, so that she could have it out with Rune. That’s what she’d arrived at. It was his fault. She’d listened to him about the seed magic. Look where that had got her. No twinkly lights guiding her, and now, no way of breaking out. By the time she marched into social, her blood was boiling. Rune reclined on the sofa in front of the window. He looked up with surprise as she came towards him; she’d avoided talking to him the last couple of days. She’d avoided so much as looking at him. After all, a single one of his looks was enough to get her all hot and bothered. His questioning look irritated her. He must know from the blood bond that she was angry. Of course, he wouldn’t know what had caused that anger. Well, she was damn well going to illuminate him. “Did you hear about Raine taking out the vamp nests in Rem cities?” she demanded.

“No,” Rune answered, his brow furrowing. “S’pose it’s what you wanted, no more vamp guards?” His expression sobered. “That’s why the vamps haven’t been on today,” he extrapolated. “They’ve fled the pen.” It infuriated her that he could feel her emotions through this blood bond, but she could tell nothing about him. She noticed that the news that hundreds of his race had been slaughtered seemed to have little effect on him. She thought about what he’d warned her of. That he had no real feelings. That he was soulless. The lack of any visible reaction seemed to corroborate this. It only succeeded in making her angrier. If he didn’t feel anything, why had he taken it upon himself to worry about the danger for her outside of the pen and keep her in here? “You promised to get me out of here,” she accused, echoing Matteo’s words from earlier. His reassurance had reminded her of Rune’s words and felt like a sting in the wound she still harbored about the vamp. One that she hadn’t realized was still open and painful. “How are you going to do that now, without the vamp guards?” The others were gawking at them from the main area, but she didn’t care. She clenched her fists, daring Rune to say something about trusting in the lights to guide her. She swore that if he did, she’d rage aloud against his obsession with those lights, the blood bond between them, and all that he’d taken it upon himself to decide for her. He didn’t. “You’ll have to get the yew then.” It was her turn to frown in bewilderment. “You’re now the only one with access to yew every three days.” Of course. It had occurred to her the first time she was in the Cathedral. She’d eyed the branches and roots and imagined tearing off something and sneaking it out. As he offered up a valid alternative, Jess’s exasperation only grew.

Theo came over. “What’s this about the vamp guards being gone?” Astra was quick to follow. They both leaned against the bars of the window, looking between Rune and Jess. Too agitated by everything she’d learned today, Jess paced between the lot of them. She told them everything Matteo had told her, including his theories about Dearbhla possibly being her mother. As they took on board that Jess might have her charges dropped as early as tomorrow and be free, they all grew more perplexed as to why she was fretting about an escape plan. Both Theo and Astra were quick to reassure her that if she was proved innocent of the crime that she’d been framed for, the Triodia and Rom Clan would give her the protection she needed while the perpetrator was found. Rune was infuriatingly quiet. Is he mourning the impending separation from his twinkly lights? She wrung her hands as she worked through voicing her own confusion. She felt … unsettled at the prospect of leaving. Even if it was as her friends said, that she’d be protected and the culprit of the crime against her found, it didn’t change what Matteo had put to her. You don’t have the shifter gene. His words seemed to whittle her away. She glanced at Lea, lying on the couch opposite her. Her slight form had been ruthless when twisted and transformed by the trees. Her pale hair had become snow white fur, beautiful and startling. She ed her lunging forwards, the strength clear in each tense muscle, in her pointed ears, bared fangs, and icy blue eyes. As she stared at Lea, she ed the way her fangs had been so white that they’d been camouflaged by the snowy coat, in a similar way that her eyebrows were against her pale skin now. Lea cut her eyes at her when she noticed her staring. Jess started to pace again, ing Matteo’s powerful form leaping and blurring into its wolf shape, too. The way he had pinned Lea to the ground with his teeth and claws, his ebony coat the exact opposite of Lea’s. They’d been like a yin-yang sign, their forms spiraling through the air together. It was the power in their forms that mesmerized Jess. The fluidity and movement in them. And

she realized for the first time that she truly wanted to be one of them. She wanted the wildness that radiated from their wolf forms. But more than that, she believed that it was in her, too. What she had to do was find out what was stopping her from expressing it. As she looked around at Theo, Astra, and Rune, she knew that her best chance of finding out how to do that was here, with them. She was a para. And she didn’t want to be ‘freed’ without unlocking her power. Jess took a breath and explained, “For the first time ever, I know I’m precisely where I need to be.” “In prison?” Astra asked wryly. Jess suppressed a smile. “In the para world. I can’t leave before I unlock my shifter power.” She announced her problem to all of them. “I need to get into the Cathedral again, not just to get the yew to escape, but for Theo to examine what’s going on in me when I try to shift.” “Actually,” Theo suggested. “There’s no reason to wait until tomorrow. I mean, next time the Rom comes here, you might be released. How about I take a look tonight? See what my sluagh can dig up from your subconscious during sleep?” Jess cocked her head. “Why didn’t you suggest this last night?” Rune interrupted. “Because gravedigging’s dangerous.” “Gravedigging?” Jess echoed. “I push your soul over the threshold of sleep and into the Between,” Theo said. “By journeying into the deeper realm, the deepest parts of your own soul will be magnified.” Rune’s liquid black eyes were on her. “Theo’s talking about his sluagh taking your soul into the Netherworld, into the realm of the dead.” Apprehension prickled over her, ing what Rune had said when he’d examined Lea’s pulse the night the sluagh attacked. Sleepers were more at risk

of dying as their soul could get lost in the Between. Was that what Theo was proposing, drawing her into death for a period of time? “So I’d die?” Jess asked, feeling as if the world was falling out from under her. Theo shook his head. “I’d lead you into the human realm of the dead. Paras— whether shifters, witches, mages, or fae—don’t into this Netherworld when they die.” “What happens to paras?” she asked. “It’s a mystery,” Theo answered. “Triodia and Roms believe para souls become part of the Great Goddess Silva, dispersing into the landscape of this world. We Enodians prefer to believe the Night and Netherworld claim our souls. You Rems are similar to us, believing Alba washes your soul away.” Astra added, “We fae don’t exactly die; we fade away.” Jess stared at her. It wasn’t just her blue blood then that made fae so different to humans and other para. “We believe that both our bodies and souls become part of the Heights and Depths of Umbra.” This talk of death caused a prickle along Jess’s skin. But it wasn’t paras that she was thinking of. She ed in the early days here, asking Theo if there was a way she could talk to Caylee through his power. She turned to him, and he seemed to rightly intuit her look. “I would have mentioned it before if I thought it possible, Jess.” His usual mirthful tone was gone. “It’s likely she didn’t cross over. Given the nature of her death, like the war-torn sluagh whom we Enodians tether from.” A lump rose in Jess’s throat. He was saying that Caylee’s soul wasn’t at peace because of the violent way she’d died. She clenched her jaw. She was damn well going to go to the Netherworld and get the answers buried there about what was blocking her power. All the anger that she’d compacted down her whole life felt like a stone in the pit of her stomach, and she imagined it dissolving, giving her the fluidity and grace she’d witnessed in both Lea and Matteo’s wolfish forms.

She would unlock her power. She would get vengeance for Caylee. Lea piped up from the main area. “I’m not babysitting.” Jess wanted to shout at Lea to quit being such a bitch. Instead, she threw Theo a look. Was this a deal breaker? His pale eyes held Jess’s, both playful and challenging. “Supervision isn’t necessary. Of course, it’s not without risk, even a para soul can be lost to Oblivion. The question is, whatever’s locked within you, the deepest darkest part of yourself, will be unveiled down there. How badly do you want that?” She could feel Rune’s eyes calling to her. Theo said there were risks, and Rune had called it dangerous. She knew if she looked, he’d make her doubt herself. She reminded herself that it was the twinkly lights he cared about. If something happened to her in the Netherworld, then he’d mourn them, not her. She needed to do this. She needed her own answers. If she got released tomorrow, this might be her last chance to find out what was going on with her power. And if she was turned out into the world without unlocking her power, whoever had framed her for Caylee’s murder, incarcerated her in here, as well as the enemy that had sent the iron-tinged sluagh, would still be circling. Triodia and Rom protection, my ass. She was damn well going to find out whatever she could herself, no matter the risk.

18

Where the Dark Things Are

It started like any of their disembodied conversations. With smoke. Theo’s voice traveled through Jess’s head in a series of questions and explanations. “How do you picture sleep?” “Darkness.” “If sleep is darkness, the Netherworld is beyond it, where light and life returns.” Was he trying to reassure her that she wasn’t stepping into death? “How do you imagine sluagh?” For a moment, the iron-tinged sluagh and their hollow eye sockets came to mind, but she shook the thought away. He meant his sluagh. “Smoke.” “Their smoke will draw you over the threshold of the Netherworld. They can be disquieting when so discernible, but they’re there to guide you downwards. What was your most recent dream about?” A sourness rose in her throat as a flash of the bloodied white wolf fur came into her thoughts, morphing into Quinn’s dark hair. “A bleeding wolf fur.” “There’s no knowing what you’ll see down there or where you’ll be. It’s your party; you can expect some of the things that have occupied your dreams to

show themselves. Don’t get distracted by them. That landscape of dreams, the shallower parts of yourself aren’t why you’re there. You must go further to hunt for your deepest truths.” Jess exhaled slowly, a knot tightening in her stomach. “You said my sister likely hasn’t crossed over.” Pushing, she asked the question that had played on her mind the last few hours while waiting for Theo’s smoky voice to her at midnight. “Is there a chance she has, and I’ll see her?” “A slim one.” Hollowness drifted through her, but she took deep and slow breaths, resolving that what she was about to do, the answers she sought, were what were most important. Theo continued, “My sluagh can only go so deep. Once you leave them, follow the water. We Enodians call it the River of Oblivion.” Jess smiled, in spite of the unsettling topic. A ripple of fondness moved through her. She’d called Fort Kent, Oblivion. A flash of the red cabin, surrounded by forest-lined dirt tracks flickered through her thoughts. Theo’s tone cautioned. “The water will guide you deep, but whatever you do, don’t step into its flow or Oblivion will wash your soul away.” Jess’s mouth grew dry. “You said para souls don’t stay in the Netherworld.” “Nor do they, but if you get caught in its current, it will take you to wherever we para souls go after this life.” Jess sighed. So, this was the danger that Rune had spoken about. She’d sworn many a time that she wouldn’t get stuck in the Oblivion of Fort Kent. She swore now that this Oblivion would be no different. Jess clenched her jaw, her voice steady as she said, “I’m ready.” Smoke rippled through her head and lungs until it was all there was. A flash of the black lake, swollen with fire, engulfed her thoughts; the smoke was as thick and cloying in her body as then.

But the urge to clear it away ed … because the smoke sank into her pores and billowed through her veins. She cascaded down. She had the sense that she’d slipped between the bars of the pen and into the open night. The smoke was like a lullaby, carrying her away. Except she could see and feel herself moving. Downwards. There were others around her. She watched the sluagh tumbling in cascades of vapor. Their presence was emboldening; they gave color to the darkness, their hazes subtly different hues of blacks, grays, and whites, shimmering as they slipped on and on. She noticed one shimmering form that altered more often than the others, shades of blue and purple bleeding into the gray. But almost as soon as she’d caught sight of it, it disappeared between other shades. It was like a massive powder party; the sort she’d seen photos of from festivals—she and the sluagh were that powder. She continued to free fall through the air. The sense of speed and freedom, exhilarating. I’m totally doing this again. The smoky wisps of the sluagh, their vaporous forms, became slower like smoke spiraling from an incense stick. She slowed with them. Halting. As they hung motionless, she realized they weren’t going any farther. This is as deep as they’ll go. Jess’s elation riding down dispersed. The darkness moved below, almost imperceptibly. She perceived featureless faces in the murk. The iron-tinged sluagh had played in her nightmares after they attacked. She wasn’t surprised to see that her nightmares had given shape to the darkness below, but it didn’t make the prospect of journeying past them any easier. She heard the trickle of water. The stream she needed to follow. Fisting her hands, she felt her fingers, but their material looked misty, wafting away and fading with the movement. No turning back. She drifted down. The shadowy sluagh around her dispersed like fog. A dark plain stretched out

before her, scrubland like one of Maine’s national parks. As she travelled onwards, dark trees came into view. Their feathery branches stretched out, and as she moved deeper through them, it seemed as if the tree-lined paths were unending. Jess wandered on, pondering if this labyrinth would ever end. It was the light that changed. As she got deeper, the sky lightened, and she could see the feathery branches more clearly. Dark evergreens. Something dangled from them: dream-catchers. Their threads were like spider webs. Then she caught sight of the hair hanging from them. Bloodied clumps of skin dangled from the threads. Some hair was dark like Quinn’s, others pale like Rem hair. Jess stopped, her smoky fists fading as she watched the strands of bloodied hair swaying from the trees. It looked like some massacre had occurred, hair and skin strung up as far as the eye could see. She’d dreamed of pulling out Quinn’s hair, then of the bloodied wolf pelt. Did this forest of horrors symbolize Jess’s anger and all the violence she’d done? Theo’s words about not getting distracted by the dreamscape within the shallower places of herself forced her on. She followed the sound of water. The trickle became a stream. Eventually, the trees gave way. Jess came to the bank where the water gushed into a lake. Oblivion. She’d reached the deepest part of the Netherworld, where she could, in turn, see the deepest part of herself. She took in the shape of the bank and the body of water. A prickle of recognition moved through her. Fort Kent. She’d molded the place to reflect it. Her ethereal self was able to float and drift, but she felt caged, as she knew there was only one reason this place was at her core… As if in confirmation, thuds broke the quiet. At first Jess thought it was the sound of her heart, but her form was bloodless… Instead, her whole being constricted as she saw herself pounding along the dirt road. She was human. Just her. Panicked and pelting down the road towards Caylee.

Jess watched the white wolf running alongside the bank. It was huge. It overtook the Jess that ran on the road. Instead of watching it lunge at Caylee, she watched the Jess on the road, and waited to see what attacked her. Another white wolf flew out of the woods and leapt onto the running Jess. Her misty self traveled closer, watching in horror as this other white wolf knocked the running Jess down with its paws. The maneuver reminded her of the way Matteo had leapt on Lea. The white wolf’s form blurred as soon as it was upon the Jess on the ground, morphing into a dark-haired woman, dressed in black. Her hands were instantly wrapped around her victim. Jess’s misty form watched her younger self struggling. But she ed how she’d felt the weight on her chest: the wolf, and by the time this woman had transformed into her human form, her arm was already in a choke hold around Jess’s throat. She watched the Jess on the ground lose consciousness within seconds. By the time Jess looked at the white wolf over Caylee, he’d shed his fur. A tall man stood with hair as pale as moonlight, and in stark contrast to the black he wore. He stood over his victim. The mess of Caylee’s throat made Jess think of torn fabric, frayed. Jess knew she should shut her eyes, but instead she stared. And Caylee’s eyes, already glassy and lifeless, burned into her own being. The pale-haired man turned to the woman standing over Jess’s inert body. “Move her closer, Dearbhla.” Jess felt a prickle of hate course through her as she watched the woman drag her unconscious self closer to Caylee’s body. Dearbhla touched Caylee’s savaged throat and smeared blood onto Jess’s face. “That’ll do,” the Rem male said, surveying the two girls on the ground. No. His cold pale eyes were wholly on the unconscious Jess. “Yes, Alpha,’” Dearbhla said. At the word, Jess took in the man’s face and features, hate coursing through her as she memorized him. She noticed a chunky wooden ring on one of his fingers; it bore a white wolf, fighting with the outline of another. This was the Rem

Alpha: Lorenzo Remus. Jess studied Dearbhla, too. The woman had pointed ears like Astra’s, and her dark hair was worn tight against her scalp in lots of braids. She was clearly of both fae and shifter heritage. Lorenzo walked towards the lake, which began to glow. The unearthly flame erupted in an arch, and the Enodian portal opened. Dearbhla followed her Alpha into the fiery water. The word Alpha ran through Jess. Matteo had told her that Dearbhla was the right hand of the Rem Alpha. Dearbhla was involved, but it was Lorenzo Remus’s orders she’d been following. It had been Lorenzo’s gaze that lingered on the unconscious Jess, not Dearbhla’s. Jess wondered how she was connected to this hateful man. Why had he framed her for murder and arranged for her incarceration? Rage bristled through her. The desire to return to the waking world flooded her, to be flesh and blood. She imagined squeezing the breath out of Dearbhla just as she had strangled her. Or better yet, she imagined ripping into Lorenzo with teeth and claws. As her thoughts darkened, those hanging pieces of scalp and hair that she’d seen earlier seemed like tokens to the ruthless creature she wanted to become. Like offerings to the raw and wild wolf that she wanted to let loose. Yet, even journeying here, to the deepest part of herself, she hadn’t discovered how to unlock that power. A cry pierced the night, long and drawn out. It rang around her. Jess’s misty form swung around, blurring. Was that coming from the her on the ground? But the Jess on the ground was still out cold. As the scream drew on and on, Jess wondered whether this was the part of her that she needed to confront down here to understand what was blocking her from shifting? Perhaps this was the most violent part of her, the part she’d disassociated with, the part that she had to overcome. Hadn’t Theo said that the answers she sought would be down here? That she didn’t need to worry about anything other than stepping into the river of Oblivion and getting washed away. As she usually did, she tried to compact her fear, telling herself that whatever was down here, whatever she needed to confront, was an aspect of herself. The cry finally petered out, and one urge flooded her. She knew, with her whole

being, that she had to run. Something primal and desperate raced through her. If she remained here and heard that cry, somehow, she knew she’d die. Jess’s vaporous form flew through the forest like mist rising. Hazy branches, tangled with webs of hair and dangling scalp, whipped past her. Up and up she rose, the darkness growing around her. The cry pierced the gloom a second time, ravaged and relentless. It seemed to come from everywhere—from the lake that she’d left and from the forest through which she rose. It wasn’t from one direction. The piercing cry sent a chill through her, of dread and … recognition. It was the same raw scream that had been torn from her each time she tried to shift beneath the Cathedral. But she knew in every fragment of life that beat through her that it wasn’t hers. The second cry went on and on, intensifying Jess’s dread. She stared up at the elevated blackness. She yearned for the encouraging whites and grays of Theo’s sluagh, but knew she hadn’t risen nearly far enough to be in the shallows of the Netherworld. She even searched the murk above for the skull-like faces. If she could see the iron-tinged sluagh of her nightmares, it meant she was almost there. The sickening sense that something was close to catching her filled her. She realized that it wasn’t coming only from beneath or above. The thing’s scream, the being that emitted it, rippled through the blackness. When it came, it would come from all around her. The second cry died. Bloodless or not, Jess felt terror pound through her as she anticipated the third cry. Then … she tumbled up. She was jerked up. By smoke. It flooded her. Vibrant purple and blue enshrouded her. She choked and spluttered. Then bolted up in bed. Her eyes took in the darkness, but it was the normal darkness of her cell. Jess? Jess? Theo’s smoky voice moved through her head and lungs. I’m back, she breathed, relief spilling through her as she panted. She could feel that her brow was slick, and her clothes were drenched and clinging to her with perspiration. Anger returned to her as she ed what the Netherworld had unveiled to her. I saw them, Theo. I saw the Rems that killed Caylee. I saw what happened that night. I saw myself unconscious. As the strangeness of it took root, she asked, How is that possible that I saw what happened if I was knocked out?

