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The dismissal sounded a lot like, ‘get out of my sight, freak’ but I did as I was told. I’d antagonized them enough—something I was fairly sure was going to come back to bite me on my generous backside. But I also thought I might have found an ally in Headmaster Thorne. Regardless, I was excited to take a look around Blood Rose Academy, even if I had to do it with Vivian at my side.
After all, I’d made it.
I’d bested the test, I’d gotten on one headmaster’s good side, and maybe I’d even made a friend with a familiar.
It was a great start to the year.
Chapter Three
Vivian was taller than I was, and moved at a fast clip, forcing me to jog to keep up with her.
I had a sneaking suspicion that was intentional. She’d made it pretty clear that she couldn’t stand me—she probably would have left me to wander around on my own if her mother hadn’t given her express orders.
But even bitchy Vivian and her equally bitchy mother didn’t dampen my good mood. I was at Blood Rose Academy, and I was going to learn magic from professionals. Wanda had done what she could in the early days of our banishment, but she was just one witch, and most of her time had been devoted to setting up and maintaining her business. Not to mention the fact that there were areas in witchcraft in which she was completely lacking, like potions. So, I’d been forced to learn from Poppy, our resident gypsy mom. My lessons had gotten a little broader after we’d had enough witches to form a coven, but I was still behind in my education, and I’d have to struggle to catch up. I was just grateful to have the opportunity to do it at one of the most prestigious magical academies in the world.
If the brochures were to be believed, Blood Rose Academy was almost a city unto itself, occupying miles of land in the Harz Mountain Range, which ensured privacy for the students and surrounding towns. The castle had been transported here from France and rebuilt long ago. It was in the French Gothic style, with soaring ceilings, rib vaults, and flying buttresses. Night had already fallen, so the stained-glass windows didn’t cast dazzling shapes onto the flagstones, but in the morning, the halls would probably resemble a dizzying kaleidoscope of color. I couldn’t wait to see it.
The walls were covered in rich tapestries and murals depicting the histories of a few dozen magical races. If I’d had time, I’d have stopped to examine each oil painting, drinking in the details. As it was though, I only caught a few snippets here and there: An angel with golden wings wielding a sword as tall as I was. A devil crouched on the chest of a swooning woman. Austere vampires staring out at the moon. Werewolves in mid-shift. Succubae tangled with men, sweaty and in the throes of ecstasy. It was almost too much to take in, even in short bursts.
“Fall behind and I’ll leave you to be eaten by one of the night class students,” Vivian warned. She was waiting at the end of the corridor, one hand cocked on her hip, scowling at me.
I flushed and sprinted down the hall after her, passing throngs of night class students as I went. Most of them were lounging in the alcoves, talking in low murmurs. There were incubi in their natural forms, still somehow intriguing despite their bat-like wings, scarlet complexion, and curling horns. One of them smirked at me and reached out to trail his fingers across my shoulder as I passed. Desire, immediate and primal zinged up my spine, and I stuttered to a stop, eyes wide, and lips parted, staring at him as my heartbeat started to pound through my face.
“Hello, pretty,” he said.
His voice was rich and throaty and sent my hormones into a tizzy. Suddenly, it seemed like a very good idea to stop and chat. To let him pull me into an empty classroom and do something unspeakably inappropriate to me.
“I haven’t seen you around here before,” he continued, his voice as rich as chocolate. “I’d remember you. Red-haired witches are rare. And feisty. I like that in a woman.”
“Good for you,” I said, pleased when the words didn’t come out on a breathy exhale as I fought to remember myself—the last thing I wanted was to look like a fool in front of Vivian. No doubt, she’d report back to her mother. “Look, I’m sure you’re God’s gift to women and all,” I continued, keeping myself from reaching out to touch him because I really, really wanted to. “But I can’t stay to stroke your ego. Or anything else you want me to stroke, for that matter. Curfew, you know.”
The young man at the incubus’ elbow let out a hearty laugh. His voice was almost as low and appealing as the demon’s, but one glance at his teeth confirmed he wasn’t an incubus in disguise. His fangs were tapered to a familiar point. And that meant one thing: vampire.
He had short, wavy auburn hair and eyes so dark, they were nearly black. He’d slipped off his blazer and vest, leaving him dressed in only the white dress shirt of his uniform. It emphasized his lean physique. He didn’t look that much older than I was. Twenty-two tops. Which didn’t mean jack when you were dealing with the undead. He could be fifty. One hundred. A thousand. I’d never know unless I asked, and he decided to tell me the truth.
“Rejected. Better luck next time, Klaus.”
The demon threw an elbow at the vampire. “Shut your damn mouth, Rook. I don’t see you scoring either.”
“That’s because I have no interest in propositioning a witch,” Rook said, eyes flat, tone insulted. He turned unfriendly eyes to me. “Better get going, Carrot Top. Viv is a bitch, and she will leave you here to be eaten by one of us.”
I resisted the impulse to throw a minor hex at the arrogant jerk.
“Can’t be seen with a vampire, don’t forget,” he sneered.
“The length of your teeth doesn’t have anything to do with it, Checkers,” I spat the words back at him, playing on the fact that a ‘rook’ was the castle piece in chess. “It’s more the stench of eau de douchebag that makes me want to vacate the premises.”
It was Klaus’ turn to laugh. In fact, he laughed so long and loud, his voice echoed through the hall, drawing the eyes of still more vampires and infernals. They were all staring now, and I shifted uncomfortably. Snarking at a single vampire was one thing. Drawing the eyes of all of them was another.
“Ouch! Better find some aloe, Rook, because that burn looks like it hurt.”
Rook’s eyes narrowed to slits. He opened his mouth to reply, but didn’t get out a word before Vivian bellowed, “Depraysie!”
I turned on one heel and marched toward Vivian, feeling the stares of a dozen vampires on my back, and the weight of Rook’s fury heavy on the air.
***
Vivian led me down six flights of stairs. The staff had allowed softly glowing ivy to grow over the walls, and it pulsed gently as we passed, shifting from violet to a buttery yellow. We cast long, flickering shadows on our way down, and I jumped every so often when I spotted them, convinced that one of the night students was skulking down the staircase behind us.
