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Right! The angel who’d jumped first on Mabon last year. Right before Sariel and Lorna had tried to fucking murder me. Huh. Maybe being Morningstar’s daughter won’t be so bad. Maybe it will give me an edge. I stole a glance at Sariel. He’d been staring at me, but when I looked his way, he averted his gaze, as if he were embarrassed. Weird.
I turned back to Raziel. “I’m sorry, I…”
A genuine smile grew on his face. Up to his ears, even. “It doesn’t matter. It’s my fault I never properly introduced myself.”
Come to think of it, none of the VDC guys had ever properly introduced themselves. They’d all treated me like shit since day one, and it had been up to me to guess their names from hearing them talk to each other and hearing the professors call them in class. Except for Pazuzu and GC, who’d wanted to fuck me since they’d set eyes on me, Sariel, who’d wanted to end me, and Francis, who’d wanted to… well, he never wanted anything, really, I hadn’t interacted with the others much. Seeing how Raziel was suddenly behaving around me, I felt like that would change soon. And I wasn’t sure I was ready for such a massive shift in the status quo.
I’ll have to deal with this later. With a sigh, I moved away from the VDC table. As I walked toward the dais upon which the professors’ table was perched, I could feel all those curious eyes still on me, following my every move. God, I felt naked! As I stepped up the low stair, I pulled at my skirt to make sure it covered my bum and the back hadn’t accidentally gotten stuck in the hem of my tights. Stupid. Ridiculous. That was why I’d always hated skirts, actually. But someone would have laughed by now if my clothes were wonky. Right? Or not. Since Valentine Morningstar had made his unexpected appearance in Headmaster Colin’s class, people seemed to have forgotten how to laugh. Or even that laughing was a thing.
“Finally.” Morningstar beamed at me. “We dine together.”
He pulled up my chair, and I sat down between him and Mrs. Po, our Anthropology professor. I made myself as small as I could. The table was already laden with delicious food and beer that was way stronger than what the students were given, but my appetite was nowhere to be found. Even if I were hungry, I didn’t think I’d be able to help myself with food at the professors’ table. Not without spilling half of it on the tablecloth. My hands were already trembling, and I turned them into fists in my lap.
“What would you like to eat, daughter?” He didn’t wait for me to answer. He started piling grilled salmon and stuffed mushrooms onto my plate, then he poured me a glass of red wide. Oh. They have wine. “Your mother used to love a good Pinot Noir.” He pushed the glass toward me, and I couldn’t refuse it. My hand was sweating as I curled my fingers around the long, thin crystal leg. He raised his own glass as he looked around the table. “To my beautiful daughter, to our long-overdue reunion, and to her future career as a Violent Grim Reaper! Cheers!”
“Cheers.” The professors said in one voice that sounded half-reluctant, half-uncomfortable. Okay, maybe not half-half, because there were other feelings to be divined – if you were a good diviner,
that was – surprise, shock, disbelief, outrage. Still, no one contradicted Morningstar. No one told him it wasn’t customary for students to ever dine at their table. Not even Headmaster Colin dared to say a single thing that might have gone against his wishes. Oh my God, they’re scared of him.
So, the rumors were true. Valentine Morningstar was the most powerful and influential Grim Reaper the supernatural world had ever seen to date, and they were all terrified of him. Impossible to overthrow, impossible to retire, impossible to say no to. And I was his daughter.
“Come on, Mila. At least a tiny sip,” he pressed me when he saw I hadn’t touched my wine. “I’m dying to know what you think.”
Are you, now? Are you really dying? I took a sip and actually loved the way the rich, black cherry aroma tickled my taste buds. Well, I’d never tasted anything like this, for sure. Morningstar’s blue eyes were fixed on me as he waited for my verdict.
“Amazing,” I whispered. “I love it.”
He clapped loudly, then leaned back in his seat. His whole demeanor and body language screamed power and confidence.
