“I had to suck out the poison,” Thorsten said. “I could smell it.”
I looked at my hand. The burning sensation under my skin had vanished, despite the new pain in my wrist. “Thanks?”
Thorsten drew a few inches closer, holding me in that impossibly blue gaze. “What happened? She was being vague.”
Maybe I should’ve lied, but I needed to tell someone, and Thorsten seemed to be a person who wasn’t easily shocked. “Ms. Rutherford lured me in here. She attacked me, and I protected myself.” I rubbed my wrist as a new, fearful pressure built in my chest. “When I did, she said I was from the Winter Court.” The last two words were barely a whisper.
Thorsten balked. “Well, of course you are. Only those from the Winter Court have ice magic.”
I hugged myself, staring up at the enigma of a man who knew all of my secrets.
“Ms. Rutherford is looking for Preston. She thinks something happened to him.” Did she think I had killed him on purpose because of the wars between the Summer and the Winter Court? Did she blame me for the Summer fae leaving the faeland and coming to the human world? Did she blame me for the Winter Court spreading the plague that made most Summer fae sterile? “Am I...evil?”
I wanted to desperately hear a no, something I could cling on to, but Thorsten shot me a grin. “You’re asking the wrong questions. Stop thinking like a human. You no longer live in their world. Embrace what you are, and you might survive.”
I backed away from Thorsten. “Should I embrace being a whore, too? Thank Mr. Chad, the twins, and anyone else who harasses me and teaches me my place?”
“Life is not a concert you choose.”
I shook my head at his cryptic answer and pushed past him and out of the door, a fresh round of ice gathering under my heart. Even the one person who constantly came to my aid saw me as nothing more than a pawn.
My suspicions that it had been Lily who had called for help turned out to be correct. As soon as I had disappeared with my note, she had followed me, and after realizing I was alone with Ms. Rutherford, she had run to Thorsten.
What did she think about him helping me? Did she think I should take this alliance no matter what the terms and consequences were?
German was our last class of the day, and thankfully, the twins didn’t take it with us. Lily got a grasp on the w’s sounding like v’s and the j’s sounding like y’s, which made me happy for her. I hadn’t had the chance to hear Candice’s answer regarding where Lily was on the lists, but I hoped she’d at least get to the top of the servant list.
Thorsten nodded when the gong went off to end class. “Slightly better today. Keep working on your pronunciation.”
“Let’s hurry to dinner,” a fae next to me said. “Rumor has it that dinner will be lobster.”
A few people cheered. The food at Nocturnal Academy was usually pretty good, with the exception of our breakfast at the welcoming ceremony, but lobster was something else. My stomach rumbled. Lunch hadn’t been much that day, just sandwiches. I’d never had lobster, of course, but I was willing to try a luxury food after the day I had.
I sensed I’d better eat in the cafeteria rather than in my dorm, with Ms. Rutherford out for my head. I also had to tell Lily what happened and thank her for sending Thorsten. Thinking about what might’ve happened had he not stepped in and sucked out the poison in my arm made me shudder. The bite remained on the top of my hand, but the marks had gone from swollen, angry red puffs to pinpricks I could barely see.
Thorsten. I still hadn’t figured him out. Maybe he wanted me alive so he could claim whatever he wanted later. Taking my virginity would be pretty stupid since it would ruin my contract. Maybe he planned to use me on the side once I got my master? My throat laced up. Was that what my life would be like? Pleasuring two men? One because he paid for me, the other because I was eternally indebted to him?
Lily and I entered the dining hall, and I smiled, confirming that the rumors about the lobster were true. The smell of butter and grill hung in the air, and everyone, fae and vampire alike, showed up to dinner, making the dining hall more crowded than usual. Peony was at the front of the line, heaping tons of food onto her plate like she was celebrating something. Virgie stuck behind Peony and Kristen, playing her minion role, though she didn’t heap nearly as much food onto her plate. Instead, Virgie sent me a warning look and raised her eyebrows.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, resisting the urge to check and make sure the blood crystal was still in my pocket.
