Page 46 of The Banshee and the Warlock

"Yeah. You've been here a couple of months already, surely you know how to spot a vampire?"

"I guess? I've never thought about it." I try to shake the feeling that I'm missing something, which is surprisingly easy given the way my stomach rumbles.

We pass into the dining hall and my gaze immediately lands on the table where Cethin normally sits with his friends.

He raises his hand and waves at me.

Nati sighs. "We've got to sit with them, haven't we?"

"We don't have to," I assure her. "Look, there are some free spots there."

"And have you spend all of lunch sneaking looks at your boyfriend?" She heads right over to them without giving me a chance to protest.

I shrug, not about to complain about the fact that I get to sit next to Cethin. I slide into the seat next to him and lean in to kiss him hello.

"Nathara, it's good to see you," Cethin's friend says.

She rolls her eyes, and I swear I hear Frank hiss from within her nest of snakes. "Lunch will go much better if you keep your mouth shut, Meic," she responds.

"I don't know, I'd think anything would be improved by my commentary." He picks up an apple and bites into it.

Nati glares at him from across the table and I try to smother my laughter.

"Enjoying yourself?" Cethin asks.

"They don't realise how amusing they are," I respond softly.

"Mmm."

Someone passes behind us giving off the same sense as the vampires before. I freeze, causing Cethin to look at me with concern written all over his face. "What is it?"

"I just got a weird vibe from some vampires and then again just now. It's like they feel different from most people." I frown. "It's probably nothing."

Cethin laughs, surprising me. "Or it's just your magic."

"I'm supposed to be able to prophecise death," I point out. "Though all the research I've done seems to be suggesting that it'll take years before I've mastered that ability." I'm still not entirely sure if that's a good thing or a bad one.

"But that doesn't mean you can't already sense death," he points out.

"Vampires aren't...oh."

"Yep." He offers me a drink and I take it.

"You think it's my banshee magic sensing that they're kind of dead?"

"It makes sense. You were able to sense your hamster almost being dead when you were a kid."

"Hmm, true." I look around the room, trying to hone in on how each of the people surrounding me feels. My eyes widen as my gaze lands on Meic. He doesn't feel the same way the vampires do, but it's also not the same as what I feel coming from the others.

"Meic's a ghoul," Cethin supplies.

"How did you know what I was going to ask?"

"It was fairly obvious," he admits. "But there's your answer."

"Huh." I'm going to have to pay a lot more attention to the people around me if I want to hone this skill. I'm not sure precisely what I could use it for, but I suppose understanding my magic is important regardless of whether I can think of a specific use for it.

"Are you free later?" Cethin asks.