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The only thing to do was confess, and it caaze sharpened "Really?"

"I didn’t knoas possible I don’t kno to do it But if I don’t, she’s going to tell Miss May what I am"

"Did she say why she wanted to be bludded?"

"She said she was a halfblud, and it made her nearly mad And she said that my part in the process would be painful Is it all true?"

I had once asked my mother the same question about fairies, and it didn’t escape s turned out to be real His eyebroere dran as if it hurt to speak

"It’s true" He glanced to the closet, where the box still showed dozens of blood-filled vials "It’s a nasty business Whether halfbluds are born or et on with life without the unbearable hunger and inevitable madness Are there no halfbluds in Freesia?"

"Absolutely not," I snapped "They would be seen as an abomination Ever since the Bloodless Revolution, the lines between Bludmen and humans are very strict In the palace, a nobleman would no sooner share blud with a huer in a bowl"

"Interesting analogy"

"I didn’t even knoas possible," I said,all my other problems, I had to wonder what else had been purposefully oed education

"It’s not considered a polite topic of conversation" He leaned back against the wall and crossed his arether ered onh the closet foranything, really I didn’t have possessions, but I needed so to do with my hands and eyes while his voice filled the small room In a nest of scraps and trash, I found Keen’s brass sphere and rolled it betweenwas incised all over and heavy, but I had no idea what it was I set it down and turned around to face hiland, the Bludmen are bad off, but the halfbluds have it worse They try to keep what they are a secret, as Pinkies and Bluderous, but as it goes on, it’s harder to hide It’s expensive to buy enough blud to keep froh to find a Bludive you his or her blud, it doesn’t always take"

"So I could actually kill her?"

"For my sake and Keen’s, let’s hope you don’t I’d rather not walk the airship plank"

"But wouldn’t Miss May know about her? Wouldn’t she be just as unwelcome on the Maybuck as I would be?"

"It’s different," Casper said softly "If Miss May knohat Cora is, and Cora h to pay for the blud She’s probably considered exotic So long as she’s controlled, her price her It’s said that halfbluds have a sort of intoxicating charis to hide who I a across the thick rugs When had he taken off his boots? He stopped just behind me, and I paused,it once Cora had left

"I know," he said "It’s not fair But it’s necessary if you want to get back home And you’re not alone"

He was so close that I could smell him, the hot scent of his skin, the sweet call of his blood, and a heady, ne Part of me ached to feel his hand on my shoulder, but I was scared, too Scared to trust anyone, scared to be co up a smooth royal front I almost told him about Cora’s offer for my body, but I was too proud to let him see me blush

"I am always alone," I whispered

"You’re only as alone as you wish to be"

I didn’t knohat to say, what to do with my hands I wanted to cover up, and for the first tih, heavy material of my old dress And Casper just stood there, still and steady, damn him As if he had all the answers But what did he know? He didn’t have ahe prized

"What time is it?" I snapped

He was silent for ato understand him as one animal does another He didn’t feel like prey anymore, and I didn’t necessarily feel like a predator I could read his face somehow but not his body, not his silence

After a whisper of cloth and ato blud her, you need to fill up You’ll nearly drain her of blud, but she’ll nearly drain yours, over and over again--or soet sohed in annoyance "I have to go play the harpsichord, not as if they even hear it Will you be okay until then?"