Catalyst Page 0,32

angered him when he learned it early on from Cassie. There was something else. Something was wrong with Will. Cole could feel it in his gut. Will was the Queen's pet, her personal toy, and anything he had to say - anything Will did - was not in their best interest. Why would it be? He was a vampire for godsakes.

Cassie glanced up at him. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm not sure yet," he glanced back at her. "Anything else happen with the Queen?"

"No," she answered, shaking her head. "She asked about Kahli, the King, and Will. She wanted to know where Will was. Apparently, going missing right now automatically damns you in her eyes." Cassie paused for a moment and then added, "If you hadn't told me what the King did, I would have had a huge gap in my memory. She would have gone nuts, well, crazier than usual."

He nodded in agreement, "What did the King's chambers look like? Did she fight?" By she, he meant Kahli. Cole couldn't picture her going quietly, but this wasn't normal. The King wasn't supposed to take girls into his room, and he certainly wasn't given an open tap on virgin blood.

Cassie grimaced remembering the fresh stains on the floor, the way the blood had seeped into the carpet and turned brown. "It looks like she fought back. Things were broken, turned over. There was so much blood. I think he must have killed Missy and Gene before Kahli got there. No one has seen them or found their bodies. It's not like them to go missing this long. Even on the day of the Purging, they were up with the rest of us. If they were here this morning, they'd be chattering with the rest of the girls about the Pairings."

Cole shifted his weight and pushed his fingers through his hair. "About that - "

"What about it? I didn't even want to hear. They're just going to be gossiping about poor Alice." Cassie breathed and pulled her arms tighter around her waist. "I feel bad for her. I wish there was something that - "

Cole wanted to break it to her gently, but she kept talking. Cassie was always talking. He sucked in some air, placed his hand on her shoulder, and blurted it out, "Everyone has been Paired, including us."

Cassie stepped back with a horrified expression on her face, "Us! They paired us? That's disgusting!" Although Cole wasn't a blood brother, he felt like one. She couldn't hide how she felt about it. Her jaw hung open, as acid churned in her stomach, threatening to spew up her throat.

Cole sighed. Cassie was so Cassie. "No," he explained patiently, "they didn't pair us together." Cassie visibly deflated, looking relieved, but she shouldn't. "Cassie, listen to me." When she glanced up and met his eye, he continued, "They've Paired everyone. I don't know what they're doing, why the vamps changed things, but the Pairing is tonight. You and I have both been matched with someone."

Cassie's face paled. She swallowed hard and was silent for once. After a moment, Cassie pressed her eyes closed. She looked like she was going to vomit. Cole couldn't take it anymore. He pulled her close to him and hugged her. He kissed the top of her head like an overprotective brother, and pulled her away, holding her shoulders tightly in his hands. Looking into her eyes, he spoke confidently, "This won't happen to you. Do you understand? I want you to go along with it and act like you're okay with it - make sure they aren't concerned about you - and I'll figure out a way to make sure you're safe."

There were tears in her eyes. Cassie wanted to believe him, but she couldn't. "The vamps watch, Cole. They make sure it gets done." Her voice was rising slowly, becoming more squeaky as she spoke. "If I fight back, if I don't let him, they'll tie me up." Her big eyes were glassy. "This can't be happening. It can't be." She shoved her hands through her curls, pulling her hair as she spoke. "The Pairing will kill half us for sure. Why would they do this?"

Cole kept his hands on her shoulders. As reassuringly as he knew how, he said, "I don't know, but I've never thought we'd stay here once one of us was Paired."

"What do you mean?" Confused, she said, "It's not like we can just leave." Her voice was so low, so quiet that