What happened to his family and the rest of the vampire population? Why was he placed in death-sleep? Who kept him off the manifest?
Something Lenny said aboutbloodkeeps nagging at William. The vampire suggested that it is possible for human blood to change its scent when one is turned.
And it gives William an idea of where to begin his search.
AS SOONas his plane lands at Boston Logan Airport, William’s phone is ringing nonstop with calls from Nate. He shuts off the device.
“Harvard,” he tells the cab driver.
When he gets to the Yard, William moves across campus toward the Science Center. Until, finally, he picks up the notes of an ancient and somewhat familiar musk.
The same scent he thought he smelled a few months ago.
Back then, he dismissed it as the ghost of a memory because it was not quite the same aroma. Now he has a new theory.
The musk leads him into a building and down the stairs to a faculty member’s sublevel office. The nameFABIANA BAYONAis printed on the door.
He stares at the letters for a while before knocking.
“Who is it?” The woman speaks in a low voice that would not be audible to a mortal.
He swings open the door to find her standing behind an oak desk. She has the same sharp eyebrows and intense stare as her ancestor, and William is thrust through time to when he used to visit Professor Bayona’s office to engage the man in academic debates. Since he did not like to speak up in class back then, William would save his commentary for their one-on-one sessions.
“Who are you?” she asks again, her tone tense.
“I believe there used to be a different Professor Bayona who taught on this campus centuries ago,” says William.
“My father,” she says, curiosity softening the edges of her voice. “How do you know that?”
“He was my teacher.”
William hopes the revelation will forge a connection between them so that she might trust him. Yet Fabiana is taking too long to react.
“It’s you,” she whispers at last.
This was a mistake,William realizes at once, and he takes a step back.
“My father spoke of you often.”
She knows him.
William should not have come here. Why did he have to ruin things when he was so close to being free—?
“You were his favorite student.”
Fabiana cuts the distance between them by half.
William takes another step back and warns, “Come closer, and you will never see me again.”
“Okay,” she says, all apprehension melted from her voice. “I just can’t believe you’re here.”
“What happened to your father?” he asks her.
“When you disappeared, he assumed either you’d been turned by the vampires or killed by the Legion. It wasn’t until we received a visit that we knew which fate had befallen you.”
“Who came?”
“The Legion.” She leans back against the desk, resting her hands on the tabletop. “They questioned my father about you.When had he last seen you, where did he think you might be, what sorts of things did you discuss in his office?They had been watching you for a while. It was no secret you were Grandsire’s favorite.”
