Prologue Faint Heart, Fair Headmaster
Foster
A knock sounds on my office door and my stomach clenches before I can stop it.
Which is absurd. He’s a student. Maybe the most powerful student this school has ever known, but still just a student.
And I am his headmaster. This visit is more than just necessary. It’s long overdue, and I owe it to him.
“Come in,” I call, ignoring the uneasiness creeping down my spine as I get up from my desk to meet him halfway.
But vampires are fast when they want to be, and he’s standing in front of me before I can so much as round the corner of my desk.
Our eyes lock and my uneasiness grows, despite my best efforts to the contrary. There is weariness in his eyes, and wariness, and so much power that it’s disconcerting even for a man who has spent his life dealing with the children of the very rich and very powerful.
It’s not the weariness or the power that makes me uneasy, though. It’s the pain lurking in the very depths of his eyes that has me worried—not for myself but for Katmere. For my students. And for him.
Pain is a normal part of life, and for students who have lived a normal life—extraordinary, yes, but also normal in its own way—such pain doesn’t bother me.
All growth requires some unease. But in students like Hudson Vega, who have suffered nearly every minute of their existence and who know little of anything but suffering, it terrifies me.
There is no telling what they are capable of. And no telling what others are capable of doing to them from fear, either.
All of which means I’m in a no-win situation here. Then again, so is he. It’s that thought, that knowledge, that has me tamping down my nerves once and for all and gesturing to the chair in front of me.
“Please sit down.”
Hudson does as he’s asked. He is nothing if not polite.
I expect him to say something, to ask a question or two about why I’ve called him to my office.
But I’ve underestimated him. This is Cyrus Vega’s son, after all.
If he knows anything, it’s how to play the long game—something he’s definitely doing now.
He’s waiting for me to make the first move before he decides how he wants to approach this meeting.
Too bad I was counting on doing the same thing.
I am the one who brought him here, though, not to mention the only adult in the room, so I guess it’s only fair that I get the ball rolling.
Which is why I clear my throat, adjust my tie, and say, “I’m sure you’re wondering why I asked you to meet me here.
I want to assure you that you’re not in trouble. ”
I expect at least a fleeting look of relief to cross his face at my assurances, but all he does is lift a brow while his ice-blue gaze stays locked on mine.
It’s a look meant to inform me that he isn’t worried in the slightest about getting in trouble—and that he’s here, in my office, because he chooses to, not because he feels compelled.
Considering he still hasn’t uttered a word, I have to admit I’m more impressed than I want to be.
“No students were hurt in your…” I pause, trying to figure out the right word to describe what happened after the Ludares trial this morning and settle on, “Demonstration earlier today. The arena itself can be rebuilt—having a few engineers adept at witchcraft on staff will help with that—and trees can be replanted in the clearing. The ground around the area will take a little longer to heal, but our earth witches will be working on that as well.”
Now both brows are up, and his face isn’t blank anymore. Instead, it says more clearly than any words could that if I think he gives a shit about the damage he caused today, then I am even more clueless than he thought.
Sometimes this job really sucks. The whole reason I became headmaster at Katmere was because I want to help guide these kids into the best adult paranormals they can be.
And for the most part, it’s been a pure joy.
Sure, these kids pull their fair share of pranks and yes, there’s all the parental pressure and cheating and other stuff that goes on in any other school.
But, in general, my job is mostly doing what I love—helping kids reach their full potential.
But every once in a while, a difficult kid comes along, one who is bursting with so much power and potential that the world should be their oyster.
I can see the most amazing future unfolding in front of them if they’ll just allow themselves to reach out and grab it.
But something is holding them back, or they keep getting in their own way, and it’s a struggle to reach them at all.
Hudson is one of those kids. I know he’s not the only thing getting in his way—being raised by a vicious bastard like Cyrus would mess any kid up—but still.
I wish I could get him to lower his guard just enough to let me in.
Just enough to trust me a little bit. I could work with that.
We both could. And it would be so much better than sitting here wondering if he’s going to make me disappear if I say the wrong thing.
Still, faint heart never won fair maiden—or anything else of value. So I take a deep breath and dive right in to what I really want to talk about. “I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, Hudson, but there’s a spot for you at Katmere Academy if you would like it.”
