Page 111 of Bitten & Burned
My stomach dropped.
“Thalia asked me about it,” I said suddenly, sitting up straighter. “In her letter. She thought it mattered. I should have—” My voice broke. “I should have paid more attention.”
Anton’s gaze sharpened. “You asked me and Vael about it. You couldn’t have known you’d need more than what we told you.”
“What does it do?” I asked, heart beginning to race. “Exactly? I’ve only heard of students using it to study. To cram for exams.”
“It grows all over in the Western Pines. Heightens aggression.Dulls pain. Triggers fixations,” Quil said quietly. “Definitely shouldn’t be used for academic purposes.”
“Vael said it was only dangerous if it became a habit,” I recalled.
Quil snorted. “That’s what theprofessorsaid?” He spat the title like it tasted bad. “Vael’s a fool if he thinks that. It’s used to hunt us now.”
Anton sighed. “I tried to tell him, but he thinks he knows everything.”
I frowned. “So is it addictive or isn’t it?”
“Depends,” Quil said. “On the person.”
“And these people… were addicted?”
Quil nodded grimly. “Their eyes were yellow. Their skin was clammy. One of them smiled at me while I broke his arm. They were on it. A lot of it. Addicted.”
A cold ripple ran down my spine.
“They weren’t just attacking me,” I said, voice thin. “They were hunting. You said it was used to hunt vampires. Could it be used to hunt humans as well? Do you think it was personal? Or random?”
“Personal,” Cassian said, pacing again. “The ropes. The coordination. Even drugged, they knew how to move. Addicts don’t scale yachts; they were looking for something.”
“Yes,” Anton agreed. “Which means someone sent them.”
“They asked me if I was marked,” I said quietly.
All three of them turned to me at once.
“‘Are you marked, bitch?’” I repeated. “That’s what the raspy one said. Then I spit in his face and he…”
I trailed off. My face went hot.
“And he…?” Cassian prompted gently.
“He hit me. Hard…” I touched my cheek, remembering the sting.
Quil swore under his breath.
“Then he asked to ‘see it.’ I don’t know what he meant. I thought he meant the bites, maybe.” I reached up to touch myneck. “Some people still don’t like vampire-human relationships, but… I’ve never had someone react with violence.”
Anton’s arms wrapped tighter around me. “That might be it. I’ve never encountered that kind of sentiment in Serpentine Bay, though. That’s why I keep a place here. Well, that and I grew up here.”
“Really?” I asked, surprised. “You’re from here?” Suddenly, the trip didn’t seem so random. Anton had been taking me to his hometown.
“Yes. Mostly for when I want to be alone. The staff there are discreet. More so than the yacht crew. And the yacht crew isverydiscreet.”
“So… these hunters…they’re vampire haters?” I said softly. “Vampirehunters?”
“Seems that way.”
Cassian sniffed, glancing over at Quil for a long moment before speaking again. “Still. Grappling hooks. Ropes. Scaling the yacht? Feels too organized for bloodrooted bigots.”
