MY FIST BANGED ON Ian’s suite door.  I didn’t care what the other faculty members thought.  By now they should be used to me stalking around places I didn’t belong.  I spent more time here than in my own dorm.

“I know you’re in there,” I hissed.  “I heard you walking around.”  I’d always had exceptional hearing, but after the close encounter with my demon side, my senses had sharpened even more.

After another pause, the door swung open.  Dark circles bruised beneath the middle-aged man’s dark eyes and his sandy blonde hair was sticking up in places.  Without waiting for an invitation, I pushed by him.

“Hello, Kory.”  He didn’t sound happy to see me.  “What can I do for you?”

I spun around and crossed my arms against my chest.  “For starters, you can tell me what you had to do with faking my parents’ death?”

He quickly closed the door behind him.  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

I didn’t believe him.

“I’ve never met an Owen or Kathryn Colt before and—”

I lifted my hand, cutting him off.  “Try Jamison and Cordelia.  You recognize those names?”

Some of the color drained from his cheeks.  “Where did you hear those names?”

“I have my sources.”  I didn’t want to rat out Mr. Karr.  “Start talking.”

Ian stalked by me into the small sitting area.  The room resembled Rex’s only a little bigger.  “James and Cordi were my friends.  I helped them when they asked.  That’s really all there is to it.”

I scoffed and followed him.  “Oh please.  You helped them fake their death.  That’s not some little favor.”

He grabbed a tobacco pipe from the white quartz counter in the kitchen.  “It was a long time ago.  Before you were even born.”

“You knew exactly who my parents were when you first met me.”  He’d said I reminded him of someone and there was always that knowing little glint in his eyes.  “You probably knew I was in Bishop this entire time living like a human until one night I was attacked by a demon.  And bam!”  I clapped my hands together, the sound echoing like a crack of thunder between us.  “My life was turned upside down, and I’ve been searching for answers ever since.”

At least he had the decency to look guilty about it.

Ian sighed and dragged his free hand through his hair.  “Your parents didn’t want this life for you.  They wanted you far away from it.”

“I don’t give a damn what my parents wanted,” I snapped.  “They’re dead.”

He flinched and looked away.  “Kory, they just want you safe.”

“A lot of good it did because I’m being chased by the two most powerful demons in this world.”  I spun around and paced in front of the breakfast bar.  “Did my parents fake their deaths because of Kye?”

“No,” Ian said.  “He was a late surprise in the game.”

“So he had nothing to do with their deaths?”  After learning about Kye’s big master plan, he was more likely to turn them.  Both my parents were pureblooded ferrums.

“No, Kye didn’t kill them.”  Ian’s voice was riddled with mystery, and his eyes were too unreadable. 

He was hiding something. 

“Lorne had something to do with why my parents faked their death.”  Process of elimination told me that, which meant he must have murdered them too.  He hunted them down, found them in Jasper and killed them.

But why?  What did Lorne have to do with my mother, the DNA test, and the Liber de Sanguine?

“What does Lorne want?”  When he didn’t answer, I stepped toward him, crossing my arms against my chest.  “What does he want, Ian?”

He placed the pipe down and sauntered toward the coffee pot.  “The less you know, the better.”

“And why is that?” I asked through clenched teeth.  Keeping me in the dark was proving to be a stupid idea.  I always ended up in deep water anyway.

“Look, Kory, Lorne is not the pressing matter right now.”  He grabbed a container of coffee from the cabinet.  “Kye is.”

He was diverting, but he was half right.  Kye was a problem, a problem he could have warned me about sooner.

“You knew exactly who Kye was the whole time, didn’t you?”  He’d taught lessons about him in history.  Had he secretly been trying to warn me?  The lessons on how easy it was to fall into the darkness had seemed too poignant and perfectly timed. 

“I did.”  He flipped the switch on the coffee pot, turning it on.  He spun around.  “Would it have honestly made a difference if you had known who Kye really was?  He’s a soulless monster either way.”

I wasn’t so sure about the soulless part.  Evil?  Yes.  But the pain I glimpsed in his eyes last night—you needed a soul to feel something that deep.

“Oh my goddess.”  Ian leaned away from the counter, scrutinizing me.  “He’s already gotten to you, hasn’t he?”

My head snapped back.  “What are you talking about?”

“I see the doubt in your face,” he said.  “That demon has gotten inside your head.  He has a hold on you.”

I scoffed.  “That’s ridiculous.”  Ian didn’t understand.  I wasn’t saying Kye had a redeeming bone in his body, but he hadn’t seen what I had.  Kye wasn’t just some evil villain.  There was a reason he was that way. 

