"Vampires don't usually get along with witches," Rowan was saying. "And HunterRedfern-that's our ancestor-had a real blood feud going with themback in the sixteen hundreds."
"But then he couldn't have kids," Jade said gleefully. "And he needed a witch to help or the wholeRedfern familywould end with him. So he had to apologize and do a kinship ceremony. And then he had all daughters.Ha ha."
Mary-Lynnette blinked. Ha ha?
"So, you see, we're part witch. All the Redfern are," Rowan was explaining in her gentle teachingvoice.
"Our father used to say that's why we're so disobedient," Jade said. "Because it's in our genes .
Because in witchfamilies, womenare in charge."
Mary-Lynnette began to like witches. "Ha ha," shesaid. Mark gave her a skittish sideways look.
"The point is that we could do a ceremony like that now," Rowan said. "It would make us family forever. We couldn't betray each other."
"No problem," Mark said, still looking at Jade.
"Fine with me,"Jade said, and gave him a quick, fierce smile.
But Mary-Lynnette was thinking. It was a serious thing Rowan was talking about. You couldn't do something like this on a whim. It was worse than adopting a puppy; it was more like getting married. It was a lifetimeresponsibility. And even if these girls didn't kill humans, they killed animals. With their teeth.
But so did people. And not always for food. Wasit worse to drink deer blood than to make baby cows into boots?
Besides, strange as it seemed, she felt dose to the three sisters already. In the last couple of minutesshe'd established more of a relationship with Rowanthan she ever had with any girl at school. Fascination and respect had turned into a weird kind of instinctive trust.
And besidethat, what other real choice was there? Mary-Lynnette looked at mark, and then atRowan.
She nodded slowly.
"Okay."
Rowan turned to Kestrel.
"So I'm supposed to decide, am I?" Kestrel said."We can't do it without you," Rowan said. "You know that."
Kestrel looked away. Her golden eyes were narrowed. In the moonlight her profile was absolutely perfect against the darkness of trees. "It would mean we could never go home again. Make ourselves kin to vermin? That's what they'dsay."
"Who's vermin?" Mark said, jolted out of his communion with Jade.
Nobody answered. Jade said, with odd dignity, "Ican't go home, anyway. I'm in love with an Outsider.
And I'm going to tell him about the Night World. SoI'm dead no matter what." Mark was opening his mouth-to protest that Jade shouldn't take such arisk forhim,Mary-Lynnette thought-when Jade added absently, "And so is he, of course."
Mark shut his mouth.
Rowan said "Kestrel, we've come too far to go back."
Kestrel stared at the forest for another minute orso. Then suddenly she turned back to the others, laughing. There was something wild in her eyes.
"All right, let's go the whole way," she said. "Tell them everything. Break every rule. We might as well."
Mary-Lynnette felt a twinge. She hoped she wasn'tgoing to regret this. But what she said was "Just how do we do this-ceremony?"
"Exchange blood. I've never done it before, but it's simple."
"It might be a little bit strange, though," Jade said "because you'll be a little bit vampires afterward."
"A little bit what?" Mary-Lynnette said, her voice rising in spite of her.
"Just a little bit." Jade was measuring out tiny bitsof air between her index finger and thumb. "a drop."
Kestrel cast a look skyward. "It'll go away in a few days," she said heavily, which was what MaryLynnette wanted to know.
"As long as you don't get yourself bitten by a vampire again in the meanwhile," Rowan added.
"Otherwise, it's perfectly safe. Honestly."
Mary-Lynnette and Mark exchanged glances. Not to discuss things, they'd gone beyond that now. Just to brace themselves. Then Mary-Lynnette took a deep breath and flicked a bit of fern off her knee.
"Okay," she said, feeling lightheaded but determined. "We're ready."
Chapter 10
It felt like a jellyfish sting.
Mary-Lynnette kept her eyes shut and her face turned away as Rowan bit into her neck. She was thinking of the way the deer had screamed. But thepain wasn't so bad. It went away almost immediately.
She could feel warmth at her neck as the bloodflowed, and, after a minute, a slight dizziness. a weakness. But the most Interesting thing was that allat once she seemed to have a new sense. She could sense Rowan's mind.It was like seeing, but withouteyes-and using different wavelengths than visual light.
Rowan's mind-her presence-was warmred, like glowing embers in a campfire. It was alsofuzzy and rounded like a ball of hot gas floatingIn space.
Is this what psychics mean when they talk aboutpeople having an aura?
Then Rowan pulled back, and it was over. The new sense disappeared.
Mary-Lynnette's fingers went automatically to herneck. She felt wetness there. A little tenderness.
"Don't fool with it," Rowan said, brushing at herlips with her thumb. "It'll go away in just a minute."
Mary-Lynnette blinked, feeling languid. She lookedover at Mark, who was being released by Kestrel.
He looked okay, if a little dazed. She smiled at him'and he raised his eyebrows and shook his head slightly.
I wonder what his mind looks like, Mary-Lynnettethought. Then she said, startled, "What are you doing?"
Rowan had picked up a twig and was testing itsend for sharpness.
"Every species has some substance that's harmfulto it," she said. "Silver for werewolves, iron for witches...and wood for vampires. It's the onlything out here that will cut our skin," she added.