“Why?”
His head drops, and he loses consciousness for a moment. I slap him, and he startles awake.
“Why doesn’t their well work?” I ask.
Gaven shakes his head. “Don’t know.”
“How do you know it doesn’t work?”
Gaven rasps something that sounds like “Madness.” He shudders with a great, rasping sigh, and his body goes still.
I stare at him in disbelief. One swift swipe of the blade and ten years of meticulous planning have fallen apart.
48
HARLOW
The moment I step back into my bedroom after dinner, I’m aware that I’m not alone.
Henry has been gone for hours, and I know it’s not him rifling through the closet.
Gaven still isn’t back from his single-minded mission of finally figuring out what’s in the recovery room, and Kyrin has been out hunting all day. I’m on my own, and I immediately regret agreeing to stay inside until Henry was finished with the hunt ceremony.
I strain to listen. Dread settles in my stomach, churning up my dinner. The room is dark except for the freshly stoked fireplace. Nothing appears out of place.
The rustling in the closet continues.
I place the book I just borrowed from the library gently on my bed and remove the poker from beside the fireplace as quietly as possible. Tiptoeing to my closet, I peek around the corner.
The noise continues from beyond the adjoining bathroom, but I can’t see anyone. I walk through the bathroom and pause at the door to Henry’s closet.
The safe room door is open, and the sound is coming from inside.
I spring forward, brandishing the poker like a sword.
But it’s not Stefan or one of his friends lurking inside. It’s my maid. Cora’s trembling hands are raised in surrender.
I stare at her, trying to figure out how she is in a room that’s supposed to be spelled so only I can enter.
“I’m so sorry to frighten you, miss,” Cora says. “Mr. Havenwood asked me to clean the whole suite, and he said that if you weren’t here, you were probably in the library. I certainly didn’t mean to give you such a fright.”
“How did you get in?” I ask. “This is my safe room. It’s supposed to be spelled so that only I can use it.”
Cora’s brow furrows in confusion, and then she smiles. “Oh no, miss. You must have misunderstood. The room isn’t spelled for a specific person. This room keeps out the bloodthirsty. No Returned allowed.”
The whole world tilts. The only thing keeping me on my feet is a lifetime of dealing with these sudden surges of adrenaline. Every nerve in my body is screaming to run, but this is not my home. I don’t know every alley and passageway in the fort. All I know are two ways out.
Trying to make it to the main gates and then through them without any sort of diversion is borderline impossible. I haven’t been here long enough for Henry to teach me the intricacies of their escape routes and evacuation plans. I only have what I absorbed on my run with him. And that doesn’t even take into account the fact that I’d then have to race through the Drained Wood alone at night.
I have to take my chances with the mountain caves. I don’t know where they dump out, but it has to be somewhere that I can find help, and I’m almost certain it’s not going to lead me out into a forest full of Drained.
Cora is still staring at me, her hands up in surrender. I need to be careful not to tip anyone off.
“Divine forgive me! I’m so sorry for scaring you,” I say, forcing false joviality into my voice. “I completely misunderstood when he described the room to me. I thought because of the blood lock that only I could get in.”
Cora relaxes and holds up her bloody pointer finger. “Oh, that’s an easy mistake to make. There are a few of them around the manor. The lock works for any of us who aren’t the Returned. Sometimes they get carried away when they’re feeding. Most of it is really well-monitored inthe recovery room. There are guards who are responsible for watching feedings to make sure donors are safe, but you know how it is,” Cora says conspiratorially. “Sometimes when they feed in private—during more intimate moments, things can get a bit out of hand. Carter and Bryce have never had that issue, though—I’m sure you’ve seen. And from what I’ve heard, Henry has impeccable control, so I’m sure he just gave you this room so you’d feel safe. Not to mention that if there was another attack and breach of the wall, you would be able to hide in here and be safe from the Drained.”
She looks at me expectantly, and I realize I’ve been silent for too long.
