6. Jack
Chapter six
Jack
Once I was able to untangle myself from my dads’ vigorous inquiries — seriously it was as if I was on trial — I tried my best to be nonchalant as I walked up the stairs to my bedroom and closed the door behind me.
My mind raced with the events of the day.
The image of the mangled and dismembered body lying in the alley was burned into my mind.
I could still smell the sickly sweet scent of the vampire’s blood, see the crimson color dripping down the wall from each meticulously drawn letter of the message Kyren had left.
The hunter in me screamed for me to run to his house and demand justice for what he had done. Not that the Hunter’s Guild particularly cared much about vampire-on-vampire crimes. Still, my skin itched for the hunt.
Except… this was Kyren. Could I really hunt him? Kill him? Watch the life drain from his eyes as my dagger tore his heart apart?
I shook my head, dragging Tate’s jacket off my shoulders and tossing it on the bed.
As much as I wanted to say I could be unbiased in my job, I couldn’t see myself being able to do it. Not with Kyren. No matter if he was still mad at me.
Tate had said Kyren wouldn’t have killed the other vampire if he didn’t have a reason.
I pondered what he could have possibly been thinking while I changed into a pair of dark washed jeans and a worn black hoodie.
The likelihood that I’d be able to walk into the Hunter’s Guild and ask what happened, who that woman was, and any other information they had was slim to impossible. I’d get laughed if not just kicked straight out of headquarters.
So, the only other place I could get answers was at the academy.
Sure, technically I was on a ‘break’ or whatever my parents told the faculty when they forced me out. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t be on campus.
I’d just casually ask around about a vampire woman with two-toned hair. See if anyone could tell me anything about her or why Kyren could have wanted her dead.
A part of me had a sinking feeling it had to do with the rebels. That maybe they were trying to get to me through my loved ones. Not that Kyren considered himself one of my loved ones anymore.
Still, if that were the case, then this whole ‘keep me locked up in my tower’ thing wasn’t going to work. They were bound and determined to get to me, and hiding away in my room was only going to make them escalate their process.
Once I’d pulled my boots back on, I grabbed my motorcycle helmet and walked toward my bedroom door.
A glance at the sky outside my window told me it was still a few hours from dawn, which meant there’d still be students awake around campus, but it also meant my dads were likely wandering the house.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to clear my mind and think about something, anything but what I had planned. It wouldn’t do for Rayne to hear my plans and ruin everything.
The hallway outside my room was empty. I tried to walk as normally as possible while still keeping an ear out to listen for my parents.
My mom’s laughter came from the direction of the kitchen. She was chattering with Tabby about whatever food she’d made that day. Darren chimed in occasionally. That’s two of the eight parents accounted for.
A familiar presence appeared behind me just as my feet hit the stairs.
“Should I be worried, petite braise?”
Fingers curled around the banister of the stairs, I turned one foot on the landing, the other on the stairs. My eyes found the dark blue eyes of my dad, Wynn, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed leisurely over his chest.
He seemed more ready to go to a club in his dark, form-fitting slacks and royal blue, button-up silk shirt, the neck open to show off half of his pale skin as his black curls tickled his neck.
If anyone saw us side by side, they’d think we were blood related, though they’d likely think he was my brother rather than my dad.
Out of all my dads, he was the most laid back, which meant that I’d won the lottery. If I’d been caught by any of the others, I’d be getting the fifth degree already.
I tapped my fingers on the banister and shrugged. “Nope. Just going for a ride.”
“I see.” Wynn’s eyes skimmed over me, seeking out the lie. “And this has nothing to do with your date with that wolf ending early?”
I smiled tightly. “Nope. Nothing to do with Tate. Or our date. Everything is fine.”
“Uh-huh.” He nodded slightly. “Well, be careful wherever you may be going.” He arched a brow, giving me a pointed look before sliding around the corner with the grace of a panther.
“I will.”
My foot had just stepped onto the next step when he called out to me again.
“And mon chère?”
“Yea?” I paused on the steps again.
“Marcus is in the receiving room.”
Crap.
My teeth clicked together, my gaze shooting down to the archway of the living room.
