I release Kage's arm once we step through the portal.

We arrive on the doorstep of a house. No. A castle.

"Holy shoot," Layla whispers.

Maryn says, "Holy shit."

"That's what I said," Layla frowns.

"No, you said-"

"Shut up," Knox hisses. "We're about to be attacked and you morons can't just-"

The door swings open.

A man with pale skin and dark hair opens the door. Not a man. A vampire.

And he's gorgeous.

Layla and Maryn look at each other and giggle.

"Dorian?" Killian asks, flashing a dazzling smile and offering out his hand.

"You must be Alpha Killian," The man, Dorian, I guess, says, and returns an equally dazzling smile. No fangs.

"Ah, just call me Killian," Killian smiles, and they shake hands. "We're all friends here."

"Friends indeed," Dorian muses. "A ball is an excellent way to kick off a new friendship."

Dorian has an accent I can't quite place, but his voice sounds like dripping gold.

Killian gives him a bro-ish clap on the back. "Dorian, I couldn't agree with you more. We all love a good party."

"Perhaps you could introduce me to your lovely pack members?" Dorian asks, his accent thick. European, definitely.

"Ah, the pretty one giving you the death stare is my second, Knox," Killian grins at Knox, who's angry expression doesn't change.

"I'm Layla," Layla says cheerfully, offering her hand.

Dorian shakes it, smiling. "Pleasure to meet you, Layla."

"And I'm Maryn," Maryn interrupts, practically shoving Layla out of the way.

The rest of the circulus introduces themselves politely, although Jae has a slight chill in her voice when she greets him.

"And you are?" Dorian prompts, smiling at me kindly.

"Katrina," I answer shortly, avoiding his outstretched hand. Without any gloves, the chance of me having a vision is high, and I couldn't afford to pass out this soon in the night.

Dorian lets his hand drop immediately, but still smiles. "Beautiful name for a beautiful girl," He says smoothly.

I fight the urge to roll my eyes. What a line.

"How about you show us where the drinks are?" Killian suggests, stepping in between Dorian and I.

"Ah, Killian, this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," Dorian laughs, and it's a rich, deep sound. The two of them go inside the castle and head for the bar.

The inside is even more beautiful than the outside. All of the furnishings are beautiful, and I didn't doubt that they were genuine antiques.

And there are vampires everywhere.

All pale, all beautiful. Unnaturally so.

Maryn and Jae immediately start flirting with two handsome ones, tall and dark-haired.

Gabe, Kage, and Knox scatter, and I'm not sure if they're going to snoop or socialize. Both equally important parts of our plan.

Akoni and I stand still, observing the people around us.

"God, this sucks," I whisper.

"Do you See anything?" Akoni asks.

I sigh, rubbing my temples. Too much. Random flashes of the vampire's lives. Nothing that stands out. "Nothing relevant," I admit, but it's good to know that my Sight seems to include vampires.

"You look pale," Akoni says quietly. "How much time do you have left?"

My throat closes. "Three months," I choke out, the words feeling like battery acid in my mouth.

Akoni looks at me in disbelief. "That's..."

"I know," I say softly. I know.

"You haven't told him," Akoni says, glancing at Killian, who's across the room, laughing with Dorian and a blonde vampire woman.

"No reason to," I tell him. "You know that the curse can't be stopped."

Akoni sighs. "I know."

"How do you know so much about Seers?" I ask curiously.

Akoni looks away. "My mother was one. Died shortly after I was born. She was only 21."

As Akoni answers, I See his mother's death. Blood sleeps out of her eyes, nose, and mouth. Her mate- Akoni's father- holds her hand as she dies, whispering comforting words, but I can See his agony. Can feel it.

My same fate. Only I would suffer through it alone, not having a hand to hold when I cross over.

"Tell him," Akoni pleads.

"It won't change anything," My voice is empty, hollow, just like the rest of me. An empty shell of a person just waiting for their time to run out.

"He'll be crushed if you don't," Akoni says lowly.

"He won't know," I insist. "I'll be in Iron Claw by then."

"You can't die alone," Akoni says in disbelief. "That's fucked up, Katrina, and you know it."

"It's fucked up to put someone through it," I whisper harshly. "My death is going to be brutal. Gory. Bloody. Nobody deserves to see that."

