When we walked through the doors of Good Blood, we instantly noticed something different. There were more patrons in the club than ever before. Many looked over the railings of the floating platforms to watch us cross the hall to the elevator.

I stopped midway, my eyes spotting Evensen sitting with a group of vampires, all of them dressed in black. He was listening to one of them, but I knew he saw me. I sensed my apostles staring with curiosity, but I didn't move until Harald gave up the pretense and moved his head. His gaze locked with mine, the smile on his face unwavering. And with no attempt at acknowledgment, he looked away, continuing his conversation with the group.

My jaw tightened, and I whirled around to storm to the elevator, steps pounding across the wooden floor.

"That's Harald Evensen," Tiff whispered the moment the elevator closed. "Did you see him?"

"Do you know him?" Akira asked me, ignoring Tiff's question. The bruise on his forehead almost disappearing as he frowned.

"Yes," I answered. They waited for me to say more, but I didn't have much to offer. What should I tell them? Harald Evensen was my number one nemesis, but now he was somewhat sharing a dream with me? I didn't even know why it was happening, and even if I knew, I would never share it with anyone. Often, things only happen in dreams because they're meant to be a secret.

"And?" Tiff prodded, impatient.

"I just know him," I said.

"Were you friends?" Lexie asked.

"What makes you say that?"

"I heard many vampires mingled with our kind in the past."

I sighed. "That's right."

"But you didn't like them," Akira guessed correctly. Two-hundred years ago, most of us didn't mind vampires. Even my father was friends with some of them. I was just one minority who believed they were nothing but a brood of spineless devils.

Cedric Corey received us in a spacious office, one that was a contrast to the interior of the club. Of course, the room was white. And he was wearing white. His hair brushed to perfection, his smile dangerously coy.

With my apostles standing on one side of the room, hands at their sides, their gaze directed at the opposite wall, Cedric invited me to sit and enjoy tea with him. For a moment, he threw my apostles a look, as if he was debating whether he should make them leave. But when he sensed me catching the act, he smiled.

"I'm sorry if we kept you waiting for your first assignment. We wanted to let you settle in for a bit longer."

"It's fine," I said, smiling as his eyes wandered down to survey me with fresh interest. I wondered if he looked at other women like this, or if it was just me. Nonetheless, it was a weakness.

Again, he shot my apostles a look before he leaned on his knees, eyes turning serious. "Your assignment is delicate, Aster. It requires the utmost secrecy."

"I'm quite certain you got the best team," I said, glancing at my apostles. I saw the corner of Tiff's mouth quirk.

"Perfect," said Cedric. He pushed a button, and the windows turned white, blocking the view outside. Then it turned black, leaving just one panel lit up. It showed a map. A very easy one to read, apparently. I saw the border that separated us from Old London, then the different Saint Society cities, all represented by a white halo.

"The cities under the Saint Society are all interesting in their own right," Cedric said, manipulating a trackball embedded in the arm of his chair. The map zoomed in on one city. "This is Exodus. It borders Haggai and Hosea. For more than a century, Exodus rejected our society, but twelve years ago, they finally relented and embraced the new world. It's a young city, but we have been making tremendous progress at a rapid rate. While Genesis City and the others are perfect, I cannot say the same with Exodus. It still has many years to catch up on." He paused and faced me, his leg crossed over the other. "Recently, we received reports that the city is harboring ferals."

My apostles almost broke protocol, their heads turning just a fraction before they remastered themselves. The news must be something they didn't hear every day.

"Exodus is a vulnerable city, with borders still needing much improvement."

"Is that how the ferals get to this city?" I asked.

"Yes. As we speak, a team of Bishops are preparing to assess and fix the borders in Exodus. And while they do that, we have to clean the city of ferals. You should understand that it's perhaps the most vulnerable Saint city. Not just because it's young, but because it is where many Folks migrated after the borders were created. And unlike us witches, Folks don't have the keen senses to identify ferals, nor the skills to fight against attacks. An envoy will escort you to Exodus. I'll come along, of course. A Council's presence should be enough to provide comfort and confidence to the public."

I took my time to absorb and process what he just said. "How do I fit into this? What do you expect me to do there?" Give them beautiful dreams where they are safe from ferals? I added in my head.

Cedric smiled at me patiently. "The officials of Exodus are fairly new."

Again, I processed what he was trying to tell me. "You suspect they're involved."

He nodded.

"They're hiding these ferals?"

"We are yet to determine that." His flirtatious smile returned. "Dreamers tend to trust a beautiful dream, don't they?"

"Of course."

"And you can give dreams without them knowing?"

"Certainly. Given I met them."

