Belladonna

twenty-two

Cass lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, replaying Piero’s words in her head. How dare he threaten her. How dare he lie to her about taking her blood. She wanted to leave him, to leave this whole villa and return to the safety of Palazzo Alioni. But that would be giving up, and she was no quitter. She had told herself, repeatedly, that she would do whatever it took to find the Book of the Eternal Rose and free Luca.

There had to be a way to persuade Piero to tell her the truth, or better yet to trick him out of some information. If Siena was right and he had truly kissed her while she was unconscious, then he obviously found her attractive. Could she use that to her advantage? Could she go and find him in his chambers and feign romantic interest in him, as a way to learn more about the Order? Cass didn’t think so. For one, he was smart and would see through her ruse. And even if he didn’t, she was weak and wouldn’t be able to escape if things got out of control. Plus, she really didn’t want to touch him more than she had to. Just the thought of him caressing her in her sleep made her want to have a bath.

So then what? She decided that perhaps she could play to his controlling side. She could pretend to be terrified of him. She’d find him, apologize for her paranoia, and beg him not to report her to the priests. She could even offer to let him take more blood from her while she was conscious, as a show of subservience. The thought of the long needle in her neck made her stomach lace itself into knots, but it might be a way to get Piero to admit that he had been bleeding her.

Even if he refused, Cass could throw herself on his mercy until he at least pretended to forgive her outburst. Then, she could suggest they have a glass of wine together. If she could get him to drink with her, she just might be able to cajole secrets from his lips. Everyone got chattier when they were drunk, didn’t they?

Energized by her plan, she struggled to her feet and slipped into her shoes. Her feet moved awkwardly, heavy as stone. A half step at a time, she crossed her room to the doorway. She stopped to light a candle, but the box of tinder was empty. She would have to make her way in the dark. She headed toward the main staircase, her right hand pressed against the wall for balance. Her muscles trembled in protest beneath her skin, but Cass ignored the burning. Thirty paces down the corridor was the elaborately carved wooden door leading to Belladonna’s chambers. The Book of the Eternal Rose was beyond that door—Cass could feel it. But the door was locked, and the key was likely one of the two threaded onto Belladonna’s bracelet. There was no way for her to enter. Approaching Piero for information would have to suffice for tonight.

Cass leaned back slightly as she began to descend the stairs to keep from pitching forward into the dark. A shadow danced at the periphery of her vision. Someone below had lit a candle—one of the servants, no doubt. Guided by the faint light, she made her way around the corner, leaning heavily on the wall for support. The door to Piero’s chambers was open. Cass saw a pair of candles burning on the shelf next to his bed.

“Piero?” She pushed the door all the way open, but the room was empty. What could he possibly be doing out of bed in the middle of the night? The floor beneath her feet suddenly felt unsteady.

His quarters were tight, and the only place to sit, other than the bed, was a plain wooden stool that rested in front of the shelves. Cass didn’t want to go near the shelves. Her skin twitched again at the thought of the cage full of spiders. Still, the room was starting to break apart. If she didn’t sit somewhere, she knew it was only a matter of time before she passed out.

She lowered herself to the stool, which wobbled dangerously beneath her. She rested a hand on the lowest shelf for support, averting her eyes from the covered cage.

Her fingers landed on parchment. It was the journal Cass had flipped through the previous day. She noticed some of the pages had been torn out. The anatomy sketches were still there, but the mysterious symbols and notes were gone. Her other hand bumped something farther back on the shelf, a fluted glass vial with a stopper made of cork. It had a symbol stamped on the top of it, a triangle with a T inside of it. Cass twirled the vial in her good hand. Dark liquid sloshed around in the container. Perhaps it was some sort of medicine. Made from spider venom.

She returned the vial to the shelf. Glass clinked against glass. Casting a quick glance at the door, Cass bent down so that her face was level with the lowest shelf. It was completely packed with glass vials.

Cass lifted a second vial up close to her eyes. The cork stopper was marked with three overlapping circles. The fluid inside this one looked a deep red.

Like blood.

Cass replaced the vial in the spot where she had found it and picked up a third. This one was stamped with a lily insignia. Her fingers flew immediately to her necklace. Was she holding a container of her own blood?