by K. M. Shea
“Most likely,” I blithely agreed. “But it’s still an unfair thing to say when you’ve done as much for me as you have.”
Killian’s expression was unreadable. “Perhaps I am merely swindling you into a place of complacence before I ask you to do something as shadowy as the Elite fears.”
I snorted. “And you should know me well enough to know by now that if you did ask me to do something like that, I’d probably pull you in a pool again.”
His lips twitched in a smirk. “It would be a waste of time to ask you,” he admitted—which was about as close as he was ever going to come to outright saying he didn’t plan on asking me to participate in the seedy side of politics.
“Yep!” I stared at his shirt and wondered if I was still hot enough that it was acceptable to lean into him again. (Forget his model face, his lower body temperature was soooo dreamy!)
A few moments passed. “You would believe me over the Elite?” he asked.
“Killian, I’ve lived off you like a tapeworm for weeks, and I hang out with the Drake Family every day.” I finally lifted my gaze, meeting his red eyes. “I know you.”
“And it doesn’t scare you,” Killian mused. I could tell he was more speaking an observation than asking me a question.
But there was something about the moment that made me squirm.
“Well.” I paused for comedic effect. “It’s pretty scary when Celestina has made me face off with Josh and he comes running at me with those giant swords.”
Killian didn’t acknowledge my attempt at humor. He drew closer still so my legs brushed his. He leaned over and planted his hands on the stone wall. We were practically nose to nose. The red flints in his eyes seemed to gleam in the moonlight.
“If I attempted to lock you up in Drake Hall like the treasure you are, you would probably kick me,” he said.
“No.” I tried to smile, but my voice cracked a little. “I’d try to fry you with a lightning bolt first.”
Killian laughed—his whispery exhale one that wasn’t a true chuckle, but he used whenever something particularly struck him. And then, as naturally as he laughed, he leaned in and kissed me.
It was shocking—not that he did it, but I swear I could feel the same electric pulse I sometimes felt when magic swept through me. Something about that made it natural. By all rights, kissing a vampire was generally one of the last things a wizard should want to do, but I leaned into Killian, slowly raising my hands to link together behind the back of his neck.
When Killian moved his mouth in response, I was pretty sure I felt the faint prickle of his pronounced fang teeth on my bottom lip.
It could have been a few minutes or an hour before I pulled back for air, still feeling that electric tingle in my veins. “That was…wow.” I let my arms stay ringed around his neck as I sucked in a breath.
Killian leaned in, his lips grazing my neck in a smirk I could feel. “Note how I am taking special care to keep my hands off your butt.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, and I rested my forehead on his shoulder.
We stayed like that for a few moments, until Killian pulled back and nudged my head up again. Our lips were a hair’s width apart when I heard voices.
Killian sighed with enough force to move a tendril of my hair. He left his hands where they were, but twisted his neck to look back at the patio. I had to poke over his shoulder like a prairie dog, but was rewarded with the sight of two different vampires—likely Family Elders—standing in the patio doorways with dropped jaws.
Gavino was bodily shoving them back in the ballroom, but I don’t know if they were resisting, or if they were so shocked over the unexpected show they weren’t capable of movement.
Killian growled, then turned to face me. “Go back to Drake Hall. It’s only going to get more boring from here on. Celestina will go with you—you won’t have any training tomorrow.” He grabbed his tuxedo coat from where he’d tossed it.
I kicked my feet and self-consciously cleared my throat. “Okay.” I thought I sounded pretty normal—I mean, normal considering I’d just locked lips with Killian Drake.
Killian smirked. “Sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I held a finger up. “Technically, you’ll see me today since it’s already so early—”
Killian cut me off with another kiss—this one was barely more than a quick touching of the lips—but it was just as magnetic as the first.
I blinked, and he was gone—halfway across the patio.
I sucked in enough air to make my cheeks puff, and then let it go with one slow, long breath.
What just happened?
Wait, no, I knew what just happened…but…why? What did it mean?
“Hazel?”
I was in the process of trying to get off the wall without ripping my dress, but Celestina’s sudden appearance caught me off-guard, so I almost fell on my face and barely managed to catch myself in time.
“Heeeeeey, Celestina,” I said.
A slow smile spread across Celestina’s lips—one that was a thousand times smugger than anything I’d ever seen Killian wear. “His Eminence said I should take you back to one of the cars and go home.”
I coughed and grabbed my clutch. “Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks.”
Her smirk grew. “Yes. You must be so exhausted.”
I bumped my hip into her. “Shut up.” I could feel my ears burning red as my friend laughed at me.
Celestina led me through the patio door Josh guarded, avoiding Killian and the other vampires entirely.
The ballroom had emptied some—it looked like some of the wizards had left as Killian predicted. It was still stiflingly hot, so I gratefully trooped behind Celestina and wheezed with relief when we stepped through a foggy wooden door and set foot back in the Curia Cloisters.
“I’m sorry you didn’t get to talk to anyone. You still look gorgeous.” I gave Celestina a side-eyed look of admiration.
Celestina laughed. “I didn’t attend to chatter, but to protect. I am greatly satisfied with the night, and everything I witnessed.” She wriggled her eyebrows at me.
