He was surprised by the question, and then equally surprised that he couldn’t answer it. “Uh, I don’t actually know. I doubt if we have a Shaylin. She’s a red vampyre, right?”
“Like me—yep.”
“Well, I don’t think we have any female red vamps yet.”
Kacie nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I heard. And it’s a damn shame. Your red fledglings and vamps need a High Priestess of their own. What about Shaunee? Any beautiful women of color who have fire affinities in your Tulsa?”
He shrugged. “Shaunee might be a fledgling. I know she’s not a High Priestess because Neferet got rid of all of them who wouldn’t step down. I’d know if she had been one of those.”
“Your world sounds like it sucks for women.”
“I’m afraid my world sucks for more than just women, but I want to change that,” he said.
“Good to hear. What are you doing right now?”
“Nothing much. I guess I was going to go back to my room and wait for thirty minutes to pass.”
“Boring,” she said. “Come with me. I’m going to the dining hall to get something to eat before the meeting. The professors’ dining hall. You know what that means, right?” She watched him expectantly and when he just moved his shoulders and looked confused she sighed dramatically. “James, it means the food is fucking epic. Come on.”
She started walking down the wide hall, and when he just stood there staring, she glanced back at him. “Unless you prefer sitting in your room and moping over Zoey. Your choice.”
What the hell is wrong with me? She’s super hot, and I’m starving.
He hurried to catch up with her. “I’m not moping over anyone.”
She glanced at him and snorted. “Not now, you’re not.”
They wound their way through the large school. It was weird. It was basically laid out like his House of Night, but this one was somehow lighter—brighter—happier.
As if she were reading his mind, Kacie said, “So? Is this like your House of Night?”
Instead of answering right away he asked a question of his own. “Your affinities are for water and fire, right? Can you also read minds?”
“No. You don’t need to panic about that, James. Anyone would be curious about the differences between two mirror worlds—if there are any. Oh, and besides an affinity for water and fire, I also sometimes know stuff.”
“Stuff?”
She twirled the end of her ponytail. “Yeah. You know. Like at the park. The affinity is new—like my tattoos. I don’t have it all figured out yet. So, what about your House of Night?”
“This one is nicer.” After he said the words he realized how true they were.
“You mean your HoN is crappy and rundown?”
“No, I mean it’s gloomy compared to this one.” He paused as a fledgling and a human teenager walked past them. The fledgling waved at Kacie and then gave him a confused look. The human just kept talking like it was completely normal for a human kid to be friends with a fledgling and be hanging out at a House of Night.
“Stop gawking at the kid,” Kacie told him. “I’m assuming humans and fledglings don’t mix in your world?”
“No. Some of the Resistance members were human, and the vamp Resistance helped to get humans out of the battle area, but they definitely don’t hang out at the House of Night.”
“That’s probably one of the reasons your place is gloomy. When you go back, you should change that. Z and her High Priestesses have been working really hard to desegregate the US. I don’t think anyone believed it would work—or even thought it was a good idea at first. But they were wrong. It’s true that education and familiarity fight racism. Once human kids hang around for a while, they get that we’re all basically more similar than different.” She snorted again and added, “Their parents are a different story, but old people tend to be a pain in the ass like that.” Kacie stopped at a gleaming wooden door that had a golden sign that read Professors’ Dining Hall. She pushed it open, and he followed her to a small booth.
A fledgling who was wearing a uniform with Nyx’s golden chariot pulling a trail of shining silver stars over her breast pocket, which identified her as a fifth former, or junior, came to take their order, but she just stood there staring at James.
“Alison, close your mouth,” Kacie said.
“Sorry!” The fledgling blushed bright red. “He just, uh, looks like—”
“Yeah, we know. I’m sure Zoey is gonna explain that pretty soon, but until she does, how about we don’t make James feel like a hideous beast. ’Kay?”
“Okay. Yeah. Sure.”
“Great! I’ll take two Caesar salads—no croutons—extra dressing on the side, and one of those black bean veggie burritos. Oh, and that Moroccan mint ice tea you guys only have up here. What do you want?” Kacie said to James.
I want to get to know you better, popped into his mind and he had to mentally shake himself before he answered. “I’ll just take a burger and some fries. And a beer. Please.”
“Add a green salad to that because he ordered nothing that’s healthy—and a carafe of blood.” Kacie glanced at him. “Warm or cold?”
“Um, warm.”
“Warm. And we have a Council Meeting in thirty, so, we gotta hurry.”
“I’ll get it right out,” the fledgling hurried away, but not before shooting James a couple looks over her shoulder.
“Sorry about the gawking. I should’ve thought about that before bringing you up here.”
“It’s fine. I can’t blame her.”
“No,” Kacie said. “It’s rude. But I don’t blame her either. I’ll have to remind Stevie Rae to remind Zoey to make some kinda announcement about you.”
The fledgling was back with their drinks and the carafe of blood, and James thanked her, which only made her stare more at him.
“Here,” Kacie said after the fledgling left. “Drink the blood before the beer.”
“Are you always this bossy?” he asked as he did what she told