Maybe I could see it because I’d been so close to the dark.  Some of that darkness still lingered.

Ian was directly in front of me.  “He is a monster, Kory.  You need to remember that.”  He licked his lips.  “He was involved in tearing your parents from you.”

My brow arched.  “I thought you said he didn’t kill them.  Lorne was the one.”

“I never said Lorne killed them.”

I shook my head, trying to cast off the riddles he was throwing at me.  “Did Kye kill them or not?”

“No.”

I tossed my hands in the air.  “Stop talking in circles.  You’re obviously trying to hide something from me.  What is it?”

A groan left his mouth, and he rubbed his temples.  “I just want you to remember Kye is the bad guy, through and through.”

“I never said otherwise.”  I rolled my eyes.  This conversation just kept playing on a loop.  Kye is bad, Kye is bad…

Ian’s fingers suddenly wrapped around my biceps.  “I mean it, Kory.  He spent centuries killing and torturing people.  Did you forget he turned your friend and forced you to kill him?”

Red.  It was all I saw.

I broke his grasp on my arms with a defensive move.  Hitting a teacher was against the rules, but I didn’t always follow those rules in the heat of the moment.  “Don’t talk about Stein,” I hissed, my nostrils flaring.  “You don’t know shit about him or what happened so don’t pretend to.” 

Ian’s eyes were wide.  He’d never been introduced to my angry side.  After almost becoming a demon, it was ten times more menacing. 

“Just because you knew my parents, doesn’t mean you know me or what’s happened in my life.” I stepped closer, peering into his face.  It didn’t matter that I was several inches shorter than him.  I was the intimidator.  “In fact, if I had known just how dangerous my blue-eyed stalker was back then, maybe I could have protected Stein.  Maybe I could have saved him.” 

He swallowed hard and took a step back.   “I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have brought that up.  I’m only worried about you.”  He scrubbed a hand over his face, trying to lessen the weariness.  “I only want you to understand how dangerous this demon is.”  His dark eyes pinned me.  “He wants to turn you.  He’ll turn you against your will the first chance he gets.”

“I’m very aware of what Kye wants.”  He wants me to be his queen of the damned in his new world.  “And I’m not letting that happen.”

The coffee pot dinged when it finished percolating.  He spun around and grabbed a cup down from a cabinet.  “That’s good because he’s going to try his hardest to make it happen.”

I cracked my knuckles and shook my arms out, trying to calm the raging anger.  As the red haze cleared, my brows slammed together.  “Stop trying to divert the subject from my parents.” 

His shoulders tensed.

Caught you.

Ian was a brave one.  He risked my anger to throw me off topic.

Stupid.  But brave.

I crossed my arms against my chest, impatiently tapping my foot.  “Why did my parents fake their death before I was born?”

A knock echoed at the door.

“I should get that.”  Ian quickly marched by me.

“No, you shouldn’t,” I mumbled between clenched teeth. 

Maxton’s large frame filled the doorway, his honey eyes landing on me.  “Kory, I thought you were supposed to be in your dorm.”

My brows slammed together.  “Are you my keeper now?”  Just because he and Rex had some powwow last night did not mean he was my mentor number two.

A cocky smirk curled his lips.  “Thank the goddess I’m not because you’re never where you’re supposed to be.”

I rolled my eyes.  “Your student is so much better.”

As if on cue, Alec stuck his head in the door.  “I didn’t know you were here, Kory.”

My eyes flicked toward the clock.  Man, it was way too early for this shit.  I didn’t even have school, and I was up at the crack of dawn.  Rex had ruined the teenager in me.

I shot Ian a narrowed glare.  “This conversation isn’t over.”

He sighed.  “Why don’t you get yourself some breakfast from the faculty room?”

I shivered at the thought of that pristine room with white tablecloths, crystal glasses, and sparkling silverware.  No thanks.

“Wait.”  Alec followed me out of the door.  “How are you, I mean after last night and everything?”

“Fine.”  At least no one died.

“Did you stay at Rex’s?” he asked.  “I bet he wouldn’t let you out of his sight.”

I shot him a look.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”  He and Max had walked in on us kissing.  Alec practically called me a whore over it, but it was before I mentioned Rex had brought me back from the brink of demonhood.

He shrugged.  “I know you guys are caeteras.”

I yanked him to a stop.  “You want to say that louder?” I hissed glancing around the empty hall.  “I don’t think everyone in the next building heard you.”

He held his hands up, wincing.  “Sorry.”

I shook my head.  I just found out last night, and this tool already knew.  “Who told you, Max?”

