Page 17 of A Whisper in the Dark

I wait for him to respond. Instead, Drew bows his head, drawing my gaze to his own tattoo. The mark is obviously older than mine, the numbers dull and faded. Oblivious to my scrutiny, Drew’s chin presses against his chest and his expression is thoughtful.

We pass the side of a building, its brick side covered in what appear to be anti-vampire flyers.Kill them with milk thistle!Then, farther down, a bible verse.For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12.

“Did you hear about the vampire who died of a broken heart?” Drew asks suddenly.

I try to summon a smile. “I’m sorry… I’m not in the mood for jokes right now,” I admit, feeling terrible even as I say it.

He acknowledges my words with a resigned shrug. “In a place like this, Charlie, you usually won’t be in the mood to laugh. That’s why you have to force yourself to find the humor, at least once every day. That’s the rule. Or you won’t survive here—I can promise you that. Now, I want you to tell me. Did you hear about the vampire who died of a broken heart?”

I can’t decide if I want to punch him or make out with him. We turn a corner, and there’s Nina up ahead, along with a petite blond I recognize from the boardinghouse. I tug my sleeve down over the tattoo—although they have marks, as well, I don’t want any commentary on mine. I want to mourn without an audience. “No, Drew, I didn’t hear about that vampire. Please,pleasetell me about his broken heart,” I say, smiling more freely now.

Drew gives a sad shake of his head. “He had loved in vein.”

For a moment, I’m trapped somewhere between a laugh and a sob. “You’re a strange human.”

He nudges his shoulder against mine. “Right back at you.”

The words make me frown. Because he’s right—Iamhuman. At least, part of me is. Like it or not, this is my world now.

“It’s not all bad, you know,” Drew adds, drawing me from my thoughts. “The sewer sector. The weepers don’t get in very often, and when they do, we watch each other’s backs. Most of the job is just clearing blockages or cleaning trash off the bullet tracks.”

We’re close enough to Nina and the blond that I can make out their conversation now. The streets are getting busier, filling with cars and other slaves rushing to their sectors. We must be nearing Midtown—high above our heads, like a tragic imitation of New York City’s Times Square, now nothing more than a ghost city full of dry sobs, a giant screen lights the street. As I watch, my mother’s face appears on it. Beside her, New Ve’s most popular news anchor, Danielle of House Winter, stares out at the city with bright blue eyes. Her bleach-blond hair gleams angelically, but it’s just a skilled façade—I’ve seen her rip a feeder’s throat out with her teeth.

Her sweet voice echoes over the city as she urges citizens to report any sightings of Cassandra Travesty. I can almost forget how angry I am at my mother when I wonder what will the king do to her. Will he make an example of her in his bid for eliminating any future Lavenders?

The image on the screen shifts again, and my stomach tightens at the sight of Mother’s familiar dark gaze. There’s so much I wish I could’ve asked her. Who is my real father? Why was he worth the risk of what’s unfolding now?

Up ahead, Nina’s attention suddenly turns. I turn, too, just in time to see a vampire follow a human out of a third-story window. Except, she doesn’t use the fire escape—she jumps. I forget Danielle’s broadcast. So does everyone else, it seems, as we watch the vampire’s slim form drop and hit the ground in a graceful crouch. Her boots make gravel fly. As she straightens, I see she has several piercings on her face. She wears a t-shirt with a picture of a fanged smiley face on it… and it’s flicking everyone off.

“Who was that?” I whisper with wide eyes.

“No one you want to get noticed by,” Nina calls back, overhearing me. “If you do, you’re as good as dead.”

Drew rolls his eyes in my direction, a conspiratorial smile curving his lips. “Don’t mind her. She acts like that because people have let her down in the past, and now she doesn’t trust as easily.”

Nina hears this, too. “Why don’t you tell her my bra size while you’re at it?” she snaps.

“She’s a 34DD,” he informs me without missing a beat.

“Jesus Christ, Drew. How do you evenknowthat?”

“Did you forget who does your laundry? Typical. This just proves how much you take me for granted. Oh, Charlie, that was Sylvia back there. She’s one of the best bounty hunters in the city.”

By this point, Drew’s twin has slowed to walk alongside us. The fresh slave marks on my skin hurt anew, as though agitated by her mere presence. “So how long are you going to be slumming it with us?” the girl asks, shifting a backpack slung over her slender shoulder.

My mouth curls into a humorless smile. “Ada said I could only stay for two days, but I don’t exactly have anywhere else to go.”

Drew laughs, and I shoot him a questioning look. “Don’t worry about Ada—she likes me. I’ll talk to her.”

I blink at him. “You’d do that for me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” he asks. There’s genuine confusion in his tone. He can’t bethatnaive, can he? That oblivious? A human like him wouldn’t have survived this long.

The human in question is still waiting for a response, and I struggle to find the right words. Nina observes our exchange with an expression I can’t put a definition to. “I just… I guess I’m not used to someone being so kind. Like, genuinely nice.”

“That’s because you’ve been hanging with royals your whole life. Don’t worry,” Drew adds with a playful head tilt, “we won’t hold it against you.”

My cheeks heat. Feeling like a song on repeat, I say, “Thank you, Drew. That would be amazing.”

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