Theo answered, A para soul is always near their body; it only leaves it upon death. So even though you weren’t conscious, your soul was present. Your soul was always there, even when you were knocked out. You saw with your soul self. What happened that night is clearly the truth nearest and most important to you. Jess frowned, knowing that that wasn’t why she’d journeyed into the depths of the Netherworld. She was grateful that the truth about that night and those responsible for Caylee’s murder had been unveiled to her. But she wanted, needed, to know why her shifter power was blocked. Jess’s skin crawled. The scream was the answer. Whatever had chased her had also expressed itself through her body every time she’d tried to shift in the Cathedral. To think that she’d considered that it might be a symptom of her disassociated self. She knew for sure now that it wasn’t. It was a separate entity entirely. And it had tried to kill her. Before she could voice any of this inner turmoil, Theo said, By Lady Night, I thought I told you not to step into the water. What were you thinking? Jess frowned. She hadn’t stepped into the water. She was about to correct him, when it occurred to her that there was only one way he could have known to pull her out when he did. How did you know I was in trouble? Theo laughed. Rune. He made me reach as deeply as I could with my sluagh. He swore you were about to be washed away by Oblivion. He seemed like he’d break the cell door down if I didn’t keep trying to pull you out. She could hear the smile in his voice before he added, Thank the Night and Netherworld for the blood bond between you, eh? Jess’s mouth dropped open. He knew about the blood connection she and Rune shared. Rune had revealed it. Something he’d been adamant about keeping secret. He’d revealed it so that Theo would pull her out of the Netherworld. But why had Rune lied that it was Oblivion that had been in danger of sweeping her away? Or had Rune only felt her dread and assumed it was Oblivion that she was in danger from? Jess took a breath. She wasn’t ready to talk about the thing that had chased her. And for some reason, she felt sure that Rune had kept the scream a secret, too. Irritation beat through her as she realized Rune was back to keeping more secrets

from the others. She wondered if the thing that had chased her had anything to do with the seed magic he was fixated on. She was damn well going to make sure she called him out on all of this when … if she saw him again. I thought I saw Caylee in the water, she lied. Theo was silent for a moment. Don’t ever do that to me again, he grumbled. Guilt somersaulted through her. I’m sorry, are you all right? Theo chuckled. Nothing a nap won’t fix, but don’t enter the water next time. Jess nodded. No water, check, she answered, doing her best at levity. But nothing could wash away the dread sluicing through her like ice water. She thought, despite her initial enjoyment of freefalling with the sluagh, it was safe to say she was never going into the Netherworld again. Jess touched her ear, feeling the warm, wet stream leaking from it: blood. She used the sleeve of her jumpsuit to mop it up and wondered why, when Theo said that the deepest part of her in the Netherworld should have provided her answers, it had instead tried to kill her.

19

Splinter

The weight in Jess’s chest was heavy as a shifter guard led her out of her cell the next morning. The irony wasn’t lost on her; for a month her thoughts had been hell bent on finding a way out, and now that her release might lie in the interview room that he was taking her to, she’d do anything to stop it. After last night’s return from the Netherworld, Jess had told Theo that if she was released from the pen by official channels, then she would go to Vicenza. She would confront Lorenzo and Dearbhla. She didn’t care if she had to beg or steal to get there. She was going. Yet, she still hoped that she had time to make an unsanctioned exit. If she could, then Theo had agreed to portal her to Villa La Alba, Lorenzo Remus’s residence. Theo wouldn’t hang around for her ‘chat’ with Lorenzo though. In fact, he’d warned her that she should give more thought to confronting Lorenzo. She wasn’t exactly equipped to confront an Alpha. It smarted that Theo was right; she still hadn’t shifted. She thought of all those dreamcatchers, made of hair and skin. Did it symbolize her fear to shed her human form? Did it symbolize the damage the thing that had chased her through the Netherworld was doing to her? She felt how ill-prepared she was to confront any shifter, yet alone an Alpha. Never mind that Villa Alba would surely be protected by his clan too. But the rage that she’d felt in the Netherworld as she’d watched Lorenzo kill Caylee burned brighter with each ing second. And despite the fear that lapped at her, she did what she’d always done: swallowed it, balled it up, and refused to acknowledge it. Aside from Jess’s own inability to shift, there was another problem to her whole plan to confront Lorenzo. Theo had warned her that an Alpha exerted immense control over all of his clan . It was a similar control that vamps and fae could exercise over humans with their glamour. But Jess wouldn’t be dissuaded. She kept picturing Lorenzo stooped over Caylee’s body, his cold gaze slipping to her own unconscious form. She needed to know why he’d killed Caylee and

framed her for her murder. She would confront him. Theo’s offer to portal her wasn’t the only reason she hoped to extend her stay in prison. If she had just a little longer, she could talk to Rune. She wanted the truth about what he’d felt through her while she was in the Netherworld. Did he really believe that it had been Oblivion that she’d been in danger from? Or had he heard the scream that had chased her? If he had, did he know what the hell it was, and why it had chased her? If so, why had he kept it secret from Theo? Jess knew that Theo had relayed everything that she’d told him to Rune. In the early hours of this morning, Theo had been a weird sort of middleman between them. Rune wanted to come with her to confront Lorenzo. He’d asked her to swear that she wouldn’t go alone. He’d sworn that he’d find a way out and go with her. He wanted her to promise that if she was released this morning, she wouldn’t go alone. She hadn’t been able to promise him that. Obviously having a vamp for back-up would be good, but she refused to be swayed by Rune again. After all, she knew why he wanted to come, to protect her because he clearly still believed she had some sort of link to the seed magic. As Jess neared the interview room, the apprehension that she was about to be kicked out of the pen grew. If this was it, she wouldn’t get to see Astra again. She hated the thought of her friend being taken off to the Seelie Court for sentencing. Rune had said that he’d somehow find another way to break out, but what if he didn’t? Anger stole through her as she pictured him kneeling before Raine, being bound by a blood oath to that hateful witch warden and the Triodia. And what about Teddy? Despite the disquiet she felt bound up in the sluagh and tethering process, Theo had helped her throughout her time in the pen. She wished that she could delay things so that he could escape with her and return to his coven. The weight of all these worries was clearly etched on Jess’s face as she entered the interrogation room. Matteo was a bundle of anticipation, pacing from one side of the small room to the other, accomplished in two mere strides of his impressive frame. As soon as the guard was out the room, he smiled at her, and she thought her time here was up. “I spoke to my Alpha yesterday,” Matteo began. “He was very understanding of

all you’ve been through. I’m seeing him again this afternoon. He should have spoken to the para unit that picked you up. By this evening, we should be able to arrest Raine and get you released.’ The word Alpha echoed through Jess’s head. But it was Dearbhla’s voice she heard. She pictured Lorenzo’s cold, cruel gaze, and was a million miles away from Matteo and what he was saying. Anger pitched through her. “Jess? Are you all right?” he asked. She shook herself, realizing she’d spaced out. She took a seat. “Yeah, I didn’t sleep well.” Understatement of the century. Try sleeping after being chased through the Netherworld by something that wants to kill you. But relief washed over her. She wasn’t being released yet. She still had more time. Matteo was seeing his Alpha this afternoon. Would it be enough time? Matteo’s expression softened. “It shouldn’t be much longer before you’re back in your own bed.” His words jolted her. Her own bed? She didn’t possess such a thing anymore. Her stomach lurched as she realized that she couldn’t go back to the human world. Too much had changed. She had changed. Even if she hadn’t, literally, shifted yet. A kernel of magic was inside of her. She belonged here, not in the human world. Disquiet rippled through her at the thought. Could she, after all of this, make it back to Maine and Portland art school? Realizing she had spaced out again, she tried to explain her distraction, “Kinda unlikely when my fosterers had their memories of me erased.” He frowned and took a seat. He made a steeple of his hands. “We’ll sort that after your release.” Jess frowned. “What about Caylee’s murder? How will that be sorted?” He was silent for a moment. “Once Raine is arrested, we’ll bring Dearbhla in for questioning. Justice will be done.”

She clenched her fists. Questioning. Sounds like tough justice. Jess gritted her jaw. Besides, she knew that Dearbhla wasn’t the murderer. As usual, official channels didn’t work. What did that matter, though? She’d never played by the rules. She wasn’t about to start now. She’d make damn sure justice was done. She tapped her fingers on the table, catching hold of Matteo’s gaze. His expression was expectant, as if he thought she’d be reassured by the fact that his Alpha was looking into things. A wry smile crossed her face. She tried to imagine what it must be like to have the kind of faith Matteo seemed to have in his Alpha, in the Triodia, in the idea of justice as a whole. Her fingers quickened their drumming; she was getting agitated. She couldn’t afford to spill any of what she’d learnt last night to Matteo, or that she intended to confront Lorenzo, however she got out of here. She changed the subject. “The other night, when the vamp nests were destroyed, what did you have to give the vamps for what they told you about Dearbhla?” Surprise flitted across his face, then his expression darkened. “I did what I needed to.” She caught his brown eyes. She was aware of the transactional relationship between everyone. She saw from his troubled expression that she was right. He’d had to give something he regretted that night. Had it just been to get proof of Raine’s corruption? Or had he done it partly for her? She held his gaze. It was steady and earnest. The sense that she’d had in the Cathedral that he cared and he would do whatever it took to help came over her. All her life it had seemed impossible that a guy might actually feel attracted to her, given her rage blackouts. Although she was inexperienced at reading the signs, she was almost certain that the way Matteo looked at her was with that kind of ardor. It was precisely this that she needed to use now. A weight settled in her chest, but she shook it away. She reminded herself that they weren’t on the same page. They never had been. Rem and Rom. Prisoner and officer. They had never been friends or equals. Yet she could still use him to get what she needed.

Jess hardened her emotions. She reminded herself of the way he had pushed her in the Cathedral, using her past to incite her anger, all for the sake of discovering a truth she’d already told him. He deserved to be used for what he’d put her through. And if she was serious about getting out her way, she needed to use his feelings for her to change his mind about going back into the Cathedral. “What I mean,” she said in a low voice, “is … thank you. I don’t think I said it last time. I know I didn’t, but thank you. For whatever you did.” He looked surprised but nodded. “You’re welcome.” She took a breath and launched into her request. “All my life, I’ve been waiting to be free. I thought it was a time I was waiting for. I thought when I was eighteen, I’d finally be free. But it’s a place I was waiting for.” She fixed her gaze on him. “I’ve never felt as free as in the Cathedral, Matteo. I want to try to shift. One last time.” His troubled expression returned. “With everything you’ve learnt recently, and all the anxiety you’ve been under…” His gaze swept her, and she felt selfconscious at what a state she must look. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.” She stared at him. “Please.” “I know it’s hard to accept, but I don’t think you have the shifter gene, Jess.” A note of pity slunk into his voice. “The trees can’t unlock something that’s not there.” The pity he betrayed made her even more willing to try to use the feelings she suspected he had for her. “I never felt any enmity for you.” Her heart beat nervously and her cheeks flushed, adding authenticity to her words. “I felt like I belonged there. With you. I just want to feel that again before I get out.” It wasn’t a lie. Her words were true, but that was before he’d thrown those barbs at her, before he’d used her past against her for the sake of finding out a truth she’d already told him. All she wanted from the Cathedral this time was a piece of yew: a very real key out of here. He stared at her a moment, his expression clearing. “You promise me you won’t push for too many trees this time. And at the slightest sign of distress, I’ll portal them back?”

She beamed at him, nodding in agreement. Despite Matteo’s troubled look, it wasn’t long before they stood beneath the golden bower of the Cathedral. Jess felt slightly guilty for the obvious tension in his body language that hadn’t been here last time. She wished she could tell him that she had no intention of actually trying to shift. After all, each time she had, that freaky scream had snuck through, and she really didn’t want to hear it ever again. The more she’d thought about it since last night, the more certain she was that whatever had chased her through the Netherworld was stopping the trees from working their transformation on her. Like soil that had no life in it, the scream seemed to banish the magic that wanted to lay its roots down. But telling Matteo all that would kind of defeat the whole point of being here. She wouldn’t try too hard to shift. She’d just try hard enough to be on the cusp and fake a fit on the ground, so she could pocket a bit of tree. As it had each time, the perfume of the two yews was so powerful that it both relaxed and enlivened Jess. As she stood beside them, she felt as if she were standing in the vastness of a national park. The trees thrummed with that peculiar call that sang through her, awakening something in her blood and bones. It took all of her willpower not to be borne away by it. She couldn’t help smiling as she faced Matteo, the portal entrance of the yews enshrining them both with golden light. Stop grinning like an idiot. She reminded herself of why she was here. To steal. Jess affirmed to herself again that when she felt the pull of the forest reaching into her, she’d mimic what had happened. In her mind’s eye, she thought of how she’d been pulled to the floor, reminding herself of how the roots had seemed to ensnare her limbs the last time. But this time, she’d fake it. Thrash and roll around a bit, check. The portal’s golden arch glittered, and a couple of silhouettes became more

defined upon the air as they were portaled from the Between. Jess stilled, watching the beauty of the shapes etch themselves upon the space around her, as if an artist were outlining a composition. The magnificence of their trunks, the flowing arcs of their branches, and the profusion of their many needled leaves all sketched themselves upon the air. She caught Matteo’s mesmerized look, but not at the Cathedral. Just as she ed it being the first time they’d stood here, he was looking at her. “It’s like a sketch coming to life,” she explained with a smile, thinking of art school with wistfulness. The worrying thought came back to her. Could she still go to Portland? “I saw some of your art in your file. It’s beautiful.” She swallowed the lump in her throat, flushing at the sincerity in his voice. “Thank you.” Jess shrugged, feeling awkward with his praise. “Just something to do.” He shook his head. “Never underestimate making something. It’s too easy not to.” Jess thought of all the trash she’d recycled and turned into something new. “Just showing people’s destruction.” She smiled wryly. “It seemed too good to be true that people bought back the crap they tossed away.” Matteo shook his head. “I think it’s the hope they’re buying.” His brown gaze softened. “You make gold from dust.” Jess’s breath caught in her throat as she studied Matteo’s open expression and the meaning in his tone. As he gazed at her, she got the distinct impression that he wasn’t referring to her art anymore. She was so surprised by the meaning in his look that it wasn’t until something struck her stomach that her gaze darted to the forest. The paths were already clustering with the bar-like shadows cast by the trunks and branches of the materializing trees; the shadows that usually only swarmed over a shifter when transforming were already scuttling towards her. Yet neither she nor Matteo had tried to shift yet. The pain struck her middle again as the trees’ energy pierced her like spikes, as if the thousands of tiny

needles upon them lanced through her. The shadows of the trunks and branches flew over her. Her center felt lashed, as if the branches were whipping her within. She collapsed. Through the erupting pain, she forced herself to look at Matteo, who was at the portal, tossing a branch through, g to close it. Jess clenched her jaw and gripped the nearest root. She ripped it from the earth and stowed it down her jumpsuit. Just in time. Agony cleaved through her. Her body twisted. Her lungs burned as she gasped for air. She clawed the dirt beneath as she knew what was coming and yet tried to contain it. She fought it down, ing the terror in that scream, ing how it had chased her through the depths, ing the sense that if it rang a third time, it would kill her. As she fought to bear the pain and hold back any sound from escaping her, she felt the same dread build within her. If she gave in… If it escaped her… The scream flooded Jess’s throat and ricocheted through the Cathedral. Pain exploded through her chest and along her throat. It felt as if the cry itself were strangling and choking the life from her. She couldn’t breathe. There was nothing but the terrible cry, consuming and claiming all of her.

20

Fall So Deep

Jess awoke in her cell. “Lea?” she croaked. Her throat felt scratchy. No answer. Only her. Then she ed collapsing in the dirt beneath the Cathedral. Again. But the pain of the trees ricocheted through her body before she’d even tried to shift. They’d thrust themselves upon her before she’d even reached for them. And then in a pattern that was becoming damn well inevitable, that horrific scream had pushed itself from her. But before that… Her heart clanged. She plunged a hand down her jumpsuit, rifling around inside. Her fingers clasped the wood. It was still there. Whoever had carried her back to her cell— Matteo likely—hadn’t found it. She thanked her lucky stars that the bit of root hadn’t made with her skin; otherwise he might have sensed it. It was sandwiched between her jumpsuit and bralet. Well, he was hardly going to rifle around in there, was he? She flushed, thinking of Matteo’s earnest look and meaningful tone in the Cathedral. She tucked the root back between her jumpsuit and bralet again. Her heart drummed with excitement. They had their way out.

