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Byron lifted a brow.
“Am I getting kicked out, or is there some kind of justice system you have in place to determine whether I’m innocent?” I asked.
Byron held my stare. I wasn’t sure if he was surprised I wasn’t fighting harder about my innocence, but at least he wasn’t accusing me of anything. He wasn’t demanding answers or already giving into his biases against not only humans but me.
“There are tests I’d like to run on you to determine whether or not you are touched by magic,” he said in a low voice.
I blinked once. That…was not what I expected to come out of his mouth.
Magic?
“Um…” I crossed one arm over my chest. “What would these tests entail?”
His mouth dropped open in surprise, but he quickly schooled his features back to cool nonchalance.
“First, it’s imperative you understand how sensitive being tested for something like this is,” he said. “You will speak of this to no one.”
I wanted to roll my eyes. Who was I going to talk to about this?
“More than that,” he continued, recognizing the look on my face and choosing not to comment on it, “we will test as soon as possible. Before the full moon tomorrow. I’ll excuses you from classes today.”
“What about you?”
He furrowed his brows. “What about me?”
“You have training too, don’t you?” I asked. I rubbed my eyes, trying to stifle a yawn.
“That’s inconsequential,” he said, though he seemed surprised I would ask. “This is much more important. You will go to the kitchens and eat something. Make it light, but be sure to have food in your stomach. The chances of you reacting strongly to something is likely.”
“Reacting? Reacting to what?”
He said nothing.
I pulled my hair over my shoulders, wishing I had a brush in my hands. Whenever my mother informed me we would be moving, she always sat me down and brushed my hair. The soothing way she ran the brush through my hair, the careful, gentle way she undid the knots, helped ease my disappointment because it made me feel safe. No matter where we wound up, I would be with her and I would be safe.
Tears filled my eyes and I immediately blinked them away. The last thing I wanted to do was cry in front of Byron. He already thought I was weak; I didn’t need to prove it so blatantly.
“Okay,” I said. “Sure.”
His face contorted into another display of surprise. He even took a step back to get a better look at me.
“What?” I asked.
“I expected more of a fight from you.”
“Would you like one?”
He frowned.
I sighed, looking away. I crossed my arms over my chest and eased away from him. The second I had distance, the cool air tickled my face but I couldn’t tell if it was reassuring or not. Goosebumps ran up and down my arms and I tightened my grip on myself.
“Will there…will there be a funeral for her?” I asked, heading over to the window. The curtains were drawn but I could still make the small rays shining through. “Lucy, I mean?”
There was a moment of silence before Byron answered. I turned to look at him, waiting as patiently as I could. It already was a lot for me to ask. After everything Byron told me, I doubted I would have the privilege of attending, but I still thought maybe I might, especially if the results from these tests they wanted to run came up as negative…or whatever.
“There will be,” he said, “once we’ve studied the body for any clues as to her cause of death.”
“Isn’t it obvious?” I asked. “I know there might be suspicion it’s me but I thought the Vrykolakas –“
