As Lumi trudged back into town, she began to feel unwell.

  Cobblestones glistened with dew and filth. A thick fog hung low over the slums, obscuring the jagged outlines of crumbling buildings and sagging rooftops. The air reeked of rotting fish, unwashed bodies, and the faint metallic tang of blood.

  The latter stuck to the back of her throat.

  Hunger gnawed at her insides, twisting with every step she took. The edges of her vision blurred, dark spots flickering in and out. Her limbs felt heavy, every movement demanding more than she could give.

  You’re starving, the voice slithered through her mind. You must feed.

  Lumi spared a glance at the market ahead, where stalls drooped beneath faded canvas. Her mouth watered at the thought of filling the nagging hollow in her belly, but there was one problem—she had no gem.

  Still, her feet dragged her in that direction. A vendor unloaded crates of baked goods from a cart, his back turned. The smell of bread—yeasty, warm—twined through the atmosphere, almost masking the rot that clung to the slums.

  Lumi slowed. Her fingers twitched at her sides as her gaze locked on a loaf of bread. Golden, speckled with flour.

  One quick grab. That was all it would take.

  She took a step forward. Then another.

  Sweet, Lumi, the voice crooned. It is not food you crave.

  The words echoed through her mind, soft and slow. A tone reserved for explaining something to a dim-witted child. A chill skittered down her spine, freezing her in place.

  “I don’t understand,” she whispered.

  The vendor shot her a glance, his brows furrowing at the sight of her. She must have looked mad.

  Perhaps she was.

  From the corner of her vision, movement caught her attention. A group of men stumbled out of a nearby alley, their laughter brash and grating against the quiet morning. The sour stink of last night’s ale rolled off of them in waves.

  “Oi, look at this one,” one of them said, his voice slightly slurred. A scraggly man with an unkempt beard and a grin full of yellowed teeth. “Looks like she’s seen a ghost.”

  “Seen one?” his companion guffawed, “Looks like she is one.”

  Lumi’s eyes met his. Something in her stare stilled him, his laughter trailing off into an awkward silence. He spat on the ground at her feet, muttering, “Freak,” before shoving past her.

  Such scum, the voice hissed. You could make them disintegrate with a single glance—you should.

  Lumi’s knees buckled. She caught herself against a wall, her nails scraping along damp stone. The ache in her gut surged. A ravenous, savage thing crawling up her throat.

  It was all too much—the hunger, the voice, the cacophony of pumping hearts and rushing blood that filled her ears. It was a grotesque symphony, and she desperately wished for it to end.

  The fog pressed closer, veiling the crooked silhouette of the pleasurehouse ahead. She wasn’t herself. She needed to get inside, to lock herself in her bedroom until this madness passed.

  But the voice had other ideas.

  Go after them, Lumi, it purred. You must feed.

  She still did not understand. Her body felt heavy, every step an effort. Still, her legs moved forward, following the group of men.

  Their boisterous laughter grated on her already frayed nerves as they stopped to buy food at one of the vendors. Lumi lingered in the shadows, head spinning, limbs trembling. Once they traded gem for food, she followed them into a narrow alleyway.

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  That’s right, Lumi, the voice encouraged. Just a few more steps.

  She continued forward, even as her vision dulled and her limbs nearly gave out. Panic gripped her as the men drifted further away. She couldn’t catch up. Not in her current condition. She would lose them.

  Then one turned. His gaze locked on her, his slow smile pungent and predatory as he nudged the others.

  “Look what we have here,” he drawled

  “A beggar?” another sneered, lips curling.

  “No,” the first man said, stepping closer. A depraved gleam flashed through his eyes as they raked over her, “She’s too clean to be a beggar.”

  “A pleasuremaiden?” another offered and the others hummed in agreement.

  “Think she’s lost?”

  “Maybe she’s looking for company,” a third man added, “How about we show her some hospitality.”

  No. Lumi’s throat tightened. The alley shrunk around her, the thick fog pressing in on her, suffocating her. Her back brushed the wall, cold and slick with grime. She was deep in the alley now, the way out swallowed by shadows and smirking faces.

  Nobody would hear her scream.

  Do not fret, lovely, the voice cooed. You’re not the one who will be screaming.

