Chapter Three

The library was packed wall to wall with some of the most arcane knowledge in the supernatural world. And yet, for all that, it seemed like information on dhampirs was surprisingly hard to come by. An hour in, and we hadn't turned up a single reference. On the positive, we'd barely even made a dent in the number of books that might have something of use. On the negative, there were only two of us, and thousands of books, which left us somewhat outnumbered, and utterly undermanned.

"Hey, this one says…No, wait, that's tulpas. Sorry, Cali."

She closed the book and shoved it aside, and I slammed my own book shut before slumping over it.

"Ugh," I groaned into my arms. "This is hopeless. You think with all this magic floating around the place they'd have mastered a simple database." I lifted my head long enough to stare at her blearily. "They haven't, right?"

"Nope, sorry."

I flopped my head back into my arms. "Naturally. Stupid supernaturals with their stupid, warped priorities. Did I tell you the council were going to lock me up just because they thought I knew what my father was? Like, even though I didn't do anything wrong?"

"Yes. Three times."

"Yeah, well. It's ridiculous."

I stood up and stretched.

"You know what? I think I need some air. Actually, I need to go and see Domina Astor."

Ling looked faintly alarmed. "I don't think you want to do that."

I canted my head and frowned. "No, I mean, I need to. I can't explain it."

"Well then, I think you definitely don't want to do that. Compulsion is a fae trick, and I'm guessing you haven't forgotten a certain fae prince who likes using that particular trick to wind you up?"

I waved her off. "He's not back until this evening. Besides, he's only ever been able to compel me using his voice. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Why exactly do you know his schedule?"

"Er… I've really gotta go. Catch you later?"

"Go. I'll keep searching the books."

"You're the best!"

I flashed her a grateful smile then hurried from the library, the door swinging shut behind me, but not before I caught her calling out,

"Try not to die!"

Seriously, why did everyone assume I was going to die all the time? I shook my head as I hurried along the vast—and still almost entirely deserted—corridors until I came to a daunting oak door, with symbols carved into every inch of it. And no-one tried to kill me along the way. I made a note to rub that in Ling's nose…once I got through this without Astor killing me.

I lifted a hand to tap once.

"Come," a voice commanded from within before the echo of my knock had died. Guess she'd been waiting for me. Unease tingled at the back of my neck. Joking aside, had there been something supernatural about my urge to come and see Astor? Checking in with her had seemed like the logical thing, but I'd abandoned my research—my sanctuary—to hurry over here, and, well, that just wasn't like me. But vampires didn't have compulsion powers. I, on the other hand, clearly had superior powers of paranoia. All the jokes about my untimely death were getting to me. Or maybe it was my run-in with the council and Brennan's not-so-subtle threats.

"Come." I started at the voice's irritated sounding repetition. Right. Best not to keep Astor waiting. Sucking in a breath, I opened the door and stepped inside her cavernous office, finding the academy's leader in her customary crimson red apparel, sitting behind her stone desk wearing her usual expression: one of deep disdain.

"Sorry to interrupt you, Domina Astor," I began, because when faced with a vampire who held the power of life and death over you, I always found a little courtesy went a long way.

She waved my apology aside and I snapped my mouth shut.

"You took your time," she said.

"Er…" Did she mean in coming to her office, or coming inside? "Sorry."

"Yes, so you've said." She held me with her piercing gaze, and I fought the urge to recoil. There was no room for weakness at Darkveil.

"Did you, um, want to see me?" I ventured. Ugh. Get a grip, Cali. So much for ‘no room for weakness'. I could barely even get a sentence out.

"Yes. And in future, I would appreciate you attending my requests in a more timely manner."

"I didn't think vampires could compel people," I blurted, before my brain caught up with my mouth. I gave a mental shrug. Showing my ignorance was hardly going to be the worst thing I did inside these walls.

"Drink enough fae and you begin to develop their powers," Astor said…and I wouldn't have liked to bet my blood on whether or not she was being serious.

"Right. Well, s—" I caught the apology before it could slip out of my mouth, and straightened my shoulders. "What can I do for you, Domina Astor?"

"You can start by explaining why you didn't come to see me the moment you set foot inside my academy," she said, anger crackling in the air around her.

"I wasn't aware I needed to."

"The human is unaware of the most basic of etiquette? Why am I unsurprised? Oh, wait…" She canted her head a fraction and her eyes narrowed. "Half-human."

"The council spoke to you."

"Did you imagine you could keep something of this magnitude from me?"

In truth, I hadn't thought that far ahead.

"No, Domina. I was just—"

"Trying to find some way to cover up your true nature? I'd have thought you would have learned your lesson when the council took you away. Perhaps another visit to their facilities is in order."

"I was trying to come to terms with what they told me," I ground out. "Domina."

"Hmph. The first sensible thing you've said inside these walls, Ms. Ellis," she said grudgingly. "It is little wonder that such a revelation has appalled you."

"How did you cope, Domina? When you were turned?"

All vampires were humans who'd been turned, but most were raised by the vampire clans, trained their whole lives in preparation for the day they'd be bitten. But it was well known that Astor was one of the few who'd been turned without any prior knowledge of the supernatural, the only one I'd ever met.

And I could see the moment the words left my mouth that it was the wrong thing to say.

"We are not in any way alike, Ms. Ellis," she bit out. "I am a vampire of the Tor clan. "You—" She curled her lip. "You are an abomination, and if I had my way, you'd be destroyed."

I swallowed hard, resisting the urge to step back from the disgust on her face, or wipe it off with my fist, because I quite liked having a fist. Abruptly, her lips shaped into a malicious smile, and she settled back into her chair.

"But when the council catches your father, he, at least, will be."

I forced a nonchalant smile of my own, and lifted one shoulder in a shrug.

"Fine by me. He's a criminal, and he deserves to face the full force of the law."

I meant every word of it. I didn't care that he'd broken any supernatural laws, but I cared he'd fucked my mother and then abandoned her, pregnant and alone, to raise a child while her mental health spiraled. The council would only be killing him if they got to him before I did.

"Indeed. And I have no doubt that he will. Criminals are not left at large in our world for long—something you may wish to keep in mind."

"I haven't broken any laws, Domina," I said coldly. "The council cleared me of any charges."

"Don't play games with me. The council have ordered you to be remanded at the academy—my academy—while they investigate your abhorrent nature."

"Which is my father's crime, not mine."

"Unless they determine you had some knowledge of it."

"Which I didn't."

"We'll see." She smiled and the artificial light flashed against her teeth. "And rest assured, Ms. Ellis, I will be watching very closely."

"Will that be all, Domina?" I asked stiffly.

"For now."

I slipped from her office before she could change her mind. One thing was for sure: I was going to need to watch my back.

It sure was great to be back at Darkveil.