Chapter 3

-- Germaine

The crash of porcelain shatters the quiet like a gunshot.

My heart leaps into my throat. I'm on my feet before I even realize it, rushing toward Cordelia. Shards of tea cups glint on the floor like sharp little daggers, liquid spreading in a sticky pool around her slippered feet. But it isn't the mess that makes my stomach clench-it's the blood streaking down her leg, dark and fast, soaking into the fabric of her nightdress.

"Cordelia!" My voice trembles. "Oh my God, hold on-don't move!"

She's just. . . standing there. Frozen. Her hands hang by her sides, her face slack, her lips parted in a soundless gasp. The shock makes her look like a child again, small and fragile.

I spin on my heel, bolting for the kitchen cabinet where I keep the first aid kit. My palms are sweating so badly I almost fumble it. By the time I return, adrenaline pounding through my veins-

Everything is gone.

The floor is spotless, dry. The broken cups are no longer broken. They sit neatly stacked on the table as though they never fell at all.

Cordelia is still standing in the exact same place, but the blood is gone. No cut. Not even a bruise mars her skin.

I skid to a halt, my chest heaving. "What the...?"

Her wide eyes flick to mine, mirroring the disbelief I feel.

"You used your magic," I breathe, the words falling out before I can stop them. My voice sounds thin, almost reverent, even as my mind scrambles to catch up. Magic isn't supposed to be real. And yet-I just saw it.

I lift my gaze to the three men in the room. The tall one with storm-colored eyes. The warrior with hair like ink. The silent golem who looms like a shadow carved from stone.

"Who are you people," I demand, my voice cracking, "and what do you want with me? With us?"

Keratin scoffs, low and derisive, as if my questions are beneath him.

Storm, on the other hand, steps forward, his tone soft, persuasive. Dangerous. "My lady, do not be afraid. We mean you no harm. But we do need your help. Our world as we know it is in peril, and if care is not taken, yours will follow suit. Only one thing can save us-the Talisman."

My mouth goes dry. Cordelia collapses into the nearest chair like her bones can't hold her anymore.

"Earth is in danger?" she whispers, clutching her knees. "How? You're still not making any sense." Then her expression brightens in the way that always makes me want to both laugh and strangle her. "I get it now! Your magic is waning. You want Germaine to help you get it back. All those tricks you guys do in shows, you're scared people won't come watch anymore so you-"

"My lady." Keratin's voice slices through the air, sharp and commanding.

I flinch.

When I look up, he's striding toward me, every step purposeful. He stops so close I can feel the heat radiating off his body. His gaze spears mine, dark and uncompromising.

"Come down from that make-believe story you've wrapped yourself in. This is not theater. There are monsters within our world, and I'm quite sure yours will be next. Moon goddess only knows how many more they will try to devour."

As if to echo his words, a newscaster's mechanical voice drifts from the living room.

"...sightings of strange-looking men in the countryside. These men exhibit long sharp teeth, extraordinarily pale skin, and claws resembling talons..."

Keratin's jaw tightens. "They are already here."

The room tilts. My stomach lurches.

I can hear my heartbeat in my ears, in my throat. Louder. Louder.

Cordelia is trembling on the couch, her eyes glued to the TV. "We're all going to die," she whispers, her voice breaking. "If we don't do something, we're all going to die."

"No." My voice comes out harsher than I mean it to, because I'm two breaths away from panicking myself. I sit beside her, pulling her into my arms. "Don't say that. Nothing bad will happen to us, Cord. The newscaster said countryside. Not here."

"Listen to yourself," she chokes out, gripping my arm so tightly her nails dig into my skin. "It's only a matter of time before they show up here too. You know that."

My chest aches at the sound of her fear. She's right. God help me, she's right.

But I can't give in to that kind of hopelessness.

I tighten my hold on her, pressing my cheek to her hair. I can smell the faint citrus of her shampoo. It anchors me. Familiar. Safe.

Then Storm speaks again. His voice grates on my fraying nerves. "My lady-"

Something inside me snaps.

