Vivian finally tore her gaze away from mine with a scowl. “Yes, Mother.”

  “Sit, both of you,” Headmistress Aurea said, noticing Taliyah seemingly for the first time. She then jabbed a bony finger at the chairs across from her large desk. She tacked on a grudging, “Please,” when we didn’t immediately follow her order.

  I waited a moment longer, then sat. Taliyah sank into the chair next to mine, smiling faintly when Isis shuffled onto her shoulder. Isis had glamoured herself to appear like a red-tailed hawk, rather than an owl, again to be certain that no one mistook me for Maverick Depraysie. Truly, this ruse was a risk because there were very few warlocks and everyone knew as much. So, for Scarlett to suddenly have a son come out of the woodwork was suspicious. Luckily, though, it was also understandable, owing to what had been going on with Celestine and the vampires.

  Taliyah began picking tiny shards of glass from my familiar’s feathers before tossing them into the nearby trash can. Isis nipped her finger gratefully but didn’t take her eyes off the snake coiled beneath the headmistress’ desk. It was an enormous Black Mamba, twice the size of its natural counterpart. It could swallow Isis whole without effort. I couldn’t blame her for choosing Tally to protect her. Cold would be more effective against the monster than my blood magic.

  There were no windows in this room, which could make escape tricky if either of them decided to ambush us. I doubted they were responsible for the trouble that Astrid had mentioned in her note, but until I found her, I couldn’t rule anything or anyone out. If they did decide to attack us, there were enough bookshelves lining the walls that I could cause something of a literary avalanche and make a break for it, dragging Taliyah and Isis out after me.

  “So,” the headmistress said, blowing out a strained breath. “You applied for the potions instructor post. And you came very highly recommended by a former member of our staff, Olga, and, of course, your mother.”

  I nodded, not trusting my voice. Just the headmistress’ presence pushed every contrary button I possessed, and I had to ace this interview. If I didn’t, Taliyah and I were on our way home in less than an hour.

  Yes, we could have sent Olga to resume her old job at Blood Rose, but that might have looked suspicious, considering everyone in Scapegrace Coven knew Astrid was missing and the school was clearly trying to cover that fact up. Besides, Olga didn’t know Astrid the way I did. Olga wasn’t Astrid’s blood, and thus, couldn’t do the sort of familial magic I could. With the right potions and spells, I could possibly get a sense of where Astrid was in the castle, blood calling to blood. It was a neat little trick I’d developed since becoming a Blood Warlock.

  “Olga was a good witch,” Headmistress Aurea continued when I didn’t speak. The admission sounded grudging. Was it physically painful for her to give compliments? “I would have preferred it if she’d returned to resume her position here.”

  “Pity,” I answered.

  She nodded. “As you are no doubt aware, we do not look well upon your kind,” Aurea continued.

  “I’m well aware,” I answered with a forced smile.

  “Truth be told,” she continued. “I am desperate to fill this position as we haven’t had anyone to teach potions in a week or so now.”

  “What happened to the previous instructor?” I asked.

  Aurea shrugged. “We don’t know. She simply failed to show up to her class one day, and no one has seen her since.”

  Hmm, that sounded strange, but I didn’t comment.

  “Your position here will be as adjunct instructor and it will be limited,” she continued as Vivian smiled broadly at me, no doubt enjoying the fact that my ‘kind’ was clearly not wanted within the school walls. “As soon as we can find a proper witch to take over the role, we will.”

  “I understand,” I answered.

  She nodded and then faced me. “How is it, by the way, that you have any potions training at all? As I understood it, you were hidden away and raised by humans?”

  I nodded. “Mother visited me often in secret and ensured I received as much magical training as I could.” Hopefully, that lie would suffice.

  Aurea didn’t say anything for a few seconds but then nodded and I figured she’d bought it.

  “As I said, your time here will be limited,” she repeated.

  “I understand,” I said again.

