She raised her head to stare at me. “Why do you care?” Her tone sounded sharp and challenging.
“I can feel your sorrow. It’s deep and strong. I’m sorry you’re going through this pain.”
“If you knew me better, you wouldn’t be sorry for me.” She smoothed a fold of her black skirt with restless fingers.
“Why do you say that?”
“I was part of the Wraith Court.” She gazed at me as if expecting a big reaction.
“And?”
Ash-grey confusion spread through her aura for a moment. “The wraiths were considered too violent and murderous to live close to humans. The other courts demanded restrictions, but the wraiths revolted. A war started, and the Wraith Court was destroyed.”
“Was it true that the wraiths were violent and murderous?”
“The Wraith Duke was a necromancer. He experimented with the dead, which is something the other courts disapproved of. And I cursed people. That’s what I used to do. Not anymore.” She sighed.
I wasn’t sure what to say to someone whose job was cursing people and who apparently enjoyed it. “That’s good.”
She let out a bitter chuckle, which I didn’t know how to interpret. “If I cursed someone now, Ravenhill would either kill me or kick me out. He’s a young vampire. He’s still in love with humanity. He still believes he is human. In a hundred years, he’ll change his mind and won’t care anymore about humans.”
Indignation flared up in my chest. “I hope that will never happen. Ravenhill is a good man.”
“We were all good at the beginning.” Her pessimism annoyed me.
“Are we all supernatural beings destined to become evil and corrupt?”
“We live too long. Some of us are immortal. We don’t fear death. Death makes you a better person. It makes you realise what you have to lose and respect life. When the threat of dying is gone, nothing is left to scare you.”
I sat next to her. “Is that why you’re sad? Do you wish to be mortal?”
“I guess I do.” She hunched her shoulders. “Danvers, the Duke of the Wraith Court, chased power all his life. He didn’t care whom he had to kill or torture to get what he wanted. The wraiths admired his determination and ruthlessness. Including me. But after he was destroyed, I wondered if becoming so powerful was worth it.” She gazed around. A sickly green light filled her aura—disgust. “I hate this place.”
She didn’t like Raven Hall and didn’t have a great opinion of Alex, which raised a question.
“Why are you staying?” I asked.
Her aura returned dark blue with sorrow. “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”
I found it difficult to comfort someone who disliked Alex and glorified a necromancer with an obsessive desire for power, but she obviously needed to belong somewhere, and that was relatable.
“You should talk to the duke about how you feel. He’s more understanding than you think. He’ll help you find another place.”
A little yellow flame speared her aura. Happiness, but for what reason?
“You really care about him, don’t you?”
I smiled. “I do.” I glanced at the tombstone in front of us.
The marble was cracked and dull; it had to be old. I squinted to read the name. “Aurora,” I read. “Did you know her?”
The change in her aura was sudden. It went from dark blue to scarlet, an anger so deep it stung my skin.
“I did. I killed her.”
My mouth hung open. A dozen questions piled up in my mind, like why would she visit the grave of someone she’d killed? Was she crying because she regretted having killed this woman?
“A piece of advice.” She rose and smoothed her skirt, yawning. “Stop being so compassionate. You’re a wili. Wilis are assassins. Embrace who you are. Your life will be simpler.” She left, quickly going down the path.