His smile widened. "That's why you're coming with me, Aster."

"When are we leaving?"

"In three days. You best be ready by then. We're expecting to stay there a week, but pack for an extended stay just in case."

"Before anything else, I want you to know that I cannot fight," I said. "In case of any attack, I don't have the physical ability to protect myself."

He chuckled. "Don't worry. Your apostles are going to be with you and they're trained. If they're not enough, there will be Bishops." He winked at me. "I was once a Bishop."

I nodded. "We'll be ready in three days."

Cedric nodded. "Splendid. A Bishop will see you soon to discuss some safety protocols. I hope you don't mind that I gave him instructions to do it in your home. Given the nature of this mission, it's best matters are discussed in private."

"Of course not," I replied, standing.

As we made our way back down, I felt for the golden case inside my pocket, completely in a different dilemma. I wasn't worried about the ferals infesting a Saint city. I was worried about my own bloody life if I ran out of pills. I let go of the case and clasped my crux tightly.

We reached the main hall of the club, but before we reached the door, I stopped, hands closed in fists. Then I stiffly turned, saying, "Stay here," to my apostles. They obliged, watching me with curiosity as I made my way to Harald Evensen.

I didn't intrude, just waited outside his vampire circle. He was trying to ignore me as I stood there, so brightly white amid the dark atmosphere. When finally one vampire stopped talking and turned to me, followed by the others, Evensen eventually sighed and stood.

A sudden smile curved his lips as he approached. "Lady Byrne," he greeted under his breath, a glint of annoyance in his eyes. "Is there a problem?" His eyes flew to the direction of my apostles.

"I need more pills," I whispered.

He sighed again. "Even if I can give you more, I wouldn't. Every drug has a limit."

My jaw tightened, eyes accusatory. "Then tell me what's wrong with me so I can find a cure."

His eyes hardened. "You know what's wrong with you, Aster."

"No, I don't."

"We can't talk here," he said, stepping back.

"Tell me now or—"

"Not here," his low, crisp voice said.

"Then where?"

His eyes softened, our shared secret passing between us. "You know where. Good day, my lady."

***

"We can take them," Tiff said during supper. "The apostle code doesn't say anything about animals."

"They're a liability," Akira insisted. "Plus, you need to care for them. That's a terrible distraction."

"My familiar has no problem following my instructions," Lexie countered. "Ogle doesn't need much caring, anyway."

"We need to focus on the mission."

"Who's gonna feed your dog if we go?"

"It's not my dog."

"You should name it," Tiff said, ignoring his statement.

"Why would I name something I don't even own?"

"You don't own your familiar, Akira," Lexie pointed out.

"You're both insufferable," he muttered as he stood and made his way to the ritual room, ignoring the white dog sitting outside his room.

"I wonder what he's up to inside that room," Lexie commented as she cleared the table. "He's so secretive about his experiments."

Tiff turned to me. "We'll bring them, right? We can't leave them here."

"Of course," I said, unable to imagine traveling far without Bellatrix. "But let's try to not draw attention to them. We don't know if they're allowed."

"They are," said Tiff.

"Until we give the Council a reason to make a rule against them," Lexie said. She smiled at me. "We'll keep them out of the way."

Tiff groaned. "Miles doesn't like to be caged."

"I only have three days to convince Ogle to go into one. I'll start tomorrow."

Miles, who had been lingering somewhere under the table, jumped onto Tiff's lap. "A bag?" Tiff asked her cat as she stood. "Oh, wonderful idea!"

After Lexie finished clearing the table and disappeared into her room, I sighed, closing my eyes. My fever was starting, the headache making itself known with little throbbing attacks at my frontal lobe, radiating around my eyes. I only had three more pills left. I didn't know if I could last a week in Exodus. Evensen said we had a plan. If we did, he should be saving me, not ignoring my dying state because I would never plan to suffer like this.

Two hours later, I was burning. Bellatrix whined when I walked out of my room in my sleeping gown. "I need to think," I told her. But really, I had to get away from the golden case and the pills. I had to save what I had left if I wanted to survive Exodus.

"Your temperature is rising, Aster," Celine said.

"I know, Celine. Go on hibernation," I told her. I heard a beep, and then utter silence. I glanced at the clock. Two hours before the halo took effect.

"Stay in the room, Bella," I told my familiar.

I got a glass of water and carried it to the ritual room. It was empty. I walked in, wondering what Akira had been doing here for the last three days. Lexie and Tiff used it for the small elemental experiments I taught them, but it was Akira who had been using it religiously. Two days ago, Tiff found him sleeping inside. He wasn't able to go to bed before the halo's spell and he literally fell asleep while standing. He bumped his forehead on the table before dropping to the ground.

