"And Andrei?" he asks, looking between me and Tobias.
I sit upright and watch for Tobias's reaction, and there's a telling pause before he replies. "Leave Andrei. I'll speak to him later."
The door closes as Jamie heads away, and I'm left alone in a room with Tobias for the first time since events at the Blackwoods. Without speaking, he turns away and walks to his office. The door remains open, so I gingerly follow him.
Tobias sits on the edge of his desk in the sparse room and something on the floor close to his feet catches my eye. A new rune painted red.
Red.
"Yes, that's blood, Maeve. I haven’t cleaned away the result of the boys' spellcasting.” Tobias doesn't move. "I also see blood in your mind. What's happening?"
I flop into the velvet upholstered armchair as the images stream back. "I—"
"Shit, Maeve!" I startle at Tobias's change in demeanour. "Is that what Andrei showed you?"
"He was teasing me with..." I wave a hand. "Things and he went too far."
Tobias blinks as he catches more of Andrei's fantasy in my mind. "I see. Literally see, Maeve."
"I'm not worried," I lie.
"I don't care if you are or not. This concerns me. I presumed Andrei never thought about your blood in this way, and I appear to be wrong."
"No. This was his imagination going too far. He tried to stop. I felt how shocked Andrei was too."
Tobias's lips press together. "Maeve. Andrei showed you his fantasy."
The sick feeling I always have after fainting unsettles my stomach. "No. I don't agree. He wouldn't—doesn't want to."
"I'm no longer sure." Tobias drags a hand through his hair. "I've been too focused on everything happening around us and not spent enough time working with Andrei on his appetites."
Appetites? As if I'm the meal.
"Andrei has a reputation for a reason, Maeve. Before I arrived, he was obsessed with blood. He only fed from humans he could charm into letting him before wiping their minds, but the worry was Andrei would move on to witches. That he'd kill."
"I don't believe he could be that bad."
He sighs. "Maeve. You were involved the night he lost control with a human shortly after you arrived at the academy. The closer he becomes to taking on his hemia form, the stronger this becomes. Now I've proof that he needs a lot more teaching."
"It was a fantasy!" I protest. "He'd never do that to me."
"What if this was a vision?" Tobias eyes burn with anger.
"No. Definitely not."
He stands and silently rubs his temples for a few minutes. "I warned you both how dangerous your relationship is and how this could send Andrei in the wrong direction."
I stare at my shoes. Is Tobias right? I hate that he's planting doubt in my head about Andrei, and I hold on to the memory of the cottage and the trust I had for him the last time we were intimate. "Andrei won't hurt me. He cares about me."
"Like I won't hurt you?” Tobias says the words softly but with regret.
The time at the Blackwoods. His loosening self-control. I tip my chin and harden my jaw. "Yes. Like you won't, Tobias. And don't judge Andrei based on your past. You've done much worse."
Tobias smacks his hand on the desk, and I startle. "Andrei fantasised about killing you!" he half shouts.
I shrink back. "Tobias, calm down. Andrei didn't imagine killing me, only tasting my blood."
"And that's not bad enough?" asks Tobias, face reddening. "Andrei Tepes does not stop when he tastes blood. He hasn't learned self-control. That's why I'm here, watching him!"
I stand and almost reach out to Tobias, but he's defensive, arms behind his back.
"I know you're stressed about Andrei’s behaviour, but this is more. What happened when you were away? I worried that you'd be arrested," I say.
His tense stance remains, and he looks the other way while I struggle to deal with his anger—mentally and physically. "We were talking about Andrei and your safety."
"And I'm talking about your safety."
"The man I work for didn't care that a witch died; he’s more interested in who I met and what happened to you in the house." He pauses and looks to me. "And what happened to Andrei."
"He wasn't with us inside the house."
"No, but his mother found him, and you know Andrei almost agreed to go with her. We stopped that happening.”
"Who are you working for, Tobias? You've never told me. Another secret?"
“The answer to that should be obvious—Oskar Petrescu. You met Andrei’s grandfather and you know his importance within the Confederacy. He has a lot of power."
"That power didn't help Andrei when he was accused of murder," I retort.
He shakes his head. "Killing a witch leads to an instant death sentence, Maeve. Believe me, his grandfather helped him."
I can't hide my shock. Execution before trial.
“I've told you numerous times that my freedom is dependent on Andrei's safety and my controlling his behaviour."
"Which is why you're losing your shit over this," I tell him.
He gives a small nod. "I've resisted interfering in your relationship with him, but please understand that if things slide anywhere near the point he imagined today that I will need to. He escaped a death sentence once, imagine what would happen if he injured you in any way—the Confederacy's witch prodigy."
I swallow. "Don't call me that."
"You need to deal with your position. You have unique skills and that will always be who you are.”
I blink. Unique skills now mixed with darker magic. "Will there be consequences for Nikolai's death? Did Elon say anything after the meeting?”
He stares at me as if I'm stupid, and I bristle. "Maybe not from the Confederacy, but from the Blackwoods. They'll want us both dead now."
"But the Dominion need me."
"You heard and saw that the alliance between the two is shaky. The Blackwoods see themselves as above everybody. They've spent much time in exile and don't trust easily, especially as the Dominion is led by vampires."
I digest his words; the experience with Andrei earlier now blanked out by the new threat to us. This is a worse situation than Tobias told the others at the cottage last night.
"The Dominion want you alive, which means they won't help the Blackwoods if they come for you. That's in our favour," he says.
"And you? Will the Blackwoods come for you?"
Tobias regards me unblinking. "I don't know."
"But the Confederacy will help you, won't they?"
"Again, I don't know."
His troubled mood pulls me to him as much as our energy and I reach out to touch his arm. "I'm sorry. This is my fault."
"No. None of this is your fault, Maeve." He looks to where my fingers rest against him and closes his eyes before resting his hand on top. His sadness moves through me as strongly as the magic, but the emotion isn't because Tobias thinks he'll die.