It was the shit straight out of nightmares. I've seen my death a thousand times over. It's all I dream about now.

"Come to the Viatoribus once you leave Crimson Shadow," Akoni requests. "We will make you comfortable during your final days."

My eyes water. "I want to be alone," I say harshly, and walk in the other direction. I have died alone in every vision. It is the only away I would have it.

I go to the other end of the bar, away from Killian and Dorian. Layla is sitting next to a vampire, leaning in closely and giggling at something he says, flicking her hair over her shoulder. She runs her hand up his forearm, and he looks at her in awe, completely entranced.

Poor bastard.

I drink a lot, too much too fast, and it's a blessing to have my thoughts numbed. Too much to See here, and absolutely nothing is helpful.

There's visions of blood, but none of them quite like the blood from the visions relating to the book or the missing wolves.

"Dance with me, Katrina," The last voice I expect to hear requests.

"You hate me," I giggle, but take Knox's hand anyways.

"Only on weekdays," He winks, and I laugh.

Knox pulls me on to the dance floor, and he's surprisingly good at it. "Who knew that the Beta of Crimson Shadow is such a great dancer?" I tease.

Knox rolls his eyes. "Killian throws parties over any small event. I had to learn quickly."

Without realizing I'm doing it, I look for Killian. I see him not to far from Knox and I, and he's dancing closely with a blonde vampire woman. He whispers something in her ear, and she tilts her head back and laughs, showing brilliantly white teeth.

She's beautiful and I hate her.

"Stop glaring at them," Knox whispers, and his grip on my waist tightens.

I snort. "Coming from you? That's hilarious."

"I'm not glaring now, am I?" He teases, but he really isn't. He looks... borderline happy?

"What happened to your foul mood?" I frown. "You're supposed to be as miserable as I am. That's our thing."

Knox rolls his eyes, twirling me suddenly, and I squeal in surprise. "I'm assuming since you haven't started bleeding everywhere, the vampires aren't responsible for the missing wolves," He says, but looks mildly disappointed by that.

I shake my head slightly. "I don't think they are," I say lowly. "I think I would know if they were. They all seem... innocent, weirdly enough."

Definitely not completely innocent. All of them have killed humans while sucking their blood, though most of it seemed to be accidental. Not really my place to judge. Ares Alstott has killed more people than anyone in this room, and I consider her an acquaintance.

"Can you do me a favor, Katrina?" Knox asks lowly.

I sigh. Of course he wouldn't treat me to a dance without wanting something in return. But what he asks is not what I expect.

"Quit pissing off Killian, would you?" Knox asks, smiling slightly.

I roll my eyes. "Killian is always pissed off." Not really true at all, but I say it anyways.

Knox laughs. "No, only you piss him off. And whatever you said this morning made him really mad."

I gulp. I hope he didn't tell Knox about my cry-fest. "What'd he tell you?"

"Nothing," Knox says, and narrows his eyes in suspicion. "But he mindlinked me at the crack of dawn for an impromptu training session. In wolf form. He really was out of control."

"Did he hurt you?" I ask in shock.

Knox rolls his eyes. "I can handle my Alpha, thank you, Katrina," He mutters. "Just... Give him a chance, would you? He really-"

"I'm leaving," I blurt out. "In two months. I really am not here to make friends. I'd like to make a clean break when the two months are up. With everyone. Killian included. This circulus thing really isn't for me."

"If this is about what I said before, I'm sorry," Knox says in surprise. "I was wrong. When I told you the circulus was complete without you. It isn't. I see that now. I'm sorry it took so long."

I swallow thickly and blink back tears. "It's not that," I say, and for a moment, I almost consider telling him. Before I realize how much worse that would be. "I just want to go home," I smile, and hope it sounds casual.

"Of course," Knox says, but he deflates slightly in disappointment. "Of course you have a family to go back to. Sorry, I should have been more thoughtful."

Not really, but whatever. A decent enough excuse, and Knox isn't really the person to pry.

"It's fine," I smile.

"Just promise you'll visit?" Knox asks hopefully. "It gets boring not having anyone to kick my ass."

I laugh, but it's disingenuous. His words are a dagger to my chest. I wouldn't come back once I left.

"Mind if I steal a dance, Katrina?" Dorian asks, stepping in.