Second to Antoine, Marcus was the worst one of my dads to get caught by.
Once a knight, with armor and everything, he had this sense of honor that was hard to argue with.
You’d think, with being the undead and all, that he’d have loosen up some, but if anything, it had only made him more rigid in his beliefs.
An unmarried daughter running around on her own without a male family member to look after her ground against all of those beliefs.
Some might like to say it’s from a misogynistic belief that women are nothing more than property, but I think it came more from the fact that he couldn’t protect his own family when he was alive. So he’s making up for it with me.
Not mom.
God forbid he tried to keep her from doing what she wanted.
If I knew anything about my mom and her relationship with my dads, it’s that she could tell them all to fall on a stake, and they’d do it happily with a smile on their faces.
Well, not Darren, with him being human and all, but he’d do pretty much anything for her as well.
So best I avoided Marcus unless I wanted to be stuck explaining where I was going for an hour.
I quickly made my way down the stairs, not stopping to listen for Marcus or any of my other dads as I darted out the front door. A glance back at the house, showed a curtain fluttering in the living room. I ignored it, keeping my attention solely on getting to my bike.
Pulling my helmet on, I threw one leg over the machine. It roared to life as the front door opened. A tall, dark figure stood in the doorway, watching me from the threshold of the house, but not coming after me.
I flipped the visor of my helmet down and hit the gas, pebbles flying behind me as I zipped out of the front gate.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I ignored it, knowing it was likely my dad asking where I was going.
For all they knew, I had nowhere to be. No Hunter’s Guild to work at.
No academy to attend. And since I’d just been picked up and dropped off by Tate, no guy to visit.
Not unless Julian had calmed down or Kyren had changed his mind about blaming me for his sire’s actions.
I pulled up to the school just as the sky started to lighten. There were a few students still milling around the courtyard as I parked my bike and stepped onto the sidewalk. I had no idea where to start figuring out who the vampire Kyren killed was, but I wouldn’t find answers sitting at home.
Acting like I belonged there — which wasn’t hard since, up until a few weeks ago, I actually had — I strolled into the quad and then down the hallway. Maybe I should start in the cafeteria. There was bound to be some human servants still lingering there before sun up.
The moment I stepped into the cafeteria, a high-pitched scream pierced my ears and then I was being attacked by a little dark-haired gremlin.
“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!” Xinyi screeched, clinging to me with all her might. “You bitch!” She released me long enough to punch me on the arm. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?”
I winced, rubbing the spot. “Sorry, I didn’t know until a few minutes ago. And I’m not back. I’m just…” I glanced around, looking for anyone who might be eavesdropping.
The cafeteria was mostly empty. A few humans nursed their heads, hands around a cup of coffee or laid down on the table. Likely having had far more fun than they were expecting.
Leaning forward, I lowered my voice. “You don’t know any vampires that didn’t come home tonight, do you?”
Xinyi blinked her brown eyes at me, her black hair framing her face, making her look like a little doll, especially in the puffy sleeved pink and white dress she was wearing today. “A missing vampire? Not that I know of.”
“Oh.” I blew out a breath, slightly disappointed. But this wasn’t unexpected. Figured it wouldn’t be that easy.
Xinyi must have seen the disappointment on my face. “But Iris might?”
“Would she still be up?” I inquired, following her out of the cafeteria. Her hand was on mine, dragging me more than leading me.
“Oh, yeah.” She bobbed her head. “Iris can’t sleep unless I’m there.” She giggled, clear adoration on her face. “She’d stay up all day, if that was what it took.”
“That’s sweet,” I murmured, though I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about someone being so obsessed with me that they couldn’t sleep if I wasn’t there.
My mind flashed to a dark-haired vampire who, up until recently, kept my nightmares away.
Maybe I could understand how Iris felt a little bit.
We walked down the mostly empty hallways, getting a few curious looks along the way. Though no one stopped us, I hoped none of them reported that they’d seen me to the headmaster or worse, my dad, Antoine.
“Does it feel weird?”
“What?” I turned my attention back to Xinyi as we walked into the Vampire’s Crypt.