  “And I suppose I don’t have to remind you to ensure you are nowhere on school grounds during night class hours... otherwise, we can’t be held responsible for what happens to you.”

  I nodded. “Mother warned me.” Then I chuckled. “I’ve spent my whole life avoiding a destiny that only involved being blooded—I’m not about to risk it again by simply being careless.”

  Aurea nodded. “The last thing we need here is a Blood Warlock.”

  I laughed on the inside. Little did she know... “I detest vampires and thus, our feelings on the matter are much the same.”

  The last bit wasn’t even a lie. I could tolerate William and Amos because they’d been forced into their predicament, but it didn’t mean I was always comfortable around them. They were subtle reminders of what I’d very nearly become, and I usually found an excuse to leave before anything outright vampy could happen. If Wanda had willingly turned, I wasn’t sure I could have associated with her. Truth be told, she was so besotted with the Irishman, I figured it was only a matter of time before she fully turned, and then we wouldn’t speak as often, nor would we be as close. There were things you didn’t do, and that was one of them.

  My response to Aurea earned me a nod of approval—I’d answered at least one question right.

  “And who is this?” Vivian burst out, gesturing at Taliyah while clearly unable to contain herself any longer. Sitting quietly must have been killing her. “We weren’t told you’d be bringing a tag-along.”

  My smile was thin and unpleasant. I couldn’t help it. People could be dismissive of me, and that was fine. I was used to it after a lifetime of being rebuffed. But treating Taliyah with the same sort of flagrant disregard was another matter entirely. I still wasn’t sure what we were to each other, but she was the closest person to me who wasn’t a blood relation.

  I took Taliyah’s hand in mine, deliberately drawing her gaze down to it. Lorcan had donated two rings to the cause. They were simple heirlooms left over from when he’d been a human man. These particular rings had belonged to his parents. His father had to have been a huge man because mine was a little loose. Taliyah’s fit perfectly.

  “This is my wife, Tammy Velardi.” We’d wanted to keep anything Haven Hollow on the down low so Tally had figured she should go by another name, as well. Just to be safe. Stories about the chief of police turned princess to the winter court were making their rounds, so it was better not to tempt fate.

  “A mundane?” Vivian asked. She didn’t bother to keep the sneer out of her voice.

  “A changeling, actually,” Taliyah responded, not looking up from Isis’ plumage.

  “Then you’re fae?” Aurea asked.

  Taliyah nodded once. “Winter. No clue who my dad was though. He left my mother before I was even born. I didn’t realize I was a frost fairy until I was a teenager.”

  Taliyah had one of the best poker faces I’d ever seen. She managed to look pleasant and unconcerned while lying through her teeth. I found it... sexy. She was beautiful at the best of times, but there was just something about her ability to keep calm under fire that was incredibly hot.

  Vivian crossed her arms over her chest, scowling at Taliyah. She wasn’t obvious when she tried to cast, but I’d become so attuned to the gathering power of a witch’s aura over the years that responding was second nature. I’d already erected a defensive spell around Taliyah before Vivian’s hex landed, which was minor at the moment, but meant to build in strength as the day passed.

  The petulant little witch sat up a little straighter when she felt her hex rebound and fizzle into nothing. It had been pathetically flimsy as far as spells went. There was only so much she could do without drawing attention to her own aura, which defeated the purpose of the whole exercise. If she wanted to get nasty, she’d have to do it in a crowd where I couldn’t separate her aura from others’. The nervous glance I received was worth the trouble.

  “Did you receive my samples?” I asked after a moment of silence, my Jersey accent still jarring but necessary. “I made several from each course and arranged them by difficulty.”

  Headmistress Aurea adjusted something at the corner of her desk. I realized belatedly that my samples had been arranged neatly in a box, all but hidden from view by a carved human skull. I was absolutely certain it was the genuine article, painstakingly transformed into a magical tool through the use of scrimshaw, warding, and rare potions. Scrying stones had been carved down to fit the eye sockets.

