Chapter 18

RED

I leave Octavia at dawn. She took me back to Castle Beaumont before the sun rose, and then she disappeared to handle castle business. I snuck out, but I'm not running. I have something I need to do today.

Would Octavia kill me if she found out? Absolutely. Do I have to go, anyway? One hundred percent.

I'm getting weaker. I don't understand it, but a lot of truths came out last night, especially after Amelia intimated that I'd have to drink human blood at some point. But I refuse. No matter how sick I get, I'm not doing it. I'm sure I can control the cravings if I just drink more vampire blood. My only concern is that as far as I can remember, the old dhampir's didn't actually drink blood, they just used it in spell work. And I don't like what my gut is saying about that. No part of me wants to be a vampire and definitely not half of one.

Maybe Amelia will dig something up in her research. I sneak into the tunnels and find the carriage station under Octavia's castle, then take the fastest carriage I can across the city and to the Hunter Academy.

I nap for most of the trip, but when we finally pull onto Academy grounds, it feels like a lifetime ago since I was here, when in reality it's been barely two weeks. The carriage drops me off a little after lunch. I'm not fully nocturnal yet, despite keeping to Octavia's schedule, which means there are still times I find myself awake at the wrong time or sleeping when I shouldn't.

But today isn't about that. Today is about doing the right thing. Doing the thing I'm paid to do; the thing I've trained most of my life for. I couldn't let go of how genuine the Chief's expression was when we were on the balcony. How much she wanted to protect us hunters.

And protecting the hunters, protecting the Academy, and being loyal to those who raised me—that's ultimately why I agreed to enter the trials, right?

I pay the carriage driver what he's owed and a few extra coins to keep his mouth shut.

My assumption is that if I'm within the city bounds, and my intention isn't to run, then whatever this bond is between Octavia and me shouldn't give me too much hassle. It only caused an issue when I left the city. I'm sure intention is everything. The bond taught me that much, at least. And so far, so good. No chest pain. No twinges. It makes me wonder whether I could venture further if my intention is to return to her when I'm done. It also makes me wonder if I had enough intention of wanting to break the bond, would it actually snap—something tells me I'm not that lucky. But if she doesn't give my memories back, it might be something I test.

I walk through the courtyard and external training grounds in the front of the Academy to find the first- and second-years going at a hardcore self-defence training session in the sun.

"Morning, Red," they shout.

I wave as I traipse past them, but I don't have time to stop and chat. I'm on a mission to get in, see the Chief, and get back to Octavia before sundown.

The Academy looms tall above me today, the pale, sandy turrets reaching into the cloudy sky. I'm about to step inside the giant oak door when it swings open, and the Chief appears right in front of me.

Goosebumps fleck over my arms.

"Oh," I say. "You're exactly who I was coming to see."

She beams at me, her bright blue eyes sparkling in the lunchtime sun. "How fortunate. And good morning to you too, Red. Office? Or will a walk suffice?"

"Walls have ears. A walk makes sense."

She guides the way, leading me through the foyer, and out through the inner courtyard and to the back of the grounds where there are several sports fields, permanent obstacle courses and outdoor gym equipment installations.

We take to the sports fields and walk a wide perimeter. When we're far enough away from the building and any students, she nudges me.

"Tell me, how are you finding the trials? I apologise you got partnered with Octavia. I recall you asked me to prevent it, but in the end, we decided in the name of fairness to pick randomly."

I pat her on the arm. "It's fine. I'm a big girl. I can deal with it. How are you coping? We haven't had a chance to talk about the fact Cordelia essentially cornered you into stepping down as Chief."

The Chief stiffens under my touch, so I release her. She glances at me, tentative, her shoulders sagging.

"Honestly? I don't want to retire. This job, this life even. It's all I've ever known. But if stepping down enables us to win… to truly rid this world of vampires, then I'll do whatever it takes."

I tilt my head at her. "You can't really believe that."

I want the cure for my sister, but hearing the way she phrased that, so clear cut—she wants to rid the world of a species? That's… genocide. I hate vampires. But as soon as I consider it, I catch myself in the lie. I don't hate them all. I hate the actions of a few… But even then, I wouldn't wish a genocide on an entire species. The Chief can't mean that.

"Believe what?"

"That we're going to rid the world of vampires. What if they don't want to be cured?" I ask.

She huffs at me as we round the corner and walk down the long edge of the field. A bird swoops down and plucks a worm, or perhaps it's a twig, from the field and flies off into the trees.

"Red, they are the scourge of the Earth. They're unnatural and they must be stopped. Perhaps I was a little excessive in my wording. I'll admit that was wrong of me. But they do need to be stopped."

"Even those that aren't hurting anyone?"

She glances at me; her face wrinkled with confusion. "Red, that's literally why we exist. To stop them and protect humans. Think about it. What vampire hasn't hurt someone? They don't come into existence without draining a human."

I narrow my eyes at her. "I'll accept that, but equally though, what hunter hasn't killed?"

She shrugs. "Only vampires though."

I open my mouth to argue, but she's not listening. She's stuck in her ways, in the hatred for the other species. If I recall myself of even a couple of weeks ago, that's exactly who I was, what I thought.

