THE DAY RUNE LEARNED she was a witch, she was hosting Alex’s sixteenth birthday. She’d spent months planning the event at Thornwood Hall—ordering the decorations, hiring the entertainment, and deciding on the menu weeks in advance.
By the evening, Rune was tired and achy from being on her feet all day. But when the dancing began, there was a new ache in her body: an unfamiliar cramping low in her abdomen. It was so painful, she couldn’t hold a conversation, never mind concentrate on the steps of a waltz. But Rune was the hostess; she was determined to see the evening through to the end.
It was only when a sudden wetness appeared between her legs that she excused herself and made for the bathroom. There, she hiked up her skirts, pulled down her underwear, and found …
Blood.
Black blood.
That couldn’t be right.
It had soaked through the cotton. So she took the underwear off and ran the tap at the sink, shoving them under the water. Then she grabbed the soap and started to scrub.
And scrub.
And scrub.
The stain wouldn’t come out. In fact, it was spreading unnaturally fast.
I’m not a witch, she thought, as black water circled the drain. I can’t be a witch.
The cramping worsened. Rune wanted to curl up in a ball on the floor and rock until it went away. This will be fine, she told herself. I’ll hide these in my purse and go straight home to Wintersea. No one will even know.
But when Rune glanced over her shoulder to check the back of her dress, she found the stain seeping through its yellow silk, too.
If anyone saw—or had already seen—it wouldn’t only be humiliating, but incriminating.
Her breath sharpened. Desperation drove her now. She peeled off her dress and held it under the tap, scrubbing at the black blood. Scrubbing until her fingers felt raw and her arms hurt.
But the stain didn’t lift, only spread across the yellow silk. She couldn’t deny it any longer.
The magic of her first bleeding was turning her dress black.
I’m a witch.
The realization turned her cold.
The doorknob rattled. Rune jerked her head toward it, found the door opening, and quickly threw herself against it.
“There’s another bathroom on the second floor!” called Rune, her heart beating in her throat.
“Oh!” Lola Parsons said from the other side. “Sorry, Rune.”
Naked now, Rune pressed herself against the painted wood, waiting until Lola was gone before locking the door.
This bathroom didn’t have a window she could sneak out of, and the only door led to the hallway where Alex’s guests walked back and forth. With her clothes not only wet, but growing blacker by the second, she couldn’t leave.
She was trapped.
A knock on the door made her jump.
“Rune?” Alex called from the other side of the wood. “Everything all right? You’ve been gone for almost an hour.”
Alex, help! she wanted to say.
But that would require admitting the truth. And if she did, he’d report her. He might be her oldest friend, but he’d also murdered a witch queen and been rewarded for it.
Rune’s wet clothes slipped from her hands, landing on the floor with a splat.
“Rune?” Alex repeated.
“I’m n-not feeling well,” she managed.
The handle turned. But when Alex pushed, the lock held it shut. She stepped back, fear zipping down her spine.
“Rune, let me in.”
“I’d really rather not,” she whispered.
“You’re scaring me,” he said. “I have the key, Rune. I can open the door myself, but I’d prefer that you do it.”
Knowing she couldn’t stay in here forever, knowing she had no other choice—if she was a witch, Alex was going to find out, one way or another
—Rune grabbed one of the bath towels and wrapped it around herself. She brushed the tears from her cheeks, unlocked the door, and stepped back.
Alex opened it and the door swung in. He nearly stepped inside when the sight of her in nothing but a towel made him halt. “Why are you …?” Spots of pink appeared on his cheeks, and he seemed about to look away when he noticed her tear-streaked face—or perhaps her smudged makeup.
Finally, he entered, shutting the door behind him.
Rune backed up until her shoulders hit the wall, feeling like this was it, the end of everything—their friendship, her life. She sat down on the tiles, letting more tears fall.
“What is this really about?”
His attention snagged on her dress in a heap on the floor, then the underwear in the sink. The black stain still spreading across the fabric.
Rune saw the realization sink in. His face fell. “Oh, Rune. No …”
He stood staring at the clothes, his hands curling into fists. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“Stay here,” he said. “Don’t leave this room.”
in.
Without another word, he opened the door and stepped out, locking her
He’ll report me now, she thought, lying down on the tiles, pulling her
legs into her chest. She closed her eyes against the ache in her abdomen, weeping quietly, waiting for the Blood Guard to arrive.
She could open the door and make a run for it, but what would be the point? And where would she go? The Blood Guard would only hunt her down.
When the door opened, it was Alex who stepped inside, locking it again behind him. A bundle of clothes was tucked under one arm, and in his hand was a mug of steaming tea.
Rune didn’t bother sitting up.
“These are Emily’s,” he said, setting the clothes on the floor beside Rune. Emily was his cook. “This is also from her.” He set down the mug. “She says it will help ease the pain.”
She frowned, not understanding.
“I’m going to prepare a hot bath for you, all right?”
Rune pushed herself to a sitting position, watching him run the water in the tub. “Where’s the Guard?”
He cocked his head at her. “What?”
She cleared her throat. “The Blood Guard. Wh-when will they arrive?” Alex stared at her like she’d gone mad.
“Rune. Your secret is safe here.” Letting the water run, he came back to her. Getting down on his knees, he touched her cheek. “You can sleep in the spare room tonight. And tomorrow morning, we’ll figure out what to do.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “If they find out, they’ll kill you, too.”
He smiled at her, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “They can go right ahead.”
Rune flung her arms around him, clinging tightly. He pulled her close, holding her for a long time. It was there, in his arms, that Rune realized for the first time she could trust Alexander Sharpe with her life.
