I wasn’t so far gone, however, that I forgot his worrisome declaration. “I did?”

“Yes.” Killian’s smirk was almost radiant. “If difficult, physical feats don’t break your seal, perhaps it requires a gentle touch.”

I froze in his arms, my eyes bulging.

Killian gently pressed his forehead against mine, invading all of my senses. “I think we ought to experiment.”

I stammered for a moment, trying to find a sufficiently sassy reply, before I decided that to keep my pride, a sacrifice was necessary.

“Hard pass, thanks!”

Using his chest like a springboard, I jumped from his grasp, plopping into the deep end of the pool, effectively dunking myself. I surfaced with a sputter to the sound of dry chuckles. It took a few moments of dog paddling toward the side of the pool before I realized the vampires on guard duty were laughing.

Some were only grinning, a few were laughing, their stances greatly relaxed as they slightly shook their heads. The biggest of them all was actually crouched on the ground, his back facing me as his shoulders shook with silent laughter.

It seemed that I had achieved my goal in lightening the atmosphere. Satisfied, I boosted myself onto the pool edge—gleeful that I was able to do so with relative smoothness, all thanks to weightlifting!

“You’re leaving?” Killian called. “Don’t you want to come back for a heated embrace?”

“No!” I firmly said, a blush warming my cheeks.

Killian leaned his back against the side of the pool, resting his arms on the edge. “Embarrassed is a good look for you,” he called out to me.

I grabbed my towel and wrapped it around me. “Go drink a blood juice box!”

“Now you’re concerned for my health—how absolutely touching! Behold—the honor of a virtuous idiot.”

“I hope you get sunburned!”

The relief in the tense atmosphere at Drake Hall was temporary. By the following day everyone was grim-faced again—though Celestina and Josh were around a little more.

Four days after the pool incident, Celestina took my training back. She worked me hard, but I was pleasantly surprised when she suggested we finish with a snack in the kitchen.

She pulled out a bag of chips, a package of Oreos, and some fresh strawberries—all mostly for me. She ate a strawberry but just sipped at a mug of heated blood while I pigged out on the Oreos.

She let out a huge sigh after she drained the last of her mug, and leaned back in her chair.

“Tired?” I asked.

“Not physically, but I suppose I am mentally fatigued.” She offered me a half smile and traced the rim of her mug.

“Any updates on the murderer—or any leads?”

Celestina shook her head. “We’re following up on a few more crime scene leads, but the facts simply don’t add up. It seems the murderer occasionally uses fae magic at the site of the murder, but we haven’t been able to detect a pattern to the use, and we haven’t been able to prove that it’s even a fae perpetrator.”

“That’s rough.” I made myself drink my glass of water before I could ask her if she had considered any vampire suspects.

“There you are,” Killian said.

I jumped in my chair, dribbling water down my chin, when Killian abruptly appeared at my side, having soundlessly crossed the kitchen.

He looked at me the way a dog owner looks when their dog has been rolling in the mud. “I ought to get you a collar or a bell.”

“Microchipping is an option,” Josh said from just beyond Killian’s shoulder.

“They don’t do that to humans!” I snarled.

“Not even to wizards?”

“No!”

“Pity.” Killian turned his attention to Celestina. “Are preparations complete for the meeting?”

Celestina bowed her head. “Yes, Your Eminence.”

“And you are ready to leave?”

“Whenever you are, Your Eminence.”

Josh circled around the table during this discussion and picked up my unopened bag of chips, inspecting the label.

“What meeting?” I picked the green top off a strawberry.

“Tonight the Midwest vampires are holding another meeting in the Curia Cloisters to discuss the murders.” Killian slightly exhaled—which was about the equivalent of a child throwing a temper tantrum for him. “It is with the hope of discussing new security measures that could be taken to stop the murderer, but given the disappointing level of intelligence found in some of the vampire Families, I don’t expect a positive outcome.”

“It will give you an opportunity to remind them the Regional Magic Committee has finally ratified the new law limiting the Unclaimed allowed in an area,” Celestina said.

I blinked. “Wait, Unclaimed are vampires that don’t belong to Families, right? Why would you do that to your own people?”

Josh set the bag of chips down and unsheathed his broadsword, much to my confusion—though neither Celestina nor Killian showed signs of concern.