“Yeah.”  He shrugged.  “After what you told me and how you guys act, it’s pretty obvious.  Any idiot could figure it out.”

I motioned for him to keep walking.  “Except the part about me being seventeen.”

His lips puckered.  “That is weird.  You guys shouldn’t be showing any of the indicators for another few years.”  Alec shoved his hands in his pockets.  “But you’re not like most of the students here.  You already have more than a dozen broken infinity marks.”

Fourteen to be exact.  “That’s because I’m a badass.”  There was no point in denying it.  It was obvious.

 “Whatever.”  He awkwardly cleared his throat.  “Look, Kory, I kind of need a favor.”

I halted.  “You’re asking me for a favor?”

“Yeah.  Hell has frozen over.”  His green eyes turned serious.  “You don’t have to do it.  I know what I’m asking is dangerous.”

I didn’t like the sound of it already.  Alec asking me for a favor in the first place was hazardous to my health.  We were enemies.  What were we now?  Frienemies?

Man, did I just land in a teen drama show?

Alec chewed on his bottom lip, hesitating.  “Do you think you could ask Cass—I mean Kye—if Daniel and Trey are still ferrums?”

My blood ran cold.  “You want me to do what?”

He sighed and rubbed his face.  “I know they aren’t the nicest guys, but they don’t deserve being turned into the thing we hunt.  If they’re still okay, maybe you could ask for them back.”

Alec was wrong.  This wasn’t dangerous.  It was stupid.

“What makes you think he’ll just give them back even if—on the small chance—they’re still ferrums?” 

He shrugged.  “He has a soft spot for you.”

My jaw unhinged.  “A soft spot?  You call stalking me and wanting to turn me into his dark angel a soft spot?”

He winced.  “It’s something.”

I leaned against a wall and covered my face with my hands.  Seeking out Kye was a bad idea.  Rex would flip his shit if he knew I was even considering it.

But Kye wouldn’t be near Amarose Academy if it wasn’t for me.  He wouldn’t have gone after Trey or Daniel. 

My eyes landed on my arm, the broken infinity tattoos covered.  The third and the sixth were painful reminders of people I’d lost.  I couldn’t save Maggie or Stein.  If there was a chance I could save Alec’s friends, I should take it.

Oh god.  I couldn’t believe I was doing this.

“Okay.”  When a hopeful smile brightened his face, I lifted my palm, cutting him off.  “I’m not promising anything.  One, it’s not like I have his phone number.  And two, it may be too late.”

Alec nodded.  “It doesn’t matter.  As long as you try, that’s all I can ask for.”  He leaned forward.

I backed up, my eyes narrowing.  “I know you are not about to hug me.”

He shrugged nonplussed.  “Wouldn’t be the first time I held you in my arms.”

A snarl melted over my lips.  “How could I forget?”  Alec caught me when I fainted last night and had that vision of Rex.  “Just go before I change my mind.  You can thank me later.”

He shot me a genuine smile before spinning around and heading back to Ian’s.

I whipped out my phone, scrolling through the recent calls.  I didn’t have Kye’s number, but I had another demon’s digits.

My finger hesitated over the send button.

This was such a bad idea.

I hit it.

It rang three times before that familiar voice slithered over the line.  I wanted to puke.

“Well, this is a surprise,” Nate said.  “Did you miss me that much?”

“I want to speak to Kye,” I hissed, the hand holding the phone trembling.

A deep chuckle resonated.  “Sorry, he can’t come to the phone right now, but if you’d like to leave a message—”

I cut him off.  “Save your games, Nate.  I want to speak with Kye right now.”

“My, my, he really has gotten to you.  You actually want to speak to him and from the way you sound, you’re pretty damn desperate.”

I was desperate to get off the phone with him before I crushed it with my bare hands.  “Are you with him or not?”

“I’m not.”

“Can you give him a message?”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

My jaw clenched.  “Tell him to call me.”

“I might forget.”  He chuckled again.

“You’ll tell him because when he finds out I called looking for him and you didn’t say shit, he’ll do more than rip your spine out.”

A long pause stretched between us until Nate let out a sigh.  “Fine.  I’ll tell him.  You used to be a lot more fun.”

I hung up before I heaved all over the tile floor.  Talking to the sick prick that tried to take advantage of me twisted my stomach in knots.

My stomach pain was the least of my worries though.  I just actively sought Kye out.  He was going to take this as a sign of my weakening resolve.  I could only imagine how the conversation was going to go.  Even if Trey and Daniel were alive, Kye wasn’t just going to hand them over.

He’d want something.  And it would probably involve me.