And there it is, in the sudden jerk of his body and the first flicker of emotion that crosses his face since he came to my office. I’ve surprised him. Good. Maybe if I can keep him off guard, we can actually make some progress.
“Due to the unfortunate circumstances of your last weeks here—”
“Unfortunate circumstances?” he asks sardonically.
I get the sarcasm, considering those “unfortunate circumstances” include him causing the deaths of several Katmere students and culminated in his own demise at his brother’s hands. In fact, “unfortunate” might be an understatement.
I rub at an ache in my chest and force myself to focus on today’s problems.
“We both know what happened,” I tell him after a moment of silence. “I don’t think it behooves either of us to dwell on it.”
“Just like it doesn’t behoove us to dwell on the fact that I just brought down an arena and turned the vampire king’s bones to dust.”
I try to think of a diplomatic reply to that, but there really is none. So instead, I just say what I really think. Which is, “We both know Cyrus had it coming.”
That surprises him for real this time, and I can see his guard drop just a little bit. Which makes me happy, because it finally feels like I have a chance to get through to him.
“Cyrus had a lot more than that coming,” he replies in his crisp British accent.
“True. But that’s another reason that I want to talk to you. I want you to know that as long as you are a Katmere student, you’re under the school’s protection. Under my protection. I can make sure you’re safe from your father’s retaliations. And we both know he will retaliate.”
“He can try,” he answers as he stretches his legs out in front of him.
My gaze holds his. “You didn’t graduate when you were here last.” His gaze goes wide, and I press forward. “There are three more months in this school year. If you can finish up the classes you missed, make up any gaps in time spent in those classes, you can graduate with this year’s senior class.”
“With my brother,” he replies, zeroing in on one of the biggest risks of this whole situation. “I can graduate with Jaxon.”
“Yes,” I say cautiously. “But I do need to warn you that retaliation won’t be tolerated. I know things ended badly between the two of you—”
He snorts. “If by ‘badly’ you mean he did his best to murder me, then yes. Things ended badly.”
I sigh and decide to lay my cards on the table, considering this kid clearly sees through any diplomacy I try anyway.
“I need you to keep your shit together, Hudson. You’re on thin ice with most of the faculty anyway, considering what happened with Damien Montgomery and the other students, so you have to toe the line.
Don’t do anything that would get you kicked out, okay? ”
“So in other words, don’t kill Jaxon?”
“Yes, for the love of God, please don’t kill Jaxon. Or anyone else.”
“Trust the headmaster to take all the fun out of school,” he replies.
I know he’s joking—the wry amusement in his eyes proves that—but I still feel the need to issue another warning. “Hudson—”
“You can relax, Foster. I’m not planning on killing anyone who doesn’t try to kill me—or Grace—first.”
“Grace?” I ask, astonished by the intensity in him when he says her name. “What does my niece have to do with you sticking around to graduate from Katmere Academy?”
He doesn’t answer—big surprise. But being stuck inside someone’s head for weeks, or months, is bound to create some kind of connection.
Maybe that’s what he’s talking about. Either way, I’m not exactly thrilled with the idea of Grace hanging out with the most dangerous paranormal to ever walk the halls of Katmere Academy.
She’s already with Jaxon, and that is more than frightening enough for me.
She’s been through more than any seventeen-year-old should have to experience. She doesn’t need to add Hudson Vega to the list of things that will hurt her.
“Here’s your schedule,” I tell him, sliding the paper Mrs. Haversham gave me earlier across my desk. “It’s exactly the same as before…” Again, I stumble over how to phrase what happened last year.
“I died?” he fills in, having no such trouble.
“Your room is still the same—we never got around to clearing it out, so you can feel free to move back in.” I reach into my desk drawer and pull out the keys.
But as I reach over to put them in his open palm, I can’t stop myself from warning, “You need to concentrate on school for the next few months. And so does Grace.”
“Are you asking me to stay away from your niece?” he queries, and both brows are at his hairline now.
“I’m asking you to do the right thing, for both of you.”
He laughs, even as his fingers close over the keys. “As if there’s any such thing.”
I start to ask what that means, but before I can get the words out, he’s gone.
As the door closes behind him, I almost follow him and tell him to forget the whole thing. But the kid needs a chance, and no one else is exactly stepping up to give him one. So I need to.
I just hope it’s not a huge mistake.