I didn't have time to know everything about vampires other than what I thought I knew before my two-century slumber. I didn't know about clean and bad bloods. Or poisoned ones.

Bloody Bishops and their little tricks.

Katz was telling me where he and Bellatrix were and all I could think about was nothing. I could hear him, know he was talking about soul-thirsty creatures from the underworld, but I could not entirely process it all. Floating. That's what it felt like. But I couldn't move, couldn't speak.

It took him a while to realize I was unresponsive. He paused, his eyes cleared of the fog he had earlier. And maybe at that moment, he finally remembered what I told him.

"You fed on Del and Rom."

I couldn't even blink.

"Damn it!" he cursed, walking closer toward me. He asked me something, but I couldn't remember because suddenly, there was nothing.

I drifted away from the dreaming realm. Fell into a dreamless void.

Apparently, my time was up.

***

I remembered coming back to my senses the same way I did when Katz rescued me from Akira's vampire trap. The only thing missing was the noise.

There were cracks and water stains on the ceiling. The only source of light was from the small window. With a tinge of fear, I tried to move. A sigh of relief escaped me when my hands lifted.

Rolling to my side, I realized I was on the floor. Someone had laid out a thick blanket for me, at least. With a grunt, I sat up and stayed still until the room stopped spinning.

I looked down to check if I was still intact. Same dress, but my shoes were missing. Looking around, I recognized where I was. The smell in the air was too distinct for me to not remember. It was the same building in Alistair's dream.

Standing, I walked closer to the small bed under the window. It was fairly clean. I jumped when soft footsteps came from outside. I turned, unsure if I should hide or stay. The footsteps were now joined by a soft, melodic humming. A woman.

I sat on the bed and hid my feet under the hem of my skirts. As I waited, I convinced myself that everything was fine. These people did not kill me, did they? Alistair got me from the hotel. They needed me to cross the border with the Omen. They wouldn't hurt me.

The doorknob turned and in came a woman. A majestic laundry-carrying one. She was iridescent. It could have been the silver hair and the milky skin, or the light grey eyes. It could be... Yes, I know. My mother said I used dramatic words. But this time, it was necessary. Just being in that same room with her felt like heaven.

Her singing stopped when she spotted me sitting on the bed. I didn't know she could glow more until the smile broke from her lips. It was as if she gathered all the light that came through the window and they melted out of her skin. She wasn't even wearing white. In fact, she was wearing a worn-out gray sweater.

"You're awake!" Good Lord, her voice sounded even more heavenly. "Klyne said you'll be up soon." She placed down the basket of laundry at the foot of the bed, her movement soft and gliding. When she straightened and faced me with her laughing eyes, she asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Who are you?" I asked instead.

"I'm Nalani." Then she rolled her eyes and murmured, "It means heaven."

"Suiting," I said, looking her up and down.

"My mother thought it was a good name for an Ember. I don't like it, though." She looked down at me, her smile too sweet. "You look beautiful. And young. But of course, you're a vampire. You should stay young. I'm thirty in human age, and Klyne believes I'm fifteen in stars age. How about you? How old were you when you turned?"

Whatever ethereal impression I had of this girl evaporated the longer she talked. And she talked a lot. There was no stopping the questions, even if I wanted to answer them. She just went on and on, telling me things she probably shouldn't. Like why her brother wasn't home because he had to get fresh blood from someone named Guile, but I couldn't be sure because she talked too fast.

"And don't worry. I think he's going to share a bag or two with you. Now, do you need anything?"

I waited for her to continue, but she didn't. "You talk a lot."

"Only because I'm always left alone here. I can't go out. It's not safe for me at the moment. Most days, I don't have anyone to talk to. Although I talk to myself."

I scoffed. "You remind me of someone."

"I do? Who?"

Shaking my head, murmured, "Someone named Tiff." I stood and faced her. We were almost the same height. "What time is it?"

"Five in the afternoon. You have a few more hours to spare before midnight, you unlucky girl."

"Unlucky?"

"You have a halo," she said.

"And you obviously don't."

"Oh, I do."

I blinked in surprise. "You do?"

She shrugged. "It obviously doesn't work. It can't handle my light." She winked. "But we still take precautions. Klyne says we can't be careless. I don't enjoy being on the run all the time. But I love the freedom I experience when the clock strikes twelve." She turned and walked to the door. "Come and join me in the kitchen. I'm making dinner. It's not blood, but... I think you'll like it."

Two hours later, I was utterly baffled. I could no longer stare at her with wonder. In fact, the longer I listened to her talk, the more I wish I could reach out and suck the light out of her. She was not annoying. She simply had too much energy. It was tiring just listening to her while she cleaned the tiny apartment while insisting that I sit to rest when I didn't even offer to help.

But what fascinated me the most was how she looked at the brighter side of things. She'd share horrible stories, like that time when she was forcefully taken by the Saints. They had tried to burn her hand too many times.

"Why?"

"I don't know. Maybe they think I'd produce stardust, which is crazy." She rolled her eyes. "You can only get stardust from dead stars." She pointed at her chest where her heart was. "But they were nice about it," she said, returning to her story. "They bandaged my hand each time. I don't heal fast, but it fascinated them that I can. And Mrs. Katama was quite nice. She fed me because I couldn't do it myself. They bound me."

Absently, my fingers touched the halo at my nape. "Is that how you got your halo? When they caught you?"