I groaned. “Can we not? I don’t even know—that was. Ugh.”
Our heels clicked on the flooring as we made our way through the hallways, nodding to the few party attendees lingering to finish conversations.
“Do you regret it?” Celestina asked.
“No, but I have no idea what the takeaway is.”
Celestina was so amused she actually snorted a laugh as we passed through the Curia Cloisters’ entrance.
Once she had recovered, she snapped open her red clutch and pulled out her phone. “I’m texting one of the drivers. It will take them a minute to pull around.”
I made a noise of understanding. “I need to get better about carrying my phone,” I said.
Celestina’s mirth left her, and she frowned at me. “You didn’t bring it?”
“I didn’t want it getting crushed by the rocks if I had to take a swing at someone.”
Celestina’s lips warred between a frown and a grin for a moment before she gave in and smiled. “I guess that’s fine for tonight. You were always going to be guarded anyway. But in the future, you need to bring it.”
“Okay, Mom.”
I expected Celestina to laugh—or maybe poke me. At the very least I thought she’d grin.
Instead, her gun appeared in her hands, and she glared at something over my shoulder.
I turned around, and all the loose, happy feelings that had been bumping around inside of me froze. “Hello, Mason.”
Mason looked handsome in his tuxedo, which had a House Medeis coat of arms pin stuck into one lapel. His hair was slicked back, and he had that calm, tempered smile he wore as a mask. “Hazel, I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I could say the same.”
I passed my clutch to my throwing hand—preparation is key in launching surprise attacks. “What do you want?”
“Nothing,” Mason said with too mu
ch innocence. “I just want to express my well wishes to you.”
“Hah!” I laughed. “Why are you bothering to act when there’s no one around?” I jerked my thumb to gesture over my shoulder. “Celestina already hates you because you threatened Killian. Or are you unaware she’s part of the Drake Family?”
Mason nodded very politely to the gorgeous, gun-wielding vampire. “Good evening.”
Celestina racked her gun, pulling back the slide to load a bullet in the chamber with a metallic click.
“That seems to be a pretty clear message.” I idly swung my clutch by its strap. “Get lost.”
Mason slightly bowed his head. “Very well, but since we were family—”
“HAH!”
“I’d like to share my news with you.” Mason held out his wizard ID registration card.
I raised my eyebrow and was about to ask what the point was, when I glanced at the fine print—which was readable only because of the street light near us.
There, by the coat of arms for House Medeis engraved on the plastic ID card, was his title. Adept Mason of House Medeis.
The world slammed to a halt, and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. “…How?”
“It’s all thanks to you, Hazel.” Mason’s eyes crinkled with his smile. “You helped me a great deal when you destroyed the House Medeis signet ring.”
I frowned. “You destroyed it! It was your spell, and you broke at least a dozen laws threatening Killian Drake!”
“The Wizard Council didn’t see it that way.” Mason’s smile had an edge now. “When I told them how you willfully destroyed it, they decided that until you show the maturity necessary to lead that I will be the Adept of House Medeis.”
How could they?
I was so shocked, so appalled, I couldn’t feel anything. It felt like a haze had settled over my mind.
“Though you may have successfully saved yourself by running to the Drake Family, it ultimately will be your undoing,” Mason said. “Did you really think you’d be trusted when you’re living with vampires and conveniently had your magic sealed?”
“I won’t let this go,” I snarled. “I’m not giving my family over!”
Mason slightly shook his head. “You’ve already lost, Hazel. House Medeis is mine.”
“I have the deed!”
“You do. But you don’t have the leadership. You don’t have the signet ring, or even the support of other wizards.” Mason’s smile deepened. “And you don’t have the resources to fight me.”
“Killian does.”
“But you won’t let him go after me.” He laughed, a sound I felt in my toes. “Not when some of your beloved family could get caught in the crossfire. Besides, didn’t you see?” Mason brandished his ID card again. “Since I’ve taken leadership, House Medeis has moved up in ranking of respect. And as you know…the House comes before everything.”
He reached out, extending his hand. I don’t know if he was going to touch my cheek or hit me, but the quiet click of a gun’s safety flicking off broke the silence.
Chapter Seventeen
Hazel
Mason froze, and gave a sheepish smile as he raised his hands. “Come now, First Knight. You can hardly kill me on Curia Cloisters lands.”
For the first time since knowing Celestina, I felt the predator hiding under her skin.
She’d never trotted it out before—even in training, she was so much stronger than everyone else she didn’t have to bother. But now, facing Mason, her eyes were flinty and glowed red, and she peeled her lips back in a snarl that displayed her white fangs.
There was a pressure to the air that hadn’t been there before, and her usual elegance was razor sharp.
“I think you’d be surprised just how easy it would be for me to kill you, wizard.” Celestina’s usually beautiful voice was so cold it made my heart twist. “Unless you’d like to discover just how fragile the human throat is, leave.” She licked her lips as she stepped in front of me, almost blocking my view so I had to peer around her.