But spending time with Octavia, really getting to understand her as a person and not the mask she lets the world see, has made me realise they're not all bad. Xavier too. Can't say the same for Dahlia and Gabriel. But something tells me not all vampires are bad.

And then there's Amelia. Has she changed? A little, I guess. She's grown up, she's more independent. Hell, she's even a little more responsible. In a way, this has done her good. That's not something I ever thought I'd say.

But if we had more willing donors? More safety measures? What if Octavia is right and that a city of cohabitation and cooperation is the way for all of us to live safe and happy?

"So you're going to cure every vampire in the city, even if they refuse?" I ask, my voice quiet.

"I think we will need to create a persuasive campaign to convince the vampires so that we don't have to force them. But, before we get to any of that, finding the dhampir is first. It's why finding them is so important, because without them, there is no cure. No opening the door. And on that note, any updates? Have you found anything out by being in close proximity to the vampires? What about speaking to the other hunters?"

"Yes, in fact, that's why I came back. I can't stay long. But I wanted to tell you that we captured the vampire who tried to attack me while I was in Castle Beaumont."

"And?" she says, suddenly brighter and more alert than I've seen her all afternoon.

"And we… It wasn't pretty. We had to push him pretty hard to get even a shred of information."

"What did you discover?"

"That, in truth, he didn't know who had hired him. A proxy, no doubt covering for whoever, actually commissioned him. But he was fairly sure they had come from Castle St Clair."

That makes her stop dead. Her face pales.

"Cordelia?" she whispers.

"We can't be certain of that. It could be anyone in Castle St Clair, but it would certainly suggest her as the most likely candidate."

"Then why did she bother setting up the trials in the first place? Why not let the boundary swallow the door and take the cure with it?"

"I have no idea, but whatever is going on isn't going to spell good news for us," I say as we round another corner on the field and have to duck under a few tree branches that are hanging low. I make a mental note to tell security to get the groundskeepers out to trim them.

The Chief scratches her head. "Why send other vampires to attack? She's the oldest and strongest of them all. Why not do it herself?"

"She's far too well known. Someone would identify her. That's a suicide mission and one that will wreck her reputation. But if she looks like she's trying to be supportive…"

The puzzle pieces lock into place and this suddenly feels like exactly what she's doing. I continue. "If she publicly appears to support the cure and work with the hunters, then she'll be buying in the human vote, swaying them to her way of thinking. And then no one will question that it's her trying to stop it."

"You don't think she wants to retire any more than I do?" the Chief asks.

"You said it yourself last time we spoke. What do leaders on the way out do?"

The Chief's lips part. "They burn it all down."

"Exactly. If there's a threat to her position of power, then either she secures her place as leader of the city, or she burns it all to the ground."

We walk in silence for a while, both of us mulling over all the things we said, the options for how we progress, the security threats we're under.

I'm not sure if it's the tension rising off the Chief or if it's actually a chilly afternoon, but the air around us cools. The Chief halts.

"We need to find the dhampir," she says.

I go rigid. Stress leaks through my shoulders, stiffening my spine. I try to force myself to relax, but the Chief must notice because she turns to me. Her eyes narrow.

"It's important. Whoever it is, is one of us. It's our job to protect them. It's literally your job as head of security to keep them safe."

My eyes drop to the floor. Because I do carry a secret and it is heavy. But I am trying to protect the dhampir—to protect me.

"Oh, Red…You know something, don't you, sweetie?"

"No. I?—"

She rounds on me, her face soft. Despite her gentle tone, her warm ocean-coloured eyes, there's something uneasy nestled in my gut. A gnawing I can't get rid of.

"Well, even if you haven't identified who the dhampir is, I know you well enough to recognise when there's something you're not telling me… is everything okay?"

She slings her arm over my shoulder and rubs my back. It reminds me of when I was young and training and the way she always cared for all the trainees. It was instinctive mothering. She was always there when we needed geeing up, a cuddle and a cry, or the praise we hungered after. She knew what to do as if she were our mother.

I came here to tell her about the vampire we tortured and the fact that I'm pretty sure Cordelia is trying to kill all the hunters.

Not to confess that I am actually the dhampir.

But what harm can telling her do? She's the Chief, for Blood's sake. She's the one that sent me on a mission to go undercover and bring back intel. The Chief has always been and will always be on my team.

All she wants is to keep me safe.

My mind races back to Octavia, and how she was willing to take my memories to make sure no one would ever find out who I was. The fact that she doesn't trust anyone. And yet she is the one who took not just my memories but her brother's.

She did it to protect me, but there is a line between doing a bad thing for the right reason and actually playing a villain. I think she's the former, but if you truly had a good heart, wouldn't you give the memories back? Or is the villain Octavia says she plays for me who she actually is?

Octavia is worried, but really… who am I meant to trust? A vampire or the hunter who's looked after me my whole life?

"Red? What is it?" the Chief says more urgently this time.

I have a decision to make. Who can I trust? Who do I trust more? Who's never lied to me?

The Chief or Octavia?

My gut swirls as I realise there's only one obvious choice.

"I know who the dhampir is," I say.

And the Chief's complexion pales, her blue eyes glimmer like ocean droplets in the lunchtime sun and she smiles for the first time since I stepped onto Academy grounds.