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“I think they tried,” Jason says slowly. “I often wondered how the vampires got me. My family gave me to them to end my life. They didn’t expect me to come back. I think…” He looks at Ashton. “I think you saved my life back then.”
Ashton produces a choked sound.
“And I think I was supposed to have died at the hands of my father’s court,” I whisper, “but I didn’t. They hadn’t expected me to be this strong.”
“All those trials…” Emrys breathes. “I often wondered why I almost died in them. I wasn’t meant to survive them.”
“None of us was meant to survive,” Ashton says. “But we did, either thanks to fate or our own strength, and here we are, protected within the Academy.”
“We should have died.” Emrys looks around at us, eyes a little wide. “Holy fuck.”
“Current status: breathing,” Ashton says. “Let’s use that and think of a plan.”
“What sort of plan? We’re locked up inside this goddamn file room.”
“Well, let’s use that to our advantage,” Ashton says. “Let’s check these files. Maybe somewhere in here are answers.”
“Only you could turn this fucked-up mess into a reading retreat,” Emrys grumbles.
I grin, in spite of everything, as we all turn toward the filing cabinets. “Think there’s any evidence in here that can clear our names? Our own secret files, locked up inside the Academy? Sounds a bit far-fetched.”
“But you never know, do you? Not unless you look.”
“Abesh,” I mutter and get to work. At least it gives me something to do so I won’t smash up the room in my frustration and fury.
Let’s hope Ashton is right.
“There’s nothing,” I grunt after an endless, dusty hour of digging through old papers and folders. I wipe the sweat from my stinging eyes and my hand comes away streaked with dirt. “Thanks for the fruitless exercise, Ash.”
He narrows his eyes at me. “Sin, let me have a look at those cuts—”
“No.” I shove his hands away. “I’m okay.”
“Don’t be a stubborn ass.”
“What happened to you, Sin?” Jason asks. “Who did this to you?”
“I… don’t…” I look down at myself and am not sure whether I really can’t remember or don’t want to.
“The elder,” Ashton says. “An elder took you and slowed time down, right before you and I fell under Ophelia’s spell. They tortured you. What did the elder want with you? What did he ask you?”
“About the Queen Witch,” I whisper. “Wanted to know if she really has appeared. I told them…”
“What did you tell them?”
I manage a grin. “That her name is Ophelia and she’s a bitch.”
He chuckles.
“Hey, fuckers.” Emrys gestures for us to join him. “This drawer is locked.”
“Probably confidential stuff,” Ashton says.
“Exactly.”
Ashton wanders over to him. “Doesn’t mean it has anything to do with us.”
“We’re the royalty of the Academy.” Jason grabs the drawer handle, rattles it. “Chances are, it has everything to do with us, and…” He hisses. “Demonblood magic. It’s as if someone knows we can’t access that side of our power now.”