Lily leaned in closer. “Peony’s still on to you.” We were the last fae in line, and most people had seated themselves, filling the dining room with chatter.
My stomach turned as I piled food onto my plate. I hadn’t eaten my entire lunch, but my appetite vanished as I noticed the teachers standing at the periphery of the room, near the doors. Ms. Rutherford was sandwiched between Lord Sullivan and Mr. Chad. Just as I realized that something was off about this, Lady Cardinal strode into the room, smug as usual, with a pair of vamp guards taking up the rear.
One of them slammed the door shut, locking us in.
“Students,” Lady Cardinal announced, tapping her stick on her palm with a faint crack. “Kassius and Kayden have brought an important matter to my attention.”
I gulped, my hand shaking as I casually heaped mashed potatoes onto my plate, as if this announcement couldn’t seal my fate.
“An important matter?” Peony asked, fluttering her eyelashes. She sat one table over from the twins themselves. Kassius tilted his chair, his eyes flashing with a promise of pain. Kayden folded his hands, waiting with a smug grin.
This lobster dinner. A trap to get everyone together in the cafeteria.
“As some of you may know, something that belongs to them has gone missing,” Lady Cardinal continued. “Since the thief has not come forward, we will conduct a personal search on each of you as we progress through dinner. While we are enjoying our meal, our guards will be searching each dormitory and backpack for the missing item.”
People looked at each other. Lily, not realizing that I was utterly doomed, grabbed her tray and headed to the last open table, which was two tables away from where Peony and her clique sat.
I should’ve acted sooner, thrown the blood crystal into the lake below or done something else. Anything. Now, I couldn’t get rid of the crystal without getting someone else in trouble. Maybe it was even too late for that. Maybe I deserved the dungeons after killing Preston. A part of me wanted to remain rooted to the spot, get caught, and take my punishment. Perhaps the dungeons were preferable to becoming a whore.
Or maybe I’d still have to do both, with the difference that my tainted record would land me in the hands of a crueler master.
“The perpetrator will be imprisoned for an undetermined amount of time.” Lady Cardinal slowly turned her gaze around the room at the now-silent students. “Fae or vamp, you do not steal from a high-ranking member of vampire society. Mr. Chad and Ms. Rutherford will search the fae students first. If we do not find the missing item, we will move our search to the vampire students.”
Lily waved me over to where she sat. She was clueless as to what was about to happen.
On the way, I would pass Peony’s table. Her purse rested beside her, open.
I could drop the blood crystal there. She’d probably find a way to talk herself out of the punishment. But how would I do it without being seen? I needed a distraction, and fast. Peony took a dainty spoonful of her soup and caressed her can of sparkling water, waiting for the show.
Ice expanded.
And cans full of ice exploded, didn’t they?
Lady Cardinal continued to speak as I moved my tray down the line of food, pretending to be interested in the dinner rolls. “If a vampire is caught, he or she may face demotion and shame. If a fae is caught, they will go to the dungeons. If the fae is weak, mentally or physically, they might not survive the experience.” The room broke out in whispers at this threat of
violence. Headmistress Cardinal smiled viciously. “It’s important to separate the weak from the strong early on. Know that we will launch a full investigation of the thief’s activities in the recent months and extract every bit of truth. No stone will be left unturned and we will also examine the thief’s friends to see if they were complicit.”
I gazed up at Ms. Rutherford, who was nodding, as she stood next to Headmistress Cardinal.
If they caught me with the crystal, they’d catch me in my other crime. Lady Cardinal had her own crystal, and she could make me admit anything she wanted.
My heart leapt into my throat. It wasn’t right to damn Peony, but I had no other choice. Desperation swept over me and the thought of what that investigation would be like sent desperate icy tingles under my skin. The staff would suspect the person who had stolen the blood crystal of having a hand in Preston’s disappearance.
If anyone could get away from the vamps unscathed, it was Peony. Maybe she’d even leave me alone after that, finally having something herself to worry about.
Slowly, I started toward where Lily sat.