  “We did. Your samples were not quite up to the standards of your predecessor but...”

  But I was young, largely untrained, and I still managed to measure up to witches that were centuries older than I was. I was a spell of a lot better at potions than Wanda was, and I could match almost everyone else in the coven.

  “But?” I asked.

  “But she won’t be coming back,” Headmistress Aurea sighed. “So, I suppose you’ll have to do... for now.”

  “Then?” I asked, pausing to make sure this meant what I thought it meant.

  Mistress Aurea nodded and seemed pained to do so. “I’ll have Vivian show you to the staff quarters and you can acquaint yourself with the lesson plans your predecessor left. Your first class should start at eight tomorrow morning. Don’t be late.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” I answered and from the corner of my eye, I could see the smile on Taliyah’s face.

  We’d done it.

  Isis flared her wings and then tore towards the door Vivian opened, clearly wanting as far away from the snake as possible. I followed, silently echoing the sentiment. Something about this whole situation stank and it had nothing to do with the sage and patchouli fugging the air.

  Taliyah took my hand as we exited the room. We shared one significant look before we rounded the corner and slipped out of the headmistress’ sight. Tally no doubt had sensed exactly what I had. Astrid hadn’t been exaggerating in her note. There was something odd going on at Blood Rose.

  Now I just had to figure out what the spell it was.

  Chapter Three

  Maverick

  Vivian led us on a long, roundabout tour of the publicly accessible areas of the castle.

  With her temperament, I was pretty sure she was attempting to run me in circles in an effort to make me late for class the following morning. Witches hated vampires with a passion and regarded warlocks as only a little better than the enemy. At least I could be counted on to throw down if a leech came for her throat. Unfortunately for Ms. Grimsbane, though, I was married to a cop. Tailing people and staking out buildings had been a part of Taliyah’s job description for years, and she’d taught me several tools of her trade.

  Tally’s hand was a cool, reassuring weight in mine, a tether that kept me from bouncing off the walls like some frothing lunatic, demanding to know where my little sister was. But no... I had to remember the part I was playing. And so that’s exactly what I did.

  Meanwhile, Taliyah’s winter-sky eyes scanned the hall, cataloging every student, teacher, and landmark we passed for future reference. I was certain she was noticing things that I hadn’t, both because she ran on a different wavelength, magically speaking, and because she had a uniquely mundane way of looking at things. Though she was technically a faerie, she still thought like a human, which meant she’d notice things I’d otherwise overlook. I was intensely grateful she’d decided to take a hiatus from work to help me find Astrid. I should have felt guilty about leaving Haven Hollow in the lurch. They needed her. But right now, I needed her more.

  Isis was mirroring Tally on my right shoulder. Her amber eyes couldn’t sweep the halls in exactly the same fashion, but I had the sense she was picking up on more than either of us could or were. And, while Isis gave no outward indication of it, she still exuded a palpable aura of unease.

  She’d had some level of anxiety for months now, ever since I’d been tainted by a psychotic vampire war criminal named Janeth. That unease had only gotten worse after a magical accident had resulted in the birth, or rather the creation, of my daughter Sybil, who had once been a mannequin in Wanda’s store. I’d actually wiped a handful of vampires off the face of the earth with a lightning strike after they’d kidnapped Sybil, causing a huge upheaval in my already unstable magic. Things had calmed a little after I’d bound myself to Taliyah, as if her presence was like powdery snow, cushioning the ground I stood on, making life just a little easier to bear. It didn’t mean I was stable, but it had soothed some of Isis’ fears. I could almost pluck her thoughts out of her head by this point, they were so rote. But even if I couldn’t forcefully read her mind, we could speak through thoughts which was a form of beast sense. Of course, Isis was the only creature I could do so with. The random dog or cat who crossed my path? Nope.

