Page 32 of Crimson Shadows
Corvus raises an eyebrow, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Your secret’s safe with me, Adelaide. But you might want to be more careful in the future. Not everyone here is as... discreet as I am.”
I snort at that. “Right. Because you’ve been the picture of discretion so far.”
He gives me that infuriating smirk. “Fair point. But I mean it - I won’t tell anyone about your Vesper nature. You have my word.”
I eye him sceptically. “And why should I trust your word?”
Corvus steps closer, his eyes boring into mine. “Because, Adelaide, whether you like it or not, we’re connected now. Your blood calls to me in a way I’ve never experienced before, and that makes you very, very interesting to me.”
A shiver runs down my spine at his words. I’m not sure if it’s fear or something else.
“That doesn’t exactly make me feel better,” I mutter.
“It wasn’t meant to,” Corvus says with a wicked grin. “But it’s the truth, and in this place, truth is a rare commodity.”
I take a step back, suddenly very aware of my half-nakedness and vulnerability. “Right. Well, thanks for the help. I think I’ll be fine now.”
Corvus’s eyes roam over me, lingering on the newly healed skin of my arm before he frowns. “Self-harm isn’t the answer, Adelaide, not anymore. There are other ways to deal with the hunger, the intensity of what you’re feeling.”
I bristle at his presumption. “You don’t know anything about me or what I’m feeling.”
“Maybe not,” he concedes. “But if you ever want to talk about it,” he says, “or if you need help figuring out your abilities, you know where to find me.”
I snort. “Right. Because you’ve been so helpful so far.”
He chuckles. “What can I say? I’m trying to turn over a new leaf. Give me a chance, Adelaide. You might be surprised.”
Before I can respond, he steps back into the hallway. “Sweet dreams, Little Dollie,” he murmurs before he turns back into a bat and flies off out of the arrow slit in the tower wall.
“So that’s how you got in, creep.” I slam the door shut and lean against it, lifting my arm to stare at it in wonder. “Okay, so super speed healing, no, but definitely faster than before.” Does that depend on the amount of blood, and what kind? Synthetic versus real? And if so, where do I get real blood around here?
Huffing in frustration, I bet Corvus knows, and I just let him leave.Way to make friends and influence people, you dick.
Groaning as I want to call him back and ask these questions, but I have no idea where he went, so I slide down the door and stare at my arm. “You!” I snap at Orby, startling him. “What is your true purpose, hmm? Why are you here?”
Orby bobs in the air, seemingly unfazed by my outburst. Of course, he doesn’t answer. He’s just a magical orb, after all. Not a sentient being. Right?
Right?
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “This is ridiculous. I’m talking to a floating ball and expecting answers.”
Standing up, I walk over to my bed and flop down on it, staring at the ceiling. The events of the day swirl in my mind - the library encounter, the mysterious bottle, Ignatius in the dining hall, and now Corvus discovering my secret. It’s all too much. This day has been shit, and I feel bad that I haven’t even tried to contact my mum yet.
“What am I doing here?” I mutter to myself. “I don’t belong in this world of magick and monsters.”
But even as I say it, I know it’s not true. I do belong here, in a way I never belonged in the human world.
I roll onto my side, my gaze landing on the knife lying on the floor where I dropped it when bat-boy thumped into my door. The urge to cut is still there, a constant itch under my skin. But now I know it won’t give me the release I’m looking for. The wounds will just heal, leaving me unsatisfied.
I’ll have to find other ways to cope with the intensity. It looks like I’m going to have to track Corvus down tomorrow and ask him to show me these other ways. I rest my hand on the back of my elbow where he touched me. I didn’t vomit. I didn’t run. I didn’t find the feel of skin on mine repulsive. Why? Why is that when only my mother has ever been able to touch me, and even then, in short pockets of time? I wasn’t always this way. As a child, I was reserved and skittish but not actively icked out by someone touching me. Then I got my period, that day I first saw Randall and things changed.
Blinking, I reach for my phone to check the date. My period. It was due today. Will I still have this now that my truer nature is being revealed? And what does it have to do with anything? Is it all a big coincidence that I started to really feel out of sorts on my thirteenth birthday? Or is there something more insidious at play here?
Exhausted with my thoughts, I dial my mum.
The phone cuts out, and I sigh. Obviously, it doesn’t work here. We are in a parallel universe where the mobile network has no coverage. Yet, I’ve seen creatures with their phones. So, how do I get on their network?
Another thing to find out tomorrow. I just hope Randall told my mum I arrived safe and sound. But right now, I need to keep reading and get myself fully on a night schedule before classes start next week.