The distraction would have to happen across the room, and it had to happen now. My legs carried me across the cafeteria. The icy tingles within me peaked as I glanced at Mei’s table. Her blood was in a goblet, but she also had a can of sparkling water. I sensed the liquid inside freeze and expand. Mei reached for the can, and as she grabbed it, the top blew open with a mighty bang, spewing ice particles everywhere.
I upped my pace, reaching into my pocket as everyone stood to face the sound. Mei let out a cry of shock. “What is it with this brand of water?”
“What happened?” Peony asked, standing on her tiptoes to see if there was any juicy gossip.
She had her back to me. They all did. Peony’s purse waited, and I shifted my hand underneath the middle of my tray, balancing it, then removed the blood crystal from my pocket. I ducked behind the wall of people as mutterings went up, masking the sound of me dropping the crystal into Peony’s bag.
Coward. Stupid coward. I couldn’t even own up to what I’d done.
“Who put these cans in the freezer or turned the fridge down too low?” Mei roared, full of disgust. “Someone needs to be punished!”
“We will investigate and punish the servants responsible,” Lady Cardinal shouted, cutting over the noise. “Everyone sit. These things happen. Servants sometimes do not think.”
I reached my table as people slowly sat down. Mei stood there, red uniform wet down the front. They were blaming the servants, not me, and the fact that fridges could freeze whatever was put in the back, but I couldn’t stop shaking, feeling the phantom pressure of the blood crystal in my pocket.
Chapter 14
“What’s wrong?” Lily whispered as I sat down.
Already Mr. Chad and Ms. Rutherford swept through the cafeteria. Ms. Rutherford motioned for fae to stand while Mr. Chad administered a pat-down, starting at the ankles and working his way up. Nothing got spared. Fae had to lift their boobs so he could pat down the undersides. Ms. Rutherford and Lady Cardinal watched. Skirts were pressed against thighs one by one. Mr. Chad could barely contain his grin. He’d landed in perv heaven.
“That,” I lied. As I spoke, I wanted to melt into the floor. I still had the chance to admit my wrongdoing. Virgie and Peony had gone back to enjoying their meals, though they, too, watched as the searchers approached. Ms. Rutherford had taken to spilling out backpacks, leaving homework on the floor for the fae to clean up. The vamps snickered. I guessed they wouldn’t get subjected to the full extent of the invasive investigation that would make even the TSA cringe.
“Up,” Ms. Rutherford ordered, appearing at Peony’s table.
The three girls rose, Peony tilting her head and smiling softly. She exchanged a glance with Ms. Rutherford, who offered Peony a friendly nod and seized her purse. The witch rummaged through it with some degree of respect.
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
There was no taking it back now.
Ms. Rutherford paused, hand still in the purse and jaw dropping, as Mr. Chad closed in on Peony. “Ms. Rutherford?” he asked.
The Home Decor teacher glanced side to side and slowly pulled out the blood crystal, which shone in the chandelier light.
Everyone in the dining hall gasped. Kassius and Kayden leaned forward. Kassius knocked over his can of sparkling water as he gaped at Peony and her apparent crime.
“What?” Peony asked, blanching.
Lady Cardinal weaved around tables, crossing the room.
I wanted to throw up.
“Seize her!” Lady Cardinal pointed a long finger at Peony.
Her two guards, a male and a female vampire, wrenched Peony’s hands behind her back. She blinked a few times as Kristin and Virgie backed off. Realizing that she was in this alone, Peony pulled against the vamp guards, but it was no use. A teenage girl couldn’t overpower two vampires. And if she tried to use her plant magic, she would only bring more punishment on herself.
“What’s going on?” she asked, voice shrill. “I didn’t steal the crystal. The real thief must have planted it in—”
“Silence.” Lady Cardinal whacked her stick against her open palm. “Four weeks in the dungeons, but do not damage her. You are lucky your magic is valuable, Peony. We cannot afford to lower the price of your future contract.” Lady Cardinal whirled to face the rest of us. “Let this be a lesson to everyone.”