  The men circled her. A cold sweat trickled down her spine. She couldn’t understand why her legs refused to run, why her arms stayed at her sides, why her heart did not so much as stutter.

  But the voice in her head—oh, it understood.

  Lovely Lumi, it caressed her. You have them right where you need them. Now, feed.

  She shook her head, panic flaring, “I don’t—”

  Let their heartbeats guide you.

  The voice was thick with anticipation. It drowned out all thought and protest. Her pulse slowed, steadying as she closed her eyes. The world around her dimmed, the men’s jeering fading to whispers.

  All that remained was the rhythm—the deep, resonant thumping of their hearts.

  A hand shot out, gripping her wrist with bruising force. She was shoved against a wall, her head snapping against stone. Pain bloomed at the base of her skull, but it only sharpened her senses.

  Something primal roared within her. A deep instinct kept dormant for too long.

  Lumi lunged.

  Her teeth sank into soft flesh. Blood gushed into her mouth. Hot, metallic, more intoxicating than anything she’d ever tasted.

  A scream tore from his throat, his voice gurgling as she drank deeply.

  Yes, Lumi, the voice hummed, thick with delight. Don’t stop. Not until you’ve had your fill.

  She drank, and drank, and drank some more. Desperation gripped her. It wasn’t enough. She needed more.

  The body grew slack in her grip. Lumi felt his heartbeat falter, then fade. She let him collapse to the ground, licking the crimson from her lips.

  The others stood frozen in the alleyway. Faces twisted with terror. The scent of their fear only fueled her. She turned to the nearest one, his wide eyes locked on her.

  Stumbling backwards, he slipped and fell on his behind. Scrambling, he tried to get away. But Lumi was faster.

  She pounced. Pinned him to the ground. She was mesmerized by that spot on his throat, where his pulse throbbed sporadically.

  “Please,” he wept, “I have children—”

  Lumi bit down.

  Flooding her tastebuds, his blood was sweeter than honeysuckle. It ignited her veins, flooded her with vitality. She drank him dry within seconds.

  It wasn’t enough.

  She glanced up just in time to spot the third man sprinting away with all his might and disappearing into a side street.

  Go after him, Lumi, the voice urged. You mustn’t let him get away.

  She rose, ready to follow after him. Then a glimpse of her bloodstained hands gave her pause. Her trembling fingers were slick with red. The warmth lingered, sickening and alluring all at once.

  The alley reeked of death. Silent now, save for the patter of blood dripping on cobblestones. Lumi’s eyes flicked to the bodies. Motionless, sprawled across the filthy dirt. Their faces were locked in horror, mouths agape in screams that she had silenced.

  He knows your face, the voice boomed. You must go after him.

  “No,” she grit out.

  Stumbling into the wall, she smudged blood across the damp stone. She caught her reflection in the shattered glass of a nearby window and nearly lost her footing.

  The person staring back wasn’t her. It couldn’t be her.

  Her features were feral. Eyes feverish, the whites rimmed with crimson. Mouth smeared with blood. Lips curled back to reveal teeth too sharp. Her dress was saturated in scarlet, a grotesque banner of her deeds.

  A wave of nausea rose like bile up her throat. She tore her gaze away, but the image remained seared into her mind.

  What had she done?

  She devoured them—drunk their blood like a parched traveler in a desert. Now their essence surged through her, electric and intoxicating. The fog that had clouded her thoughts for so long had lifted, leaving a brutal clarity in its wake. Power thrummed through her muscles, singing in her blood.

  For the first time in what felt like an eternity, she could truly breathe.

  But the truth suffocated her. She thought of Lady Sol’s tea, the bitter brew she had cast aside just a day ago. The tea had suppressed something dark. Something monstrous. Was this the price of her defiance?

  Lumi turned from the carnage. She forced one unsteady step after another. Her legs felt leaden, her breath ragged, the iron tang of blood clinging to her tongue. At the alley’s mouth, she paused, glancing back one final time.

  The bodies lay lifeless and contorted.

  Her trembling fingers curled into fists. She knew who to blame.

  The emperor.

  Rook.

  He was the one who told her to stop drinking the tea. She was in this mess because of him. And he would pay for it.