the time during Ignatius’s freshman year when he’d inadvertently hooked up with his TA. Misha
set his phone down, leaned forward on his elbows, and peered straight into Finch’s very soul.
“You. New omega,” he said. “You never answered the question.”
Silence fell. All eyes turned on Finch. Finch sat with improved posture, but his good manners
did nothing to alleviate the force of their stare. When it became obvious none of them would
let him escape, he cleared his throat and said, “I hardly know what you’re talking about.”
Misha snorted and leaned back in his chair, returning to whatever he’d been up to on his phone.
“I’ll take that as a no. With that in mind, may I suggest ‘Dragonet Club’?”
Ignatius nodded. “Sure. That works. Dragonet Club it is.”
Finch hadn’t quite died of embarrassment yet, but it was a near thing. “I’m afraid it doesn’t
work, as I’m not a dragonet.”
Despite the hordes of shrieking children running amok, the silence was deafening. It was
broken after a time by Walter, of all people, who told Finch quite nervously, “It’s okay to admit
it. I don’t know what your Superintendents taught you, but you don’t have to be afraid. The
Amethyst clan isn’t full of bloodthirsty monsters. They won’t hurt you, not even when you
deserve punishment.”
“I’m not—”
“But you are,” Misha said with a tired sigh. He turned his phone so its screen was facing Finch.
On it was all of Finch’s personal information—information supposed to have been kept
confidential within the Attendant network’s private databank. “Why do you lie? I have no
patience for it. It says here you’re a dragonet.”
The actual word displayed on the screen was “DISGRACE,” which was true. It was the
implication that he was a dragon that Finch took issue with. Semantics, however, would have
to be debated another day. Finch leapt up from the table and, in his panic, tried to snatch the
phone from Misha, who snarled something at him in Russian and kicked him in the spleen.
Finch stumbled back, winded, and resorted to begging Misha with his eyes. “Please,” he said.
“Exit that screen at once. The information on it isn’t supposed to have been made public, and
if Hugh were to find out—”
“If Hugh were to find out what?” asked Hugh as he entered the room flanked by a good twenty
or so of his nephews. “It seems I’ve missed something. Finch, are you well? You’re unusually