Chapter 3

The next morning, I went to Ravenwood's apothecary to collect the blood supplements I'd ordered for my journey to the Sanctum.

I'd barely stepped inside when someone laughed behind me.

"Well, look who it is. Our future Sanctum prodigy."

I turned to find three girls from Blackwood Academy blocking the entrance. I recognized the one in front, Vanessa, as a new friend of Sera's.

"Heard you were so desperate to follow Asher that you practically begged him to date you," she said. "Too bad he only lasted three days."

Her friends burst out laughing.

I tried to walk past them, but Vanessa grabbed the strap of my satchel.

"Is this where you're keeping all those precious childhood memories? Sera said you wouldn't even let her borrow a few pictures."

"Let go."

"Relax. No wonder the boys prefer Sera. At least she doesn't act like she owns them."

A few customers turned to watch.

Through the apothecary's front window, I spotted Asher and the others approaching with Sera. Rowan carried her shopping bags, while Lucien was showing her something on his phone.

Asher saw me.

For a moment, our eyes met.

Then he looked away.

When we were younger, a vampire twice my age had once threatened me outside this very shop. Asher had nearly broken his jaw before Rowan pulled him off.

Now he watched Vanessa tighten her grip on my bag without moving a muscle.

Sera hurried inside.

"Vanessa, please stop. Lydia's just upset about leaving."

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "You're too nice, Sera. She's jealous because the boys chose you, and now she's taking it out on everyone."

Asher finally approached, only to position himself beside Sera.

"Lydia, whatever problem you have with us, leave Sera out of it."

Before I could respond, Vanessa yanked my satchel away.

It struck a display of bottled blood tonic. Glass shattered, spilling dark red liquid across my clothes and the floor.

Vanessa raised her hands. "Oops. Accident."

Her friends giggled.

I stood there, soaked in sticky blood tonic, waiting for Asher to say something.

He merely frowned.

"Go home and change, Lydia. There's no need to cause a scene."

I stared at him.

Apparently, humiliating me in public was an accident. Objecting to it would be causing a scene.

I collected my supplements, paid for the broken bottles, and left.

Half an hour later, I'd barely changed clothes when someone began pounding on my front door.

Asher, Rowan, Lucien, and Cassian stood outside with Sera.

"Where's the pendant?" Rowan demanded.

I leaned against the doorframe. "What pendant?"

"The one you gave Sera. She was wearing it earlier, and now it's missing."

"So?"

Cassian's expression darkened.

"You were the only person who got close enough to her at the apothecary. Who else would've taken it?"

Before I could answer, he brushed past me into the house.

The others followed, opening drawers and searching through my belongings.

For nine years, they'd walked into my home without knocking. I'd once considered it proof that we were family.

Now they were searching my bedroom like I was a thief.

Rowan opened my closet and stopped.

"Why is everything packed?"

My stomach tightened.

Lucien glanced at the suitcase beside my bed.

"She's trying to scare us."

Cassian laughed. "Seriously, Lydia? You're nineteen. Isn't pretending to run away a little childish?"

None of them seemed to consider that I might actually be leaving.

Asher found my Sanctum admission documents on the desk. He barely glanced at them before pushing them aside.

"Training doesn't start for weeks. What, are you planning to disappear tonight?"

Sera suddenly gasped.

"Wait. Found it!"

She pulled the dark red crystal pendant from the lining of her handbag.

"It must've slipped inside. Lydia, I'm so sorry."

Asher immediately rubbed her shoulder.

"See? Nothing to cry about."

Nobody apologized to me.

Then Sera noticed my laptop, which I'd left open on the desk.

A folder of childhood videos was visible on the screen.

"Oh! You still have the original recordings!"

Her face brightened.

"Could we use these for my welcome video? Just the ones from when you were little?"

"No."

I stepped forward and closed the laptop.

Her smile vanished.

Rowan moved between us.

"What's your problem? Didn't you already agree to help her?"

"I changed my mind."

Tears immediately filled Sera's eyes.

"Do you really hate me that much? I know I wasn't there when you grew up together, but I just wanted to feel like I belonged."

Asher's expression hardened.

He reached around me and opened the laptop again.

"If you don't want to be in the video, we'll take you out. Problem solved."

"Asher, don't."

He ignored me, opening the folders labeled with my name.

I reached for the laptop, but Cassian caught my wrist.

"They're just videos, Lydia. We're not asking for your blood."

Asher selected the files and pressed Delete.

I watched the progress bar fill.

My first successful spell. Our tenth birthday celebration. The night we'd cast the Everlasting Bond Spell.

Even the recording of sixteen-year-old Asher promising he'd marry me someday.

Gone.

"There," he said, shutting the laptop. "You won't appear in any of our future memories. Happy now?"

He was trying to hurt me.

He had no idea how soon those words would become reality.

My phone vibrated.

Sanctum escort arriving in two hours. Please prepare for immediate departure.

I turned the screen off and quietly closed my suitcase.

Nineteen years of my life, reduced to a single bag.

And four boys who still hadn't realized they were saying goodbye.