Black haired with a vampire’s signature red eyes and pale skin, the new vampire also wore what was apparently the Drake Family standard uniform of a black suit and tie…but the sword strapped to his belt was likely a personal addition. There was something about him…He possessed that deadly air that vampires have—the liquid grace that screams predator. But he didn’t hold himself the same way as his fellow vampires. He was shorter for a vampire, and his shoulders were slightly hunched, and he seemed tired, for lack of a better word.

“Josh—perfect, I could use your expertise in choosing Hazel a sword,” Celestina said.

The vampire, Josh, tilted his head. “Ahh, yes. Selecting a weapon of destruction that feeds on the lifeblood of its enemies and sings the sweet promise of death is a careful process—though a futile one given the fragile existence we eke out on this dying planet.”

My forehead wrinkled as I tried to sort through the vampire’s flowery monologue. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a vampire talking…death poetry. I thought that was limited to especially philosophical humans.

Celestina merely smiled at him, which meant this was probably another one of his eccentricities.

A few moments passed, then Josh shrugged. “With her lack of training, she’d have an easier time with a crossbow.”

“Killian wants her to have a sword. For her magic.”

He crossed the room, intently staring at me, then gazed at the weapons on his wall. “In that case, a chisa katana would be ideal for her—lightweight and shorter in length.” He brushed a few swords, before choosing a Japanese sword with a black hilt wrap. “This one,” he said, almost reverently. “With an original handguard from the Tokugawa era. The hilt is made of wood wrapped in ray skin and braided with silk rope.”

Josh selected a scabbard and sheathed the katana, then offered the weapon to me with a slight bow. “I trust you will take great care of it.”

I started to reach for the sword, until I realized what this meant. “Wait, isn’t this from your personal collection? Are you sure you want to lend it to me?”

Josh shrugged. “It is a gift—unless it is not the right sword for you. Then I will take it back and give you another.”

“But…it’s yours,” I dumbly said. “Isn’t there a practice one I can use?” I asked Celestina.

The beautiful vampire shook her head. “I’m afraid not—we weight our weapons. You wouldn’t be able to use them. Besides, Josh doesn’t mind.”

“Indeed,” Josh piped in. “It will provide me an excuse to buy a new sword to replace the bare spot on the wall.” He smiled in satisfaction—almost passing for cheerful—then practically pushed the sword at me. “It’s yours now.”

“Thank you.” Reluctantly, I took the sword, wincing when my fingers left smudgy prints on the lacquered black scabbard.

“Of course. You will require ties which will allow you to secure the scabbard to your clothes, but what you wear now is too pitiful to even attempt to use.” Josh eyed my clothes with clear condescension.

“I sent out for proper attire last night,” Celestina said. “Her clothes are in her room if you want to reference her size, but first we have to go for a run.”

Josh nodded. “Very well. I will do so.”

The dark-haired vampire left his bedroom, leaving Celestina and me behind.

“Does he seriously get to check out my room before I do?” I asked.

Celestina laughed. “You will be afforded privacy should you need it, but you will find the Drake Family does not hide anything from each other.”

Why? Because they were actually close, or because Killian was too paranoid of a takeover to let them be?

“Come, we will go outside for your run.” Celestina glided into the hallway, waiting only long enough for me to scramble through the door after her.

“We’re running outside? Can you do that?”

“I will be carrying a parasol for sun protection, and we will be moving at a slower pace given your human limitations,” Celestina acknowledged. “However, it is good for me to be out and under the sun—it gives me the opportunity to work on my stamina and practice operating in a weakened state. We commonly practice under the noon sun.” She led the way back to a spiral staircase that, if memory served me right, went all the way down to the first floor.

“Wow. So, Killian has turned the Drake Family into a bunch of Spartans, huh?” When I stepped down the first stair, my legs almost gave out from the stabbing pain in my thighs. I thought going up the stairs was bad. Unbelievably, coming down was so, so much worse.

“Perhaps relatively speaking,” Celestina said. “Rather, it is that we are living to our full potential.”