“It’s precisely because they are my people that I want to limit the Unclaimed,” Killian said. “The Midwest can have as many Lone Wolves running around as the werewolf Pre-Dominant wants. I will not allow vampires to gamble with their own lives and live without a Family, risking their necks, when they could provide support and strengthen our numbers when we already have difficulty turning new vampires.”

Judging by the way Killian narrowed his eyes, this was an issue he’d been fighting for a while.

I ate my strawberry as I digested his argument. It was valid—a vampire running around without a Family backing it was an easy target, especially given the feuds between races these days. And vampires, werewolves, and shifters in general were having a harder and harder time repopulating these days. But it seemed pretty high handed and tyrannical since it sounded like Killian was trying to cut off their options and force Unclaimed to join a Family despite their wishes.

“Between the new law and the discussion about the murderer, the meeting is likely to go late, so there will be no training for you tomorrow,” Celestina said.

“Okay.” I eyed Josh as he inspected his bare blade.

“Most of the Drake Family vampires will attend the meeting, but a skeleton crew will remain behind to ensure the safety of the Hall,” Killian said.

Josh picked up the bag of chips and artfully sliced through the top with his sword before sliding it back in its scabbard.

“Did you seriously just use your sword to open a bag of chips?”

Josh ate a chip. “What use is there in a sword if not to cut things?”

“Isn’t that, like, dishonorable to the blade or something?” I asked.

“Nonsense,” Josh said. “It is my homage to the blacksmith—they have created such a stunning weapon it must be used.”

I gaped at Celestina and Killian, but neither of them looked surprised, so I guess this was not a one-time behavior of Josh’s.

“There was a fresh delivery of blood today, if you would like to partake in some before we leave, Your Eminence.” Celestina stood up and tossed her blood pouch in the trash.

“Oh.” Josh set the chip bag down and shuffled off to the walk-in cooler. “Shall I fetch you one, Your Eminence?”

“It’s fine,” Killian called after his Second Knight. He raised an eyebrow at me as he watched me consume another strawberry, but he asked Celestina, “You made arrangements for a fresh blood delivery at the Curia Cloisters, I presume?”

Celestina checked her wrist watch. “Yes—it should arrive around the time we do. I wanted the freshest delivery to keep any of the other Families who usually use blood donors from complaining.”

“Well done,” Killian said.

Josh reappeared from the cooler, carrying three blood pouches.

Killian stared at him for several moments then took one.

Josh set the second down on the table and poked the straw taped to the pouch through it. “Are you sure you don’t need another one, Your Eminence?”

“I said it was fine.” Killian didn’t open his blood pouch, but stared down at it for a moment before swiveling his gaze over to me. His eyebrow twitched, and he flicked me in the forehead.

“Ow,” I said automatically, even though it didn’t hurt.

Killian left before I raised my hand to rub at the spot.

“Stay safe, Hazel,” Celestina called over her shoulder as she followed him out.

Josh merely nodded to me and left, tossing his emptied blood pouch in the trash on his way out—leaving behind the unopened second pouch.

“Good luck!” I called.

By the time I finished my snack of strawberries, Oreos, and chips, a few of the blood donors had drifted into the kitchen, searching for dinner. I chatted with them as the sun sank beyond the horizon, leaving the sky enveloped in velvet black.

It wasn’t until we finished and were tidying up the kitchen that I remembered the extra blood pouch.

“Oh, I can put that away, Hazel,” Amanda—the chatty blood donor I’d met the day I arrived at Drake Hall—offered.

“It’s fine! I know where everything goes—I used to organize the blood after every delivery.” I trotted over to the walk-in cooler and set the blood pouch on the frosted shelves. I made a face when I noticed that no one bothered to arrange the blood by expiration date, so there were some expired packs pushed to the side.

But I couldn’t blame anyone—I knew personally the kitchen staff were busy. And it’s not like we could expect the vampire that made the deliveries to do it. Wait.

I paused just outside the cooler and mentally reviewed my thoughts. “A vampire makes the blood deliveries,” I said.

Only Amanda was left in the kitchen. “Hmm? Oh, yes. She’s been the delivery person for months.”

There was something about this—I felt as if I was on the edge of making a huge discovery if I could just puzzle it out correctly. “It’s the same delivery person every time?” I asked.