  For decades I’d assumed that everyone had this level of communion with their familiars. Isis had never been very verbal, only vocalizing her thoughts when she felt I needed her advice. More often than not, it wasn’t even magical counsel, just life advice that I seldom chose to take. She’d been more of a parental figure to me than my own mother had for years. It hadn’t occurred to me that what Isis and I had was abnormal until Astrid began manifesting zoolingualism, casting her parentage into doubt. It also cast my parentage into doubt.

  After a little digging, I found out that most familiars didn’t have a mind-to-mind link with their masters, such as Isis and I had. Mine wasn’t the same gift Astrid had, but it was close enough that it made me wonder if we had the same non-human parent.

  “So, Astrid’s room is up there?” Tally asked mildly as we passed the west wing of the campus, where the day class students were housed.

  Vivian’s expression flickered for just a moment, so quickly, I wasn’t entirely sure I’d seen it. “You know Astrid?”

  “I met her once—at Mother’s assembly,” I answered, even though it was a risk because, of course, there was no Ignatius Velardi so he hadn’t been present at the assembly. I was relying on the fact that because Blood Rose Academy was completely out of the loop where the covens were concerned, that such information reached them second hand so they wouldn’t know up from down.

  “Ah, the assembly,” Vivian answered. “The only assembly that’s ever gone down in the books.” I nodded as she continued. “I imagine it must have been a thrill to watch the mighty Celestine Depraysie brought down.”

  “It was.”

  Then she was all smiles. “As to Astrid... her room isn’t in this wing.”

  “Oh?” Tally asked.

  Vivian turned to look at her and shook her head. “No, she’s staying with the other struggling students at the moment.”

  “Struggling?” I repeated, not liking the way that sounded in the least.

  Vivian’s shoulders lifted in the barest shrug. “This curriculum being what it is, some students fall behind. We offer remedial classes to help them, but if her grades slip too far, she’ll get kicked out.” She paused. “Not everyone has what it takes to make it at Blood Rose.”

  “I see,” I said coolly. So the faculty was going to pretend Astrid was in some remedial day camp somewhere? Stupid. The whole thing was stupid. If they didn’t know where she was, they should have admitted to as much—not made up this ridiculous story. Unless they were somehow involved in her disappearance...

  Again, there was the barest flicker of something in her eyes, and then she faced forward again, striding as far away from us as her long, skinny legs would take her.

  “And as you can see, up ahead there’s a monument to the school’s founder...”

  ***

  “Bullshit?” I asked.

  “A steaming load of it,” Taliyah confirmed grimly.

  I turned my back on her when she began stripping off layers, dropping them one by one to the floor. Yes, we were married, but she hadn’t had many other choices at the time. It was me or Jerkoff Reynard, the heir to the autumn throne, who’d been pressuring her into a binding ceremony that would turn her from the Tally I knew and very much liked into someone I didn’t know at all.

  I didn’t want Olwen, whoever the hell that person was.

  All I knew was that I wanted Taliyah, the no-nonsense police chief I worked with and had grown close to. We hadn’t progressed past a few kisses here and there, and I respected her too much to ogle her while she was half-dressed.

  Damn my morals. I really would have liked to have seen Tally in all her naked glory. The possibilities haunted my dreams.

  “You don’t have to turn your back,” she said, a note of amusement coloring her tone. “As far as anyone here knows, you married me for love, not convenience.”

  “And?”

  “And it would look odd if we aren’t comfortable around each other... right?”

  “Right... but we’re also behind closed doors.” I continued to stare at the wall.

  “I wouldn’t put it past that Grimsbane woman to have someone or something spying on us.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “If you want to sell this charade, try to be a little less respectful.”

  I could feel the smile on my mouth. “If disrespectful is what you’re after, my dear, it’s my natural state.”

  “That’s funny, Mav.”

  “Ignatius.”

  “Right.”

  “Just so you know, nothing is getting through my wards. So spies aren’t something you need to worry about.”

  “Well, the point still remains.”

  “A point I am happy to ignore.”

  She paused. “And why is that?”