Gabriella Poole: Blood Ties (Darke Academy)

‘Be still. This is the only way. It’s for your own good, Cassandra.’ Sir Alric’s voice was entirely cold as he leaned over her wriggling,

kicking form. ‘And for everyone else’s, too.’

She felt his thumb rub a spot on her arm, then the hot sting of the needle.

Cassie feared for a moment that she’d been electrocuted. This must be what it felt like, mustn’t it? A savage current running through her,

bringing her so fiercely alive she couldn’t think clearly. Coldness raced through her veins, followed swiftly by heat – and strength.

Shrugging off Marat’s hands, she sprang up, her body rigid, her fists clenched. The awful, tearing hunger had vanished, as if she’d been

released from constraining jaws, but her vision had turned to a blinding blur, spots dancing in front of her eyes as she lost her balance and

again collapsed on to the leather upholstery, squeezing her eyes shut to try to clear her vision …

When she opened them again, Sir Alric sat in an armchair, facing her, his fingers steepled under his chin. Marat and the case had gone.

‘So, Cassandra. How do you feel?’

The memory exploded into her mind. She sat up angrily. ‘What was that stuff ? Tell me what it was!’

He didn’t react to her fury. ‘It’s a distilled solution. From the tears of the first Few, a thousand and more years ago. Do you think I offer it

to everyone? Consider yourself lucky. It’s extremely powerful.’

Cassie took a breath, absorbing the news. Not drugs, then. Not poison. Maybe something that could help her …

‘So I can do this instead? Inject that stuff instead of feeding from other people?’ Her eyes lit as relief swept through her.

‘No,’ Sir Alric said abruptly. ‘This is a one-off. What you saw in the case is all that exists. There is no question of you having it all. You will

learn to feed. Like the rest of us.’

The despair returned in double measure, her brief new hopes crushed.

Taking advantage of her stunned silence, Sir Alric stood up. ‘You cannot starve the spirit that is inside you, Cassandra. Without the Tears,

you would soon have reached a crisis point. When the desire to feed finally got too much, you would have lost control and attacked

someone. That person could have been hurt, or even killed. And it could have been anyone.’ He paused for chilling effect. ‘Including

Isabella and Jake.’

‘I didn’t know,’ she gasped. ‘I didn’t realise.’

‘Of course not,’ replied Sir Alric, his voice softening slightly. ‘That is what the Academy is for, Cassandra. It is my duty to teach each new

member of the Few how to feed safely, so they are no danger to themselves or those around them. When the time comes, I will do the

same with you. But for now, the injection has given you some breathing space. I think you needed that. So I’ll ask again: how do you feel?’

‘Better,’ Cassie admitted. ‘Much better. Can I go now?’

‘Of course. Your friends will be worried about you.’

‘They’re just outside. They said they’d wait.’

Sir Alric smiled wryly. ‘I’m afraid you’ve been asleep for most of the morning, Cassandra. Your friends left more than two hours ago. I

explained to them that you needed to rest, although Mr Johnson took quite some persuading. They’ll be down in their rooms now, I

imagine. You have a great deal to discuss with them.’ He paused. ‘Especially Miss Caruso.’

‘What do you mean?’ said Cassie, her voice tightening.

‘Cassandra, your stamina astonishes me. You fought the hunger for far longer than I could have expected. But now your luxury of

choice is at an end. Except, perhaps, in one respect.’

‘Oh?’ Cassie raised her head.

‘To learn how to feed safely, you will need a partner – a life-source, if you will. That is why all students who are members of the Few are

assigned a roommate who is is not. So you have a decision to make, Cassandra. You may move in with a new roommate, one to whom you

have less … emotional attachment.’ Sir Alric lifted his hands in an elegant shrug. ‘Or—’

‘Don’t say it,’ she blurted.

‘I must, Cassandra, I’m sorry. You must learn to feed on Isabella.’

CHAPTER THREE

The atrium was spectacular. It couldn’t be more different from the Academy in Paris, but this Upper East Side building had its own

breathtaking architectural beauty, all sleek glass and marble. The building’s height was dizzying, seeming to turn and sway as Cassie

stared up to the glass roof high above her. The sky beyond was still such a gleaming blue it made her feel faintly giddy. The clean, modern

lines of the walls were softened only by the pool and foliage in the centre of the atrium.

Cassie grinned, pausing to dip her fingers into the cool water and stare up at the figure in the middle of the fountain. ‘Hello, old girl,’ she

whispered to the bronze sculpture. ‘Haven’t got rid of that bloody swan yet, have we?’