Page 21 of The Book of Blood and Roses

And yet I’m now surrounded by those very vampires.

“You look tired,” Ife says later, once we meet in Ambrose Hall.

“Had a bit of a long night,” I say, and at this she meets my gaze, raising a brow.

“Doing what? Found yourself a boyfriend?”

“I’m a lesbian,” I say, and at this, Julia looks at me, blinking with surprise. I narrow my eyes. “Does that bother you?” I ask.

“No,” Julia says, and despite being a vampire, blood rushes to her cheeks. “So am I.”

I look away just as Astra walks into the canteen, wearing a brown suit that matches the screens of Ambrose Hall, which are currently showing an autumnal forest. I watch as she looks up at the sky, shielding her eyes as though the sun is real. Her arm is linked through the arm of a girl with long chestnut hair. The one I saw deep in the tunnels, with cuts on her hands. The girl she fucked in the library.

“Astra is also a lesbian,” Ife says, noticing who I was just gawking at. “But maybe a tad out of your league.”

“I’m not—”

“And even if she took a liking to you, it would be bad news, Cassie.”

“I’m not interested in her,” I say, but my cheeks are burning.

“Maybe shehastaken a liking to Cassie,” Stephan says, picking up a piece of sashimi. “She’s looking at you again.”

I glance over, unable to help myself, and this time, when our eyes meet, Astrahisses.As in, a vampire’s hiss. Like a fucking animal. The kind of hiss that summons their venom, signalling either fear or aggression. I gawk at her, wide-eyed.What is wrong with her?

“Uh,” Ife says, and soon I realise that quite a few tables have turned their attention towards us. “Did she just hiss at us?”

“You’re seeing things,” I say quickly. Why. Why would she do that?

“Wait,” Ife says. “Isshewhat you were doing last night?”

“For fuck’s sake,” I say. “Of course not.”

“Why did she look at you again, then?” Stephan asks.

I let out a short sigh. “Well, I was hoping no one would find out, but”—I lower my voice—“she’s my roommate.”

“You’re joking,” Ife says.

“I wish.” I look back over at Astra. A few of the girls surroundingher are still staring at me, but the white-haired vampire is focusing on herplaything,arm around the other vampire’s shoulders as she bends down to kiss her.

“But why is she staying in Tynarrich?” asks Julia, who as usual is keeping her hands busy with her sketchbook.

“No idea,” I say.

“Has she tried to bite you?” Stephan asks, and Ife makes an affronted sound.

“She wouldn’t be standing there if she had,” I say, a little too quickly.

“I don’t think you have to worry, Cassie,” Ife says. “Your blood smells—I wouldn’t saybad,just not interesting enough for someone to risk a century in prison. No offense,” she says.

“None taken,” I reply.

I shouldn’t feel comfortable sitting next to two vampires. But Ife’s words have finally illuminatedwhy.Without the scent of my S-Type blood, I’m not a rare delicacy. I’m just an ordinary person, not defined by the crimson insideme.

I can’t helpbut feel distracted during the rest of my classes, dreading going back to my room in case I see her again. During Gustavsson’s class, the students in front of me turn, whispering amongst themselves. One of the vampires who glares at me, perhaps even more intensely than the rest, is a girl with short black hair. And as I stare back, I realise she’s wearing a red ribbon around her throat. What if the Red Ribbons were involved with what happened in Inverness?

On my way to my next class, I walk straight into a hard chest, and my books tumble to the floor.