“Being back here.” She gestured around the foyer. “I mean, it’s only been a couple weeks, but I don’t know what I’d do if I’d been kicked out.”
“Woah.” I tugged her hand, making her stop. “I was not kicked out. I’m taking a mental health break.”
Xinyi stared up at me with wide eyes. “Okay, okay. I get ya. That’s just what we were told is all.”
“Of course they said that,” I scoffed, letting her lead me forward. “Let’s just say I’m having a bit of a disagreement with my parents right now.”
“And does this have anything to do with the missing vampire?” Xinyi’s gaze slid toward me, keeping her voice low, though it didn’t matter much here.
Every vampire and human servant could hear us.
Thankfully, most of the rooms had thick walls and doors, so it was only the ones lingering in the common areas.
“Uh… not really. Kind of.” I brushed my hair over my shoulder, shoving my hands into my pockets and bunching my shoulders. “It’s hard to explain.”
Her hair swished as she nodded. “Got it. None of my business, anyway. Come on, Iris is going to die when she sees you.” She paused and then giggled. “You know what I mean.”
Xinyi led me to their room and opened it without knocking. Covered in dark reds, blacks, silk sheets, and carpets with busy patterns, Iris lay on the bed in a short, white lace nightgown. Her eyes lifted to the doorway when we walked in.
“Jack!” Iris sat up in bed, her brows raising. “What a pleasant surprise.”
“Hey, baby.” Xinyi released my hand and bounced onto the bed, crawling along it until she was able to curl up against Iris’s side. “Jack isn’t back. Right?” She looked at me for confirmation.
“Right.” Then I slid my gaze back to the leggy Greek woman.
“I don’t mean to hold up your sleep, but have you noticed any vampire — a female one — that didn’t come home tonight?
” I thought back to the mess of blood and limbs in the alley, grimacing as I picked out two-toned hair. “She has black and white hair?”
If possible Iris’s brows rose even higher. “That’s Marianne, I believe. Has something happened to her?” She slid out of the bed, much to Xinyi’s disappointment.
“Oh, no. Well, I don’t know. Maybe.” I wasn’t sure how much to share with Iris. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her, but I didn’t want to get Kyren in trouble or the Hunter’s Guild on her ass. “Do you know where her room is here?” I gestured back toward the hallway.
Iris pursed her lips for a moment and then her head twisted toward Xinyi and spouted out something in another language. Mandarin, maybe?
Xinyi pouted and sank back onto the bed, staring off to the side.
“Come,” Iris instructed, not bothering to pull on a robe as she led me out of her room and down the hallway.
We passed by half a dozen doors before we reached one near the end of the hall. Iris indicated for me to wait and then knocked on the door. We stood there for a few minutes before she knocked again. Still nothing.
Iris wiggled the doorknob and found it locked.
With very little thought about it, she turned it until the lock broke. Pushing the door open, she dipped her head inside, and light from the hallway filled the room. I crept up behind her, peering over her shoulder.
Marianne’s room was more simplistic and modern than Iris’. Bathed in pale pinks and purples with random clothing thrown around the room. A floral perfume filled the air, too strong for it to have been days since it was sprayed.
“She was here today,” Iris commented, glancing toward me. “Have you seen her?”
I avoided Iris’s gaze. “I can’t really talk about it. I just needed to confirm her identity.” Not sure how close Iris was to this Marianne, I braced myself for her to demand answers.
She asked for none.
“Very well. Let me know if or when you can discuss it.” Without a goodbye, she walked out of the room, leaving me there standing in the middle of a dead woman’s bedroom.
I poked around for a few minutes but found little more than poorly written essays and far more perfumes than one person should ever own. Rubbing my eyes, I sighed and headed back toward the surface level of the dorms.
Crossing through the hallways, I contemplated if I could get into the school’s computer system without raising suspicion.
“Jack?”
I’d been so close. So close to getting the information and getting out of here without anyone being the wiser. Of course, it would be on my way out when I’m not paying attention that I’d get caught by the one person I didn’t need to see right now.
Pausing mid-stride, I forced my face to smooth over before turning around. “Professor Fawley.”