I awoke to the dawn sunlight glancing in through the window. I was enveloped in Navan’s arms, his wings folded around me, his breath tickling my neck. I grinned, wriggling against him, giggling as he stirred in his sleep, scooping me closer against his body.

I could have lain like that for hours, but it seemed as though the world had other plans. Across the room, the holographic comm device was flashing red, notifying us that a message had been left. Not wanting to wake Navan just yet, I extricated myself from his loving embrace and padded over to the device, pressing the button to make the message play.

Pandora’s face shot up in front of me, and I scowled. This wasn’t the sight I wanted to see, especially after the best night of my life—when I’d been able to pretend none of this existed. She began to speak.

“You are invited to a special private ceremony at the alchemy lab, which is to take place before the official, public unveiling,” she said sternly. “Queen Brisha demands your presence on this historic day, when we shall trial the first immortality elixir. This may well be the day that Northern Vysanthe triumphs. The ceremony will begin at eight. The queen is expecting you. Do not be late,” she warned, before the message clicked off, leaving the hiss of white noise and the sight of a blank screen.

Checking the clock on the wall, I saw that it was just after six. Even so, I hurried to the bed, rocking Navan gently to wake him. He blinked his eyes open slowly, shielding them from the light. He gave me a goofy smile as he saw me, reaching out his arms to scoop me back into a tight embrace. I tried to struggle, laughing as he clung onto me, before giving up and snuggling against him. I figured I might as well enjoy the comfort while I gave him the bad news.

“I’ve just checked the message machine,” I said, as he trailed kisses down my neck. “Queen Brisha asked us to meet her at the alchemy lab at eight for a ‘special immortality elixir ceremony.’ They want to test the first batch.”

He stopped kissing me. “How can they have synthesized your blood so fast?”

“The device Yorrek told us about—it must have helped them speed up the process. None of us had access to the lab yesterday, which means Queen Brisha could be sure we couldn’t tamper with anything. Now, she wants us to see the results,” I muttered.

“That woman has sapped all the enjoyment out of me,” Navan remarked, though his body told a different story. He grinned against my neck, flipping me around to face him. “Maybe we could remedy that, if you feel up to it?” he whispered, kissing me softly on the lips.

“It might have to wait,” I murmured, knowing Angie and Lauren would be expecting us for breakfast. “We can definitely try to coax that enjoyment back once this morning is out of the way,” I promised, returning his kiss.

Reluctantly pulling myself away from him, I wandered into the bathroom and closed the door. I took a long, hard look at myself in the mirror, staring at my naked reflection, trying to see if I looked any different. Although nothing had changed on the outside, I felt strange on the inside. It was as if I’d unlocked something that had always been there, waiting for the right person to come along. With Navan, I didn’t feel the need to hesitate or hide. I could be wholly me in his arms, and he loved me all the same. I grinned at the memory of the previous night, and the things we had done. Even with the aphrodisiac spiking our desire for each other, it had been the right moment for it to happen. In the cold light of day, nothing felt wrong, or like it shouldn’t have happened. In fact, it felt the opposite.

Running the hot water for the shower, I stepped in and let the soothing liquid calm my aching muscles, reviving my spirits for the day to come. A few moments later, Navan peered in through the bathroom door, grinning mischievously as he saw me standing under the cascade of water. Without waiting for an invitation, he hurried over and stepped in behind me. Restraining himself, he kissed me deeply before reaching for the jar of shampoo, which sat on a ledge carved into the wall. He took out a small amount and lathered it between his hands before running it through the damp tresses of my hair. When my whole head was smothered in suds, he gently tilted my head back into the running stream and washed it all out, planting delicate kisses on my face as he did so.

After quickly washing his own hair, he plucked a fluffy towel from the rail and wrapped me in it, drying me off as I struggled not to laugh. It was so sweet and unexpected, brightening my mood immeasurably. That was the thing about Navan—it wasn’t often that he showed his playful side, but when he did, it was the best thing in the world.

Ten minutes later, we were dressed and ready to head downstairs for breakfast at Angie and Lauren’s apartment. However, when we arrived, everyone seemed way more on edge than Navan and me. I could practically feel it even before I knocked on the door, the tension flooding out when it opened. Part of me wished I’d stayed curled up in the warmth of our bed, instead of venturing into this anxious atmosphere, and from the look on Navan’s face, he felt the same.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen!” Angie cried. “This could ruin everything!”