Jess looked around at the gray light in the room. The strip lights weren’t on. The high windows in the corridor must be letting in pale slivers of daylight. There was still some of the day left. She wondered if it was social yet. Was everyone already in the Rec Room? How long had she been unconscious for? What if Matteo had already seen his Alpha again, and he was already back here, waiting to release her? Her fingers shot to her chest pocket, grazing the sandy strands of hair. Theo? You there? The smokiness answered her immediately. By the Night, Jess. She felt the apprehension in his tone. What the hell happened in the Cathedral? Jess frowned. How did you know something happened? Because of Rune. He attacked a shifter guard today, shouting that you were in trouble. I thought he was bonkers, but when I couldn’t reach you all afternoon… Jess’s heart thrummed. Rune had felt her pain. He’d attacked a guard to try to get to her. Whether he was motivated by seed magic or not, it was kind of satisfying to hear that he’d tried to reach her. Anxiety climbed in her though. What if he was locked up and it prevented him from escaping with them? Have I missed social? she demanded. Nope, Theo answered more lightheartedly. It’s only three o’clock. Rest of us are still on chores, ’cept Rune. He’s back in the cell for bad behavior. Jess imagined him locked up, not knowing if she was all right. He felt her emotions. She tried to fill herself with the sense that she was safe. Even better, to send him the hope that fluttered in her chest: She had the yew. They were getting out of here. I got it, Teddy. I got the yew. She felt its reassuring solidness as she patted her chest. She filled Theo in on the likelihood of her imminent release this evening, and

consequently that they should try to break out as soon as possible. They settled on making it tonight, after social. Jess paced the length of the cell until Lea came back. She didn’t risk broaching the subject of their escape with her. Knowing her jealous streak, she’d likely try to wrestle the wood from her, wolf out, and maul her face off. She avoided touching the wood at all, knowing if she did its power might be sensed by Lea, or worse still, by the guards outside. By the evening, Jess managed to wear even Theo’s patience thin. She used their connection to constantly worry about the what-if scenario of Rune being left in his cell during social. Theo thought it unlikely. Their social time was the guards’ break, too. Their being in one place meant the guards could leave their separate posts and mingle, too. There was so much waiting time Jess felt like she’d burst. She grudgingly managed to eat the stew delivered by the shifter guard; depending on what happened tonight, it was unknown when and where she’d get her next meal, so she forced the food down. The anticipation building in her reminded her of the times she’d prepped and anticipated running from foster homes. Eventually, the evening drew around, and Jess and Lea were the first to reach the Rec Room. Jess went back to pacing, keenly aware of the cold scian and the root down the front of her jumpsuit; her underwear had become a weaponry. She wrung her hands by the window. Would this be their last evening in the prison? Were they really going to break out? Jess was so caught up in the ifs and buts that it wasn’t until she turned around that she realized the others had been led in. She stilled. Rune was only a few meters away. His liquid black eyes lit upon her, burning with a pitch she’d never seen before. The whole universe resting in them was centered on her as he strode towards her. Then his arms enveloped her. He squeezed her tight, holding her close against his stone-hard chest. She felt the coldness of his skin through his jumpsuit but it wasn’t unpleasant. Far from it. Jess’s heart raced as she felt the solidity of his arms around her, and the intimacy as he held her close. She could count the number of times she’d been hugged on

one hand, or at least those she ed. But she’d never been embraced like this, as if she was precious. She felt a breathtaking surge of relief wash through her. It was so powerful … and random that it distracted her from the feel of his arms. She drew back, and met his eyes. Her gaze was uncertain as she questioned it. “I feel your … relief.” But how is this possible? He said vamps don’t feel. They’re soulless. He read the question in her gaze. “I don’t know how, Jess, but I do. For you, I definitely feel.” A whirlwind of shock and pleasure broke through her. But then the ever present anger brushed her. So, he’d lied. Why had he said he felt nothing more than bloodlust? She refused to be a swooning girl, won around by a hug. “You said you didn’t. Besides,” she added, “what you feel is for the lights.” The fervor in his gaze sparked. “I was interested in the lights, I still am.” His voice thickened. “But I care about you, Jess.” She flushed at the meaning in his look and tone. It was the look that Astra had spoken of. A devouring one. A thrill shot through her and she wanted to lose herself in it; his hands still rested in the small of her back too. The excitement rippling through her at this new sensation washed away all sense of the here and now. His night eyes fixed on her and he explained further, “I’ve not felt anything for centuries; I thought it was impossible. But when you were in the Netherworld…” Just like that the warm feeling went out. A chill ran down Jess’s spine. He was talking about the thing that had chased her through the Netherworld. The thing that she reckoned had somehow managed to control the power of the trees in the Cathedral today too. A troubled gleam stole into Rune’s eyes. “I heard it there and in the Cathedral. I felt everything. I think it wants the lights,” he warned.

Before she’d thought the dread prickling through her about the scream was because it was part of the issues that had long plagued her. That it was a symptom of her dissociative state. But ever since it had chased her in the Netherworld, she knew it was something else entirely. So, he believed the thing responsible for blocking her shift wanted the seed magic. She wanted to know more about what the scream was, but Rune shook his head. “Later,” he intoned. Just thinking about the thing caused trepidation to swell through her. She could see from the tension in Rune’s shoulders that he was attuned to the trouble flowing through her. He clearly didn’t want to talk about it in front of the others. Well, at least when they were finally out of here, they could talk properly. Despite the dread about the unknown thing stalking her, speaking wasn’t the first thing Jess thought about when she pictured them being free … and alone. The sensation of Rune’s hands on her back and his closeness sent another ripple of longing through her. He didn’t seem to want to let go either. The thankfulness in his eyes seemed to chase away her breath. She sensed that he needed the physical to reassure himself that she was here. That she was okay. “The silence was so loud today,” he said, “when I didn’t know what had happened to you.” His voice lapped at her like waves. Her palms felt clammy and her heart quickened. “When I woke, I tried to send you a message–” “I felt it. A feather soft touch.” She stared at him, her gaze tracing his jagged cheekbones. She felt the same allure that she’d mistaken for glamour. A new sense of nervousness shot through her. This was a mutual attraction. His loaded look spoke of how much he felt whatever this was between them too. She’d fought this attraction for so long. She’d fought it because she didn’t trust that it wasn’t the work of glamour. When he’d saved her from the sluagh and she’d learnt that he could sense her emotions, she’d fought it because it was the work of the blood they shared. It had seemed unnatural. Something brought about by magic. But when he’d told her he couldn’t feel anything but bloodlust, she’d felt an aching disappointment. One that promised to be quashed if she gave

into the charged sensation that rippled between them now. Her mouth dried and her heart raced wildly as his gaze devoured her. Heat stole along her cheeks. Would it be so bad to give into it? Then, Astra commented dryly. “Come on, you two, the sooner we break out, the sooner you can get a room.” Jess flushed crimson as she was startled into reality again, and to an awareness of their audience. Reluctantly, they broke apart. When they ed the others in the main area, Jess had the sense that Rune was as disoriented as she felt. As she sat down, he took a seat next to her, and she was acutely aware of him. It was a wrench to pull her focus from him and to the others who were already discussing break out plans. “Once we’re out, you’ll come back to my coven, won’t you, Lea?” Theo asked smoothly. Lea smiled. “I’d be delighted.” Jess had been expecting to have to tackle Lea being difficult when she found out they were mounting their escape tonight. But as usual, Theo had managed the situation. He was always good at seeing many steps ahead. His attentiveness towards Lea made sense now. Jess had preempted that Lea would kick up a major stink though if she knew her plan was to confront the Rem Alpha. Theo rightly didn’t mention the Alpha as they discussed travel arrangements on the outside. Jess felt buoyed up as she realized she’d have Rune to back her up when she confronted the Rem Alpha. Her emotions somersaulted as she now knew that he wanted to come with her not just to protect the seed magic, but her. This new sense that she was important to him seemed to color everything, as if the world had been pastel hued before, and now was mottled with startling color. In the time it took Jess to get a grip of herself, Astra and Lea were onboarded concerning the ins and outs of breaking out. After dropping Rune and Jess at La Alba, Theo would portal the others to his coven. From there, Astra would make her way back to Umbra through the Heights at dawn. In their original break out plan from the pen, they’d intended to use the Depths

portal as their exit. But their previous plan had hinged on escaping when the para officers were all in. They’d have needed the Seelie officer, to have opened the Depths portal with water. Instead, as it had to be tonight, they would use the earthen portal. Both Jess and Lea knew where the training room was. They all hoped to be out of here before Matteo came to depose Raine, but that one they’d just have to wing. Tonight, if they were lucky, they’d only have the shifter guards and Warden Whitmore to get past. Theo swore that with Lea, Astra, and Rune’s help, his own power would easily get them to the earthen portal. Jess had assumed that Theo wouldn’t be doing any fighting to get past the guards to the portal, either. After all, Enodian sluagh weren’t like the iron-tinged of the fae, able to materialize and mark their victims, and put them to sleep. Theo himself had said that Enodian sluagh were of the psychological world, not the material. Yet when she quizzed him, he explained, “The yew magnifies my sluaghs’ range, and don’t estimate how powerful psychological warfare can be.” She ed him briefly saying something about soul warfare being part of an Enodian education, but she frowned, not understanding how his sluagh could be as efficient a weapon as Rune and Lea’s fangs or the scian that Astra now held and knew how to wield. Theo smiled. “It’s more of a show than tell thing.” Rune tensed beside her, leaning towards her. “Think of Quinn.” She shot him a look of surprise. She ed the forestscape in the Netherworld, the dark hair, with clumps of scalp dangling from them. The memory of her tearing out Quinn’s hair had played over and over, ever since Matteo had reminded her of it. Her horror must have been so intense that Rune had caught snippets of the memory. She stilled as she grasped that he’d seen one of her most violent episodes in all its raw brutality. She swallowed the lump in her throat and asked Theo, “What do I need to do?”

His pale eyes glimmered. “Give me the yew.” She removed the root from her jumpsuit then tossed it to Theo. His eyes glittered as he held the root as if it were gold. Then they darted to her. Smoke cascaded through her, but it was a huge cloud, heavy and thick as if pouring off of a bonfire. She felt as if she were stepping into an Enodian portal. Then Quinn was beneath her, sobbing. Her hair was in Jess’s fists, complete with the dangling bits of scalp attached. She could feel the fine texture of Quinn’s tangled hair. Jess felt the bloodiness encrusted beneath her fingernails. Her face was twisted with rage, and perspiration slicked down her forehead. Then … she was sitting wide eyed in front of Theo. Her hands shook. She turned them over, staring at their cleanness, an echo of the encrusted blood still lingering. The taste of smoke lay thickly on her mouth and its scent in her nostrils, too. Completely different to the subtle incense aroma she usually got when communicating through the sluagh. She blinked, her head feeling fuzzy, the image of Quinn’s pained face still swimming in her thoughts, as if she’d only attacked the girl minutes ago, not years. Theo stared back at her with a self-satisfied smirk. “My sluagh dredge up the fear from your soul.” His green gaze strayed to Rune. “Or the particular thought you’re focused on.” Jess caught the considering glint in Theo’s eye, and decided that she was thankful he hadn’t had the opportunity after all to investigate the deepest, most screwed-up regions of her soul. She realized, too, that Rune had brought up Quinn, so that it had been the memory Theo hauled up and had Jess relive. If Rune hadn’t advised that, she wondered what memory or fear would have surfaced instead? Caylee’s death, or perhaps, the scream that had chased her in the Netherworld. “The smoke was so strong,” Jess said, mostly for something to say as Theo’s pale gaze still considered her. “Enodians like to say it’s the smoke of funeral pyres.” At his words, Jess felt a smidgeon of pity for the shifters soon to be on the

receiving end of this soul warfare. But, not enough to call it off. Tonight, they would break out. Tonight, she and Rune would go to La Alba. Tonight, she would face Lorenzo Remus.

21

Alphas

Villa Silva felt opulent after the bare synthetic materials of the Naples Pen. Far from bringing comfort to Matteo, though, its natural furnishings only reminded him that Jess was still locked up in that damned prison. Unconscious. He’d carried her to her cell after she’d ed out on the Cathedral floor. That’s when he’d found them… White sluagh burns on her neck. He hadn’t wanted to leave, but he knew the only way to get her out of there was through his Alpha. A matter that had taken on a new urgency. When he’d left, her pulse had been stable at least. The shifter guard, a guy he trusted, had promised to call him immediately if there was any change, swearing that he’d check on her frequently. Matteo had hurried straight here, hours before he was due. The two shifter guards reluctantly agreed to let him wait in the vestibule for whenever Giovanni was free. They ed on the fact that he was here, but his Alpha was in a meeting with the Triodian High Witch. They warned him that such meetings usually lasted hours. Matteo sat in the atrium. Watching the afternoon draw by with torturous slowness. Yet the sun’s journey across the sky was a constant reminder that the day was waning. The hours of daylight leaving, inching ever closer to when the iron-tinged sluagh were more likely to strike in the hours of the night… Why didn’t she tell me she was attacked? Matteo’s world spun at the thought of iron-tinged sluagh in the pen. His mind was in a state of disarray as his thoughts swung to Jess again. She

hadn’t said anything because she didn’t trust anyone. Not even me. She’d felt unsafe all of her life, that much was clear from her file, and he’d only made that feeling worse. An ache grew in him, as he realized he hadn’t helped her. He’d felt a glimmer of something as they’d worked together in the Cathedral, despite realizing that it was almost certain that Jess didn’t have the ability to shift. As they’d stood beneath the Cathedral this last time, she’d looked at him as she had the first time they’d stood beneath the canopy together. With openness. With feeling. Standing beneath the Cathedral this time, he’d finally itted to himself what he’d known for a long time. It wasn’t the injustice of a half human being prosecuted for a crime she didn’t commit that had caused him to track down proof of Rem wrongdoing in Venice. Nor was it empathy for a half human wishing for something more that had allowed him to be persuaded to take her back into the Cathedral. It was because he cared about her. Much more than he should. More than an officer should for a prisoner. More than he should for a girl not yet eighteen. She won’t be a prisoner much longer and she turns eighteen soon but… she’s still half Rem. The thought needled him, preson him until his frustration peaked. He sprung up and paced before the huge hearth in the vestibule. The shifter guards, flanking the huge wooden door at the end of the hall, tracked his sudden movement. Matteo had come straight to Villa Silva after portaling to Rome’s Triodia headquarters. He’d shifted into his wolf form to make the ten-mile run here as swiftly as possible. His senses were still so awake. Despite the two Rom guards being in human form, he picked up their piney aroma. The earth on his shoes prickled through his awareness, too. But beneath that, he could just detect the undertone of Jess’s ambery scent. It clung to his clothes; he’d carried her to her cell, and her face and neck had been so flushed with perspiration and strain that her fragrance had infused his clothes. It was sweet and warm. At the thought of the smoky quality, he gritted his jaw. Rem. He should detest it. What was wrong with him?