“You and your mom… Good taste, good taste!” He shook his head and smiled nostalgically. “In wine, but in men, too.” He threw a glance at the VDC table, and I knew he meant GC and Paz. I blushed to the tips of my ears. “I’m proud of you, Mila. I saw your worth score. It’s through the roof! And I don’t want you to worry about Sariel, Francis, Lorna…” He waved his hand dismissively. “The only reason they’re still at the top is because their parents donate money to the Academy. And Francis’s great-grandfather was one of the founders.” He looked at Headmaster Colin over the rim of his glass. “Favoritism. Never been a fan. But that will change soon. I’ll make sure of it. You deserve better. You deserve to be appreciated for who you are and what you do.” He turned to me. “Don’t you agree?”
I looked at him with wide eyes. I hated that I was suddenly the proverbial deer caught in the headlights, but I just couldn’t shake the role he’d forced me into. I nodded because I couldn’t trust my voice. Also, I didn’t yet know if I agreed with him. It didn’t bother me that Sariel, Francis, and Lorna were ahead of me. And I was pretty sure it wasn’t because of favoritism. For one, I knew Sariel and Lorna worked their assess off. Francis… Francis was another story. He was always going to be another story.
“Okay, enough talking!” As if I’d done any talking at all… “Eat! I want to see my beautiful daughter eat, drink the best wine, and have fun.” As if I could have any fun at the professors’ table… Is he crazy? I think he’s crazy. Unlimited power could do that to you…
I looked at my plate and willed my appetite to come back. For some reason, I felt like it wouldn’t have been a good idea to say I wasn’t hungry and make a scene. He’d made enough of a scene already, earlier, when he’d so rudely interrupted the Psychology class. It was better to play nice, for now, and see if I could find out anything about why he was truly here and what he really wanted from me.
As I ate in silence, sipping my wine from time to time, trying to keep my head low and my eyes down, he started talking with the professors about things in the supernatural world I knew nothing about. Work was hard, too many violent deaths in the past few years, what had become of America? Okay, that much I could wrap my head around. A bus accident in India had caused thirty-five deaths, and he couldn’t understand why they hadn’t been assigned to Neutral Reapers or Righteous Reapers. Why did Violent Reapers have to take care of everything?! And the Supernatural Council… Why were they taking so long passing the law against copulation with humans?
I almost choked on a piece of mushroom. I looked up at him, my eyes filled with so many questions I already knew I wouldn’t have the balls to ask. He was against supernaturals having relationships with humans?! In what world did that make any sense? He was the result of an archangel shagging a human! I was the result of… Okay, maybe I shouldn’t be so disrespectful toward my family. The family I’d never known.
“Are you okay, daughter? Here, have more wine.” He filled up my glass. It struck me then that he was constantly calling me “daughter” because he didn’t know what else to call me.
“It’s a difficult decision to make,” said Headmaster Colin in reply to Morningstar’s outrage. “Even for the Council.”
“What? To finally organize a proper vote? The last one was a sham.”
“I don’t believe that’s true,” said Mrs. Charon, our PE teacher. “I remember five years ago the suggestion of passing the law was taken by the Council very seriously, and the voting took place over a period of three days. More than enough for everyone to express their opinion.”
“What about the propaganda? Have you all forgotten the pamphlets that were being passed around? The articles in The Daily Diviner? Whatever group was behind those was never discovered. They said humans were necessary for us to thrive. That having relationships with them only made us stronger.” He huffed. “A society of hybrids! That’s what these rebels want!”
Okay, I couldn’t take this any longer. And I knew I’d regret opening my mouth, but I just had to say it. Someone had to.
“But aren’t you a hybrid yourself? And aren’t I a human?”
He turned to me slowly and fixed me with a stern gaze for a second. Then, his lips curled into an indulgent smile.
“You have nothing to worry about, Mila. When the law passes, I will make sure it doesn’t affect you.”