“Angie, you need to calm down. It’s a test run. It might not even work,” Lauren reassured her, but I could see doubt on her face, too.

“I’m guessing you got the message?” Angie asked, whirling in my direction.

“I did, but I don’t think we need to worry until we see how it goes,” I said, following Lauren’s line of comfort. “They might have synthesized our blood, but there are a lot of other factors that go into making a successful elixir. We know that from everyone we’ve spoken to. This will likely just be a work in progress, to show how far they’ve come,” I reasoned, hoping I was right. If we got to the lab and the elixir worked, we were doomed. Not just us, but the whole universe and everyone in it. Immortal Vysantheans were a terrifying prospect. It could not be allowed to happen.

“You better be right,” Angie muttered, chewing her bottom lip nervously.

She only calmed when Bashrik entered, ten minutes later. Her eyes darted straight to him, his eyes already on her. In any other situation, it would have been a sweet sight, making me wonder when the pair of them were going to resume their garden party antics, but right now I just wanted Angie to calm down. Her fear was infectious, and it wasn’t what we needed.

Bashrik took her to one side, speaking in a low voice, while the rest of us paced the room. I tried to eat some of the fruit that Lauren had put out, but my appetite had vanished. I kept wondering if last night had dulled my senses, making me oblivious to the severity of the situation. I had presumed it would all be okay, but then, I was basking in the glow of newly discovered passion. Of course I thought everything was going to be okay. It was a truth, universally known, that new lovers thought themselves invincible.

“Do you think it’ll work?” I asked Navan quietly.

He gave a light shrug. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t. Even with synthesized blood, they’ll have a long way to go before they crack the code of the elixir. My father always said that experiments mean years of trial and error. I find it hard to believe that they have the right mix already,” he replied, though it didn’t really calm my nerves.

“But Queen Brisha has something nobody else has,” I reminded him, recalling Yorrek’s personal scribblings on the subject. “She has Yorrek and his book of near-successes. Surely, that must narrow down the options a bit?”

A worried frown crossed Navan’s brow. “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” he said, but the confidence had gone from his voice.

At half past seven, we left the palace together as a quintet and made our way toward the site of the new alchemy lab. Bashrik and Angie led the way, and the rest of us followed close behind. The streets were surprisingly empty, with only a few passersby wishing us a good morning.

With ten minutes to spare, we arrived at the alchemy lab. My eyes drank in the majesty of it. It really was impressive, the glass elements glinting in the morning sunshine, looking like a waterfall frozen in time. Pandora was waiting for us on the steps, though there didn’t seem to be anyone else around. Perhaps the crowds would come later, at the official unveiling. Even so, I doubted the legitimacy of this meeting. After all, it had been Pandora who’d sent the message, not Queen Brisha herself. Was this some sort of ruse to get us where she wanted us? Had we said too much to Brisha? Had Orion decided he no longer needed us? Or was I just being paranoid, spurred on by the anxiety of my friends?

Probably.

“Welcome,” Pandora said coolly as we approached. Holding the door open for us, she ushered us into the building beyond before bringing up the rear, the door shutting with a very final slam.

We paused in the central atrium, staring up at the dynamic skylight Bashrik had implemented, the intricate glasswork casting a rippling ocean of blue light downward to greet us. It was stunning, the radiance moving in an almost liquid manner across the ground, the light dancing off the neighboring windows in a spectacular show of rainbow refraction. Meanwhile, Pandora walked past us, her boots echoing on the sleek floor. As she reached the door on the opposite side of the atrium, she turned, barking at us to follow her.

Drawing our eyes away from the pretty lights, we hurried after her, traipsing down a long, beautifully decorated hallway, the windows looking out on the city. I kept my gaze on the now-familiar buildings and skyscape, allowing it to ground me while keeping my thoughts away from what was to come. Whatever the conclusion, we would figure something out. We always did. Surely, our luck hadn’t run out yet?

We arrived at a large circular auditorium with raked seating, a prominent stage and a vast screen behind it. Queen Brisha was standing on the stage, an excited grin upon her face. She was certainly dressed for the occasion, looking like the Vysanthean version of an eccentric college professor, clad in a checkered gray pantsuit, her hair tied up in a bun.

“Welcome!” she announced. “Please, sit in the first row!”