I untangle myself from Cordelia and whip around, anger blazing hot through my veins. "Enough! Stop calling me that. My name is Germaine." I jab a finger toward him, my hand shaking. "And I don't want to hear another word about some mission or talisman or worlds in peril. I'm not your savior. I'm not anything to you."

The room goes utterly silent.

Storm's expression flickers, unreadable. Keratin's eyes narrow, black fire sparking in their depths. The golem doesn't move.

"I'm tired," I say, my voice dropping to a whisper. The fury is already draining out of me, leaving nothing but exhaustion and dread. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed."

I walk past them, spine straight, refusing to look at their faces. But I can feel their eyes on me, heavy and burning holes in my back.

By the time I reach my room, my legs are trembling.

The shower does nothing to wash away the unease. My sheets do nothing to comfort me. I toss and turn, watching the hours bleed away on my alarm clock until exhaustion finally drags me under.

But sleep offers no peace.

In my dreams, creatures with glowing red eyes and jagged fangs chase me down endless, twisting roads. I wake drenched in sweat, the ghost of their snarls still echoing in my ears.

It's three in the morning.

By the time the sun filters pale light through my curtains, I've barely slept. My head throbs. My limbs feel heavy.

A soft knock sounds at the door, and before I can respond, the scent of coffee drifts in.

I yank the door open.

Cordelia stands there, her hand raised mid-knock, a steaming cup balanced in her other hand.

"You're a lifesaver," I mutter, practically ripping it from her grip. I take a long, greedy sip, sighing as the bitterness burns down my throat.

"Keratin made it," Cordelia says with a little grin as she slips into my room. "I taught him how to tear open a sachet of instant coffee. He caught on fast."

"Fast learner, huh." My lips twitch despite myself.

Cordelia perches on the bed, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Don't you think they're hot? I mean...excluding the dwarf. But especially Keratin. That hair, those eyes, that body-" She fans herself. "Wow."

I roll my eyes, pretending her words don't strike a chord. I don't want to admit-even to myself-how the memory of Keratin standing in front of me last night still lingers, imprinted on my skin like a phantom touch.

Cordelia lowers her voice. "Don't you think what Storm said was scary?"

I shrug, avoiding her gaze, busying myself with my hairbrush. "It's nonsense."

But her hand lands on my shoulder, soft and insistent. "Please, Gem. Just hear him out. Today's Sunday-you won't go to the bakery. What can it hurt?"

I hesitate. The last thing I want is to give those men more space inside my head. But the pleading in her eyes chips away at my defenses.

"...Fine." I sigh. "Where are they?"

The door creaks open before she can answer.

Storm. Keratin. The golem.

Standing in the threshold, watching us.

"You were eavesdropping," I snap, my spine stiffening.

Storm smiles faintly. "No. But when the lady Cordelia called my name, I followed her voice here."

"And just so happened to stand there listening in? Convenient."

"Germaine, please," Cordelia whispers. Her eyes beg me not to start a fight.

I press my lips together, every nerve screaming, but after a long beat, I nod. "Fine. Come in."

They file in and settle on the rug. My jaw nearly drops.

They're wearing jeans. T-shirts. Normal clothes. Keratin's shirt is stretched taut over his chest and shoulders, his jeans hugging his thighs in ways that make my stomach flip.

I tear my eyes away, heat crawling up my neck.

Storm inclines his head. "As I was saying...Germaine. We need your help finding the talisman. It is the only weapon against the blood-drinking humans. They are already among your people. If they succeed, your world will burn."

I cross my arms. I want to tell him to get the hell out of my life.

But before I can, his eyes flicker. Flames-orange, then blue-dance in their depths. His body stiffens. And then, in a voice that is not his own, he speaks.

What the heck?

That's Oliver's voice.

"I'm going on a date with Germaine tonight. She's got it bad for me. You know me, Cain-I'll bang her brains out. Slip a pill into her drink, she won't know what hit her."

My blood turns to ice.

Cordelia gasps. Even Keratin looks stunned.

I stumble back, horror crashing over me.

"I-can't-do this." My voice cracks. I spin, bolting out the door, ignoring Cordelia's shouts behind me.

I'll find out for myself.

And if it's true. . .God help him.