Knox glares at him. "I do."

"The lady can speak for herself, I'm sure," Dorian grins, but looks unbothered by Knox's trademark death-stare.

Better get this over with. "Sure," I smile, and Knox releases me, but looks betrayed. And I'm betraying him worse than he really knows.

Dorian places his hands on my waist, and I put my hands on his shoulders, careful not to touch his skin.

"Your house is nice," I tell the vampire that towers over me.

"It was built over five centuries ago," He says in his thick accent.

"How old are you?" I ask curiously.

He gives a crooked smile. "Older than your great-grandparents, I'm sure."

I laugh at that. "You're not too shabby for a dinosaur," I tell him.

He chuckles. "And you're not too ugly for a child," He teases. I laugh. I'm sure to him, I practically am a child.

He was lucky to have so much time. An eternity's worth.

I read in the vampire book that werewolves can't be turned into vampires, that the transformation would kill them. Unfortunate, especially since I can't think of anything better than having more time.

"Shouldn't you know better than to walk into a coven of vampires looking like you're doused in blood?" He questions, giving a slight smirk.

"Oh, I kind of like blood," I joke. I certainly was familiar enough with it. Would die choking on it. "Not as much as you, I'm sure."

Dorian tilts his head slightly, looking concerned for a moment, before laughing it off. "I'd wager that you are probably correct, Katrina."

He seems nice. It would really suck if he turned out to be the one stealing the Crimson Shadow wolves. Layla would probably be the one to kill him if that turned out to be true.

"Dorian, I'm afraid I'm going to have to take my darling Katrina back from you," Killian suddenly appears next to him.

My darling Katrina. I hate him. Him and his stupid obsession with making sure nobody takes his Seer.

"Oh, your Katrina," He says in amusement, and laughs, like he has some inside joke about this.

Killian's jaw twitches, but he still smiles. "Yes, my Katrina. It's a travesty that I haven't had a dance with her yet."

Dorian presses his lips together, like he's trying to hold in a laugh. "Travesty, indeed," He murmurs, releasing his grip on me. "I'll see you around, Katrina," He winks at me before disappearing among the vampires. I think I see Layla practically pounce on him.

Poor Dorian. He seemed like a nice guy. RIP.

"You're annoying," I tell Killian when he roughly pulls me into his arms.

"You're worse," He grins.

"Sick of the barbie bloodsucker?" I ask in annoyance.

Killian looks pleased. "Don't worry, my dear. Blondes aren't my type."

I roll my eyes. "Like I care who you stick your dick in."

Killian looks amused by this, but luckily let's it go. "See anything?" He whispers in my ear, and to anyone watching, it would probably look like we were a happy couple, dancing and whispering sweet things to each other.

"I don't think they're responsible," I whisper back. "I... I actually don't think they're bad people at all. It's not them."

I hear Killian's teeth grinding together. "Back to square one."

I sigh in defeat. I needed this ordeal to be over with already.

"I'm going to go find Kage," I mutter, pulling away. Kage is supposed to be snooping through the house in the shadows. Maybe he'll find something I missed, but I doubted it.

My Knowing tells me that the vampires are not our enemy at all.

I almost wish they were, so this could be resolved sooner.

I find Kage, but he says he didn't see anything suspicious, as I anticipated.

For the rest of the night, I drink with Maryn, make small talk with some vampires, who are fascinated by the fact that we can turn into wolves at will.

Killian dances with the bitch blondie the whole time, spinning her in his arms, whispering things in her ear that makes her laugh loudly.

I try not to watch, but even as hottie vampires talk to me, I can't help but steal glances and feel my blood pulsating with rage for no good reason. He should be trying to find out information, not trying to fuck the bloodsucker.

It feels good when they suck your blood. Those words circle through my head, and it makes me angry to think about barbie bloodsucker sinking her teeth into his neck.

When Killian finally unattached himself from the bloodsucker like moss on a rock and told us that we're going to head out, I was more than ready for the night to be over.

Dorian escorts us to the door, shaking the circulus' hands and telling us he hopes this isn't the last party we have. I would be perfectly fine with never having to see that stupid blonde vampire ever again.

And then he reaches out his hand to me, and I touch his skin for the first time.

And all I see is blood.

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