He looked up from where he was pacing, his gaze settling on the wooden sculpture in the middle of the hall: the two warring wolves. The original shifter twins, Romulus and Remus. He wandered to them. He barely saw the powerful lines of their lupine forms or the viciousness in both sets of open jaws. Instead, it was the contrasting coats of the two that occupied him. One as white as the moon, the other black as night. His focus went to Remus, the white. The color of the dead, of Alba. Yet the feeling and associations he had as he looked at the white wolf were so different now. He saw Jess’s pale skin beneath the glimmer of the Cathedral portal, milky, her hair pale moonlight, her eyes like crystal-clear water, her scent, resiny and comforting. The double door between the shifters suddenly opened. Giovanni, his Alpha, stood there. “Matteo?” His Alpha’s gravelly voice was like a snap of a branch in a silent forest. His thoughts scattered like birds, startled from the undergrowth. It seemed as if Matteo’s traitorous thoughts were all too visible. But he shook the sense away, quickly following his Alpha into his study. Giovanni took a seat in the leather armchair at his desk, a lit cigarette in hand. “You’re early.” The chunky wooden ring with the black wolf, fighting the outline of its twin, gleamed on his forefinger. Matteo didn’t take a seat in the armchair across from him but remained standing. “Have you spoken to the para regiment under Raine yet? Can you depose her?” Giovanni raised his dark brows, laying down his cigarette. “I’ve got a prior appointment to the one with Raine Whitmore.” “It can wait.” Giovanni’s dark eyes shot to Matteo. “I thought I gave the orders.” Matteo got on well with his Alpha. He’d had more call than most Roms to see him over the years; Matteo attended the Silva Academy in Rome at the same time as Giovanni’s daughter, Piera. They’d remained friends throughout their years there, and even upon graduating and ing separate para regiments, they’d stayed so. Despite the personal tie, there was always a line between the

Alpha and a pack member. And Matteo’s demanding tone was on the verge of crossing it. Matteo forced himself to get his thoughts under control. He’d focused mostly on the implications of Whitmore’s corruption last time they’d spoken, mentioning the injustice done to Jess as an aside. He’d focused on his theory that Jess’s inability to shift seemed to confirm that Raine had even altered the wards, and that Jess likely didn’t have the shifter gene. Even then, he’d been conscious of himself over sympathizing with a half Rem, but Giovanni had been very empathetic to her plight and assured him that if everything checked out with the para regiment and Raine was deposed, she would be released and protected by them. But everything had changed now, and he didn’t care about divulging it to his Alpha. His very real concern was Jess’s safety. “I don’t know the particulars of the attack, but Unseelie sluagh attacked Jess in prison. She has burns on her neck and wrist. Her whole situation, her case, is worse than I thought. Not only have the Rem framed her and locked her up, Unseelie fae want her, too.” His stomach somersaulted at the thought of twilight approaching. What if they’d only attacked last night? Was that why Jess had been so adamant about trying to shift again? Did she want to find a way to protect herself? Wouldn’t she have known, though, that shifting without natural materials would be impossible, even if she had successfully shifted in the Cathedral? The thought of her locked up and vulnerable, with no means of protection, made him impatient again, and he clenched his fists, holding them behind his back, to restrain himself from pacing. He was struck by another thought. He ed her shock at the news that the vamp guards had fled. What if it had been the iron-tinged sluagh on her mind then? She was half human. Maybe she’d bartered for protection from them, by using her blood. She’d been very astute in her observation that he must have offered something to the vamps for the information about the Rems. His stomach turned at the idea of her bartering her own blood for protection. Matteo was drawn from his worries as he watched Giovanni’s hand tremble. Ash fell from his cigarette, missing the tray and scattering on the desk. “I suspected something,” Giovanni said thickly, “when you told me about

Dearbhla being involved in putting this girl in there … but it was … a hunch. Now, with the sluagh, it’s almost certain…” Matteo frowned, not understanding, then realized: Dearbhla. She was half fae, half shifter. Of course, why hadn’t he thought of that when he’d seen the sluagh burns on Jess’s neck? If Dearbhla was Jess’s mother as they’d hypothesized and had framed Jess so as to get her locked up, perhaps she’d arranged through her fae s to send sluagh into the pen, with the intention of taking her through to Umbra and tying up loose ends there. Giovanni snuffed out his cigarette and hurried around the desk to Matteo. “I need to go to this meeting.” He hesitated. “It’s about Jessica Bradley. I’m meeting Lorenzo Remus.” Matteo balked. The two Alphas met once a year to discuss territories … but this was … well, unprecedented. “You’re coming with me. Just you,” Giovanni continued. His look was distant, his thoughts clearly far away. Matteo clenched his jaw, fighting the urge to gape. He was both honored and … shitting himself. An Alpha going anywhere without both sentinels was almost unheard of. Giovanni was trusting in Matteo alone to protect him. “You think Lorenzo was involved in framing Jess, too?” Matteo asked, suspicion growing at his Alpha’s peculiar behavior. Giovanni stared at Matteo, but his eyes were unfocused. “I do.” He didn’t give further explanation as he eased on his suit jacket. Matteo swallowed his frustration as he wondered what good could come from confronting Lorenzo directly. Rems were lawless. Surely, the only means of remedying the injustice done to Jess and the corruption in the Triodia was to go to the pen. “But why me?” Matteo asked, frowning, some of his frustration at being kept in the dark by Jess leaking out, so he foolishly questioned his Alpha again. Giovanni fixed his dark eyes on him, tugging the lapels of his jacket as he straightened it. His tone was unexpectedly mild. “Because I can see that you care

about Jessica Bradley.” Matteo experienced a rush of anxiety. He’d betrayed too much feeling for her. Denying it would only make his guilt more apparent. Besides, he couldn’t deny it, didn’t want to. He did care about Jess, and already he’d proved to himself that he’d cross a lot of lines because of it. Besides, something about Giovanni’s firm expression made him feel as if he shared in that feeling somehow… Of course, he did, Matteo told himself. He wanted justice. He cared about the wronged, whether Rom or Rem. Giovanni was a good man. A fair man. If his Alpha thought that seeing Lorenzo would somehow help Jess, then he’d follow him. “My Alpha,” Matteo said.

Matteo stood in the piazza, a few meters away from Giovanni, using a nearby columned portico to remain somewhat out of sight, and yet on hand should he be needed. This section of the piazza was glamoured, completely hidden to all human perception. It made it easier to monitor the few paras coming in and out of the area. The cascade of water from the fountain nearby sounded. The circular fountain in the para section was devoid of any activity, whereas the one on the human side of the piazza thronged with tourists. Sightseers tossed in coins, smiling and laughing, and making wishes. The humans tossing coins diverted him. So many little customs from the para world had trickled into human society, like casting offerings into the Depths, a ritual originating from the fae land, Umbra. Except the humans believed tossing a metal coin in granted them wishes. Their tittering laughter and quaint superstition at odds with the darker undertone through which it had originated. The Unseelie tortured the humans they took to Umbra with iron, who upon death became sluagh tethered to them through that iron weapon they’d killed them with. It was this iron that was plunged into a Depths portal to send through their sluagh. The same iron-tinged sort that had attacked Jess. Matteo refocused his attention on Giovanni at the bistro table nearby. It was a Triodian bistro, and the mage serving Giovanni had just delivered his espresso. The usual free coffee grounds reading was offered, but Giovanni shook his head and dismissed the Triodian, turning his attention to his mobile phone. Although Matteo had no doubt that his senses were trained on the paras around them, too, honed for the first sign of the enemy. The ambery scent Matteo picked up now prickled over him, alerting him to Rem presence. He spotted the tall woman, dark-haired with pointed ears approaching beside a pale-haired man, who was much more distinctly Rem. Lorenzo Remus. The tall woman peeled away from her Alpha and took up a post beside a column, at a similar distance from Giovanni’s table as Matteo, but on the opposite side. She was close enough that when Matteo caught Dearbhla’s glare that he took in her green eyes. Her dark hair was tied back in lots of tight braids, a style more commonly worn by fae. Her skin tone was the almond that most fae had, too. Yet her clothes and shoes were the white that Rem favored. Matteo noted that she was about five foot eleven. Only a couple more inches taller than Jess. He realized he was tracing her form and features for similarities to Jess.

Matteo’s attention sharpened on Giovanni as Lorenzo arrived at his table. Lorenzo flashed a smile. Matteo checked himself as the movement reminded him of flews drawn back from fangs. Lorenzo unbuttoned his suit jacket as he sat down. The white of his clothes offset the paleness of his hair. The mage waiter took Lorenzo’s order of espresso, not offering the coffee grounds reading. The mage’s hurried gait spoke he knew all too well who his customers were, and he had no desire to be caught between the two Alphas. Matteo watched the waiter return swiftly, and Lorenzo’s long, pale fingers curled around the small cup he brought him. Once more, he had to suppress the urge rising in him: to shift, to bolt over there, and bite into those pale, long-fingered hands. He watched the Rem Alpha’s seemingly innocuous movement of picking up and replacing the cup he handled. It was as if those hands were poisonous spiders—way too close to his Alpha for comfort’s sake. Lorenzo’s smile broadened as his pale blue eyes landed briefly on Matteo. “Only one sentinel, Gio. Now, I’m even more intrigued to know what this is about.” Matteo forced himself to breathe slowly. It seemed absurd that his Alpha was here. What did Giovanni expect to get by confronting Lorenzo about Dearbhla’s imprisonment of Jess? Giovanni’s rough voice said, “Iron-tinged sluagh attacked the Naples Pen, going for a half-blood Rem.” Even from here, Matteo detected the quickening of Lorenzo’s heartrate, his breathing hitched in surprise, the tells he couldn’t hide behind that fake smile, that was even fuller and flashier than the last. “Sounds like Triodia security leaves a lot to be desired. I did hear that security was a little short after the vamps deserted in Naples.” “Why would Queen Mara want a half Rem enough to send sluagh into a prison?” Giovanni continued. Lorenzo shrugged. Giovanni pressed. “Queen Mara threatened you, didn’t she? She threatened to expose that Jessica was your niece.”

Lorenzo’s grip slackened. His cup clinked his saucer. “What do you want, Gio?” From his post, Matteo suppressed his shock. Lorenzo hadn’t denied Giovanni’s accusation. Jess was Lorenzo’s niece. Jess was the Rem Alpha’s family. Giovanni’s gaze didn’t leave his enemy. Matteo tensed. How had Giovanni known? Lorenzo’s lip curled. “Is this about territory? Which city will it take for you to turn a blind eye?” Giovanni continued to stare at Lorenzo, long enough that Matteo was alarmed that he was considering it. Finally, Giovanni said, “What did you do to Lessa?” “Don’t use my sister’s name like you knew her.” Lorenzo’s voice dropped to a low growl. “I don’t know how you found out, but I ire you for using this, Gio. But you don’t get to say her name.” Giovanni studied him. “I did know her, Lorenzo. All those yearly meetings in Bologna and Venice when we were kids. How could I not know her?” Lorenzo laughed. “A farce. My father was weak to host you on our lands all his life.” Giovanni’s tone was reflective. “Your father was an inspiration. Your sister was even better. You were ten years mine and Lessa’s senior. Too old to notice.” Lorenzo cocked his head. His smile faltered. “To notice what?” “To notice that I loved her.” Lorenzo’s cold face distorted with fury. “You and Lessa–” “Were together,” Giovanni affirmed. Lorenzo’s face swam with comprehension, his pale skin growing lighter still. His voice was a whisper. “She’s your daughter.”

From his post, Matteo’s heart struck against his chest, waiting for his Alpha to deny such an impossible claim. Yet in the space of a heartbeat, Matteo took in the impossible truth. A Rom and a Rem had been in love. Had been together. The result of their union was Jess. As the truth struck Matteo, the impossible no longer seemed just that … Because of the way he felt about Jess. For a half Rem. His own heartbeat quickened as the reality took hold. She was half Rom. As this knowledge beat through him, he watched the two Alphas glower until Giovanni rasped fiercely, “What did you do to Lessa?” A dark smile twitched in the corner of Lorenzo’s lips. Matteo didn’t see which Alpha shifted first, both of their lithe forms blurred, one painting the air with a pale shadow, the other dark, their lines distorting. Matteo swallowed his shock and followed the overwhelming urge summoning him to defend his Alpha. His feet pounded the piazza and as they fell, he suddenly felt the stone beneath the sensitive pads of his paws. His powerful lupine form honed on Lorenzo. The white wolf’s jaws were locked with the dark wolf’s, as they wrestled and fought. As Matteo sprung towards them, a white wolf attacked his flank. He pivoted, locking jaws with Dearbhla. His and Dearbhla’s snarls and whines, accompanied the other pair of warring wolves, as they tumbled and fought their way through the piazza.

22

Lit Me Up

When the Rec Room door opened and the shifter guard entered, he didn’t get a chance to open his mouth. On the face of it, all the inmates sat in the main area as they ordinarily did, but Theo’s pale eyes centered on the guard. In seconds, the huge, burly shifter was curled over and screaming, as if he were being murdered. Jess scowled at Theo. Can’t his sluagh find a … quieter fear? Yet the guards that followed soon fell as easily as the first. Within minutes, they all strode out of the Rec Room, unencumbered by the usual brawny entourage. Yet for the first time, Jess felt a lick of fear as she watched Theo. He stormed ahead of the group, making his solo attack upon each of the guards he encountered. Outwardly, he was armed with only a tree root, but within his power roared. Jess felt it pouring off of him in waves as he strode down the barren corridor. He was like a house full of spirits, suddenly evicting its doomed tenants. The horde crawled into the guards’ bodies, worming their way deep until they dredged up the worst fear they had. Within seconds, each guard, whether in human or wolf form, was cowed on the floor, trembling and wailing. With a pang of guilt, Jess recognized the slim guy that had checked on her in her cell this evening, Matteo’s friend. He buckled over, cowering on his hands and knees. Then he shielded his head as if rubble were falling down on him. Jess wondered what internal hell he was living through. Contrarily, amidst this chaos and fear, Theo became ever brighter. With each attack, his eyes shone, his smile fuller. As they entered other corridors, there were more shifter guards; both Rune and Lea lunged forwards to tackle some,

too, their forms blurring, one with speed, the other shifting. Jess blinked in shock as she watched Rune’s form distort with preternatural speed. He bit into the guard’s neck, then laid him down on the ground in a surprisingly gentle way. He healed the wound in the unconscious Rom’s neck with his own blood, in the same manner that he had after he’d bitten Jess’s wrist. Lea was less gentle with the Rom guards, who she left bitten and bleeding. Jess suspected that her roommate would have tried to nibble her amidst the ruckus had it not been for Astra, who guarded her fiercely with the scian in hand as they made their way through the prison. Every time a body hit the floor, guilt gnawed at Jess. The violence and pain they were leaving in their wake was appalling. As she strode past the quaking guards, she felt as if the Enodian sluagh might be worse than the iron-tinged ones. Yes, the iron-tinged sluagh scarred your body. Yet as she took in the guards screwedup features, their bodies curled into fetal positions, she knew it would be a long time before they got over the scars within that the sluagh were marking them with. But Jess followed. She was still grateful for the path that Theo’s destructive power opened up for them. They would get out. She would confront Lorenzo. As they successfully navigated deep into the pen, Jess felt as if they were a different group of paras to the one that had inhabited this prison for a month. The energy thrumming through the group was so powerful. She felt it sing along her skin as it had in the Cathedral. Even as she did, a voice in her head needled her. Fat good it does you. Surrounded by these paras, she felt like an imposter. Even Astra, who hadn’t had to use the scian she held, looked every inch the deadly fae warrior. Her sleek wings were poised behind her like scythes, ready to propel her into an attack. In fact, the fae somehow looked wilder, as if the little bit of sharp transformative magic within the yew root Theo carried honed her magic, too. As well as curved wings, even her face had taken on a sharper look. Her cheekbones appeared almost as jagged as Rune’s. There was no sign of the witch warden. As usual, Raine must have more important things to do than monitor her inmates.

Jess grinned. Even when said inmates are breaking out. Soon, they entered the training room. In the evening shadows, the dirt floor and two yew silhouettes looked somber. Bare. Every time Jess had seen this space, it had been lit up by the open portal, and Matteo had stood before the Between. Fort Matteo. His absence crept through her. Jess did feel as if some stronghold she’d had was gone, looking at the wasteland of dirt and gloomy trees. She felt a stirring of unease at the prospect of breaking out. She buried it. She needed to confront Lorenzo. She would have Rune’s help. And this was the only way they could all get out. The two yews weren’t enough to make a portal in their own right, but with the thrumming ancient yew in Theo’s hand, he could open the Between. Pale light seeped around the edges of the portal as Theo drew the power from the root. Jess imagined the network of his sluagh in the void, imagined them as they had been in the Netherworld. She pictured the smoky specters congregating in the forests around Villa La Alba like mist between the trees. Theo was portaling the yews from La Alba to form their bridge through the Between. The first trees etched themselves upon the air. They didn’t glow like those from Triodia headquarters but seemed subdued, as if they were limned in moonlight. Jess realized that’s exactly what it was. It was night. They were bathed in the moonlight from where they’d been portaled. Whereas ordinarily, the trees were those portaled from Triodia headquarters and drenched in sunlight. In the silvery moonlight, something else trickled out of the Between: water. A stream twisted sinuously between the silhouettes of the trees. “What the Netherworld?” Theo exclaimed, flummoxed by the water pooling out of the portal. Then Jess felt it. Anticipation prickled along her skin. A spurt of fear shot through her. Why hadn’t she thought about what had happened earlier this evening in here? She hadn’t even tried to shift earlier, and yet the trees’ shadows

from the Between had swarmed over her … and brought forth the scream. As she stared at the trickling water, the same dread grew in her again. She realized there was no stopping it. It had been coming for her since she’d first entered this place. Since the first time she’d tried to shift. A shiver crawled down her spine. Jess expected to hear it. She waited for the piercing cry, but instead a shadowy figure emerged from the cold light of the Between. Rune moved, screening Jess from the emerging figure. As fear swelled through her, she buried it and stepped out from behind Rune. Her breath caught in her throat. It had come for her, as if not willing to let her escape. What did it want? The figure was tall and skeletal enough to be a tree. Perhaps six feet tall, but it was bent and stooped. It shuffled from out of the portal. Its long hair was matted and shrouded its face. Whether it was male or female, Jess couldn’t tell. It had ragged robes hanging from its emaciated form. As it reached the water that streamed between the first pair of trees, it squatted down. Pale, emaciated hands stretched out from its tattered robes. It sat on its haunches and cupped something in its hand. Jess saw what it held. The sheen of the polished ring caught the silvery light. A wooden ring, engraved with a white wolf, fighting the outline of another. With its other hand, the thing drew water from the stream, trickling it over the ring, washing it. Jess was mesmerized by the chunky ring in the creature’s palm. Recognition prickled over her as she identified the white wolf warring with its twin. The thing held Lorenzo Remus’s ring. Then the thing opened its mouth … and screamed.

23

Sworn

The shifter guards at the entrance of the Naples Pen crouched low in salute of their Alpha, who tracked past. Matteo followed, brooding. What would these same guards do if they knew what Giovanni had done? What he was? A blood traitor. It was rare that an Alphahood was challenged. Alphahoods ran in the ruling family, ed down from generation to generation. But there were precedents throughout Para History when an Alpha had been challenged. Not that there was a precedent for this. His thoughts whirled again with the startling truth. A Rom and a Rem had been together. He imagined the guards crouched silhouettes, blurring, their lupine forms lunging and tearing Giovanni apart. He quickened his step, wincing slightly as the wound in his side stung. Dearbhla had inflicted a relatively deep bite. She and her Alpha had made their getaway through the fountain in the middle of the piazza. It must have been activated by the Enodian in Lorenzo’s employ. Neither Matteo nor Giovanni had wanted to waste time attending to their wounds before coming to the Naples Penitentiary, so still in wolf form, they’d made their way to Rome’s Triodia headquarters. Matteo clenched his jaw against the pain in his side. He was almost grateful of the sting. Something to focus on. Something to draw him from the dozens of questions racing around his head since the revelation in the piazza. He suspected, too, that that was why Giovanni had had them retain their wolf forms on the way to Triodia headquarters, to minimize the talk.

