“Can’t wait,” I murmured, turning in a slow, deliberate circle. “This is the lobby, I’m assuming. That looks like a hallway to . . . hell?”
“You’re not far off,” he relented, albeit grudgingly. “The classrooms shoot off in that direction. Those are mostly underclassmen. Upper levels meet in the outer buildings. What grade level are you again? Heard a rumor you struggled to keep up with the humans. A superior being you are not.”
“Junior,” I hissed through my teeth. “Just like you.” I didn’t like how much Evren seemed to know about my last couple of years. I struggled a lot during my freshman year of high school and almost didn’t pass. I’d been too messed up from my last year at Alpha Prep to focus on my grades. So I’d had to go to summer school. But that was when I met Blake. He tutored me, reminding me things were worth living for. Fighting for. We’d been in love before Independence Day.
But now he was dead.
And I was back in hell.
And all seemed morbidly right with the world—at least this supernatural world.
“Then the junior dorms are through there.” He pointed down another hallway. “That’s also the way to the cafeteria and gymnasium.” Pointing behind us, he added, “Auditorium, and music rooms are that way. Dryden, his harem of secretaries and guidance are all the way your parents went. And everything else can be located on the website. Do you have any questions?”
I actually had about three hundred questions. But it wasn’t a sincere offer. “Questions? After that comprehensive tour? How could I?” I took a step in the vague direction of Dryden’s office.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said to my back, his voice a rough growl.
I paused, glancing at him over my shoulder. “Yeah, well, I don’t want to be here. That should count for something.”
“These people are going to chew you up and spit you out, princess. Your days are numbered.”
“Thank God,” I said to the ceiling as I started moving toward my parents again. “I’ll do just about anything to get out of here. So tell your friends to bring it on. I’m looking forward to more dead bodies.” Spinning around, I used my vamp agility to walk backward gracefully. “Got to keep my streak going. Three for three, you know.”
“You’re sick, Hart.” He looked honestly disgusted with me. The expression was so similar to how I thought about myself, my teasing lost all of its humor.
But I wouldn’t, couldn’t, let him know that. “We’re all sick, Emerson. If I learned anything in eighth grade, it’s that. You, me, your sycophantic little fan club. We’re all sick and twisted and without a moral compass.” I paused to drag my tongue over my permanently sharpened incisor. “Which means when I finally take you guys down, it will be really fucking bloody.”
His laugh was placating. “You’re not going to take us down.”
I shrugged like it didn’t matter either way. “Watch your back, Emerson. And your throat.”
His expression clouded at the outright vampire threat. Why was I goading this kid? He’d once locked me in an actual crypt. We were in seventh grade at Alpha, this crazy old campus next to an abandoned church with a massive, ancient cemetery. Basically, it was made for stupid kids to get into trouble. We’d been sent on a science-walk scavenger hunt. And I’d made the mistake of thinking I’d be safe during daylight hours. Evren had waited till I was alone hunting moss, thrown me over his shoulder, and shut me in an ancient tomb that smelled like death and rot.
Nobody found me for four hours.
I couldn’t sleep with the lights off for three months.
But I just kept pushing his psychotic buttons.
What was wrong with me?
Before Evren could say anything else, I turned around and sauntered off toward the hallway that led to the administrative offices. I contemplated giving myself a tour, but that felt epically lame. Besides, I’d have to get the hang of this place eventually. I could start tomorrow when I went to class. Trial by fire and all that.
Fun fact: fire did actually kill vampires.
And witches.
And shifters.
And humans.
Because fire was dangerous and kills everything.
Dryden’s pretty plump secretary smiled at me when I found the end of the hall. “Back so soon?” she asked, her tone high-pitched and one-hundred percent fake.
“Evern had to cut it short unfortunately. He had an appointment to see if the doctor can remove the giant stick from up his ass.”
Her smile wilted. “He’s one of Trinity’s best students.”
“Because he’s charmed you into believing that.”
A wrinkle formed between her eyebrows. She didn’t know if I meant the generic version of “charm.” Or the bitchy witchy way. “He excels at everything he does,” she insisted.
“I’d be on the lookout for hemlock if I were you.”
“Your parents are waiting for you, Ms. Hart.”
“No, they’re not.” But I pushed through Dryden’s door anyway. They were seated at the two chairs across from his desk. All three of them held tumblers of whiskey over a giant ice cube. They were mid-laugh when I stormed in like a rain cloud on a sunny day.
“You’re already done?” My mother’s tone held the same forced politeness as the secretary’s.
“I’ll figure the rest out tomorrow,” I said, forcing my lips to move into something that looked like a smile. “It can’t be that hard.”
Dryden’s face scrunched with disapproval. “You’re sure?”
“I’m anxious to get settled in my room,” I assured him. “And I know my parents want to get on the road. Dad has a meeting in the morning.”
My parents’ twin scowls were expected. But it was true. Dad had a Council meeting that he kept mumbling about the entire drive here. They planned to fly home this afternoon and make Bentley drive the car back by himself.
It was the nicest thing I’d ever arranged for Bentley. He’d be free of my parents for at least a solid twenty-four hours. And I hoped he considered it a goodbye gift.
“She’s right, I’m afraid,” my dad said with a sigh, giving in to the pressure of hiding his daughter’s obstinance. “The plane will be waiting for us.”
My mother set her tumbler down on a coaster. “I was having such a good time, I forgot about the plane.”
“Yes, it was so good to catch up,” Dryden added, sounding truly put out by their departure. “Don’t be strangers while Fallon is here. Next time, I’ll take you to that steakhouse I was telling you about.”
“And I’ll bring those cigars,” my father said.
As the adults finished their goodbyes, I stepped back into the hallway. The secretary waited for me with an ancient-looking skeleton key and streamlined key card in her hand. “This is a temporary pass,” she explained, holding up the key card. “We’ll set you up with a proper pass with your picture on it tomorrow.” I took the lanyard cord, marveling at the ancient-looking door key next to the brand-new key card while she went on and on about which doors were locked at all times and which sections of the school were forbidden after hours, promising me that the key card would track all my movements, and nothing would go unnoticed.