She sighed. "Yeah. Klyne said it's an ugly tattoo. But I think it looks quite cool."

She talked like Tiff and Lexie, inserting odd words into sentences. I offered a small smile, wishing she'd stop talking.

When the front door opened and Klyne Alistair walked in, I froze. His deep-set eyes settled on me before he turned to Nalani and his face gentled. "Everything alright while I was gone?"

"Great," she said, taking the plastic bag from him. "She just woke up."

He faced me again and crossed his arms to study me like I was a stray dog he didn't know what to do with. "Evensen made contact."

I jumped to my feet. "What did he say?"

"He needs to talk to you." He turned away before I could ask another question. "Pack your bag, Nalani."

"It's ready," his sister replied as he walked away. Turning to me, she grinned. "He's not a talker." Pulling out a bottle from the bag, she asked, "Want some? Not the best grade out there, but it's the best in places like this." She held it up against the light. "Got a few clots, won't last long."

"I'm fine," I murmured, looking around. "I need to sleep."

"You can do that later—"

"Katz and my familiar are in a realm I couldn't reach," I interjected coldly. "While I appreciate your gesture, I can't sit around and sip clotted blood while they're having their souls sucked out of them."

Her face turned serious, and she nodded. "Of course. I'm sorry."

"Thank you. I..." I let out a long sigh. "I'll be back shortly."

***

I figured he had been waiting because when he appeared in our dream, he didn't even look inconvenienced or irritated. He actually looked concerned. He stalked the distance between us, then stopped. And stayed there to look me up and down.

"How are you?"

"Fine," I said.

"Did Alistair bring you fresh blood?"

"Yes." I shook my head against the unnecessary questions. "When are you coming here?"

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"To Exodus. Shouldn't you be here by now?"

He wasn't telling me something. I could see it in the way he was trying to master his expression. "That's impossible at the moment. I have important matters to deal with."

"More important than an Omen and the witch vampire who is taking her out of this society?"

His jaw tightened. "Yes."

"You know that they could be after you, yes? Corey knows everything now."

"And where is Corey now?"

"In my repertory."

"You put him inside your repertory?"

"Yes." I raised my hand against his scowl. "But I couldn't do the same for the two Bishops. They were there when Corey forced the truth out of me. The moment they wake up, they'll tell everyone—"

"You don't have to worry about them."

"Why?"

"They can't talk now."

"Alistair."

He nodded. "And we have to deal with Corey. Take him out of your repertory. Alistair will—"

"No. He's leverage."

Confused, he took a step toward me. "For what?"

"Katz and Bella. Mertha Krall has them. I have to get them."

He sighed. "How much do you know about Katz's border?"

"The only thing I know is that I won't be able to cross it now if that's what you're thinking." I walked toward him. "I want to get Bellatrix and you'll have to help me, so get your bloody arse down here."

"As I said, I can't."

"Why the hell not?"

"If I go there, they'll wonder. If we get caught, we'd lose every connection I made. I would be a bigger help from here than there."

"Very well," I said, crossing my arms. "Get us help. I need to get Bella and Katz out of Mertha Krall's realm."

He sighed. "I'll need to talk to Alistair. Later tonight at six," he said.

"Why not now?"

"You're marked, Aster. You can't stay in the same place for longer than a day. The Saints will know where you are by tomorrow."

I nodded. "Fine."

***

When I opened my eyes, Nalani and Alistair were already waiting for me.

"What did he say?" Alistair asked.

"We have to move." I stood and stared at the trunk beside his leg. "And we have to get Katz and my fox."

"Sounds like a plan." He checked his watch before his eyes returned to me. "We got to be quick."

"I think she needs to feed, Klyne. She's looking pale. Are you alright, Aster?" Nalani asked.

"I'm fine," I grumbled. "Where are we going?"

"The edge of the city," Alistair replied. "We have friends there."

Not long after, we escaped the old building with my trunk. Alistair led us into a back alley where an old car was waiting for us, driven by another vampire who remained mum the entire time.

As the city passed by the window, Alistair said, "At the moment, you're still in the clear. The most they should think is that you've been abducted. Unless your apostles suspected something."

I swallowed. Well, I did put them to sleep and they'd surely realize that when they woke up. But I wouldn't know what they'd assume. Or the conclusions they'd make. "I told them I had to leave for my safety," I said. "I told them someone's after me. They would not suspect a thing."

"Good. Otherwise, I'll have to send someone to deal with them."

My eyes jumped to Nalani, who just smiled brightly and looked away. My gaze veered to her complete contrast—her brother. "Why can't Evensen join us here?" I asked.

Alistair frowned at me, confusion in his eyes.

When he didn't answer, I demanded. "Tell me."

"You don't know?" Nalani asked, blinking at me with surprise.

Alistair scoffed. "You don't know what means to be an archaic in this society?"

Closing my eyes, I summoned patience. "I don't know a lot of things about this bloody society. I'd appreciate if you can provide direct information. So please, tell me what it means to be an archaic like Evensen."

"If a vampire gets a halo to be one of the archaics, they don't just get the halo everybody else has. Theirs is special." I waited, holding my breath. Alistair shared a look with his sister before he continued. "Archaics are bound to a certain city. Their halos will blow their heads off if they as much as step out." As I sat there numb, shivers up my spine, Alistair shook his head. "Evensen like the other archaics, is a prisoner."