Just before portaling here, they’d shifted into human form again, and Giovanni had made his first reference to what had happened. “You’ll say nothing of what ed in the square to anyone.” “Yes, Alpha,” Matteo said. The command bound him to secrecy. Even if he wanted to speak out against Giovanni, he was blood bound to obey. Matteo hadn’t been able to silence himself completely, though. “But Jess needs to know–” “That’s my decision to make,” Giovanni had retorted. “You will say nothing of this matter to anyone.” The order had been as powerful as the thrum of energy in the Cathedral. It burrowed into him as if settling in his very marrow. The power of an Alpha’s command was absolute. Unbreakable. And for the first time ever, his Alpha’s will felt like a leash around his neck. Because he couldn’t speak of what he’d discovered … not even to Jess. With each step that Matteo took, thoughts of Jess grew. Apprehension prickled over him. Was she okay? What would Giovanni do with her once she was released? Would he tell the truth about who he was to her? Would he tell Jess what a miracle she was? A half Rom-Rem. He wondered how much of her difficulty with shifting stemmed from that fact. There was no doubt now that she was a shifter. A full shifter. The ability to shift was in her. He longed to tell her that, ing the fierceness with which she wanted it, with which she kept trying. Was it possible that the enmity that ran between Roms and Rems was at work within her? A flash of Jess, convulsing on the dirt floor of the Cathedral flickered through his thoughts. He imagined the savage pain that such a struggle must inflict. It could be why she had rage blackouts, as one side of her nature took over in those violent episodes. He ed the raw and wild cries that had been torn from her each time she tried to shift. Those screams had seemed to pierce his heart the last time he’d taken her to the Cathedral, against his better judgement. He wondered if Giovanni after all of this would allow Matteo to work through Jess’s block with her, to teach her two opposing natures to live in harmony with one another. He imagined himself telling Jess that he cared about her. Perhaps his own feelings for her could lead her to be comfortable with both of her

wolfish natures. Matteo’s thoughts darkened. Only if his Alpha told Jess the truth about her heritage could that future come about. Wasn’t it more likely, given Giovanni’s reluctance to speak about the piazza, that he’d hold Matteo to complete silence on the matter? Perhaps he’d even forbid Matteo with Jess. He pictured her being sent back to Maine and her just vanishing as if none of this had ever happened. Hollowness crept into his chest, but it was banished by a flare of ferocity. The need he felt for her was as demanding as the command of his Alpha. He wouldn’t allow himself to be separated from her. He would find a way to see her. Find a way to tell her what she deserved to know. They were soon outside of Raine’s office. The shifter guard who stood outside made to knock, but Giovanni merely looked at him, and the shifter guard fell back into place as if he were Giovanni’s shadow; in that moment, the guard was an extension of his Alpha, the blood call pushing him back into his post as forcefully as the pull of gravity. Giovanni opened the warden’s door. Raine looked up from her tablet, a frown marring her face. “Giovanni.” She smiled a little too brightly. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” As she caught sight of Matteo in the door, her smile faltered. “I’m here to take you before the Triodia High Witch for conspiring with the enemy, working with both Enodians and the Remus Clan, and unlawfully imprisoning Jessica Bradley.” Raine paled. She knew that Giovanni’s command trumped her own when it came to the shifter guards. With the vamp guards deserted, she had no back up within these walls. Would she deny it? Giovanni didn’t let her get a word in. “Not only do I have confirmation from the shifters that you used to transport Jessica here that you sanctioned an illegal Enodian portal, but I also have information linking you to the Rem who sold you information about the nests you destroyed. Dearbhla Remus will be arrested shortly for obstructing the course of justice. Anything you have to say you may say to the High Witch.”

Matteo noticed that Giovanni didn’t bring up any charges against Lorenzo Remus. He had no evidence to tie him to Raine. Matteo ed the question Giovanni had confronted the Rem Alpha with: “What did you do to Lessa?” Giovanni had no intent in prosecuting Lorenzo Remus because he wanted to find out what had happened to Lorenzo’s sister. What had happened to Jess’s mother, Lessa? A chill ran through Matteo as he wondered what Lorenzo had done to her. Matteo hadn’t even realized the Rem Alpha had a sister. Whatever had happened to her must have happened years ago. Jess’s file flickered through his thoughts. The details of how she’d been abandoned in a forest in Maine, a few days old at most. He felt a surge of protectiveness steal through him, picturing Jess beneath the Cathedral as she’d asked about whether he thought she’d been abandoned by her birth mother because of her part-human heritage. But it wasn’t that at all. Once more the desire for Jess to know the truth drummed through him. Matteo felt how surreal it was to see a warden silenced with the kind of words she so regularly doled out to new arrivals. Yet even as he saw Warden Whitmore’s face pale with shock, everything in him was already turning towards Jess. He pictured her as he’d left her in her cell, out cold. Her elegant face so worryingly pale. How much he’d wished to see her crystal blue eyes open. Everything in him wanted to sprint to her cell now, but he forced himself to give the external appearance of the obedient soldier, awaiting his Alpha’s command. It seemed that Raine wasn’t going to cause a fuss, and was already slipping on her jacket without a word, when a piercing cry erupted. The shriek seemed to come from the walls themselves. Both Giovanni and Matteo’s stance instinctively altered to a fighting one, preparing to shift. What magic was this that Raine was using? But to Matteo’s dismay, Raine looked utterly shocked and … terrified. She grimaced, her hands over her ears. Her dark gaze darted around the walls of the room as if looking for where the horrific scream was coming from. The shifter guards in the corridor clustered around the open door. They, too, covered their ears, and he realized the piercing shriek was even louder out there. It was coming from deeper in the pen. A prickle of recognition shot through him just as the scream petered out. It was louder … much louder … deafeningly so, but he was certain that the painful cry

was … Jess. A second cry ricocheted along the corridors and flooded the room. The shifter guards at the door were crouched and alert now, their gaze flicking between Raine and Giovanni uncertainly, waiting for a command. As the second scream died, Matteo’s gaze shot to Giovanni’s. “That’s Jess.” Panic beat through him. She was in the Cathedral. Somehow, she was in the Cathedral. He darted out of the room, sprinting down the corridor. He caught Giovanni’s gravelly order behind him, “Everyone, follow, now!”

24

The Sidhe

As the second of the creature’s cries died, Jess buckled over, holding her hands over her ears. She had the same feeling that she’d had in the Netherworld. If a third cry broke from the creature’s mouth … she would die. Except this time, they all would. Each cry that washed over her seemed to strip away more of her courage, leaving the sense that this would be the last thing she heard. Yet when the second cry petered out, Jess watched the shadowy form scuttle back, its berobed, spindly body fading away, along with the third cry that, thankfully, was distant, echoing hauntingly from the Between. For a moment, Jess stared at the void left between the two trees, but the thing was gone. Theo was still holding the portal open with his sluagh. The trees that he’d portaled through from La Alba still rested around them. The same cold light of the moon limned them, trickling through the room. Jess noticed the stream of water that had slithered through with the creature had also vanished back into the Between. Jess breathed a sigh of relief, as she was certain the thing was gone. When she turned around, Rune was only inches from her, his black eyes still on the portal as if poised to throw himself at it if it returned. She wasn’t surprised to see that the others were crouched on the ground, their hands over their ears still; the piercing cry had ricocheted through the room at such a pitch that it had been excruciating. A warm trickle of blood leaked from her ears, and she saw that the others had been similarly affected. Astra’s nose was bloodied and blue. Theo and Lea, too, as they removed their hands from their ears cautiously, had bloody trails down their cheeks and neck. Only Rune looked unaffected by the creature’s screams. Jess supposed he didn’t have living blood vessels to rupture. Theo shouted, “I think the Sidhe burst my eardrums.” He wiped the blood from his ears on his sleeve.

Jess too shell-shocked only gaped. He’d said Sidhe. He knew what that thing was. “What’s a Sidhe?” she asked. Astra explained, her voice shaky, “The Sidhe is an Umbran creature. It means burial mound in fae.” “But all s of the Sidhe are from Umbra,” Theo argued, his brow furrowing as he brooded. “Not anymore,” Rune said. Astra’s russet eyes were serious as she continued to watch the silvery portal. “The Sidhe came about thousands of years ago in Umbra; legend says when the first humans were brought to our land.” Theo added, “When Unseelie tortured the first of them to death with iron.” Jess’s gaze couldn’t help going to the scian that Astra held. She ed the chilling discussion they’d had in the Rec Room about how iron-tinged sluagh came into existence. Astra pressed on, her eyes never leaving the portal. “Well, the Sidhe is the exception to fae dying. I told you, Jess, that fae don’t die physically, but fade away. It’s kind of a horror story in Umbra. It’s said that the Sidhe was one of the first humans to die there, and that it weeps for itself and all those who share its fate. It calls from the Between for those who are soon to die. The thriceheard keen brings death to all who hear it … even to fae.” A shiver crawled down Jess’s spine. She thought of the overwhelming certainty that had come over her in the Netherworld as she’d tried to outrun that scream … That if it had sounded one more time, she’d die. She’d been right. It was true. The Sidhe’s death keen had almost claimed her. This time, too, as they’d all struggled to shield their ears from its scream, it had almost killed them. And this was the thing that she’d run from in the Netherworld. This was the thing that had long plagued her while shifting. Its cries somehow being ripped from her when she’d tried to shift.

She looked at Rune. He had protected her from the Sidhe when it chased her in the Netherworld. He’d forced Theo to pull her out. He had felt her dread. He’d known what she’d heard and what it meant. Jess’s eyes gleamed with so many questions. He’d said that the thing was after the seed magic that Jess had seen in her dream. She was on the verge of asking him when he spoke. “We need to go.” He looked back at the entrance to the training room. “The warden will have heard the screams.” Jess shook herself. He was right. The piercing cries would have alerted Raine and whatever shifter guards were left at the front of the pen. They could figure out what the Sidhe’s appearance meant when they were on the outside. Jess clenched her jaw. “Right, Theo?” His lips curled. “After you.” She rolled her eyes. Right. Sure. It would be her, wouldn’t it? To follow the death screamer into the Between first. Lea surprised her as she blocked the portal. “You’re not going anywhere. I saw what the Sidhe held.” Lea glared. “Is anyone going to tell her what that meant?” Astra’s gaze finally left the portal and landed on Jess. “Fae have stories about the Sidhe appearing to them and washing the armor of important fae. Usually, the armor of fae kings and queens. It’s a death omen for the person whose belongings she washes.” Jess balked. The Sidhe had washed Lorenzo Remus’s ring. She ed seeing the wooden ring on Lorenzo’s hand in the Netherworld. The Sidhe had heralded the Rem Alpha’s death. Lea angled herself towards Jess, her body language clearly stating she had no intention of letting Jess through to Villa Alba. “The Sidhe keened as it washed our Alpha’s ring. You may know nothing about our clan, but that ring with the white wolf is his ring, carved from a piece of the original Cathedral of Silva. Somehow, you’re bringing his death by going to confront Dearbhla. You can’t go.” The fury that Jess had kept at bay for so long bubbled up. The word our

provoked her. From the start of being locked up here, she’d hated the way Lea had the nerve to christen her with the Rem name. As if sharing the same color of hair made them sisters. She’d had a sister. One that Lorenzo Remus had killed. Jess scowled. “He’s not my Alpha. Just because I have the same color hair as you doesn’t make me a Rem.” She clenched her fists. The absurdity of this girl making her fume. “Besides, in the Netherworld, I found out the truth. It wasn’t Dearbhla who killed my sister. It was Lorenzo Remus. He killed her and framed me for her murder. So, I’m damn well going through that portal, and if it brings his death about, then I only hope it’s going to be me to deal it.” As Jess made her pronouncement with dark delight, Lea flinched. Then her face and body looked as if it were shining with the moonlight bathing the trees. Jess knew that she was shifting. And… the same feeling was moving through her. That which she’d experienced in here before. Yet there was none of the violence that had been part of the feeling before. It was as soft and gentle as the silvery moonlight. She felt as if she were nowhere and everywhere all at once. The trees reached into her, and something within her reached out to them, twisting and linking to form a bridge. A bridge that she now crossed easily. She could feel the power emanating from the root in Theo’s hand as the magic seeped into her and reshaped her. The spirit of the original forest was retained in that small piece, and it travelled through every fiber of her until it shaped her with strong lupine lines. Her bones, muscle, and sinew melted into other tracks. Before the trees had seemed like chisels, trying to carve and whittle her body away, but now her form was clay, and the forest’s energy a gentle caress that brought her wolfish form to the surface. Now on four legs, Jess’s pads and claws pressed themselves into the dirt like roots, and she felt as one with the bower of trees around her as if she were one of them. She knelt in worship and communion with the roots below and the branches above. But there were other ways to honor the woods than silent communion. She flexed her claws and pricked her ears. Her hackles rose as Lea’s lupine form ahead of her also solidified into strong, powerful lines. As the resiny, smoky scent of her enemy ahead of her filled Jess’s awareness, she knew she would

honor the forest by spilling this wolf’s blood. Jess’s flews drew back, and a deep, guttural growl climbed in her chest. Jess lunged. She felt as if all the fury that had built while stuck inside this prison, finally had an outlet. She was so swift that Lea didn’t manage to block her strike, she thwacked the slighter wolf back. Lea flew, her body hurtling into one of the yew trees, before crashing into the dirt.

25

Freed

As Matteo sprinted around the corner and into the training room, he froze. He didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t seeing Jess right before the portal. Everything happened so quickly he felt as if he must have stumbled into a dream. Lea and Jess were standing in front of the portal. The entrance between the two trees was bathed in pale light, as well as the fiery tell-tale Enodian flame. Other trees stood around the Cathedral. Other paras, too. There was a fae, a mage, and a vamp watching the two arguing girls. “…if it brings his death about, then I only hope it’s going to be me to deal it,” Jess shouted. Then it happened. Just happened. It was smooth and fluid, as if Jess had done it a thousand times over. The grace with which she shifted was startlingly beautiful. If he hadn’t seen her standing in front of Lea in human form seconds before it happened, he wouldn’t have believed it could be her. Her form collected like mist into the sleek lines of her wolf form. Then she sprang. The strength she batted Lea away with was phenomenal. Lea skidded across the floor and thudded against the trunk of a tree. The vamp who was near to Jess moved towards her swiftly, stopping mere inches from her as if he, too, were enthralled with her lupine form as much as Matteo was. His stomach somersaulted as the vamp put his hand on Jess’s back. Jealousy roiled through him. The fae was near to where Lea had slammed against the tree. The fae launched herself, using her huge black wings to rush at her. In the gloom and shadow of the tree, he saw her skin tone mottling to the darker shade as it picked its hue from the yew’s bark. She wielded a scian. “Go for her again, and I’ll stab you.” Matteo didn’t move, and neither Jess, nor the other inmates spotted his still

figure. But as Giovanni and Raine raced in beside him, all of the inmates startled, and looked at them, framed in the doorway. Jess’s pointed ears flattened against her head. Matteo held up his hands; he didn’t want her to be startled into something she’d regret. Whatever these inmates had talked her into, he needed to ensure that she knew it wasn’t necessary. She didn’t need to break out. It smarted to think that if they’d gotten here earlier, she wouldn’t be involved in whatever this was. Matteo looked at his Alpha and saw that Giovanni’s brown eyes were settled on Jess, too. “Jess,” Matteo said, “step away from them. You don’t need to break out. We’re here.” He glanced at Giovanni. “My Alpha and I are here to release you. Your charges are dropped.” He thought she’d at least shift back into her human form, but she just stared at him with her crystal-clear eyes, even more startling against the white of her fur. Her ears did start to straighten from their defensive stance. He frowned. If she would only come this way, then he and Giovanni, and the other shifter guards in the corridor—those that Giovanni had ordered to stay out of sight—could tackle the others back into their cells. Despite the overwhelming urge to separate her from the others, he maintained his distance. He’d seen the mayhem that these escapees had caused in the corridors behind them and it wasn’t pretty. Some of the bravest shifters he knew, both in human and wolf form, had been cowering throughout the halls, begging and whining, stuck in some nightmarish world of their own. This was powerful Enodian magic. Matteo’s gaze flitted to the Enodian mage, watching his relaxed, almost languid stance with apprehension. The fact that this mage was still able to maintain their fear testified to his power. Matteo cast his gaze warily over the cocky mage. He’d never seen any Enodian magic capable of maintaining soul warfare over such a distance. And he was clearly still managing to hold the portal open to wherever he’d chosen to exit to as well. Matteo felt a prickle of earthen energy, not from the mage who clearly held a piece of root in his hand, but from behind him. Raine charged forwards. She wore a yew ring and strode into the training room before either Matteo or Giovanni could stop her. Her high-heeled shoes ground

into the earth as she marched, and her black coat billowed out behind her. Her bun had loosened itself, probably on the run down the corridor, and dangled at the nape of her neck. The disarray of her hair made her look curiously vulnerable. Raine shot down earthen energy into the soil, and an amalgamation of roots and soil emerged. Their twisted legs propelled them towards the mage. The warden, framed by the tall tree sentinels looked more determined now, each step she took towards the mage accompanied with the earthen beings of root and soil. Lea took it as an opportunity and tried to dart past the fae, but the petite fae was fast. Her black wings propelled her towards Lea, and she landed a blow on the shifter’s shoulder. A howl of pain loosed itself from Lea. Despite the scuffle behind the Enodian mage, his pale eyes were focused on the earthen beings approaching him. He looked amused. The earthen figures continued to stride towards him but Raine stopped. She gasped. She collapsed to her knees. Shuffling on her knees, she inched forwards, then moved left, then right. “Please, let me out. Please.” Her ordinarily clipped voice sounded frail. The mage grinned as he watched the warden. Matteo stared as the warden scuffled about in the dirt as if she were trying to find a way out. His stomach turned as he realized the mage had trapped her in her internal fear, just like the other shifters in the hallways. Was it Raine’s guilty conscience that caused her fear of imprisonment, or was it something older than her shame of recent events? Her begging to be let out grew more fervent. Matteo glared at the mage, infuriated by his glittering green eyes and simper. He hated to think that this dark mage had influenced Jess, too, had convinced her that this was the only way for her to get out. The mage’s concentration on the warden deepened, even as the earthen beings almost reached him, their rooty arms twisting out towards him as if to snare him. Raine screamed, her hands banging on the earth. “Let me out.” The tree beings disintegrated into heaps of dirt as the warden’s screams grew

