The Infernal Devices: Alternate Universe

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Invitations

Kathleen's POV

I activate the witchlight beside my door and walk to my bed opening the letter that my father left me.

Kathleen,
I had to depart with the arrival of your partner. I don't trust anyone but my own blood. If you still have questions, all you have to do is write a letter and send it in fire. Address it to me and I'll receive it.
Ethan Sparkfire

Growling in frustration at the limited answers I got and the reference to Will being my partner, I throw the letter to the side and turn off the witchlight not even bothering to change into night clothes.

*one week later*

Finley's POV

After a week of frustrating practice of Changing into Camille, I am dressing in an elaborate evening gown as the vampiress with Will sitting across from me watching out the window. "Will?" I say tentatively.

He looks over at me wearily, his eyes like the storming sea, and says, "Yes, Finley?"

"What is going on between you and Kathleen?" I ask with curiosity about my new friend and her complicated interest in the handsome boy across from me.

"It's complicated," he says turning his gaze back to the window.

I frown and say, "You're blind, Mr. Herondale."

"Excuse me?" he says looking back at me with anger glittering in his eyes and a shadow across his face.

"She clearly cares for you and all you do is shut her out," I say holding my chin up defiantly, not afraid of his anger.

He begins to say something in response but the carriage stops and the door opens for him. He leaves and helps me out with no expression on his face. We walk to the door where a man looks at me and says, "Invitation?"

I procure the invitation from my purse and give it to the man who motions us through into the mansion before us. I walk in and force myself not to stop in shock by the sight in front of me. There are crowds of vampires mingling with each other wearing incredibly bold formal wear, wigs, and caked makeup. I watch in barely covered horror as a woman walks up to a young man holding a tray of glasses and thin knives, takes one of his knives, slices his throat below his jaw, and presses a glass against his throat below it where the blood flows into the cup. The boy just smiles as it happens and doesn't drop the tray despite the blood loss.

I whisper to Will under my breath knowing he'll be able to hear me, "We need to find Magnus, get what we need, and leave quickly." As I say this, I walk aimlessly until I'm stopped by a tall, dark man.

"Lady Camille," he says, "What a pleasure it is to see you here." As he speaks, the part of my mind that belongs to Camille from the Change tells me that this is de Quincey. Flashes of anger and sorrow and happiness go through my mind as it floods me with information about the vampire in front of me.

"It is a pleasure to be here, Alexei," I say forcing a smile despite the anger I have simmering in the back of my mind for this man.

He draws his attention away from me and onto Will saying, "You have a new subjugate, I see. He's quite the pretty one." He looks at Will in hunger and takes his arm pulling it up to his mouth before saying, "Mind if I have a taste?"

"I do," I say seeing a small flash of anger wash over his face, "The boy is new and not yet broken in. We don't want his loyalties falling elsewhere do we, Alexei?"

De Quincey smiles, barely concealing his anger and says, "Anything for you, Camille. I must ask, however, are you here to accept the invitation of becoming a member?"

"I am considering it. We will see how the night plays out before I give you an answer," I smile sweetly and he nods.

"We will see," he says leaving to go to another guest. I release the breath I didn't realize I was holding mask the nervousness on my face.

"Don't do that, vampires don't need to breathe," Will says softly to me.

"What? Am I not to be nervous when he was ready to drink from you?" I hiss back.

"If he had done that, I would have killed him," he says with a hint of defiance and pride in his voice.

"If you had done that, you'd be dead," says a voice behind us that Camille's voice tells me belongs to a friend. I turn around and see a caramel colored man with cat eyes behind me.

"Magnus Bane, I presume?"