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Mrs. Bethany said nothing. Her dark eyes remained fixed on him in a silent demand for the whole truth.
He continued, “About six weeks ago, her health just . .. failed. She didn’t want food. Didn’t want blood. I tried taking her to the doctor, but she’d started to, well, to change, so they didn’t know what to make of her anymore.”
“It must have been clear to you what needed to be done.”
Slowly, Lucas nodded. “Bianca needed to turn into a vampire to stay alive. I asked her to kill me. I would’ve let her turn me into a vampire, to save herself. But she wouldn’t do it.” His voice broke on the last word, and he turned his head away from Mrs. Bethany.
My resurrection as a ghost might have lessened Lucas’s grief, but I realized in that moment that the wounds he’d suffered when he watched me die would scar him forever.
“You could not have prevented it,” Mrs. Bethany said. She didn’t sound sympathetic, exactly, but her voice was slightly softer. “If Miss Olivier didn’t transform you into a vampire, who did?”
“That would be Charity.” Lucas’s jaw tightened. A shudder of pure hate passed through me. “We had a run — in right after Bianca died, back in Philadelphia. I don’t know why she did it.”
“With Charity More, reason rarely enters into the equation.” That was as close to a joke as I’d ever heard from Mrs. Bethany.
“I didn’t know what to do at first. It’s — I guess you know how it is, when you change. Balthazar was around, trying to deal with his sister, and he helped me out. I tried to talk to my mother, but she — she’s Black Cross. “
Mrs. Bethany straightened, her eyes flashing. “You mean that she attacked you.”
“Yeah.”
“Your own mother.” To my astonishment, I realized Mrs. Bethany was feeling righteous outrage — on Lucas’s behalf. “Indecent. Shocking. Hateful. The sort of behavior I would have expected from most members of Black Cross, to be sure, but one would think that at least a mother’s love would prove more powerful than their anti — vampire dogma.”
“Guess not,” he muttered.
Mrs. Bethany rose to her feet, walked around the desk to Lucas’s side, and put her hand on his shoulder. If his wide eyes were any indication, he was as surprised as I was. “It is unfortunate that you had to learn the error of your ways in such a painful fashion. But you should know that my sympathies are entirely with those who have suffered persecution by Black Cross. Your past as a living man, and the mistakes you made then, have now been wiped away. The sanctuary of Evernight Academy is yours. We will protect you. We will teach you. You need not be alone any longer.”
For one half second, I actually liked Mrs. Bethany.
Lucas Wasn’t won over quite so easily. “Thanks. I mean that. But it’s not going to be so simple. Those guys are about ready to stake me already.”
“They’ll obey the rules.” Mrs. Bethany’s smile held a hint of chill. “Leave that to me.”
“The human students — ” His voice sounded strangled. “I’venever killed.”
“The urge is strong.” She spoke as though this were only to be expect·ed. “In your case, perhaps, stronger than most — I see the signs. But here you will have many guardians over your conduct; I daresay you are in less danger of harming a human here than you would be in the outside world. In time, you will discover how to be a part of the vampire world. You will become one of us.”
Lucas shut his eyes for a moment, and I wondered if it was in relief or despair.
Chapter Six
LUCAS WALKED TO THE WROUGHT — IRON GAZEBO, staring after Mrs. Bethany as she went inside to give the annual welcoming speech to the student body. Finally sure that nobody else was watching, I dared to materialize at his side.
“Hey,” he said. He half turned to see me and managed to smile for my sake. “Right back where we first kissed.”
“The more things change.” As the breeze ruffled his dark gold hair and the ivy leaves around us, I could imagine that we’d gone back to the beginning. The sunlight seemed to pass through me, warming me throughout. Despite the wind, my own red hair hung long and motionless, untouched, unreal. “Why aren ‘ t you in there?”
“Mrs. Bethany gave me an exemption this go — round. Said she’d try to find a way to explain to the vampire students and teachers to leave me the hell alone without tipping off the humans. Me walking into a pack of vampires before she gives the hands — off speech — no way am I doing that unarmed.”
“She handled it better than I would’ve thought,” I said. “I guess Mrs. Bethany takes the sanctuary thing here seriously.”
Lucas shrugged. “She claims she’s got my back, but all the same, I’m glad Ranulf sneaked our weapons up here in his trunk.”
“Why not yours?”
“If Mrs. Bethany doesn’t search mine, she’s a fool. And that lady’s no fool.”
I studied his face, reading the emotions he was trying to hide. “You’re not frightened of the vampires. You never have been. It’s being around the human students that gets to you.”
