Page 13 of A Memory in the Flame

His pulse races. “That’s not the point, and you know it. We’re in pairs for areason, Nina. She could’ve been hurt.”

“Youcould’ve been hurt,” she snaps, now shooting me a glare. I force a surge of anger back down, clamping my jaw shut so I’m not tempted to say something that’ll add fuel to this fire.

“Why do I get the feeling something else is going on here?” Leo asks, exchanging glances with Gushlan.

“Shut up,” Nina snaps, then storms out of the tunnel. After a brief, thick silence, the boys go after her. I watch Drew until he turns a corner, and after that, I listen to his footsteps fade.

Even now, though, it doesn’t feel over between us.

“Did the weeper bite you?” Gulshan asks. As always, her manner is brisk and detached. I shake my head mutely. “Good. You and I are sticking to this tunnel. Nina made a grid, so we can cover the entire city. Ready?”

The question feels like a needle in my heart. I see Drew in my mind’s eye, standing at the bottom of the porch steps, smiling up at me.Ready?

I adjust my grip on the sword, nod, and follow the other girl into darkness.

Chapter Three

The moment I get back to my hotel room, I start making a blood cocktail.

The maid must’ve just restocked the fridge—the shelves are lined with glass containers of chilled blood. The sight makes my mouth water, and there’s a telling discomfort in my gums. Ice cubes fall into the glass with soft clinks. I take an exploratory sip and almost choke. Strong, way too strong. Just as I reach for the bottle of soda water, there’s a knock on the door.

I stop breathing, as if by heartbeat alone I can discern who’s standing in the hallway.Drew?No, he has no idea where I’m staying. Is it the Vampire King again, come to tell me I’m out of time? Should I try to run? But look where that got my mother. My mind races and my pulse ricochets as I waver between terror and courage.

Then a familiar voice ventures through the door, “Mija? Are you in there?”

For an instant, I wonder if I’m hallucinating. In the next, I’m yanking at the handle, pulling the door open. Gabriela stands on the other side, and as our eyes meet, she doesn’t disappear like the cruel dream I fear her to be. She smiles, the lines around her mouth deepening. I stumble forward, going into her arms like a child, and start to cry. Gabriela holds me as tightly as her strength allows. She feels like home after everything else has become debris.

After a minute or two, I pull back. My vision is blurred with the tears I still refuse to release. “How did you find me? What are you doing here?”

She cups my elbows in her work-roughened hands and speaks quietly. “I heard one of Alexander’s wives talking about it. You should be careful, Charlotte. It won’t be long before the press finds out where you are—those silly brides don’t know how to keep a secret.”

“Come in, please. Oh, but…” I hold a finger up to my lips, then tap my ear and point at the ceiling, hoping she’ll realize what I’m trying to say. Someone could be listening. The small-boned human nods as she steps over the threshold. I glance toward both ends of the hallway before I step back and close the door. Hopefully, the staff downstairs mistook her for a feeder.

“Has something else happened?” Gabriela asks, facing me. She holds the front of her coat with anxious fingers, and I think of how much she’s risked by coming here. And for what? Just to offer a few minutes of comfort?

Even as I realize how selfish it is, I can’t bring myself to send her away, as I know I should. “No. Well, yes. Not so much something… but someone. His name is Drew.”

The human’s mouth begins to droop. Secretly, I had hoped she would be glad for me. Glad to hear that I found a friend, after everything that happened. Seeing her frown makes my heart start hurting again. “A human?” she guesses.

I move back to the minibar where I abandoned my cocktail. Ice shifts in the glass as I pick it up. “Would that really be so terrible?” I ask without looking at her.

“You must let him go,” Gabriela urges. “To love a vampire is to invite death into his life.”

You don’t even know him. You don’t know anything about us, I want to say like the spoiled child I once was. But her brown eyes are bright, almost feverish, and the protest in my throat fades. Gabriela’s influence over me is more powerful than any whirling current or steady moonbeam… and I know she’s right. Even if the king didn’t already know about our relationship, even if he hadn’t already threatened Drew’s life, we could never have a future. Only a life of stolen moments and whispered professions. I would be keeping Drew from having a family.

“It’s over, anyway. That’s why I’m throwing a pity party.” I smile bitterly and take another sip. “Well, among other things. I’ve had a pretty bad month. Would you like a drink?”

Ignoring this, Gabriela comes closer and takes one of my hands in both of hers. I look down at them, distantly noticing how stark her brown skin is against my paleness. “I know,mija. That’s why I’m here—to give you hope. A chance at a family. I came to tell you about your father.”

“What about the king?” I say, my tone cautious. Has she forgotten my warning about the listening devices? I don’t know for sure, but I wouldn’t put it past Alexander.

Slowly, Gabriela shakes her head, never taking her eyes from mine. Her voice lowers to something softer than a whisper, and even my ears struggle to hear the words. “Not that father, Charlotte,” she tells me.

My mouth goes dry. Since my disastrous Awakening, I haven’t allowed myself to think much of who, exactly, gave me these lavender eyes. Survival seemed more important. “You know who he is?” I breathe. Suddenly it’s difficult to hear her over the drum in my chest.

“No.” She shakes her head. “Your mother never trusted me enough to say his name. But she returned to her suite one night, very drunk, and she dropped her purse. I cleaned up the mess—so messy, that Cassandra—and one of the items caught my eye. It was an insignia.”

“An insignia?” I echo. The spark within me starts to dim. “You mean…”

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