Page 105 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

“So, you just watched instead of helping?” Kaia says.

Bernice’s face fills with an apologetic smile. “Without shadows of my own, I am not much of a fighter, but I came to offer my healing abilities.”

She tilts her head in the direction of Eamon’s wing, where a gaping hole lies.

“Why?” Karius asks suspiciously.

Bernice’s gaze trails to me. “Because of her. What you did during that dinner was brave, and what we all should have done. Hira is a cruel woman who breeds nothing but hate. The kind of court she wants to build is not the kind I wish for my children or grandchildren to live in, but the kind of compassion you showed,the way you stood up for Isadora, reminds me of my wife, and that gave me hope.”

Her words surprise me. She’s speaking as if I’m an equal. One of them. She turns her attention back to Karius.

“If that is the kind of court you intend to build, then I pledge my allegiance right now. And if healing anyone that requires it tonight helps to strengthen you to be able to build it, then I will do it.”

There’s a long pause before Karius nods his head. Bernice hurries over to Eamon and makes quick work of healing his wing. My mouth falls open as I watch the tendrils of his shadow wings knit back together as she waves her hand over them.

“I’m done,” she announces once she is finished. She stands to leave, but Karius steps into her path, yet before he can say a word, she beats him to it. “I know. Not a word. Your secret…all of them are safe with me. I will honor that.”

He considers her for a minute before finally stepping aside and letting her leave. Once we hear the click of the library door, Ajax turns to him.

“You think we can trust her?” he asks.

“She was being sincere,” Piper says. “I can tell.”

“I hope you’re right. If we’re heading into a war, we’re going to need healers,” Kaia adds. She flashes a look at me, and for once, it is not filled with hate. Not even at the mention that I spoke to her mother in that way. In fact, when Bernice was speaking, she almost seemed as though she agreed.

“Firstly, we need to understand how to stop these things and figure out what to do now that they can get into the palace.” Iza says more to herself than to anyone, and as my eyes are drawn to her, they drop to where she has ripped the shirt from one of the creatures—my breath hitches. I move to where she is hunched over the corpse and take in the scattered black veins on its chest.

I stumble back, my mind seeing the image of the same marks on Willow whenever the mixture ran out. The creature said that she ishisnow. Did he mean that she is becoming one of these things? Has she always been? Is that why Julian really took her? Gods, no. I can’t even think that.

“What is it?” Karius asks, pulling me from the torment of my mind.

“They didn’t get into the castle. They were already here.”

“That doesn’t make sense. There’s no way they could hide without us knowing,” Eamon says.

“They could if they can turn back into human form, just like you can after you feed,” I say. The room falls deadly silent.

“She’s right, they’re already in here. That’s why they always get away so easily, why we can never find them. They don’t just become these creatures. They can turnat will,” Iza says.

“Shit. The rest of the nobles have just turned up, and you’re saying these things could be anywhere? Anytime?” Kaia asks, and Iza nods. “Then how are we supposed to stop them? We’d need something to reverse the effects of whatever Julian has done to them.”

My eyes flicker down to the veins scattering along the creature's chest again, and then I look up.

“She’s right. And I know where we can get some.”

Ilook up at Finn’s apothecary, and my stomach twists with the last memories of being here. It was all to save Willow, and to think that I still don’t know where she is makes me feel sick to the stomach.

“So, you’re telling me that this little apothecary is the cover-up for a whole illegal operation?” Ajax asks.Why does he sound impressed?

Because he is,Athriel says. I smile at this.

“Something like that,” I mumble.

I blow out a breath and turn to Kaia.

“Let me do the talking. He’s a runner, and he’ll already be on edge just seeing the two of you with me. He’s not a big fan of surprises.”

She rolls her eyes.