Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Dimitri

I briefly considered following them to find out where dear old dad had gone with the high priestess, but let's face it, the woman's office was probably warded tighter than a nun's—well, you get the idea.

Gianna Santi. Now she was a hot, spicy dish. One that could easily burn me, especially with her overly protective brother. He wasn't someone I would want to cross. He specialized in pain, and I avoided pain at all costs.

But his sister definitely intrigued me in a way that no woman had in a long time. I generally found women to be predictable, even boring. But I had the feeling Gianna Santi would be anything but.

I found myself consumed with an urge to protect her, yet I couldn't help her if she didn't tell me about what was going on between Petar and the high priestess. But why would she confide in me? My reputation didn't exactly scream "trustworthy".

But then it hit me. There might be another poor sap who knew something—Jaxon Reyes, the resident vampire outcast. Apparently, he pissed off the wrong people at some point and got himself banished to this lovely little corner of hell, working in the kitchen and playing errand boy for High Priestess Dixon. The guy had delusions of grandeur, always claiming to be some sort of vampire royalty. Ha! As if he was related to King Nico.

But delusional or not, Jaxon might just be the key to unraveling this whole mess. So I decided it was time to pay him a visit to see if I could charm some information out of him. Maybe he'd spill something useful while I was pretending to listen to his little sob story. It wasn't like I had any better options at this point.

It was time to put on my game face and get to work. If there's one thing I was good at, it was getting what I want, even if it meant playing nice with the local nutjob. Watch out, Jaxon. Dimitri Dragan always got what he was after.

My sister-in-law's position as a professor at Goody gave me free rein to move through the castle. It was a college for witches with students ranging in age from eighteen to twenty-two, but most of them were flighty and only cared about gossip, new outfits, and snaring Mr. Right.

I stalked into Goody Magic Academy's cafeteria, my mood as dark as the shadows that clung to me. This place was nothing like your typical college cafeteria. No stark white tables, metal chairs, or uncomfortable benches here. The cafeteria was divided into four sections, each representing an element: Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. The kitchen was tucked away in the back, which meant I had to navigate through this magical wonderland to get there. Lucky me. At least the lunch crowd had mostly disappeared.

I stepped into the Water section first, but the tranquility that filled the space did nothing to quell the frustration simmering beneath my skin at the idea that Petar was up to something. His little dig about me protecting Valentin didn't sit well with me. I clenched my jaw, ignoring the gentle rhythm of the tides and the salty tang in the air. Water Spirit orbs danced overhead, casting playful shadows, but I couldn't be bothered to appreciate their beauty. A few students lingered at tables draped with deep blue cloths, perched on chairs crafted from smooth stones and water-worn shells. They shot me wary glances as I passed, no doubt familiar with my reputation for being a heartbreaker. What can I say? I'm not the marrying kind.

As I crossed into the Earth section, the floor came alive beneath my feet, pulsing with ethereal green light. Vines snaked their way across the walls, and luminescent orbs filled with Earth Spirits danced and sparkled, keeping time with the shimmering trees that appeared and disappeared around me. The scent of pines and blooming flowers filled my nostrils, and a buzzing energy permeated the space. Groves of pine, aspen, maple, oak, and magnolia winked in and out of existence in a dizzying display of nature's magic. The tables here were draped in rich emerald-green cloth, surrounded by chairs crafted from gnarled, living branches, their cushions of moss and ferns adjusting to fit the sitter's form.

But the real showstoppers were the magical creatures that called this section home. Deer grazed next to the tables, their bodies shimmering with a soft, ethereal, golden light. Birds with iridescent feathers flitted between the orbs, their melodies reminiscent of the heartbeat of the Earth itself. A group of playful squirrels with silver fur darted around, collecting solid gold acorns like they were preparing for the world's most extravagant winter.

I shook my head, a wry smile tugging at my lips despite myself. Drawing on my vampire speed, I rushed past the enchanted forests and magical creatures.

The Air section was a whirlwind of activity, with floating tables and chairs that bobbed and swayed gently in an invisible breeze. Wisps of cloud drifted lazily across the ceiling, occasionally morphing into fantastical shapes. The scent of crisp, clean air filled my lungs, and I could almost taste the freedom that the element represented.

Before I even arrived at the Fire section, the temperature spiked, and the crackle of flames filled my ears. Tables hewn from obsidian stood atop a floor of smoldering embers, while chairs upholstered in rich, fiery hues seemed to flicker and dance in the light cast by the floating orbs of Fire Spirits. The air shimmered with heat, and the faint aroma of smoke and spice tickled at my nostrils.

But I didn't have time to appreciate all the elemental decor. I had a vampire to speak with and a scuzzbucket father to outwit. I pushed through the kitchen doors, ready to interrogate Jaxon Reyes.

Jaxon's friend Kamaron stood behind the counter. His long white hair was pulled back into a hair net, and he had a wide, silly grin on his face. The guy always reminded me of a golden retriever. "Dimitri! You hungry?"

The sizzling chicken and beef fajitas with green peppers and onions did look and smell delicious, but food was the furthest thing from my mind. "Nope," I said, heading into the kitchen with a purposeful stride.

He put the spoon down. "Dimitri, do you know why the scarecrow won an award?" He paused. "Because he was outstanding in his field!" He burst out laughing, the amusement reaching his bright green eyes. Kamaron always laughed at his own terrible dad jokes.

Jaxon, however, wasn't laughing or even cracking a smile when I got to him. His long brownish blond hair was pulled back in a hairnet, he wore an apron and rubber gloves, and he had a raging scowl on his face that would have melted the North Pole. He glanced up from his sudsy station. "What do you want, Dragan?"

I leaned against the counter, fixing him with a cold stare. "Tell me, dish boy, why would my dad be meeting with the high priestess?"

He loaded the dishwasher. "Fucked if I know."

"Umm, wrong answer. You're the high priestess' court jester and errand boy. Nothing gets by you."

"Even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you."

I smirked. I was twice as powerful as Jaxon, and he was about to get proof positive of that. "Unless you want to wash your hair in that vat of suds, you'll come up with a different answer."

He narrowed his eyes. "You don't scare?—"

Jaxon didn't even finish his sentence. In a flash, I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and shoved him face first into the sudsy water. He sputtered and struggled, his arms flailing, water splashing onto the floor.

Kamaron ran toward us, not that he scared me. "Dimitri, what the hell?"

I abruptly released my grip on Jaxon's neck and he jerked his head out of the water, anger flaring in his eyes. With the suds on his face, he looked like a pissed-off Santa Claus. "You're a bastard." He grabbed a towel and wiped his face off.

Kamaron stood next to him like a bodyguard. I flashed them both a cool smile. "Actually, my parents were married. Now, unless you want to take another dip, you'll tell me what I want to know."

"Look, Dragan. Contrary to what you may think, she doesn't tell me everything. The only thing I know is she got a big shipment of magical objects. Maybe that's what they're meeting over."

I raised an eyebrow. "Magical shipment? From where? From whom?"

"I don't know. Like you said, I'm her court jester…not her confidant."

"Do these objects possess light or dark magic?"

"Magical objects can be used for either," Kamaron interjected. "It depends on the user's intent."

I swore under my breath. The last thing Petar needed was a magical object that he could use for evil purposes. I turned on my heel and strode out of the kitchen, my mind torn between unraveling my father's plans and the memory of Gianna Santi's captivating beauty. The memory of her alluring smile and enchanting eyes making even the most pressing matters seem unimportant. I shook my head, trying to focus on the task at hand.

She was definitely going to be a dangerous distraction.