Waking in his own body was like being dumped into an ice bath, Cass gasping and shivering as he pressed a hand to his throat. The tint of blue had reached from his fingertips to his knuckles, his skin graying up to his elbows. The veins at his wrist were dark, pulsing a sickly deep violet. The disorienting feeling of his soul detaching from the corpse so suddenly had him reeling, his breath coming in heaving pants of blue mist.

The sudden blare of an alarm made him flinch, his misty gaze darting up to the mouth of the alley he had exited as a corpse. The manicured laws were flooded with brilliant red lights, heavy gates dropping down with resounding slams to cut the health center off from the rest of the city. Dimly, he watched a couple of shadowed forms slip under a barrier a moment before it locked into place. Remembering the piercing golden gaze of Raielle’s decoy, the shimmer of magic over his eyes, Cass knew he needed to leave. They would be looking for an explanation- it was only a matter of time before they found him. 

Though he shuddered at the thought of being captured, Cass couldn’t make his body move. The ethereal butterflies settled on his shoulders and knees; watching them though a fuzzy, tear-filled gaze, Cass only dimly realized what that meant. The chill of death that had an iron hold around his heart muted his horror and fear. Closing his eyes, his pulse rushed in his ears as his hands rubbed along his upper arms- trying to produce a sense of warmth against the growing cold.

A heavy step at the mouth of the alley had his eyes snapping open, mist billowing in front of his face and hazing the figure at the edge of the pavement. Pulling in chilled breaths that tore through his throat like shards of glass, Cass struggled to get to his feet. He only made it to his knees before his body gave out on him. The pavement ripping the skin of his palms as he narrowly avoided slamming his face into the ground.

The rush of Cass’s head garbled the shouting voice of the person approaching him. His fingers trembled as he braced himself on one arm, reaching for the silver bracelet Syrus had placed on his wrist. The pads of his fingers slipped against the metal, and Cass could only hope he’d managed to press the button which would send an emergency alert.

A pair of fine boots with gold filigree stopped in front of Cass, and he gasped as a hand touched his shoulder. It was warm, and something in him twisted with inhuman greed. His shivering body and the power still raging within him craved the life and vitality that produced that heat. Gritting his teeth, Cass forced himself to look up at the person testing his self-control.

Blazing gold eyes made him flinch, his entire body protesting the sharp movement. A low whine crawled from Cass’s throat, and the stranger before him frowned, their forehead wrinkled with concern. His throat burned- but Cass managed to force his voice out, though it was strained and quiet: “Who are you?”

A faint smile pulled at the double’s lips for a moment, the shimmer of magic more visible for a brief moment before it disappeared. Though they had the same wild brown hair, it was kept in a short shag, barely reaching their chin; a single thin braid was tucked to their pierced left ear, neatly bound and strung with beads of vibrant, sparkling colors that glimmered with magic. The figure kneeling before Cass was less intimidating now several inches shorter, and without the hard muscle- they were slender, with soft blue eyes flooded with worry.

Their fingers gripped Cass’s shoulder tightly, a soft voice saying, “I’m a thrall belonging to Master Raielle. You’re the mage who caused that mess in the health center…” Their gaze narrowed, their voice fiercer as they asked, “What are you?”

Cass flinched back from the question, the ethereal butterflies fluttering gossamer wings on his shoulders. He stared up at the stranger, the unfamiliar thrall of a master he had been sent to admonish, and his voice was caught in his throat.

The hammer of running steps at the other end of the alley dragged Cass’s gaze away. Intense relief washed through him as he saw Syrus, panting and flushed; an expression of rage crossed his face as Syrus took in the thrall still gripping Cass’s shoulders. “Release him,” he said, his voice a rumble of thunder in the alley.

They looked up at Syrus, a faint snarl on their face. “I work under the master of this district-”

“The man you are holding is in thrall to the master of our city. Unless you wish to answer to Master Emrys directly, I recommend releasing my partner.”

Cass wobbled as the thrall quickly snatched their hand back, his head reeling as he blinked against the disorienting feeling. “My apologies,” they murmured - but their gaze was drawn back to Cass, hiding their frown as they bowed their head in a mockery of respect.

Syrus scoffed, rushing forward to fall to his knees in front of Cass; hissing with pain as the pavement scraped through the skin of his knees, and Cass felt a faint flicker of alarm as he remembered the single drop of blood he had wiped against the stone. His mouth opened, but words were lost to a huffing whine as Syrus’s hands pressed to either side of his face.

Panic immediately flooded his face. “You’re cold,” he muttered, dropping his hands to grasp Cass’s fingers; tinted blue and nearly freezing, with the pall of death creeping along his skin. Cursing, he swept Cass into his arms and stood up to storm out of the alley.

The voice of the thrall was a faint buzz in Cass’s ears, their protests meaning little as the warmth of a living being enveloped him. The inhuman greed surged, and Cass wondered dimly if it was the madness of a vampire he felt; the monstrous craving for another’s vitality to halt the cold tendrils creeping toward his heart. 

“Hold on for just a little while longer,” Syrus murmured, his voice low in Cass’s ear as he heard the squeal of brakes- their driver meeting the emergency signal.

Cass pressed his face against Syrus’s shoulder, arms wrapped around him. Knowing his nails drew blood didn’t stop him from digging his fingers into his partner’s back like claws, dragging down as he gritted his teeth against the rising chill. And though he feared and despised what he knew awaited him when they returned to Emrys… he craved it with a ferocity that disgusted him.