I kinda doubted the vampire I had seen in the Victorian outfit at the vampire meeting I’d busted into would see running outside as “living to her full potential.” Heck—I don’t think any of the vampires at the meeting believed that. But this was probably how Killian had become Eminent of the Midwest and had the Regional Committee of Magic in a choke hold. (Killian Drake was terrifying by himself. But knowing he had a houseful of ripped, militant-esque vampires who trained outside in the sun for funsies made him into a person you would never cross.)

Somehow I managed to hobble down the stairs and outside, all while carrying my new sword—though it did take me a while.

Celestina, thankfully, didn’t seem to mind. It gave her time to grab an umbrella (black, shocker) from an umbrella stand, and check in with a few vampires before escorting me outside.

The sky was a drab and cloudy gray, and there was a breeze that had a bit of a chill to it that made me smile. (Apparently spring wasn’t leaving without putting up a fight—a good thing if Celestina intended to make me run a lot, or I’d turn into a sweaty pig in minutes when I combined my magically induced high body temperature with the warm air and a brisk workout.)

Celestina led me to a running path that was covered with woodchips, nodding to the female vampire she had given the clothing orders to last night. “Good day, Julianne.”

Julianne smiled and twirled her own umbrella. “Hello Celestina—taking the wizard for a run?”

“Yes. Thank you for picking up her clothes.”

“Of course—whatever the Eminence wants!” The vampire—a pretty blond—glanced at me with a small amount of curiosity before she smiled again at Celestina. “Oh—Sigmund left his post about fifteen minutes ago—he wanted to get a fresh blood pack since we got a delivery about an hour ago. And Ling is holding a firearm practice right now which those of us who aren’t on duty are all attending.”

Celestina waved her off. “Thank you for the update.”

Julianne bowed. “I will leave you to it, then, and wish you well!”

Celestina turned back to me. “Now,” she began.

“Let me guess,” I said. “I have to carry my katana while I run.” I’d been eyeing the area, which was suspiciously free of benches or sword stands.

“Exactly,” Celestina said with some surprise. “You are smart for a wizard!”

“Wizards aren’t stupid.”

She looked unconvinced, but said nothing more as she indicated to the tree-lined path. “We’ll take this circuit. It’s the shortest—only a single mile.”

“Oh, well, if that’s all,” I said.

Celestina laughed. “I imagine it will seem long at first. But don’t worry—I can monitor your breathing with my hearing. If you need a break, we will walk. It will do you no good to push your body into an injury.”

“That does actually make me feel better,” I admitted. “As long as you actually know human breathing patterns?”

“I am familiar, yes. Shall we begin?”

I stared down at my sword. If my parents could see me now, what would they think? I then remembered what they’d done, and silenced the thought.

“Yeah.” I had to crane my neck back to meet Celestina’s gaze. “Starting sounds great.”

I switched my grip on my sword—getting more smudges on it—then rolled my shoulders back with determination.

Celestina nodded in approval, then trotted off—still in her high heels—at a tolerable jog. Well, a jog for me. Judging by how little her sun-blocking umbrella bobbed, I’m pretty sure it was a fast walk for her.

My arms had settled into a dull ache even though I toted my sword. Speaking of which, can I say I was so glad Josh decided to give me a smaller katana? I can’t imagine how terrible it would have been to drag one of the bigger ones around. But my thighs burned. Like, there was a distinct possibility I wasn’t going to be able to haul my rear upstairs to my bedroom once this was all over.

I wasn’t wheezing much—which surprised me until I realized it was probably due to all the sprinting and running away from potential bullies I did. But the pain from weightlifting had me scrunching up my face and limping along. “Shower,” I reminded myself. “Think of the shower.”

Celestina made an amused noise as we left the shady lane and the path meandered toward the back of the property. “Motivating yourself?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Is this the way to the pool?”

“Not quite. This path doesn’t go that far back…” She trailed off as she gazed out over the lawn, her dark brows bunching together in a look of concern.

“What is it?” I asked.

Celestina slowed down so she was barely moving as she carefully surveyed our surroundings, her red eyes tracing over the back of the mansion, the gardens, and the trees a little off to the side. “I smell something that doesn’t belong here.”

“What?” I jogged a little farther, then slowed to a walk as I studied her face.

“Death,” she said bluntly.

I wondered about that—vampires were technically dead, after all. But I wasn’t about to ask such a rude question, plus Celestina looked legit worried, so I started scanning the area as well.