She hurried across the stage and brought out five coldbloods, a mix of men and women. Behind them, two male coldbloods and one female followed, their lab coats singling them out as alchemists. Yorrek was notably absent, which surprised me somewhat, though he was probably still locked away in his cottage after the events of the garden party. Even with the Elysium in his system, he’d have known something was up. He, more than anyone, would know the peculiar effects of a mind-wiping serum.

We sat down tentatively in the front row of chairs, though it felt strange with the other seats empty behind us and to the sides of us. This really was a private ceremony.

“Good morning,” Queen Brisha continued, resuming her spot in the center of the stage, while the test subjects lined up behind her and the alchemists stood awkwardly to one side. “I am so delighted you could make it on this momentous occasion. After all, none of this could have been possible without the generous donations that you gave to us.” She smiled, her eyes seeking out me, Angie, and Lauren. We smiled back politely, though it wasn’t like she’d given us much choice.

Before anyone could say a word, she continued, pacing across the stage as she spoke. “Here, we have five test subjects, who will be given the first batch of immortality elixir that has just come out of our laboratory this morning. Once it is in their systems, our alchemists are going to run tests on the cells to see if there is any change,” she explained, gesturing at the corresponding individuals. I had to admit, the test subjects looked even more nervous than we did.

I faced forward, not daring to look at the others on either side of me. On my right sat Navan, while on my left sat Angie, and I could feel the animosity rippling off them both. I understood it completely. After all, if this elixir worked, would the queen then want regular samples of our blood to make more? It seemed like the only rational thing to do, if it was a success. A shiver of dread shot up my spine as another thought crept into my head: what if she wanted all of our blood? I mean, would she ever truly be satisfied with a small amount? If there was a chance she could offer her elixir to every single coldblood in the North, surely she would take actions against us, to make us take her to Earth, where she could harvest every drop she needed.

I gulped, reaching out to take Navan’s hand. To my left, I noticed Angie doing the same to Bashrik, though she was careful to keep the movement from Brisha’s watchful eye. I almost felt sorry for Lauren, who was sitting on Navan’s other side. She had no one’s hand to hold, and yet she seemed to be the calmest out of all of us. Her face was oddly a picture of serenity, not a trace of fear on her features. I envied her for that.

“Shall we begin?” Brisha asked, clasping her hands together. “Alchemists, administer the elixir,” she instructed, sounding oddly like a gameshow host. Unfortunately for me, I’d always found gameshow hosts unbearably creepy, and the sound of her voice ramped up the thunder of my heart. With every fiber of my being, I prayed that the elixir failed.

I held my breath as the alchemists moved forward with a tray of hypodermic needles, each tube filled with a bluish liquid. Deftly, they lifted the needles to the arms of the test subjects and pushed down on the plungers, the blue fluid disappearing beneath their ashen flesh.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Each injection had been administered, and now all we could do was wait. My pulse was racing, the blood rushing in my ears, my mouth dry as a bone. I couldn’t bear the silence, or the prospect of success. And yet, I knew it was a possibility. That was the worst part about it, that I knew there was a chance this could work.

“The elixir has been administered to our five test subjects. Now, we must draw their blood for analysis,” the female alchemist announced, her voice ringing out across the empty auditorium. It was the moment of truth. Taking out much larger needles, they moved toward the subjects.

But before they could get near, the five individuals spasmed wildly, blue froth gathering at the sides of their mouths, their eyes rolling back into their heads. Beneath their ashen skin, their veins expanded, colored a deep purple that pushed against the underside of their flesh, threatening to burst through.

As the first of their agonized cries ricocheted outward like a gunshot, I realized that their faces were aging at a rapid pace, their skin shriveling up, dark spots splattering across their features, everything collapsing in on itself. It was as though the very bone beneath was decaying, their bodies crumpling with it.

It was horrifying to watch, and yet I was helpless to tear my eyes away. After all, it was my blood that had been used in this experiment—it was my blood that was somehow doing this to them. I didn’t understand it, but then there was no way anyone could wrap their head around what was happening. These people were decomposing in front of us, with no hope of a reprieve. There was no antidote, no anti-elixir, only a painful death.

As Queen Brisha’s gaze locked with mine, it was clear she felt the same. Her fury was written all over her face… And I realized with a sinking feeling that she blamed me for this. My blood had done this.

From the rage in her eyes, I couldn’t help but feel there would be no amnesty this time.