The guards hauled away a speechless Peony. The door to the dining hall slammed shut with a bang, leaving ominous quiet in its place. Ms. Rutherford handed the blood crystal to Lady Cardinal, who in turn walked over and placed it in front of the twins. Kassius whispered something to Kayden. For once, the twins didn’t crack any remarks, too stunned to speak.
Peony’s position at Nocturnal Academy was permanently ruined even if she never had to endure any physical punishment. I let out a breath as Lily watched me. Had she figured it out? She could always read me well.
Virgie glanced at me, eyes wide with questions. I had been the last to sit. And she knew.
Her eyes narrowed. She could make this right any second, and if she did, I wouldn’t fight it. I would accept my punishment. Peony had failed to charm her way out of the punishment. I had wanted to humiliate her after everything she had done to me. I hadn’t expected Cardinal to put her in the dungeons for weeks.
I waited for Virgie to come to Peony’s aid and expose me, but she didn’t. Instead, she swept out of the room as soon as the teachers left. Cardinal and Sullivan threw us menacing glares and Ms. Rutherford smiled smugly. Mr. Chad left next, making zero effort to hide the bulge in his pants.
“Well, I’m glad it wasn’t one of us or Virgie,” Lily said.
I glanced up at her but couldn’t read anything in her gray gaze. Did she know or at least suspect? Did she now finally understand why it was dangerous to be friends with me?
The room filled with gossip, from fae and vamps alike. Whispers exchanged and hisses surrounded me, closing in. I rose from the table, beads of sweat breaking out on my nape. “Excuse me.”
Not waiting for Lily’s reply, I pushed past tables and into the hallway. It was only when I started up the stairs to the fae tower that I realized I was going to Virgie’s dorm. I needed to know if she would rat me out. I needed to know whose side she had chosen. Or maybe I was itching for a fight, and she, unlike Lily, would give me one.
I knocked once on her wooden door.
“Who is it?” She left a long, hesitant pause between each word.
Not answering, I pushed the door handle down and entered. Virgie lay on her back, occupying the lower bunk. She glanced briefly at me before turning her face upward, staring at Peony’s former place. “What do you want, Onyx?”
I hesitated. Maybe she wasn’t suspecting me at all. Maybe she was just distressed from everything that had happened. “Just wanted to see how you’re doing.”
She let out a mirthless chuckle, threw h
er legs out of the bed, and sat up. As she sauntered over to me, her hips swinging, her brown eyes blazing, I knew without a doubt that she was aware of my latest crime.
“I’m good, thanks to you. I suppose I should thank you that you didn’t pick me, but Peony.” She dropped into a curtsy, twirling her hands in mockery.
“I—”
“You what?” Virgie crossed her arms. “You had no choice? You panicked?” She jabbed me in the chest. “There’s always a choice.”
“She tried to make me fall to my death!” Virgie had no right to make me feel guilty over what I had done.
Virgie threw her head back and laughed. As her laugher died down, she shook her head. “It’s fine. I won’t tell on you. I get it. It’s just that…” She gave another shake of her head before walking over to her tiny window and staring outside.
“It’s just that what?” Why was I such a masochist? No matter what she’d say, it wouldn’t be nice.
Not turning, she said quietly, “I thought you were different. I thought that out of all of us, you were the one who had morals. The one who might stand a chance....” She shook her head, never finishing her thoughts.
Numbness encased me. She was right about one thing. I was different, but not in the way that she thought. I could be even worse than the vamps. Shame seized me at what I’d done. Was this how Peony felt after sputtering her nastiness? Was this the price Virgie paid for playing both sides?
Virgie’s disappointment was much worse than her anger could’ve ever been. Lily would be devastated if she found out what I had done. But as much as their disapproval hurt, it wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was that I had lost respect for myself. I had the chance to return the crystal, sneak it into one of the twin’s bags, left it in a classroom, or thrown it out. I had plenty of time and plenty of options, but I’d wanted to hang on to the possibility of hurting Peony. I’d basked in finally having the upper hand. By giving in to my instinct, I was showing my Winter Court nature.
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