“Finn, how did you find me on the night I was attacked by Lariel?”

Nothing.

“Either you were following me, or you had a way of knowing where I’d be. And if you were following me, you’d have intervened sooner.”

“I could smell your blood,” he said reluctantly.

I nodded slowly, glad that he couldn’t see my face. After the reactions of the men in the Renewal Wards, I had already suspected as much. Still disturbing to have it confirmed, though. “So I smell different to other Sisters?”

“This is a weird conversation, El.” Finn shifted on the bed, uncomfortable. “Yes? I mean, everyone smells different, but you have a much stronger scent, floral, kind of sweet. It gets more potent when you’re scared.”

I turned. “Then I smell … nice?”

He made a face. “Don’t say anything. I know exactly how bad all of this sounds.”

“I’m glad you showed up when you did.”

“Yeah, well…” He waved away the issue. “That’s how I found you.”

I smiled, amused by his obvious embarrassment. Finn glanced at me, then sighed and looked away again.

“Out of everyone, it really had to be you, didn’t it?” he said.

“I would have preferred otherwise.”

The corner of his mouth twitched. “But you’ve managed until now.”

“Not very well. And my visions are getting worse; I can’t even sleep without this kind of thing happening.” I gestured at the writing scrawled across the walls. “As soon as I’m alone—”

“Then I won’t leave you alone,” he interrupted.

“You’re not listening.”

“You deny I’m a Haunt, and I’ll deny you’re haunted. Seems fair.” He saw my face and raised his hands defensively. “El, come on. You’re tired and you’re scared. Give yourself a break.”

“Haunted?” I said in exasperation.

He stretched—too tall, he seemed to grow by the hour—and stood.

“If you’re having a nightmare, I’ll wake you,” he said. “But try to sleep, all right? I think it will help.”

The room felt larger and emptier without him. I gazed around helplessly. Everything was slipping out of control; I wanted to scrub the burn marks from the walls, erase the evidence. Let me die. Save me. Let me die. Eater only knew what Reverend Cyde was going to think when she saw this.

“Haunted,” I muttered to myself.

I lay down, and I must have drifted off, because when I opened my eyes again, the sky had grown lighter. Rain continued to pelt the roof of the cottage, and dripped darkly from the branches of the trees. I looked around the room blearily. All the marks on the walls had vanished.

I guess I got what I wanted, after all, I thought. Small mercies.

I rose and returned to the window. In the east, the sun stained the storm clouds a deep red. Water streamed over the ground between the trees, running off the hard-baked soil. The weather should cover our tracks, buy us more time to get away from here. It wouldn’t be long before the Order arrived, if they hadn’t reached the Moon House already.