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“That’s Headmaster Thorne,” Vivian said, her eyes as large as her mother’s. Now the two of them looked like two owls with their feathers all ruffled.
“Oh,” I said as I frowned and dropped my hand. “I guess that means I shouldn’t shake his hand?”
Vivian cast the man a contemptuous glance that had nothing but hatred within it. “Headmaster Thorne oversees the night class.”
“Okay,” I started, having no idea what that had to do with anything.
“Which means,” Headmistress Grimsbane added, “that his presence here is only a formality.”
“Okay,” I said again, clearly not on the level when it came to school propriety.
“Which means you don’t have to waste courtesy on him,” Vivian explained, rolling her eyes all the while. “Leave him to his books.”
Oh. That night class. Vampires, demons, and all things that witches wouldn’t deign to teach. That explained why they kept looking at him like he was something that had just crawled out of the gutter, and why he seemed so surprised when I’d tried to shake his hand. I doubted he’d ever had a witch so much as glance at him during the entrance interview. They’d either be too scared or too disgusted by his presence to look him in the eye, let alone attempt to touch him. Maybe once upon a time I would have thought the same way—back when I was in Crescent Circle Coven. But vampires didn’t scare me. Not any longer. Not after knowing Lorcan.
The lack of fear on my face must have earned me a toothy smile from Headmaster FangFace. Speaking of, his fangs glinted in the low light, sharp enough to be noticeable, but not frightening. He wasn’t hungry at the moment. Before I moved to Haven Hollow, that smile would have made my heart race in sudden, irrational fear. Now it was just a fact of life. I had a vampire stepdad, two vampire cousins, and a Blood Warlock for a brother, all of which sort of dampened the fear factor.
“So… Headmaster Thorne’s a vampire… so what?” I continued, not wanting him to think for one second that I didn’t respect him for that fact. I even offered him a smile which he returned.
The headmistress went ramrod straight, mouth screwed up in disgust and disbelief—like I’d just told her where she could stuff her broom. Her daughter wore an identical expression. They couldn’t have looked sourer if I’d shoved a lemon between their lips.
“So… so what?” Headmistress Aurea said in a deadly whisper, shaking her head as if she couldn’t believe the words that had just come out of my mouth. “I would have thought that you, of all people, would have a problem with him, given your history!”
“My history?” I repeated, eyeing her narrowly because I wasn’t aware that she knew anything about my history—other than what I’d included in my application, of course.
“You were attacked recently by the war criminal, Janeth!” the headmistress nearly wailed at me.
“And not long after,” Vivian chimed in, “your cousin was kidnapped and turned into a fully blooded vampire, is that correct?”
“Yeah,” I said slowly, figuring I’d get to the bottom of just how in spell they knew that in a second. For now, I had to come to the vampire’s defense. “But unless Headmaster Thorne’s fangs were somehow involved in either incident, I don’t see how that’s relevant.” I even gave them a shrug to say their indignation was lost on me. “Last I checked, there are assholes in every species,” I continued as Vivian’s mouth actually dropped wide open until she looked like a trout freshly plucked from a lake. “I don’t hold Janeth or Rupert’s actions against Headmaster Thorne anymore than I’d blame my human neighbors for John Wayne Gacy or Ted Bundy.”
Thorne chuckled at that. But I kept my attention on both women. “So, with that being said, I don’t see the point in being rude.” At that, I turned to the vampire, offering him my hand again. But instead of shaking it, he lifted it to his mouth and brushed his lips over my knuckles in a brief, chaste kiss. It made my skin tingle, and I fought not to blush.
“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Depraysie,” he purred. “And I must say I admire your… pluck.”
I drew my hand back hastily. I hadn’t expected that. Trust vampires to make things more seductive than they needed to be. Wanda had warned me about as much and now it seemed that warning was probably a good one.
“Yeah,” I said shakily, giving him a smile. “Nice to meet you too.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Vivian make a face. I decided then and there that I didn’t like the headmistress’ daughter—almost as much as I didn’t like the headmistress. Mainly, I didn’t like rude, entitled people and Vivian had all the hallmarks of being a mean girl—just like I was sure her mother had been before her. I’d steer clear of them both, if I could.
“You are the daughter of High Witch Tabitha Depraysie, correct?” Headmistress Aurea asked, voice clipped.
I nodded. “Tabitha’s my mother, yes, but I’m not in her coven any longer. I joined the Scapegrace Coven before Scarlett’s assembly.”
“I see,” she said. She didn’t sound pleased, which wasn’t exactly a surprise. Scapegrace was known as a bunch of misfits, hence our name. “Owing to your mother and your aunt Celestine’s… status, your application was given some… weight. I trust that you will comport yourself in a manner worthy of the name ‘Depraysie’. Any infractions will be met with harsh punishments. Demerits for your first, second, and third. Additional infractions will result in a transfer to the night class. And after that, expulsion. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
“Good.” Then the headmistress turned to her pucker-faced daughter. “Vivian will provide you with a list of rules, your class schedule, and then she shall show you to your room. Someone will give you a tour tomorrow morning. Please be aware that curfew is at sundown and that curfew is strictly enforced.”
“Why is that?” I asked, even though I was fully aware of the reason.
The headmistress swallowed hard and shot a quick glance at Headmaster Thorne. “We want you in your rooms before the night class begins milling about.” She paused and then added. “As they are vampires and the demonic, they are… dangerous.”
“Got it,” I said. Though I didn’t like it. What was the problem with rubbing elbows with a few vampires or demons? I’d done it in the Hollow, and I was still breathing—if anything, I was stronger for it. I’d learned how to interact with creatures that were different from me.
“Good,” she said curtly. “You’re free to go.”