Mason’s smile dropped. His eyes flickered in my direction, but he must have realized Celestina wasn’t playing around because he slowly backed up and didn’t say anything else.
Celestina stood there—her teeth bared and gun out—until Mason disappeared inside. Then she sighed, flipped the safety back on her gun, and all the deadliness seemed to drain from her, leaving her as beautiful and warm as she had been before.
She scowled, and thankfully one of the Drake SUVs pulled up.
“Come on, let’s go home.” I tugged on her elbow. “He’s not worth it.”
That got Celestina loose. She twirled around to complain to me—while herding me to the car. “He’s not, but the act of killing him would be worth it! So worth it! And so incredibly satisfying. I wouldn’t even have to use my gun—no, I wouldn’t want to.” Her voice was dreamy as she pictured the many ways she could maim Mason.
“Thanks,” I said to the driver when he opened the door. I scrambled inside, Celestina right behind me.
I stared at my hands as the car rolled forward. Darkness threatened to press in on the corners of my mind.
They’d made Mason Adept.
How could they?
My hands shook, and I recognized if I didn’t do something I was going to dissolve in a puddle of goo. And I couldn’t, because this wasn’t over. It felt like it, but I couldn’t give up. Even if the Wizard Council improved House Medeis’s rank—even if the House had turned apathetic like Momoko had told me and didn’t hate Mason as I thought it would.
None of that mattered.
Mason thought the House came before everything, but I was more concerned about my family and how they’d survive under him. For them, I’d fight until the end.
So I couldn’t break down. I had to keep going. I squeezed my eyes shut, then forced myself to look at Celestina. “I’m surprised you seem to hate him so much. I didn’t think anyone from the Drake Family had much of an opinion about Mason and House Medeis.”
“We have opinions,” Celestina said. “Very strong and very violent opinions. But that is a discussion for a different day. Tonight you should dwell on what fun you had at the party—you know, chatting with everyone, greeting leaders, kissing His Eminence.”
“Celestina!” I groaned as I buckled myself in.
Celestina’s laugh was so gleeful I couldn’t resist joining her, and we spent the rest of the ride in barely contained laughter.
Killian had said there would be no training the following day. I kind of assumed that meant I’d get to bum around the house, sleep in, maybe raid the kitchen or something.
Instead Celestina roused me in the early afternoon and dragged Josh and me out to the mall for some shopping.
This mostly involved clothes shopping for Celestina, but she bought me some really nice steel toed boots that I was pretty sure I could do some serious damage with—hopefully to Mason, one day—so I wasn’t inclined to complain.
It wasn’t until I was sitting in a booth at the food court with Josh and Celestina, sipping the iced coffee Celestina had bought for me, that I realized this wasn’t about Celestina wanting the chance to be out and about, but probably for me.
They were trying to distract me from the bomb that Mason was officially considered Adept of House Medeis.
“So, Celestina.” I set my coffee on the table and folded my hands together. “Do you want to tell me what the Drake Family’s strong and violent opinions about Mason are?”
Celestina sighed and slumped a little in her spot next to me. “I was hoping you would forget that.”
“Your mistake.” Josh took a sip of his chai latte—he sat across from me—as he carefully scanned the food court.
Celestina drummed her fingers on the table. “We Drake vampires would like nothing more than to end Mason’s miserable existence.”
“Violently,” Josh piped in. “Preferably death will not warmly embrace him, but instead eviscerate him.”
“Ho
wever, His Eminence has warned us off killing Mason, specifically,” Celestina continued.
“Why?” I asked. “I got the feeling he didn’t care a ton about him, and I would have thought that Mason threatening him would be an instant death warrant.”
“It would,” Josh agreed.
“Except if Mason were to perish at the hands of the Drake Family, it would make your position as Adept of House Medeis even more unstable,” Celestina said.
I cupped my hands around my iced drink and took another sip as I thought.
I would have scoffed at her excuse last night, but after seeing the way Elite Bellus leaped into assumptions, perhaps she was right.
Killian Drake was famous for his manipulations, under-handed maneuverings, and pushing to get what he wanted—politically speaking. Before I’d come to stay at Drake Hall, I probably also would have made the assumption that he would kill Mason and use me as a plant among the Adepts to give him information and spy.
I was certain Killian would eventually call in some favors when I finally did get my position back. But given his tendency to call me a virtuous idiot, I knew he’d never be asking me for anything…seedy. (He’d probably tell me to join fights or something given my magic powers, and leave my House out of it entirely. He’d made it clear that he considered me a decent fighter, but he still considered traditionally trained wizards useless anyway.)
“He’s not moving because he thinks I’ll eventually be able to take House Medeis back, and I’ll take care of Mason myself, which will re-establish me as the legitimate Adept.”
Celestina made a noise of disgust. “I still fail to understand how Mason could have been made Adept.”
I pressed my lips together. “He said the Wizard Council decided to do it once they found out the signet ring was destroyed. I guess I can kind of understand—I don’t think a signet ring has ever been destroyed. Not in the past century for certain.”
“It’s still doltish of them,” Josh said. “They believe they can justify a dramatic switch in leadership—for a House, which bonds with its family line—over a mere ring?”