 

∞∞∞

 

I wiped a dribble of sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand.  Rex was standing in front of me, breathing heavily.  The gray t-shirt stuck to his torso, outlining those incredible abs.  His skin glistened in the gym lights.

He was too sexy. 

Training with him was always a challenge, but now that I knew he was my soulmate—he was mine—I couldn’t stop picturing his hot bod wrapped around me.

“You need a water break?” he asked.  “You look flushed.”

I shook the smut from my mind.  “Nope.  I’m good.”

The corner of his lips twitched.  “Is something distracting you?”

Yeah, you.

I answered his question with a kick to his shoulder.  He caught it.

“I saw that coming.”  He smirked.

“No, you didn’t.  You just took a good guess.”  I motioned toward my imprisoned limb.  “Are you going to let go?”

He let my foot drop after another beat.  His eyes lingered over me, the gold flecks brightening in a way that made my stomach flutter.  “You’re eighteenth birthday is in a couple of weeks.

Meaning, I’d be legal.

“And then graduation not long after,” he continued.

I shook out my arms, loosening my muscles.  We’d been at it for over an hour.  “What happens after graduation?  Will I get a job?  Will I work here?”  Really, I wanted to know if he’d be with me.

“Most hunters are given jobs at a school for at least a year.”  Rex motioned toward my left arm.  “Are you sore?”

“No.”  I rolled my shoulders.  “Just tight.”

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer.  His fingers began gently massaging my arm.  “You could work here or another school.  But I was hoping…”  He paused, his eyes searing into mine.  “I was hoping you’d join the team in Bishop.”

I blinked.  “They’ll let me do that?”

He nodded.  “I don’t see why not.  You’re ahead of everyone else here.  You’ve already had tons of field experience.”

Deep down, I’d feared they wouldn’t let me work with Rex.  “You’ll still be the leader of it, right?”

“Of course.”  His fingers were like magic and seriously addicting.  “Whatever you decide, I’ll be with you.”

My head shifted back.  “Really?”

A smile twitched his lips.  “Yes.  The Council doesn’t split up caeteras, and I plan on telling them after you graduate.”

I froze and just stared at him.  The iron fist ferrum council wasn’t going to tear us apart?  They weren’t going to separate us for having a secret relationship before I was eighteen?

Rex would always be with me.

“Really?”  My voice was soft, timid even.  I was so used to my world unraveling I didn’t expect anything so solid.

Rex’s fingers stopped, and his expression softened.  “Of course, Koralein.  The Council isn’t some evil entity that torments people.  The goddess put us together, and they’d never go against that.”

A lump clogged my throat, and I quickly blinked back the tears burning in my eyes.  “Oh.”

“Come here.”  Rex pulled me into a hug, his warm arms wrapping around me.  We definitely shouldn’t be doing this in the gym.  Anyone could walk in, and we’d be busted.  We might be soulmates, but I was still underage.

Rex was usually more careful. 

I was kind of glad he wasn’t right now.

A smile slowly curled my lips as I clung to him.  “So I can work with you and the boys?”

“Yep.”  His hand traced circles on my back.

“Can I be your second and boss Sven around?”

His chuckle vibrated in my ear.  “You already boss him around.”

“True.”  I pulled back, peering into his face.  “But I’ll get paid to do it.”

He shook his head and brushed a finger across my jaw.  “I haven’t seen you smile this big in a while.  Not since Jack lost that bet with Bryson and had to wear a pink tutu all day.”

My phone buzzed before I could get lost in the happy memories.

Rex arched one brow.  “You’re not supposed to have that thing on during training.”

I reluctantly slipped out of his grasp.  “I forgot.  It’s probably Braelyn wondering if I’m coming to dinner.”

“Take a five-minute break.”  He flashed a grin.  “I’ve got a few new takedown techniques you might like.”

“Takedowns.  My fav.”  Oh god.  I did not just say fav.  I was spending too much time with Braelyn and Kelsey.

I grabbed my phone out of my bag and checked the screen.

It wasn’t Braelyn.

Ice traveled through my veins, and my body froze.  It was an unknown number, but I knew who would be on the other end when I answered.

And I had to answer.

“It’s not Braelyn, is it?” 

Rex’s voice had me jumping out of my skin.  I shook my head.

His eyes narrowed.  “How about you tell Brett you’re no longer available.”

I swallowed hard and nodded, still staring at the screen.   A door across the gym opened, letting in Annabeth and Josh, another young instructor.  Rex trailed toward them.

My mouth was dry as the Sahara as I pressed the answer button.  “Hello?”

“Hello, beautiful.”