Page 146 of Blood and Moonlight

“Cat.”

He smiles a little. “Yes, I trust you, Cat.”

“Then follow me.”

As soon as we’re outside, I find the moon, letting it soak intomy skin and savoring the power that flows through my veins like lightning. The world is brighter and more colorful than a sunny day, and full of scents and sounds from all directions. It’s like being everywhere the moonlight is. I’m both floating and thoroughly grounded.

“Are you ready?” I ask Lambert.

“Absolutely,” he says. “Lead the way.”

I turn and run through the streets with Lambert on my heels. It’s no trouble to avoid the guard or anyone else who’s out at this hour—I can hear and see them long before they’re a concern. My pace has me straining to breathe against the rope still around my waist, but I don’t slow. The convent comes into view, followed shortly by the vine-covered wall dotted with delicate flowers. A sense ofhomewells inside of me, similar to what I’d felt with Remi this morning. How many homes can a person have? Or does it feel this way now because my previous safe haven is gone?

The singing around the Moon Pool has already begun. As a child listening to it from my bed at the abbey, the melody had seemed to dance across my skin; now it fills me like water absorbed into a sea sponge, settling deep in my bones. The magick in my blood sings along, weaving the music together into a harmony, and I want nothing more than to be a part of it. My soul will have no rest until I’ve joined the song.

Not now, though. Tonight I must resist one world for the sake of the other.

Lambert hesitates when we reach the entrance to the Quarter. I doubt even his father the provost has ever been inside, and certainly not at night. “It’s all right, Lambert,” I say, extending my hand to him. “There’s no need to be afraid.”

Taking a deep breath, Lambert clasps my fingers and follows me through the moonflower vines.