"What have you been up to here, young man?" I wondered aloud, slowly making my way across the room. Nothing seemed missing from the shelves, nor was there anything added. The tables were empty. They had been using their tablets for taking notes, so there were no scattered papers anywhere.

Then it happened. The sudden freeze.

I was suddenly rooted to the ground, as if I stepped into dense mud.

The burning intensified, the pain in my head bashing my skull. And for the first time, I felt something different. Something quite alarming because it was new. My heart felt like it was swelling inside me, ready to burst, and I raced for breath.

I dropped to the ground, clawing at the carpet. It slid over the floor. Nostrils flaring, I pulled more to reveal the mark underneath. My breath shook as I let it out and I stifled a groan, shaking my head to clear my thoughts. I pushed the carpet aside. The mark let it out, but it kept me in. Writings trailed along the edges of the white circle.

Greek.

I swallowed, blinked a few times to clear my vision.

"No," I harshly whispered, reading the writings. "No."

My heart strained inside my ribcage and I doubled over, clutching my chest.

"What in the bloody hell?" I groaned, gasping for air.

I tried to crawl my way out, it wouldn't let me. The burning was different now. It seemed to come from outside, eating at my skin.

My eyes eventually shut closed and through the excruciating pain, bright flashes blinded me behind my eyelids. Rapid images I could barely recognize.

Then stopped.

I was back in my room, a reflection of fire painted on my walls. Then his face was there, hovering above me. Evensen was telling me to breathe, but it seemed futile. His voice was fading and was so he.

What was that?

A memory.

With the last ounce of my strength, I opened my eyes, only to find myself still inside the room. But this time, it was a dream. I looked down. I was standing.

"What took you so long?" Evensen's voice asked as he approached me.

Before I could say anything, my legs gave in and I dropped to the ground. He hovered over me like he did in the memory, face remarkably concerned. "What happened? Where did you fall asleep?"

"Home," I choked out. "There was a trap."

At that moment, I realized he knew what I was talking about. His jaw tightened and effortlessly gathered me in his arms and carried me to the bed. I rolled over onto the mattress, groaning. "Who made the trap?" he asked.

"I don't know. One of my apostles. Experiments."

"What?'

"They've been doing experiments."

Another tarnation hissed out of his lips. "What time was it when you fell asleep?"

I shut my eyes and screamed into the pillow.

"Aster!"

"Ten," I hissed out.

He cursed under his breath. "I won't have enough time. I've been waiting here for hours." He paced back and forth, returned to my side. "Can't you get out of it?"

"No! I'm bloody burning."

Again, he cursed. "I'll get help."

I looked at him, breathless. "Why are you doing this, Evensen?"

"The same reason I sleep early." There was a hint of irritation in his voice. "Find a door. Focus," he added.

"I'm too weak."

"There should be a door here somewhere. You have to wake up."

I pushed myself off the bed and willed a door to appear. I grunted in pain, but finally, a white door appeared.

"Good," Evensen said, picking me up from the bed. He carried me to the door and dropped me there almost angrily. Apparently, this was an unexpected complication. Knowing Evensen, he planned things thoroughly. He held me up with one hand. Opening the door, he told me, "Wait for help. And try to stay alive, dammit."

I opened my eyes in the ritual room, Bellatrix whining beside me. "Quiet." I swallowed, pushed to sit, bracing my weight with my hands. "Break it," I ordered.

Bellatrix scratched on the floor, stripping the paint.

"Good girl," I whispered shakily. But she still had a long way to go.

After what seemed like an endless time, with my familiar almost halfway through the mark, Celine's wake-up sound dinged. "You have a visitor, Aster. Should I permit entrance to Mr—"

My eyes were closing again. "Yes," I weakly replied.

"I'm sorry, I did not get that."

"Yes!" I gritted out. A part of me was afraid to be found by my apostles.

A beep. "Mr Felix Katz has entered."

Felix Katz?

The little functioning part of my brain panicked. "No," I weakly said as I slid on the floor again. Bellatrix was working harder, but I knew she wouldn't be able to make it.

I heard footsteps approaching. Through my half-closed lids, I saw a blurry vision of feet striding toward me. I heard Bellatrix growl, then whimper. I was rolled onto my back. Heard my name called out. Forcing my eyes open, I didn't see Evensen.

Felix Katz. His gaze was on the trap, then jumped to me.

Bella. Where's Bella? I wanted to ask.

No sound came through my lips.

My eyes closed again. My last thought was Evensen was late. Very late.