“I do,” Aurox said. “The fledgling, Becca, has a mean spirit.”
“Does she? I suppose I haven’t noticed.”
“I do not believe Zoey Redbird has a mean spirit,” he said.
Dragon’s brows lifted. “No, I do not believe she does, either. You do know that Neferet and Zoey don’t get along, don’t you?”
Aurox met his gaze. “They are enemies.”
Dragon’s gaze did not waver. “You could describe them as such, yes, though I wish circumstances were otherwise.”
“You are not a follower of Neferet’s,” Aurox said.
The Sword Master’s expression froze and his tired but open countenance shut down. “I follow myself and no one else.”
“Not Nyx?”
“I won’t stand against the Goddess, but I also won’t stand for anyone except myself. The dragon is the only path left to me.”
Aurox studied him. His emotions were veiled. The vampyre gave off nothing—not anger, not despair, not fear. Nothing. It was a puzzlement. Perhaps it was that puzzlement that had him speaking of the mystery within himself. “I said Zoey’s name instead of Becca’s.”
Dragon’s brows went up again, and his expression said he was mildly amused. “Well, Aurox, women—mean- spirited or not—do not like it when you’re with one of them and speak another’s name.”
“But I do not know why I did it.”
Dragon shrugged. “Zoey must have been on your mind.”
“I did not realize it.”
“Sometimes we don’t.”
“So, it is normal?” Aurox asked.
“Over more than one hundred years the one consistent thing I have found is that there really is no
“Sword Master, may I ask a favor of you?”
“You may,” he said.
“Do not repeat any of what happened here tonight to Neferet.”
“I keep my own counsel, boy. You should remember to keep yours, too.” The Sword Master clapped him on the shoulder and walked away, leaving Aurox confused, troubled, and as always, alone.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“This is going to be a cluster fuck of massive proportions,” Aphrodite whispered to me as we stood outside the room designated as Thanatos’s classroom first hour on Monday. The room was one of the biggest in the school. Actually, except for the drama classroom, which was really more like a mini-auditorium, and the auditorium itself, this was the biggest “regular” classroom in the school.
“It’s not like we can cut this class,” I muttered back to Aphrodite. Then, to the rest of my group I said, “Okay, let’s go in. Don’t worry. We’re together so it really can’t be that bad.” My nerd herd, as well as Stevie Rae, Rephaim, and all of her red fledglings flanked me. Everyone nodded and looked resigned and ready for whatever was getting ready to hit the fan. I opened the door and stepped inside.
My seer stone immediately began radiating heat.
Dallas and his group were already in class, predictably filling up the back row of desks.
Aurox sat in a desk in the front row over at the far side, obviously separating himself from Dallas’s group. I wondered why he wasn’t hanging out with the bad guys, since he was on Neferet’s team like they obviously were, but I kept my gaze carefully averted from him.
“I’m gonna try and keep a positive attitude,” Stevie Rae said, ignoring the sneer Dallas was sending her and the mean laughter that wafted like cheap perfume from Nichole. She took Rephaim’s hand and smiled, kissing his cheek. “Don’t let them get to you.”
“Good luck with that,” Erin said.
Shaunee, standing several kids away from Erin, said nothing.
“He’s red, and I don’t mean a good red like Shaunee is,” Shaylin said, peeking over my shoulder at Dallas.
I looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“I’m red?” Shaunee asked.
“Yeah,” Shaylin told her. “Your color’s clear and easy to understand. You’re like a campfire—warm and good.”
“That’s real nice,” Stevie Rae said.
“Thanks,” Shaunee said. “That is nice.”
“But what about Dallas?” Rephaim asked.
“He’s red like a bomb. Like anger. Like hate,” she said.
“Then I say we go down front and get as far away from him as possible,” Stevie Rae said.
“Some things are harder than others to get away from,” Erin said, but she wasn’t looking at Dallas. She was looking at campfire-red Shaunee, who was looking at her fingernails.
“Don’t be such a Negative Nancy,” Stevie Rae told Erin, neatly breaking the awkward silence. Then she beamed her sweet, open smile at me. “Let’s go sit up front!”
“Okay, I’ll follow you,” I said, even though I wanted to run screaming from the room.
“I want to run screaming from the room.” Aphrodite spookily echoed my thoughts as she followed me following Stevie Rae and Rephaim.
I clamped down on the “ditto” I wanted to say and, by default, took the desk on the other side of Stevie Rae that was front and center in the room. The bell chimed and Thanatos entered from a door that led from a small office directly to the front of the room, which was raised, kinda like a stage, and had a podium smack in the middle of it with a Smart Board behind it.
“Oooh! Pretty colors!” Shaylin said from her seat behind me.
“Merry meet,” Thanatos said. We all echoed her greeting. I thought she looked regal and powerful. She wore a night-colored dress that was decorated only with the silver threads of the embroidered outline of Nyx with her arms raised cupping a crescent moon. “Welcome to the first of a first. In all of our history there has never been a class quite like this one, made up of different types of fledglings, changelings, humans, and even vampyres. I stand before you representing the High Council of Vampyres which is, as long as you exist within our society, your ruling Council.” Thanatos gave me a long look during the last part of her sentence. I met her gaze steadily. Hell, I agreed with her.
I just wasn’t one hundred percent sure whether my group and I wanted to exist within vampyre society.
“I know you are wondering exactly what this class will entail, but I have only a partial answer to your wondering. I am here to hone and guide you on a journey that is as rare and unique as are each of you. This class will take the place of your vampyre sociology hour; therefore, I will bring to you subjects that all fledglings and vampyres must eventually attempt to understand, such as death and Darkness, Guardianship and Imprints, Light and love. But because of the unique makeup of this class there are also subjects you will bring to me, and thereby to all of us. I give you my oath that I will seek only the truth with you, and if I do not have an answer for your questioning I will do my best to discover it with you.”
I thought that so far the class didn’t sound too bad, and was actually starting to feel kinda at ease and curious when the poo hit the fan.
“So, let us begin seeking truth. I want each of you to spend a few moments in reflection. Then, on a piece of paper, write at least one question you would like to have answered through this class. Fold it, and after you leave I will read them. Be honest with your inquiry, without fear of censure or judgment. You need not affix your name to