louder. Caught in her fear, her own magic petered out. The Enodian mage strode past the heaps of earth and plucked the yew ring from Raine’s finger. She tried to grab onto the mage as if he were a lifeline, but he dropped her hands back into the dirt, leaving her to grope as if blind. In all this time, Giovanni remained still, his eyes regarding Jess. She stood right before the silvery portal, between the two trees. She still possessed her wolf form. Matteo’s only consolation was that her crystal blue eyes were trained on him. He knew, too, that Giovanni’s inaction must be on of not wanting to risk what might happen to Jess should he send all of the shifters in to subdue the inmates. Despite what Matteo had just seen between Jess and Lea, he knew that Jess was inexperienced in fighting. What if she got injured? Giovanni’s gravelly voice sounded beside him. “Jess. I know you’ve been unfairly treated by the Triodia. You have my word that you’re safe now. You don’t have to go with them.” Matteo prickled with nervous energy. He wanted to shout out to Jess, too. He wanted to tell her something that might dissuade her from going through that portal with the rest of these criminals. If only he could tell her that the family she’d sought her whole life was here. That Giovanni was her father. That she wasn’t just part of the Rem Clan, but that she was part of their clan. His clan. Matteo watched Jess regard Giovanni, her eyes trailing to Matteo next, as if she were trying to gauge whether she could trust him. Giovanni’s raspy voice sounded again. “Jess, don’t leave. Stay. Walk this way. I promise you, you’re safe.” Matteo felt the command running through the words that his Alpha had just uttered. If it was him that Giovanni had just commanded, he would be blood bound to obey. Matteo’s gaze ran over Jess, watching the lines of her body, wondering whether it could be that she wouldn’t have a choice, that part of her would answer to the Rom Alpha. After all, in part, he was her Alpha. Jess’s form shimmered on the air, distorting in a pale wisp. Her human form drew itself, tall and elegant. Her pale hair hung loose over her shoulders, and her

crystal blue eyes landed on him. He let out a breath. Then… Jess stepped backwards into the Between. Matteo’s heart struck in disbelief and panic. The dark-haired vamp followed Jess immediately into the void. Giovanni shouted, “Stop them!” As the guards behind Matteo shifted, he, too, propelled himself into the shift. His body blurred upon the air, and his wolf form streaked towards the Enodian mage. If he could stop him from getting to the portal, then it would remain open, and they could get to wherever Jess had gone. Worry spurted through him as he ed the tail end of the argument he’d heard between her and Lea and suspected he knew where she’d gone. In his lupine form, Matteo saw the fae from the periphery of his vision leave Lea’s wounded wolf form and fly through the portal before any of the shifters got to her. The mage brought up the rear, brandishing the root in his hand like a dagger. His eyes darted to each shifter who neared him. Each guard was soon down in the dirt as surely as if they’d been struck by the mage. As Matteo drew near the Enodian mage, close enough to see the wave in his sandy hair and the curling smile on his wide face, his green eyes met his. Suddenly, Matteo saw Jess again. His breath caught in his throat with relief. He stilled. She was just as she’d been before going through the portal. Her pale hair fell loosely over her shoulders, her blue eyes were as warming as her ambery scent. How had he ever thought them cold and empty? She was so vivid Matteo felt as if he could taste her resiny perfume, as if he were licking her skin. Then cold fear moved through him. Jess wasn’t alone. Lorenzo stood before her. His cold voice snapped as only an Alpha’s could. “Stay where you are.” Jess’s form stilled, her eyes awash with fear. Matteo wanted to rush at the Rem Alpha, but he couldn’t move. He couldn’t get

to Jess … With suffocating fear, he realized that his own form wouldn’t move. Couldn’t. Giovanni stood beside him. Silent. Unmoving. A wall between him and what Matteo wanted to do. Must do. Matteo’s eyes widened as he watched a cruel smile fly across Lorenzo’s face. The Rem’s figure swam. His wolf form painted the air in a flash, and his claws and teeth sped towards Jess as lethally as a wall of arrows.

26

Bad Blood

Theo’s laughter was the first thing to cut the silence of the forest. He had closed the portal as soon as he got here. “Shhh,” Astra whispered, ruffling her wings as she scoped out their surroundings. She wiped the bloodied scian on the carpet of leaves where she crouched. At the sight of the blood, Jess thought of Lea. A spurt of satisfaction shot through her as she thought of the spiteful girl left behind in the pen. The landscape around them was exactly as Jess had imagined it. Wide eyed, she took in the forest of tall yews in the moonlight. Theo still chuckled to himself. “What’s so funny?” Rune asked. Theo shook his head. “Seems you’re not the only one to have a thing for our Remi.” He cocked his head at Rune, his glittering eyes skimming to Jess. Jess’s heart quickened. She twigged what he meant instantly, her thoughts skittering to who they’d left behind. “What did you do to Matteo?” Her blood curdled as she ed Raine screaming and shuddering on the dirt. Theo had wrenched her fear up. Jess paled as she imagined Matteo’s hulking form huddled in pain and fear. Jess gritted her teeth, furious at the idea of him being hurt and humiliated like that. “Steady on,” Theo said, his eyes widening as he took in her anger. “It was only a moment so I could make my exit safely.” His eyes narrowed. “I’m kind of an important part of operations, ?”

Jess exhaled slowly and nodded. “Sorry, I just… don’t want to see him hurt.” She ed the way his brown eyes had beseeched her to stay with such intensity that she had, for the first time, doubted the path she was on. But why? There was nothing Matteo could do for her by going down the official avenues to get justice against Lorenzo. Theo cocked his head. “Surely, now that you’ve shifted, though, you feel the usual enmity towards Roms?” Jess frowned. Everything had happened so quickly in the Cathedral this time around that she hadn’t stopped to consider it. She ed the way Matteo had spoken about that strand of enmity that all Rom and Rem felt between them. She thought, too, of the way that Matteo’s Alpha had appealed to her. The Rom Alpha’s voice had almost given her chills down her arms and spine. With his intense brown eyes and jet-black hair, he had been formidable. And easily as tall as Matteo. But it had been his rough voice that had left a lasting impression on Jess as she thought about what had just happened. The Rom Alpha’s voice had been powerful, she’d found herself listening to him, even shifting into human form as if she were considering his request. She felt woozy just thinking about it. As easy as shifting had been, actually forcing herself to step back into the portal had been uncannily hard. She couldn’t understand everything that had just happened. I mean, By Alba, I just shifted. As for the shifting, she hadn’t had any time to consider how it had happened. She’d been furious at Lea but hadn’t been catapulted into a rage blackout. The heat of her anger hadn’t engulfed her. Shifting had actually been so easy. So peaceful. She looked from Theo and Rune, then to Astra, who were giving her the why are you so different look, and frustration prickled over her, as if they, too, were wondering about some of the things she was. “What does it matter now?” she retorted. “We’re out of the pen. And I didn’t come to the woods to sing Kumbaya and talk about my feelings.”

Theo laughed. Rune nodded. “We need to get to La Alba before anyone follows.” His clear voice steadied her. She turned to Astra and Theo. “Guess this is where we part.” “What?” Astra exclaimed. “I’m not going anywhere. Not after the Sidhe appeared to you, heralding what it did. I’m seeing this out.” “Seconded,” Theo said. “I want to be part of the first ever hunting party heralded by the Sidhe. Looks like you’re stuck with us.” He grinned. “This,” he added, handing her the yew ring he’d grabbed from the warden, “might come in handy for you.” “Thanks,” she said, accepting and slipping on the ring. She could feel the potency that vibrated through the piece, clearly carved from a piece of wood in the Cathedral of Silva. It would come in handy, depending on where Lorenzo was. On one level, Jess was pleased to have more back up. After all, she didn’t imagine Lorenzo would be alone at La Alba. The Rem Alpha would undoubtedly have clan guarding his place. But before she’d merely wanted to confront him. Until Rune had said he’d her, she hadn’t really believed she stood a chance of exacting revenge on the Rem, only known that she’d damn well try. For Caylee’s sake. For his framing her for murder. For his locking her up. On the other hand, Jess felt the looks that both Theo and Astra couldn’t help but ogle her with. They were both wondering why the Sidhe had come from the Between, come from Umbra where it had only ever been seen and heard of. And that was without them knowing that it had long been using Jess as a mouthpiece for its scream whenever she’d tried to shift in the Cathedral. She was pleased she hadn’t illuminated them on that part, or they’d likely be looking at her as even more of a curiosity. Jess strode on. Since shifting, walking wasn’t just walking. Everything vied for her attention as if her surroundings were painted in a thousand different hues. The scent of the bark, the damp leaves under foot, and the dirt beneath. Everything seemed tactile. Rough and smooth; heavy and light; warm and cold.

Her focus went to the warm, smooth resiny scent of the Rems she detected. Her nose leading her to La Alba. When they came out of the woods, Villa Alba loomed ahead. A white pillared mansion. Manicured lawns and trees lined the short driveway. The door to the house was open. And hey … a greeting party outside. It was small though. Jess had expected there to be more than three shifters guarding the house. Jess recognized Dearbhla immediately. She ed her choking her but reminded herself this shifter wasn’t the one behind what happened that night. With uncharacteristic restraint, she managed to curb the well of anger that yawned in her. Dearbhla was flanked by two pale-haired male Rems. Rune’s swift form shot towards the one on the left, tackling the shifter, so that both distorted in a whirl of black and white. Astra shot towards Dearbhla, as if sensing a worthy opponent; Dearbhla pulled out a scian from her belt. Theo took the other Rem, his pale green eyes locked onto the shifter. Jess watched as the shifter sank to the ground in moments; the same pain and fear etching his expression and tensing his limbs that all Theo’s victims suffered. Jess strode on, stepping through the unobstructed doorway, surveying the gleaming marble hall ahead of her. The white stone was only lit by the moonlight from outside. An electrical light trickled from down the corridor farther in. She followed it. “Jess,” Rune called. She spun around to the doorway. He scowled at it. “There’s a ward. I can’t get in.” Theo said, “I can feel sluagh surrounding the place. Lorenzo must have an Enodian preventing anyone but Rems entering.” Rune shouted, “Get it down.” Theo laughed. “I’m a little busy.” Sure enough, he was holding his shifter at bay, who twitched on the floor, in wolf form. Rune stalked over to the wolf and bit into his throat. “Now work on the wards,”

he ordered. Rune’s black eyes turned to Jess. “Wait. Wait for Theo to get through the wards.” She noticed that he still closed up the wounds he’d inflicted in the shifter’s neck, even as most of his attention was trained on her. His body tensed as his gaze climbed the walls, as if he might find a fracture in the wards. She shook her head. “What if Lorenzo’s Alpha command works on you?” Rune continued. Jess took a breath. “You said it yourself; the others might follow here any minute. I need to do this.” She clenched her fists and turned around, continuing on through the hall alone. “Jess, wait!” Rune called. She blotted out his shouts. She hadn’t sworn that she wouldn’t confront Lorenzo. She wouldn’t let the chance go by. Besides, hadn’t the Sidhe heralded his death? She suppressed the frustration and anger twisting through her now; Rune’s emotions clamored through her. But she didn’t stop. The light, as well as the scent of a log fire, drew her through the corridor. She halted in the doorway of the room from which the aroma and light spilled. Lorenzo stood in front of a marble mantlepiece; the firelight bathing one side of his face and form. He was dressed in a white shirt and tros, his feet bare. Pale hair flopped over his forehead, sweaty and lanky. She noticed the ring on his forefinger, the white of the Rem on it catching the firelight, its twin just an outline. Other than the fire burning, there was no light in the room, but the floor and walls were all marble, reflecting the moonlight and revealing a huge, pale room. Lorenzo angled himself more towards the door and flashed a smile. Then his expression fell. His eyes widened. “I wasn’t expecting you.” Jess wondered who he’d been expecting. The greeting party meant he had expected company but why was it so small? She’d half expected a whole pack of wolves. His leer unsettled her, but she forced herself to speak. “I suppose not, given you put me in prison.”

Lorenzo chuckled. “That I did, Jess. But I did so much more than that.” He walked towards her, and she forced herself to mirror him, walking into the room, and angling herself so that she faced him. Fear welled up within her, but she stamped it down. “You killed Caylee.” Jess glowered at him, hating being this close to him. He was only a few feet away. He stopped. “I did.” “Why?” He sneered at her. “Because you were mine to do what I wanted with. You were only ever alive because of my mercy.” Jess’s skin crawled. The way his gaze had lingered on her in the memory she’d watched play out in the Netherworld had left her in no doubt that it was he, not Dearbhla, who had orchestrated framing her for Caylee’s murder. Both Matteo and Lea had stated that having offspring by a human was a matter of shame for a Rem. Was that the reason then? “Are you my father?” she asked, voice thick. Revulsion filled her at the thought this cold, cruel man might be. He grimaced. “By Alba, no! Alessandra, my sister, was your mother.” Jess swallowed the lump in her throat. She knew her mother’s name. Alessandra. Alessandra Remus. Lorenzo’s sister was her mother. “What did you do to her?” Jess demanded. “When she ran, I hunted her. When I found out her betrayal, I tracked her and your human father to America.” Lorenzo laughed, running his long fingers through his hair. Loathing filled Jess as she imagined this monster murdering her parents as savagely and cruelly as he had Caylee. Lorenzo narrowed his eyes. “I should have done it then, finished you off with Alessa.”

“Why didn’t you?” “You were a baby, a mongrel, but I couldn’t kill you.” “You left me in the woods,” she whispered, understanding dawning. She felt the fury build in her but willed it down. Not yet. “Yes, the forest was supposed to be your grave. There seemed to be poetry in it. To let the trees kill you, a half-breed who was never meant to exist. “Then I found out that you’d been rescued by humans. I watched you from afar for a while, enough to know what a disappointment you were. No shifting ability. It generally happens with most mutts. But it seemed that the shifter part of you must have caused your condition of rage blackouts. I believe that was the term the psychiatry reports used.” Jess shuddered. How much insight into her life did he have? Her uncle. Without her ever being aware of it, he’d been watching her. Even now, away from the human world, all the analysis and drugs that those shrinks had plied her with, made her feel numb. And the clinical walls: their sterility were almost as barren as the Triodia Pen. Both the clinical offices and the rooms of the prison seemed to merge. The anxiety and pain she’d experienced in both had been brought about by this man abandoning her in the forest. Lorenzo continued, “But now, I think, maybe your rage blackouts weren’t that at all…” He searched her expression for something. Apprehension prickled over her. Did he know something about the Sidhe? Lorenzo smiled again, and uneasiness somersaulted through her. What did he know that he wasn’t telling her? “Why now? Why did you leave me alone all these years, only to set me up?” Lorenzo scowled. “One of Mara’s servants followed me one night when I was watching you. Found out about you.” He had been watching her. She wanted to call him strange, but how many times had she wished when she was younger, before she’d managed to curb that

whining wish in her head, that she had family? And here he was. Careful what you wish for. He smirked. “I know, now and then, I couldn’t help but look in on you, a mongrel, yes, but the only family I had left.” Jess ed the peculiar summons she felt sometimes from the trees, the one she’d recognized in the Cathedral the first time she’d entered it. She’d thought that pitch of energy from the trees had felt familiar. She ed all those times she’d felt that same pitch resonating from the forests in Maine. Hatred gathered in her like black smoke. All those times she’d thought that she was being guided home, guided to where she belonged, when the call of the trees had been so strong, it had been because this hateful man was there, watching her. Her gaze slid over the ring on his finger, knowing now that it was a piece of the original Cathedral of Silva. It was the ring that would have called to her. Lorenzo gritted his teeth. “Mara would have blackmailed me, squeezed territory out of me and human tributes for Umbra by threatening to reveal your existence to my clan. I couldn’t have my clan know of your existence. Having a human niece would have been a sign of weakness. Too many would have used the stain on my name to challenge my rule.” “Why didn’t you kill me a month ago?” Jess asked, ing how vulnerable she’d been the night he killed Caylee. “It’s unwise to deny Mara anything. I made it look like you’d lost control of your shifter ability so that the Triodia locked you up instead. That way Mara couldn’t get her hands on you. And your execution at trial would have tidied it all up.” “So that’s why the sluagh attacked me in prison,” Jess said. Lorenzo smiled. “Oh yes, Mara wants you. But she won’t get you.” He crept towards her. “Now that you’ve delivered yourself to me.” She held her ground, watching his every movement. “Have you learnt to shift in the pen?” His frosty eyes prickled over her, the same pale hue as her own. She noticed the way his long fingers stroked the Alpha ring upon his finger, readying to draw the power humming through the wood to

transform. “Do you think that will keep you alive? What arrogance, fledgling. You think you can fight an Alpha?” Was he talking about the blood call of the Alpha? Apprehension trickled through her but she swallowed it. The Sidhe had heralded his death. Contrarily enough, the strange scream and dread that had haunted her for almost a month now gave her courage. Her attention roved to the potent energy thrumming from the ring on her own forefinger. Lorenzo’s cold voice cut the air. “Stay.” Jess felt the imperative prickle over her, creating goosebumps along her arms and a chill tingling down her spine. Lorenzo’s form blurred in the distinctive ethereal way like a puff of steam. But his command didn’t hold Jess’s will or body under its thrall. Her body melted away, too. Its powerful lupine lines chalked themselves upon the air. She stood firmly on all four legs, ready to spring as Lorenzo’s wolf form manifested before her. His ears flattened and he bared his fangs. Jess felt the tide of fury twisting her muscles, holding her poised and ready. She stared into his frosty eyes, feeling her own ears and muzzle mirroring his responses. His fangs were as white as his coat, and the flash of his tongue and gums made her think of the bright red sheen of blood she’d seen on his muzzle in the Netherworld. The idea of Caylee’s tender neck in his jaws was like an iron scian through her heart. She sprang. Lorenzo swerved and knocked her to the floor. She scrambled up, only to feel the sting of Lorenzo’s bite in her side. Snarling, she twisted up and sank her fangs into his flank. She needled her teeth farther in, penetrating deeper. Lorenzo whined, retreating from her grip, and his own fangs left the wound he’d made below her ribs. As she steadied her stance, she felt the strain in her flank, and her fur matted as blood trickled from her wound. She narrowed her eyes, her tongue tasting the air with relish as she savored the deep aroma of iron on the air wafting from his wound. She’d landed a similar injury on Lorenzo.

