"What is your problem?" Off the dance floor, Sofie plants her feet and rips her arm from Emelia's grasp. Her eyes and cheeks are stinging from the ignominy of it all. "That was so rude!"

Emelia turns to her and snaps, "You have no idea the kind of night I've had while you've been gallivanting around with a total stranger-"

"I wasn't gallivanting," Sofie fumes, gloved hands balling into fists by her sides. "I was dancing and having a great time before you came along and ruined it!"

Emelia gapes at her cousin and splutters over her own reply.

"Would you have preferred I left you with him?"

"He was nice," Sofie says, crossing her arms defensively.

"Oh yeah?" Emelia sneers, stepping closer. "I bet you won't feel the same way when you find out what's happening later - what has already happened."

Sofie frowns, her lips puckering into a pout.

"What do you mean?" she asks, bewilderment dulling the annoyance in her voice.

Grabbing her shoulders, Emelia spins Sofie around and points at one of the servers nearby.

"You see the other humans here?" She leans closer to whisper into Sofie's ear. "They're all going to die tonight."

"What?" Sofie swivels her head to stare wide-eyed at Emelia's grim expression.

"It's why they're here," Emelia says. "So the vampires can feed on them."

"How do you know?" Sofie asks, blanching, and Emelia nods.

"I stumbled across François and one of the servers while I was looking for you," she explains, wincing at the memory. "He'd killed her."

Sofie's panicked gaze goes back to the Grove, likely now noticing how some of the patrons stare at the servers as they pass with impatient and voracious eyes.

"No..." Sofie croaks, her slight shoulders starting to tremble. "They-they can't. They can't do that."

"They can and will," Emelia states, "So let's get the hell out of here."

She coaxes her cousin to move but Sofie stays put, her breathing accelerating.

"We have to say something. We need to warn them."

"No, we need to-" Emelia's protest is interrupted by Jacques. He spots them from across the courtyard and saunters over. There is a woman with him, her arm looped with his. Both have clearly had their fair share of alcohol because he is smiling way too much and she is giggling way too loud.

"Here they are," he exclaims with a sweep of his hand. "My first two dates of the evening." Grinning, he then points a thumb at the infatuated woman beside him. "Now I have three!"

"Are these the humans you were telling me about?" She appraises them with glassy eyes. "I wouldn't have been able to tell from afar - they blend right in."

"They're wearing makeup."

"Oh!" she laughs shrilly. "Of course they are, silly me. Well, bravo to whoever's idea that was."

Emelia glares at them, not appreciating be spoken about as if neither she or Sofie were there. Sofie remains silent, her limbs quivering but the vampires are too intoxicated to notice.

"Well, it's been lovely chatting," she mutters insincerely. "But we'll be off now."

"Leaving already?" The woman seems surprised, disappointed even. "But you have just arrived."

"We've been here for hours," Emelia counters tightly.

"Come on," Jacques says, "A few hours more wouldn't hurt."

"Actually it would." They all turn their heads to watch Malcolm's leisurely approach. "Humans require sleep, after all, or have you forgotten?"

Jacques sighs and scratches the bridge of his nose.

"The champagne might have weakened my memory."

Malcolm replies with a sharp-edged smile.

"You two go and enjoy the rest of your evening. I will call a chauffeur for the humans."

As Jacques and his lady friend amble away, Emelia turns to Malcolm and says, "I told you not to follow me."

"And I didn't," he replies.

"Could have fooled me," she snaps back. "This is the third time you've showed up from out of nowhere. Don't you have better places to be and other people to bother?"

"Second," Malcolm retorts with a pensive expression.

"What?"

"It is the second time I have supposedly showed up from out of nowhere. You might want to improve upon your numerical knowledge."

"That's it," she declares, no longer able to handle anymore of this ridiculous conversation. "We're leaving."

This time Sofie doesn't resist when Emelia pulls her by the hand towards the Grove exit and across the main courtyard to where they had arrived tonight.

Malcolm says nothing more as he strolls behind them, his continued presence grating on Emelia's nerves like nails on a chalkboard.

They aren't left waiting long; the car pulls up moments later.

The chauffeur steps out but Emelia is opening the passenger door before he can. First he looks surprised, then angry. He opens his mouth to reject but Malcolm clears his throat suggestively, raising a hand in silent warning.

Resigned, the chauffeur grumbles something unintelligible and stalks back round to the driver's side while Emelia ushers Sofie into her seat.

She doesn't bid Malcolm goodbye before forcefully closing the door and is thankful that the windows are tinted, but this doesn't stop his dark calculative gaze from following them as the car peels away.

It's only once the palace lights fade into the distance does Emelia feel like she can breathe again. She tries not to think about the dead girl or the other doomed humans they just left behind but her mind won't let her escape it and guilt begins to creep in.

I couldn't have done anything, she tells herself. I would've just made things worse.

"Emmy..." Sofie breaks the silence, her voice small and scratchy. "You're wearing no shoes."

Emelia glances down at her grass and dust-stained feet.

"I lost them somewhere in the palace."

"Like Cinderella," Sofie muses. She then laughs a little but it's completely humourless. Emelia suspects her cousin's in shock.

Back at the estate, Marie-Claire prepares a pot of chamomile tea for them while they undress. She doesn't attempt to converse, likely sensing the tension or already knowing the cause of their distress, and leaves immediately after.

That night Emelia lies awake, unable to sleep. Whenever she closes her eyes, visions of the dead woman are waiting for her.