“Mr. and Mrs. Hunter, I’m Selena. I wish I was meeting you on better terms.” I extended my hand to them.

I stood in the doorway to the main house, and the stairs creaked as Lucas followed me up. Mrs. Hunter stared at the scars I never bothered to cover. Scars from a demon blade wound down my arms, and a six-pointed star was etched into my skin just below the hollow of my throat—clearly more than she was comfortable with. I didn’t want to see how she would react to the one that covered my back.

“Would you rather I put long sleeves on?”

She looked taken aback that I was straightforward enough to address her very obvious aversion to my scars, but I wasn’t challenging her. As stiff as it was, this was my attempt at being cordial.

Mr. Hunter stepped forward and quickly took my hand, since it was clear she had no intention of doing so. “I apologize for my wife. We’ve never dealt with something like this… Your scars—you aren’t what we expected.” He paused, drawing in a deep breath. “I’m sorry, but we need to know what happened.” His voice was compassionate, but I didn’t miss the suspicion rearing its head.

“The Vampires ambushed them. Selena did everything in her power to protect Victoria. This isn’t her fault,” Lucas growled from behind me.

His mother’s dark eyes narrowed as they flicked between us. Clearly, he’d read both her mind and mine, and she wasn’t pleased.

That makes two of us.

“Why don’t we take a seat,” Mr. Hunter quickly interjected before anyone else’s toes were stepped on. He steered Mrs. Hunter into the living room by the small of her back, while Lucas and I followed. This family dynamic seemed odd, and very unlike the one I’d known until it was ripped away from me. Lucas tensed, and I carefully masked my face as I shoved him from my mind. This day had already taken a strange turn, and I didn’t need to add to it.

His parents took their places on the loveseat, and I made a beeline for one of the chairs, but that didn’t stop him from taking the one next to it, only separated from me by a small end table. I gritted my teeth and turned to his parents, ready for the suspicion in his mother’s eyes that wasn’t completely unfounded. Not like I was going to tell them that though.

“My bus was pulling up to the stop when I saw Tori. As I made my way to the front, I noticed the first Vampire.” I kept eye contact with Mrs. Hunter. She seemed to be the steelier of the two, and her eyes narrowed at the mention of Vampires. Good. Even for a controlling bitch who pitted her sons against each other, she wasn’t stupid. She wasn’t so apathetic as not to care.

“When I heard Tori scream, I took care of them, and she teleported us out. That’s all I know, but I promise you that whoever’s behind this is going to pay in blood when I find them.” Tearing my eyes away from the Hunters, I stared down at my palm. The six-pointed star forever sealed into my flesh. I clenched my fists.

“And how did you ‘take care of them?’” Mrs. Hunter asked harshly.

“I disabled them,” I murmured. “That’s all you need to know.”

Her mouth pressed into a thin line, but as much as she didn’t like that answer, I wasn’t in a good place to go into every gory detail. I needed to replay it, and dissect it, and pull apart every scream, every glance, every word until I knew what I wanted to tell them and what was too important to give away. I needed time.

“That’s my daughter downstairs. I want to know what you did—”

“With all due respect, Mrs. Hunter, that is your daughter downstairs. You should be thankful she’s still breathing, and less concerned with how I dealt with the threat. She’s not the only one who was attacked, and I need to process what happened.” I was careful to keep the contempt out of my voice, masking it with shock.

It should’ve been an easy enough sell, but something about her thinning lips and cold eyes said she wasn’t buying it.

Mr. Hunter patted her knee, and something passed between them when their eyes met.

Telepaths.

Not good, but not entirely unexpected. No two gifts were ever the same, but almost all of them were passed through genes. The abilities that weren’t…they were more of a curse.

“We can leave the how for another time. I want to know why they were there in the first place. Why attack?” Mr. Hunter said.

All three pairs of eyes turned to me, and the lie was out of my mouth without hesitation.

“I have no idea. I plan on finding out, though.” I shook my head in disgust at what they’d done to Tori. Biting a Supernatural was an act of war, and we were already on the brink of it.

“Attacks have been happening all over the world in the last few months. Supernaturals are being attacked in their homes. On the streets. These are dangerous times,” Mr. Hunter said, seemingly lost in thought.

Mariana hadn’t told us. “Do you think the Council will act?” I asked. My knowledge of my world’s inner politics was spotty at best.

“I honestly don’t know how this is going to play out with everything else going on...” He paused, turning to his wife. “It’s time to bring Alec home, provided the Fortescues can spare him.”

Lucas tensed next to me, but Mrs. Hunter only nodded.

I sighed when she threw me one last disapproving look before leaving the room.

“Do you really think that’s necessary?” Lucas said quietly to his father.

“I understand your hesitation, but Victoria was bitten, and perhaps Alec can help us get justice for your sister. At the very least, he’ll likely be able to shed more light on what’s going on at Court to cause these attacks.” Mr. Hunter pinched the bridge of his nose and inhaled slowly.

“What exactly has been happening? If Supernaturals are being attacked, why has the Council done nothing?” I asked, leaning forward and bracing my arms on my knees.

“Every week or so for the last two months, we’ve been getting news of Supernaturals being attacked in their homes. Most killed, but some taken.” He paused, and a shiver went down my spine. Taken was a delicate way to say they’d either been turned or tortured. “The Council has been gridlocked. Some believe we need to respond with force, others want to form a coalition with the Vampires—a truce to end the killing. With Aldric stepping down soon, and Anastasia taking his place as heir…it seems very unlikely any truce will be made.”

Lucas clenched his hands, no doubt remembering the invasive and aggressive heir to the Fortescue empire. “With the family member of one of the Fortescues’ own ambassadors being attacked, though…this could change things.” A crease formed between his eyebrows.

Mrs. Hunter’s footsteps clicked sharply as she entered the room, a small smile on her lips. Lucas sighed, and I knew what was coming.

“Alec will be here tomorrow afternoon. The Council is meeting tonight to come to a decision about Victoria. You’ll be asked to give testimony upon his arrival. Hopefully, nothing will be forgotten while you process.” She pinned me with her stare, waiting for a response.

“Of course. I would expect nothing less.” I met her gaze, ignoring the latter comment.

A wicked smirk painted her lips for a moment, and I clutched the arms of the chair, my confidence faltering.

What did I just agree to?