The Rem Alpha’s hackles rose, and he bristled, a deep growl resonating through him. He lunged at her again. She didn’t react fast enough and she found herself on her flank once more. The wound in her side smarted. When Lorenzo’s teeth darted down at her again, she only succeeded in moving her neck out of the way of his lethal teeth, but his fangs pierced her shoulder. Blinding pain burst through it and Jess whined. She forced herself up off the floor, feeling her flesh tear away. Her shoulder burned as she righted herself. She backed away from the white wolf. As she put weight on her foot, pain seared through her shoulder. She limped backwards. Lorenzo’s flews drew back as if he were leering at her. He stalked towards her, and a ripple of panic stole through her. With each stilted step backwards, she felt more and more as if she were prey. What had she been thinking in coming here to face this wolf alone? He was the Rem Alpha. Whereas this was only the second time she’d shifted. Lorenzo pounced. Jess dodged, but whimpered as the painful heat throbbed down her leg again. As Lorenzo’s jaws once more snapped at her, she bit out at him, their jaws locked around one another’s. The smooth marble seemed like a frozen lake as they wrestled; with each step, pain seared through Jess’s shoulder, making her purchase beneath her unsteady. Lorenzo’s fangs pierced her muzzle and she yelped. Her feet gave out. Jess collapsed. Her ravaged body shook. Jess feared she couldn’t get up again. She didn’t have the strength. A wave of blinding terror pummeled through her. Even as she lay there almost defeated, she knew it wasn’t hers. Rune. Rune could feel her weakening. Jess stared up at Lorenzo’s snarling muzzle and saw the ghost of Lorenzo’s grin in it. It was just what she needed. Determination erupted through her. Lorenzo had taken Caylee from her, orphaned her as a baby, and abandoned her to die in the woods. These wrongs heaved through her. She reminded herself Lorenzo may be the Rem Alpha but the Sidhe had heralded his death. The desire for vengeance engulfed her and despite her wounds she knew what she must do. With brutal purpose, Jess mastered her pain. She wanted his blood. She wanted it all. She lunged up and under Lorenzo’s throat. Spittle flecked her jaws, and her snarl was deep, resonating through her, even as she bit into Lorenzo’s tender jugular. Her jaws ripped flesh and sinew, and the piercing whine that escaped the

injured wolf only made her more savage. She tore deeper, the heavy, warm scent of his blood quickening her own. As Jess surfaced from Lorenzo’s torn out throat, she had a flash of him surfacing from Caylee’s body. When Jess stepped away from the mangled wolf, she blinked at its glassy eyes, their frosty color leached of life. She sat on her haunches, watching as the last glimmer left them. She felt and smelled the thick blood upon her muzzle. She ed when she’d woken in the dark and mistaken the thin layer of blood that Dearbhla had smeared on her face for paint. There was no doing so now with how alive her sense of smell and taste were. She sat down to take stock of what she’d done. She wanted to feel guilt … but there was none. Instead, as she stared down at the dead wolf, she felt a surge of satisfaction. No, of rejuvenation. It was as if the blood was giving her new life. A kind of Enodian thought to have, she realized. She wanted to be repulsed by herself, but she’d never felt more alive. So, this is vengeance.

27

Castle Nox

On four legs, Jess limped out of Villa Alba. Rune tried to stop her, inspecting the wound in her flank and shoulder, but she only growled. Theo chuckled. Jess could already feel her wounds closing over. She knew instinctively, could feel it happening, that this form healed much more efficiently than the one she’d spent most of her life in. She remained in her wolf’s form. Astra stood over an inert body. Dearbhla. Jess detected her heartbeat. Her eyes flickered over the unconscious woman. A memory of when their roles were reversed flashed through Jess’s mind. She ed the neutrality with which Dearbhla had stood over her own unconscious form. How she’d aided Lorenzo in killing Caylee. Yet Jess’s need for blood was sated. The blood she’d spilt was that which she’d come for. It was still almost all she could think about. Its heavy, warm scent clung to her like perfume around her neck and muzzle. I killed Lorenzo. I killed the Rem Alpha. A lake rested not far from the villa, and Jess hobbled towards the Netherworld portal as Theo suggested the site as an exit point. Astra was swifter than the rest of them, flying there. Both Theo and Rune strolled with Jess, slower with her injuries. When they reached the lake, Theo opened the portal. Jess trotted through, no fire or water bathing her fur, only the now familiar smoke suffusing her. They portaled out into another body of water. The shoreline was wooded. Aromas crowded the night and made it seem thick in a way new to her. She stepped onto the shore. The scent of the clean water, mud, kelp, even the rocks

filled her senses. An owl called in the woodland behind, its hoot seeming so loud to her wolfish ears that she startled around. Something larger moved through the trees, too, something animal, a fox she suspected from the musky odor, some part of her wolfish sense interpreting it for her. Jess wanted to stay in this form, so she could lose herself in the complexity of night’s scents, but she finally changed back into her human form on the shore. As on the other occasion she’d come out of a Netherworld portal, she was dry. She knelt down by the waterline and splashed her face, especially around her mouth. Despite shedding her wolfish skin the evidence of what had ed in that form was still there. She could feel the blood around her mouth. She still tasted the iron tang in her mouth and on her lips. The pressure of rational thought now that she had changed settled on her. It felt too forceful, like pebbles skittering across the lake, each one creating a ripple of disturbance that grew and grew. It was telling her that she should be disgusted by what she’d done. It was telling her that she was as bad as Lorenzo. Perhaps, like all Rems, she had bad blood. A flash of Matteo’s beseeching look before she’d gone into the portal tonight swam through her thoughts. Jess imagined what he’d think of her when he arrived at La Alba. He’d never mistake her for innocent again, that was for sure. She’d broken out of the pen with the others, been part of a group who had tortured the witch warden Raine and dozens of guards … and killed the Rem Alpha. She felt hollowed out as she imagined him thinking badly of her. The desire to shift again engulfed her. She felt as if she could feel the shadow of her wolf form, creeping beneath her skin as if it were stalking her. She wanted to give into it, because in that form, things were simpler. More primal. As the others walked out of the lake, she felt a surge of gratitude for them all too. They had come to La Alba. They had helped her. Her breathing hitched painfully as she noticed the tenderness in her side. Rune knelt down before her in the shallows, his wrist already in his mouth. He pressed it to her shoulder. Jess felt the sting of the wound recede until only a dull ache remained. He began to unbutton her jumpsuit. She flushed as he pulled it down, but he repeated the action of pressing his restorative blood to the wound in her side. When the wound closed-up she took her first deep breath that she’d been able to in a while, closing her eyes as she relaxed.

“Thank you,” she murmured. He was doing up her jumpsuit. “You could have died.” His voice was thick. “But I didn’t,” she countered. Theo butted in. “Is Lorenzo dead?” “Yes,” she answered. Rune stilled, leaving the top few buttons of Jess’s jumpsuit undone. “Did you get any answers out of him?” Too many. “His sister, Alessandra Remus, was my mother. He killed her and my human father when they ran away to the States together. Lorenzo was too cowardly to kill me as a baby and abandoned me in the woods. When Queen Mara found out about me, he framed me for Caylee’s murder. To prevent her from using me as a bargaining tool against him and threatening his Alphahood.” Rune’s gaze as black as the waters of the lake behind him, held hers. So many emotions lay in their depths. They seemed to pour into Jess. He didn’t need to say anything for her to feel them. She ed the wave of terror she’d felt when Lorenzo had brought her to the floor the last time. It had been Rune’s. She felt his deep thankfulness that she was alive beating through her like a drum. The feelings bombarded her, and she was disquieted by the riot. As if I don’t have enough at the moment. He must have sensed her disturbance. He stood up and took a step away from her. Her own sense of loss shot through her. She wanted to be near him. Desire for him pulsed through her. But she fought it, still unsure of whether she wanted to give into it or not. As Jess stood up, Astra asked. “So, are we going to talk about how big a deal it is that your vengeance was heralded by the Sidhe?” The fae had taken to sitting in a tree, overhanging the shore. “You carried out its work like a…” Theo searched around, his eyes wide as if

struggling to find just what she was. “Like a messenger of death,” he concluded. “The thrice heard death keen that brings all who hear it death,” Rune said, eyeing him suspiciously. “What a useful power to an Enodian,” “Keep your fangs in, Vamp,” Theo said. “Enodians have never dealt out death. We merely collect from the newly departed.” Jess felt a prickle of unease at the tension between them. When she had asked Lea for the reason the fae courts, shifter clans, and witch covens were at war, she’d said because of the Between. Because one side wanted to defend from the power that was in it while the other side wanted to harness it. Rune forced his point. “Only we know the Sidhe heralded Lorenzo’s death. Let’s keep it that way.” His gaze struck Theo, then tore to Astra. Jess’s disquiet grew. Rune was implying that she could end up as a weapon in the wrong hands if word got out about her connection with the Sidhe and how the person she’d most wanted dead had had their death heralded by the creature. Once more, Jess was thankful that she hadn’t divulged how much the Sidhe’s scream had been tied up with her ever since she’d started shifter training in the Cathedral. It was a secret known only to her and Rune. She had the sense that Rune’s tendency to keep things secret might have been for the best after all. With the prickling sense of mistrust coming over her, Jess felt a wave of tiredness. “Where are we, by the way?” she asked, looking around at the dark wood and out at the body of water. “The Cairngorms in Scotland,” Theo said. “It’s part of my coven’s territory.” Jess hugged her arms around her and looked at Theo. “Would you be able to portal me to Portland in Maine? I can likely still make the new semester.” She had no idea where she’d stay or how she’d get money until art school and her scholarship started. Maybe she’d live in one of the national parks in wolf form until the school term started. Rune’s expression fell. “Jess, you’re not safe in the human world anymore. The

Triodia will be looking for all of us. Maine will be the first place they look for you. Besides, Queen Mara, too, will still be looking for you.” Jess shook her head. “I’m not of any use to her now. She blackmailed Lorenzo with leaking who I was to him to the para world. That’s why he had me locked up. To preserve his name. Now that he’s dead, I’m of no use.” It was Rune’s turn to shake his head. “I suspect that Mara knew about your connection with the Sidhe. She’d never have come after a half Rem just to blackmail someone. Even what a Rem Alpha could offer wouldn’t be enough to interest her.” Astra dropped down from the tree, landing softly like a cat. Her wings unfurled for balance. “Mara doesn’t need territory in Italy. Her focus in this world has long been on Scandinavia, where the iron mines are. It’s why we Unseelie in the Changeling program get sent there, to have links with the mines.” Theo added, “And word will spread though the para world that you killed the Rem Alpha. That in itself is bizarre, Jess. By clan rules, you shouldn’t have been able to break the Alpha command. Sure, you’re half human, but his command should have prevented you from being able to.” There’s that look again, from all of them. The ‘you’re different’ look. An ache pierce her as she realized fully that they were right. The human world and the life that she’d built for herself was truly gone. There was no going back. She felt as if the bright promise of art school had just been thrown down in the dirt. As they brooded in the quiet of the night, Jess wondered where she’d go. “I need to eat,” Rune said. She frowned. Typical. She was facing being homeless, and just like a guy, he was thinking about his stomach. “The tavern, The Necromancer, in Braemar serves vamps,” Theo said, speaking as if Rune’s favorite snack could be found behind the bar. Maybe it could be in a para bar. Or Jess wondered if said snack was dispensed from its original packaging. The thought produced a strange flurry of excitement and … jealousy. She shook aside thoughts of Rune’s feeding.

Rune shook his head. “I’ll take to the woods. I need to hunt tonight.” He looked at Jess. “I’ll pick you up here first light, and we can talk at The Necromancer tomorrow.” Her expression fell. She thought he’d been about to invite her with him. Apparently, we’re not at the hunting together stage of our relationship yet. She felt a tumult of uncertainty at the thought. Was that what was happening? Were they in a relationship? Or on the cusp of one anyway? Did she want that? He regarded her with intensity as if all the unspoken things that hung between them could be transmitted through their gaze. Such as the fact that they both knew the Sidhe’s keen had plagued her for much longer than the others were aware, that she’d dreamt of seed magic, which had something to do with the origins of vamps, and why they were soulless, and didn’t feel emotion. Rune’s feelings for me, the exception. The depth of his gaze now palpitated with the dizzying feeling that he harbored for her. She wondered how much they would suss out about what was truly going on tomorrow. Their look was charged, and Jess both longed for and feared for the next day. They would talk. Alone. She nodded in agreement and Rune’s form blurred as if melting into the night. Jess looked off into the darkness. “How far to Braemar?” “Only a few miles,” Theo replied. “My place is just through the woods. You can both sleep there for the night, and we’ll see you off, Astra, through the Heights at dawn.” The fae shrugged. “Sounds good.” Jess looked at Astra, noticing that same new sharpness that she’d detected in the pen when the yew had intensified her fae magic in some way. She saw it in the much more angular lines of her features. She had taken on more of a hawk-like look about her. It wasn’t just that. Now that she noticed it, her skin had darkened a shade like she was blending with the night around her. She’d thought she’d noticed it changing earlier but had written it off as shadows.

“Um, Astra,” she asked. “Do you know you’ve changed color?” The fae let out an unexpected giggle. “Says the girl who changed shape completely.” She shrugged. “We fae camouflage with our surroundings. Where the forest furnishes you with tooth and claw, the woods sharpens us, too, and gives us our ability to blend with it.” She had a point, but Jess found it hard not to watch out of the corner of her eye as her friend took on the different mottled shades of pines and birch bark as they set off through the woods. Theo soon led them through the forest. Clearly, it was a way he knew well, as despite the dark, they soon emerged from the trees out to a heath-clad hill. Moonlight illuminated a tall wall ahead, with an arched entrance, and beyond a castle sat. “By Alba!” Jess exclaimed. “Theodore of Enodia, you live in a fricking castle.” Theo chuckled. “Welcome to Castle Nox, ladies.” Jess took in the towering walls, the sweeping lawns, and then the huge structure, complete with cylindrical towers and turrets. She felt her breathing hitch as she took in the impressive sight and swallowed the lump in her throat as she imagined how much Caylee would have gawped at the sight of a real castle. As they trooped through the archway of the castle, Theo explained, “This is one of Enodia’s most ancient seats. Its boundaries are protected by the ancient dead, some of the sluagh here have been tethered to the castle for millennia. Castle Night is one of our safest, most sacred sites. The Triodia can’t touch you here.” “I thought sluagh were tethered to a witch or mage themselves, though, not a place?” Jess questioned. “They are,” Theo agreed. “It’s said that in the Great Divide, when the Enodians and Triodians first fought, many Enodians wrought blood magic and through their own sacrifice, transferred their sluagh to these sites so as to give our newly formed coven sanctuaries.” The idea of fairy-tale castles and endings went puff. His words chilled Jess to the bone. Instead, the white mist that carpeted the lawns and crawled along the stone

courtyards reminded her of the sluagh, of the vaporous forms that had drifted down through the Netherworld. And as she entered the grounds of Castle Nox, Jess couldn’t help wondering what new horrors awaited for her behind the forbidding stone pinnacles.

For a sneak peek of book 2, read chapter 1 of Nox…

Initiation

Jess stepped along the ageway, eyeing the marble statues flanking it. The effigies were of a winged woman and a skull-faced man: personifications of the Night and Netherworld. Their renderings haunted every corner in Castle Nox. Jess entered the deepest bowels of the castle: the crypt. And stopped. Flame danced across the surface of a slick pool as if the water had been laced with oil and set alight. In her month here, she had seen many Enodian portals. There were two types, Netherworld and Night. This was a Netherworld portal. A portal in water that opened into the Between—a threshold you could travel through to another body of water on Earth. A couple of months ago, when she’d first seen such a portal open in Maine, she’d thought she’d gone mad. Now, the fiery water hardly caused her to bat an eye. Jess did wonder why it was open. She tried to keep her distance from portals whenever she could. The first one she’d gone through had taken her to the Triodia Penitentiary, where she’d been imprisoned for a month. But that wasn’t why she avoided them. Ever since getting to Castle Nox, she’d felt overcome by the presence of the restless dead, the sluagh. The sluagh tethered to the castle itself were drawn to portals. Theo had explained that they patrolled its boundaries but were often attracted to the soulfire of open portals. The sluaghs’ sulphury fragrance flooded her senses, making her unable to focus on anything else. She fought her rising anxiety. Theo’s note said to meet him here. Her heart sped up. Perhaps Astra, their Unseelie fae friend was traveling through the Between, from the fae land, Umbra. Jess’s skin prickled with anticipation. But then she realized it was much too late for that. The clock in her room said it was just before three in the morning. Fae could only travel at dawn and dusk from Umbra to Earth when this world was itself in a between state. Her heart fell. The thought of Astra was routed in wanting news about Rune.

