Chapter 12 · Kill Him First

The scroll's still on the table between us.

Karl won't look at it. Won't look at me either. He's standing by the window with his back to the room like if he ignores it long enough the words will change.

They won't.

Kill the vampire first.

That's the price. That's what it takes to break the bond before the thirty days run out and I turn into a walking blood bag with no will left.

I read it three times. The ink didn't smudge. The parchment didn't crumble. It just sat there, elegant and old and certain.

"There has to be another way," I say.

Karl laughs. It's not a good sound. "There isn't."

"How do you know? You didn't even read the whole thing."

"I don't need to." He turns around. His eyes are too bright, too sharp. "That's how blood magic works. You want out? Someone pays. And it's always the vampire."

I want to argue. Want to say he's wrong, that we can find another binding or another spell or just wait it out. But the mark on my shoulder is warm now. Not burning. Just there.