IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED,

FALL DOWN, DOWN AGAIN.

It was raining when I woke the next evening, the fourth day of my new life, tucked beneath the ancient quilt that covered my bed. I stretched and rose and walked to the window, flipping back the black leather curtain that kept sunlight off my body while I slept. The evening was gray, the window cold against the flat of my palm. Heavy drops of spring rain patted against the glass. It was seven thirtyish, and the evening stretched before me. I had only one thing planned - training with Catcher, as arranged the night before.

I made myself stop obsessing about the kiss. After all, I should have been thrilled to death that I hadn't been weak enough to say yes to Ethan's offer. I was still Merit, still Mallory's friend and still my grandfather's granddaughter. So when I rose, I put it behind me and focused on the night ahead.

I wasn't sure of the appropriate dress code for my first night of training as Cadogan House Initiate, especially given the weather, so I opted for black yoga capris, a T-shirt, running shoes, and a fleece jacket to ward off the chill. When we met in the living room,

Mallory was out of her business suit and tucked into jeans and a T-shirt. She linked her arm in mine as we stepped onto the stoop, nodding to the guards at the door before darting to the garage.

Mallory flipped open the garage door and we walked inside. "You ready for your big vampire adventure?"

"You ready to find out who you are?" I countered.

"Honestly, I'm not yet sure if knowing is better than not."

I made a sound of agreement, unlocked the car, and slid inside. Mallory joined me after I reached over to pop the lock. The car started on the first try - not always a guarantee with a car nearly older than I was - and I backed her carefully out of the garage and onto the street.

"Can you believe we're wrapped up in this?" she asked. "Not even a month ago, no one knew vampires existed. Now we're in the middle of it, as deep as you can get. And this Catcher. He's what?"

"He said he was a fourth-grade sorcerer until he was kicked out of the Order. I don't know what that - "

"It's the governing body for sorcerers," Mallory interjected.

I slid her a quick glance. "And you'd know that because?"

"I've done some homework. I made some calls."

"I see. And a fourth-grade sorcerer? That would be what, exactly?"

"Top of the line."

Not really surprising given the fireworks display. A little scary, but not surprising. "Gotcha."

When we reached the warehouse district, we found parking in front of the brick building bearing the address Catcher had provided. The building was four squat stories tall and ringed at the top with equally spaced square windows, like a coronet of glass. A substantial red door sat in the middle of the facade. We dodged raindrops to reach it, then pushed it open, revealing an impressive atrium that stretched the full height of the building. The room itself was shaped like an inverted T, with a long hallway punched through the middle. An empty demilune reception desk stood in the juncture.

Having gotten no instructions beyond the time and address, I gave Mallory a shrug, and we ventured toward the hallway. Doors marked both walls, but there was no sign of our sorcerer or a gym. Rather than testing each door, which felt a little too Alice in Wonderland, we decided to wait and hope that someone would eventually come looking for us. We debated whether they'd come from the right or the left.

"Left side?" I offered.

Mallory shook her head. "Right. Loser buys dinner."