He’d left for Umbra the day after they’d reached Castle Nox. Jess had only had one talk with him in Braemar, the village nearest here. He’d gone to seek old vamp friends. The only ones who might be able to solve the mysteries surrounding Jess. How I wish there was news already. She pushed away the stray thoughts that threatened to take hold. Ignoring the sulfurous aroma and glowing portal, Jess spied something beyond the pool: four horizontal figures. In the murk of the tomb, their skin appeared like marble. A chill crawled down her spine, alerting her to the fact that these weren’t carvings. They were corpses. Jess’s mouth dried. She noticed the gaggle of be-robed figures farther back in the crypt. Wait … I know what this is. Somehow, she’d walked in on the induction of this year’s witches and mages into the Enodia Coven. That somehow was amongst the other cloaked figures. Theo caught sight of her and started waving. She gritted her jaw. I don’t want to watch some freaky ritual. Especially with all these sluagh around. The scent of Sulphur was nauseating. She dampened down her shifter senses, trying to shut out the overwhelming stench. Before she could make herself scarce, though, the quiet broke with her name. “Jess.” The High Mage of Enodia, Jorah, stood opposite the inductees. His tall six-foot-five frame loomed impressively over the initiates. High Mage indeed. Jess forced a smile on her face, even as she wanted nothing more than to run from the intense-eyed mage. Her smile slipped.

Did you smile at a coven’s dark rites? Jorah negated the need to find the correct protocol. “Theo said you’d be attending. Stand by me. They’re about to swear their oaths.” So much for getting away. The plinth Jess ed the High Mage on was like a pulpit, a platform raised above the others. It awarded a strange view of the inductees’ upturned faces, shadowed by their hoods. Jess glared at the sandy-haired mage, almost at the end of the line. Theo’s pale green eyes glittered. She clenched her fists, and her gaze scooted away from him. The bare bodies laid out like slabs of meat checked her. She knew that Enodians didn’t kill humans. They showed up at death sites to collect the souls. They were a bit like grim reapers. The Enodians had links with nursing homes and hospitals as training sites for the young witches and mages within the coven. They’d probably retrieved the bodies from one. She fought back a shudder as she pictured these paras plundering human facilities, treating these people as nothing more than raw materials, not as people who had once had lives and loved ones. Seeing the bodies laid out like this was unusual. Jess knew that Enodians had little interest in the physical in their quest for power. Their power lay in the psychological and spiritual realm, in the power tethering the sluagh gave them. These bodies must only be of ceremonial interest. Yet doubt crept in. Her stomach turned. There was a red stain in the middle of each of the bodies. Were those wounds on their stomachs? Jorah’s voice resonated through the crypt. “Judith.” The witch beside Theo stepped forwards and gazed up at Jorah. He asked of her, “Will you take your seat in the house of our Lord Netherworld and Lady Night?” “I will.” The young witch approached the nearest corpse and took from the red of the corpse’s stomach.

Jess gulped. Ew. Is she going to eat human flesh? Judith announced, “I descend to the Netherworld to dine with the dead. Tethered to our Lord, I rise anew into the darkness of our Lady Night.” She put the bloodred piece into her mouth. Jess’s heart thundered. Her senses roved through the murk. Since shifting into her wolf form a month ago, she could call on her acute senses whenever she needed them. She pushed past the revolting rotten egg aroma. The sweet tang of red berries filled her nostrils, telling her that there was a mound of fruit upon each of the bodies. Her distaste ebbed. The witch, Judith, returned to her station. Jorah asked Theo the same question. Theo swore his allegiance to the Night and Netherworld. When he took a berry from the corpse, his gaze met Jess’s. His smoky voice wafted through her head. Trust a shifter to take things too literally. Heat stole across Jess’s cheeks. Her expression must have betrayed her horror. It’s still symbolic cannibalism, she countered. They communicated through the network of Theo’s sluagh. Theo had given her a few strands of his hair while they’d been in the Triodia Penitentiary and vice versa. They’d renewed these tokens and could still communicate in this disembodied way. It required eye or Jess to touch the lock of his hair she carried. Although, she’d tried lately not to carry the lock of hair much. She couldn’t afford to. She had too many secrets to keep. Even from Teddy. She’d only brought it tonight in case she had trouble finding him. His chuckle sounded through the smoke in her head. You’re far more of a cannibal than I am, Remi. Like blood smeared across a wall, the memory of her teeth ripping into Lorenzo’s neck, the Remus Alpha, bloomed. It wasn’t the blood and flesh she’d tasted in wolf form that bothered her. She’d long accepted what she’d done.

Killing Lorenzo had been right. Vengeance for Caylee, her foster sister’s murder. Lorenzo deserved the death she’d given him. Not just for Caylee’s murder, but for murdering Jess’s mother, Alessandra Remus. She’d also learned that he’d been the one to abandon her in the woods as a baby after he’d killed her mother. But it wasn’t Jess’s killing that Theo wanted to rile her about. Jess’s nostrils flared at Theo’s challenging stare. He knew full well where her thoughts would go by throwing such a statement at her. He wanted her to go there, wanted her to focus on the mystery concerning how she’d managed to kill the Rem Alpha. Even as a half Rem, she shouldn’t have been able to deny the blood command of her Alpha, Lorenzo Remus. She ed the commanding tone with which he’d ordered her to stay in her human form. She’d felt the prickle of the command like goosebumps along her skin, but otherwise, the order hadn’t affected her. Her form had blurred into its lupine lines, enabling her to fight and kill him. Something that had all too quickly been known about here at Castle Nox. Almost as soon as she’d arrived, she’d been an unwitting celebrity. News that she’d managed to slay her Alpha spread through the castle. Her ability to deny her Alpha’s blood call was met with wonder. Everywhere she went, speculative looks followed her as if she were bejeweled. She’d coped with the unwanted attention as she always did. By running. Most of the last month, she’d spent out in the open, in the woods of Castle Nox, up the Cairngorm Mountains and in its glens. Except this time, she’d been able to build speed and power like never before. Running in wolf form was … ecstasy. Everything fell away, except the woods. She’d got to know miles of woodland. With just the subtle differences between the scents of trees, she could find her way. Rowan, elm, yew, alder, birch, and pine, she could distinguish from the difference in their perfumery. She’d gotten used to her shifter power, too, losing herself in the feel of dirt and roots beneath the pads of her paws and claws. Even now, she smelt the undertone of heather and dew in her hair, an echo of how much the moorland clung to her. The textured scents seemed to expunge the past from her and reminded her that the magic of transformation was only ever a hair’s breadth away.

Yet, the weight of regret rested on her. It was unsafe for her to return to the human world. She’d had to put aside her dream of art school. As she watched these witches and mages become full-fledged Enodians, sourness roiled through her. Portland Art School’s term had already begun, and she wasn’t in attendance. Instead, she remained here in this dark, dank castle. Jess reminded herself that the Enodian Coven was all that was keeping her safe. Outside of Enodia’s walls and grounds, she was hunted. The Triodia Coven sought to bring her and her friends to justice. They had broken out of the Triodia Pen. Theo had used soul warfare to torture Warden Whitmore and the para guards, and Jess had killed her uncle, the Rem Alpha. Yeah, we’re definitely wanted. She watched the tenth witch being sworn into the coven and felt as if this ceremony would never end. Once you’d watched your own cannibal, you really should be allowed to leave. She knew she had to watch the ceremony to its completion though. Jorah, the High Mage, had obviously permitted this unusual honor of allowing an outsider to witness their rite. She couldn’t afford to cause offense by scampering off. All too often, in between each part of the ceremony, Jorah’s eyes considered her. She caught his gaze enough to notice the flecks of green in his grey eyes, their hue like lichen on bark. Jess stifled her irritation at him, but whenever one of the inductees turned their impertinent gaze upon her, she scowled. I’m sick of being treated like an exhibit. She’d heard enough whispers to know that the majority of Enodians were speculating on what she was waiting for. By blood and slayer rights, she was entitled to the Rem Alphahood. They wondered why she hadn’t claimed it yet. As if becoming Rem Alpha is a fitting substitute to going to art school. Jorah had offered the help of his coven to her too: to fend off any Triodians when she marched upon La Alba to challenge the interim Alpha. She’d heard from him that Dearbhla, Lorenzo’s right-hand, had named herself Alpha.

Jess had managed to drag her feet these past few weeks by claiming that she needed to get to grips with her shifter power before making such a move. In reality, all she was waiting for was Rune. To come back from Umbra. To come back with answers. And, hopefully, with somewhere far more welcome to shelter than with the clan who had killed her sister and mother or with these creepy Enodians. Hope fluttered through her, but she tamped down her train of thought. She still carried Theo’s lock of hair. All it would take was one careless glance to capture the secret that weighed most heavily upon her. Finally, the last mage took his oath and ate the fruits of the dead. Jorah’s measured words rang. “The dead nourish us, but we, too, share ourselves with them. Our very soul their shelter. Only the sturdiest is worthy of the sluagh horde.” Heebie-jeebies. As Jess prayed that it was over, Jorah added, “Who among you possesses greatness?” With Jorah’s cryptic question, the fire across the pool dimmed and petered out. The Netherworld portal closed. The vault plunged into darkness. Jess wasn’t robbed of her sight completely. Thanks to the echo of her shifter senses, she made out the indistinct figures of the inductees. She heard their movements, too—the shuffle of footsteps on stone, their quickening breaths, and heartbeats. It reminded her of the sounds at nightfall outside that she’d grown familiar with in wolf form. The susurrations of rabbits and deer retreating, the stirrings of foxes and wildcats. The cacophony of sound charged with the end of the day and the beginning of night. A whimper pierced the crypt. One of the initiates. Jess’s heightened senses detected the witch’s rigid body, paralyzed by fear. The other witches and mages were in an array of different positions. Some rigid, too, others shuffling around the vaults as if searching for…

Comprehension dawned. The portal had been open, and the newly deceased souls had somehow been held at the threshold to the Netherworld. But now Jorah had shut the portal. The souls that belonged to the four bodies were trapped here. The hunt was on. Jess had spent most of her time lately as a nocturnal predator. She knew this dance. “You shut the portal,” Jess whispered. “The souls that belong to the bodies are being…” “Tethered,” Jorah finished. “The strongest witches and mages will be the ones to tame their fear and win them.” Jess’s heart quickened. She’d seen soul warfare in action when Theo had broken them out of prison. She ed the way that he had cast the sluagh tethered to his soul outwards. They had slipped into the para guards, dredging up deeprooted fears and projecting them through their minds. The powerful, hulking shifter guards had been brought low, curling and whimpering on the floor, locked into their own nightmares. Until now, Jess hadn’t realized what tethering sluagh involved. Now, she felt it. In the stock still figures of the inductees throughout the room, sealed within their own fear. The scent of sweat filled her nostrils, acrid and cloying. The initiates fought their inner demons as the souls they sought fought back. The Enodians had to fight through their own internal battle to claim the soul. One inductee begged. Another moaned. Jess was reminded of Warden Whitmore in prison, scrabbling in the dirt of the Cathedral floor. She ed how she’d been consumed by her fear of imprisonment so fully that she’d groped blindly in the dirt, convinced she was caged. Jess imagined the souls slinking around the crypt like mist. Her pulse quickened. She imagined one mistaking her as a threat. She imagined it crawling into her and conjuring a waking nightmare.

What will come from the deep? The thought of the thing that had come through the Between in the Triodia Prison, prowled her mind. The scream bubbled in her memory. Dread mounted. Each blurry outline of the inductee sharpened Jess’s attention. She held her breath, searching the darkness for the skeletal, shuffling figure that she feared above all else. She felt sure that the darkness would produce it, that the sluagh would mistake her for one of their enemies, and bring to life the emaciated, ragged form. Its matted hair hanging over its face, just as its robes hung from its bones. The Sidhe. Sweat prickled along her brow. The seconds ed. Nothing stepped from the murk. The minutes drew on, and Jess slowly gathered herself. The hunted souls were wholly occupied in their warfare with the mages and witches, who strained with their whole being to tether them. Her thoughts finally stilled, allowing her to focus on what was happening around her. The initiates’ souls were under siege from the sluagh. Jess imagined the hunted souls, rooting around in the land of the initiates, and pulling up their fears. As the whimpers and moans continued, the darkness seemed to thicken, as if it were growing heavier. More than ever, she wished to be outside in the cleansing night air. With her shifter senses, she noticed that one mage wasn’t tense at all. Swathed in darkness, he seemed to be drinking in the scene around him as if delighting in it. Foreboding prickled through her, and she knew who the mage was even before she saw him. A flicker of fire erupted, throwing illumination over Theo’s wide face: the first victor. He looked unnervingly fresh among the other sweaty-faced Enodians. Jess was reminded once more of the ease with which he had battled the guards and warden in the prison. The witch, Judith, and two other mages, stood panting but exultant, and ed

the circle of firelight cast on the pool; they used the sluagh they had just tethered to open the Netherworld portal once more. The other initiates, mostly dazed, some still trembling, picked themselves up from the ground, and took weary steps towards the glowing portal. “Congratulations,” Jorah proclaimed, his focus on the four victors. “Tethering a sluagh at this ceremony speaks of great things to come.” Jess’s notice swiveled from the disappointed faces to the chosen few, basking in the High Mage’s words and their comrades’ jealousy. She wondered how many sluagh Theo had tethered to his own soul already. Was it the sheer number he’d tethered that made him so much more powerful than his peers? She wondered how many more he would, in his lifetime, go on to claim. His gaze found her, Aren’t you going to congratulate me, Remi? She offered him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. She tried to when his smoky voice in her head had soothed her. A couple of months ago, in the first few weeks of their friendship, his voice within her head had seemed like incense. Now, as she watched him and his fellow triumphant initiates, it was as though the scent of smoke was too intense. Was it the sluagh that was causing the smoke in her head to seem too strong or had it really become sulfurous? A chill crawled down Jess’s spine as she watched the fervor of victory claim Theo. Almost as soon as she met him, she’d known he quested for power. There was no mistaking the determined glint in his eye. Intuition prickled through her. He’d invited her to the ceremony knowing what the dark would conjure for her, knowing what would be induced by the thought of hostile souls crawling around the vaults. After all, he had been there at the prison when the Sidhe had come forth from the earthen portal and heralded the Rem Alpha’s death. But, as she once more caught the zealous gleam in his eyes, dread settled on her. He knew what the other Enodians didn’t about how she had resisted the blood command of her Alpha. The Sidhe, the death omen, had appeared to Jess and heralded Lorenzo’s death. For some reason, the Sidhe had a connection with Jess. It was one of the mysteries Rune sought answers to in Umbra. Is that why Theo invited me here? Did he hope to find out more about the secrets I’m keeping?

She batted away thoughts of Rune and the bigger mystery concerning her that he had promised to solve. It wasn’t a safe topic to think about. Not with Theo’s gaze on her. Unease rippled through her as she imagined his sluagh rooting around in her mind, and she stayed clear of his stare. It was only with Theo’s help that she’d escaped prison. She’d always be grateful for his friendship. Yet foreboding crept into her bones. After witnessing his induction into the coven, it was startlingly clear how much he quested for power. He’d kept her connection to the Sidhe secret so far. But as Jorah’s intense scrutiny settled on her again, her pulse quickened. What if Teddy has already sold my secret?

Acknowledgments

A big thank you to you, reader, for delving into the deep world of the Dark Between. I hope you enjoyed the first part in Jess’s journey. If you could spare a moment of your time to post a review on the retailer you purchased the book on, I would be forever grateful. I truly appreciate your with spreading the word about The Dark Between Series and read every review that you take the time to write.

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If you haven’t yet read the companion novella to the series, Doors To The Dead, you can it for free by ing my mailing list. It features Theo’s story, and is about how he landed himself in the pen before the events of Luna. For news of the release of the next three books in the series, my mailing list too.

To My Mailing List

And thanks again for taking a chance on me. As an indie author without the of a publishing house, it means so much that you’ve chosen to read my book. I so appreciate everything you do—writing a review, posting a picture of the book, recommending it and simply reading each page. You are what allows me to continue writing these stories. So thank you!

Thanks to my husband, Dave, for always believing in my stories and encouraging me to live my dreams. Thank you to my brother, Ruairi, for being an early reader in the series and cheering me on. A huge thank you to my talented cover designer, Adrijana @AdriaticaCreations. Working with you was so much fun and your ability to interpret my vision every step of the way was amazing. Thank you to Rebecca Jaycox for her editing and her large doses of snarky comments on the side. Little Miss Snarky, you make the editing process so much smoother and amusing. Thank you to Debbie Kupfer too for her attention to detail in proofreading. Thank you to Stella at Raven’s Bookish Network @rbn_tours, Feather and Dove Tours @featheranddovetours, and to Amanda at @bookofmatchesmedia for all the book buzz you’ve shared with me along the way. An author’s journey can be a little lonely at times, but it’s organizers like you in the Bookstagram world, connecting authors and readers, who help pave the way to making it a little more populated and fun along the way.

Also By Rae Else

The Dark Between Series

Preorder Book 2: Nox (Coming November 2021)

Book 3: Umbra (Coming Spring 2022)

Book 4: Lux (Summer 2022)

The Arete Series

About the Author

Rae Else is most at home in the spaces between reality and the imaginary. When in the real world, she resides with her husband in Plymouth. The Arete Trilogy is her Young Adult, Urban Fantasy debut. Her most recent series, The Dark Between, is a decadently dark YA Fantasy, featuring a whole cast of paras— shifters, vamps, witches, mages, fae … and lots of soul magic. Rae studied Classics at university and a lot of her stories draw on mythology and ancient worlds. In her twenties, Rae worked as a teacher and now writes full time. When not reading or writing, Rae loves to scuba dive and sail. She finds the big blue to be like a good book—a portal to a different world.

You can connect with Rae on any of the following social media: