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I gathered every nerve I possessed. “Not discomposed at all, I assure you. ”
I breathed slowly. …I am roots in the earth. I breathed deeper, and a hot spike of pain impaled me. I gritted my teeth, keeping my expression blank, and made myself hold still as I tried again. I relaxed my diaphragm and exhaled, and it was a struggle not to lean into my cracked rib. I concentrated, using every meditative trick in the book, until finally my mind found a shimmering patch of clarity above the pain.
I connected mentally with the target. …I am grounded. My surroundings narrowed to the black and white of those concentric circles. I focused on the sound of my blood pumping in my ears, and my world constricted further, till there was nothing left but a fine, black point—the target’s center, my only goal. I threw.
Bull’s-eye.
The urge to laugh broke my concentration, and pain exploded back to the forefront. I gritted myself on the inside, but couldn’t stop my hand from holding my right side. I pretended I was just catching my breath rather than cradling my agonized little rib cage.
When I faced him again I was serene and composed, even though what I really wanted to do was jump up and down, clapping giddily. “Shall I throw another?”
He laughed then, and I puffed at the sound. “No, that was quite sufficient, Acarita. Watcher Priti was right. You are grace under pressure. ”
He crossed his arms at his chest, studying me. “I understand certain aspects of the physical training have not been easy for you…swimming, calisthenics. And yet you have been dauntless. Bringing a discipline to your studies the other girls envy. ”
I was envied? The praise made my heart soar, and for a moment I forgot who he was, and that I should be nervous. I forgot, too, that I didn’t want to be there. It was such a minor success, but for the flicker of a moment, I felt I’d found my place. That I’d slipped into my groove, discovered my life’s meaning. “I enjoy working hard. ”
He gave me a gratified nod. “It pleases me how thoroughly you’ve prepared for our mission. And now there is one final subject in which I’d like you to become proficient. ”
A dumb grin kept trying to plaster itself across my face, but I didn’t allow it. Instead, I hung, waiting for his next words. Maybe the ludicrous things I’d been forced to study—the dancing, the etiquette—had been a test of my dedication, and the real learning was about to begin. We were going on a mission—did that mean I’d learn about bomb detonation, or wire tapping, or—
“You need to learn table manners,” he said.
“I need— Excuse me?” My voice warbled in half laughter, half confusion.
But the look on Alcántara’s face told me he wasn’t joking. “I’m aware of your…impoverished background. But where we are going, you will need to be familiar with habits of the elite. Would you recognize a fish knife from a butter knife? Do you know that a charger is not merely a plate? Or where to place water and where to place wine at the table?”
I spoke out of turn, but I couldn’t help it. We’d gone from throwing stars to talk of table settings—it was too random and baffling. “If we’re going out to dinner, can’t I just follow everyone else’s lead? It’s not as if I’ll have to waitress or anything. ”
“On the contrary, Acari Drew. Waitressing is precisely what you will do. ”
He did not just say that. “Wait…I’ll…be a waitress? We’re talking about our mission, right?”
His eyes hardened. “You will spend the following week focused only on manners in an intensive decorum session. ”
More etiquette. I wanted to laugh, or cry, or something. I would have bet the Trainees weren’t made to take a rigorous course in table manners. It was frustrating and preposterous. But I kept my expression blank. A girl had to do what a girl had to do, and this girl had to stay alive. “I’ll begin today. ”
He smiled again and touched a cool finger to my chin. “Grace, strength, and now humility, too. You have proven yourself. ”
I frowned, trying to understand. Had I been right? Had all this bizarre subject matter just been a test?
“So perplexed you are. ” He patted my chin as he gave a patronizing little chuckle. “I am many hundreds of years old, Acari Drew. Do not think yourself the first girl to receive such a command. Many react poorly to such news, while you have proven dependable, with a maturity beyond the others. ”
Take that, Ronan. Alcántara thought I was mature.
But still, his instructions rankled. With nothing better to say, I said the lamest thing ever. “I’ll be eighteen on my next birthday. ”
He laughed outright. “You are ready, I think. ”
“Ready?” What now, I wanted to moan. Housekeeping? Talking to this guy was like riding a roller coaster.
“To hear about our mission. Because I will tell you a secret, querida. There are other vampires out there. And they are bad ones. ”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
There were bad vampires out there? Like, worse than kidnapping unsuspecting young girls and forcing them to kill one another? Whaaat the—?
I was reeling from the bomb he’d just dropped, and I didn’t pay attention as Trinity and a couple of her pals passed by, headed into the gym.
