Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
The first time Tobey invited Caldwell to our café felt like blasphemy, and bringing Jun to the same spot is as well—but enhanced tenfold. It’s a necessary evil, in this case. As Jun pointed out, there are ears everywhere on Strode, and some have senses superior to mine.
Considering the message after Amelia’s death, we don’t know how many killers there are on campus. I can’t risk any of them hearing us.
It’s not as if the café is unknown or underrated.
Plenty of human students rest around the place as we enter, nestled in cushioned armchairs and perched on wooden seats.
It has the best coffee in town, or so I would argue, but it’s not a well-known supernatural spot.
That makes this the perfect area for a secretive meeting, like this.
Jun looks like an average human now, without his horns and wings, but he’s still out of place. He peers with a curious expression and furrowed brows. “Why did you bring me here?”
“Because there’s less chance of the killer hearing us,” I say, “and less chance of being overheard in general. Human hearing is nothing to brag about, trust me.”
I contemplate telling Jun more. If he’s a part of this now. He should know there are multiple killers, but Tobey’s paranoid voice in my head stops me. We can’t trust him yet, not really.
His expression is flat. “Do you spend a lot of your time hanging out with humans?”
“Well… yes. I do. Always have.”
I’m one of the few from our world who know humans better than any supernatural being. The supernatural world is secretive, but if you know the right shadow to look in, it’s bustling—especially in Castine.
My mother’s tie to humanity makes me comfortable in these settings, and it’s by her design. She never wanted my life to be limited to a supernatural one. Instead, she had me attend an ordinary school and disguise myself as a normal person.
I could have gone to the best paranormal boarding schools alongside my fellow dhampirs, but I didn’t. Instead, I grew up with Tobey and Poppy.
Jun, it appears, did not have a similar upbringing.
“Aren’t you half-human?” I ask.
“We didn’t come here to talk about the failings of my human mother, did we?” He peers into his cup of coffee before taking a sip.
It sounds like he has information on the things that matter—the countless deaths on our campus—but there’s a part of me longing to know more about him. Am I stealing Tobey’s nosy nature? Or perhaps it’s an urge to learn more about Jun, and dangle the information over his head.
He already knows too much about me, considering how connected my family is to the campus, and I don’t know anything about him.
“I don’t know why we’re here,” I say. “You haven’t told me anything of substance.”
“Yes, I did. I fucking did. You’re the one getting distracted by petty bullshit.”
“You haven’t told me anything.”
And like that, we’re bickering again. How am I supposed to work with this infuriating man?
“Fine.” He presses his lips together. “I think I know what’s happening on campus, but you need to remember it’s a hypothesis. No one else will die because of me. Got it?”
What a relief; I’d rather work with someone who knows how to bide their time. Tobey is my best friend, but they aren’t my ideal partner in these situations. They run headfirst rather than sitting to the side and planning. It’s exhausting, even if it usually works out.
“And who, exactly, are you putting in danger with this information?”
“You.” He holds my gaze. “And if I’m right, the entire school.”
“Stop holding back on my account. I’ve lived through more in the last few months than you have in your life.”
“Somehow, I doubt it.”
“I don’t care if you believe me.”
“You’re interested in my family suddenly,” he says, “but do you know who my father is?”
“I know nothing about you.” I squirm in my seat before catching myself and sitting upright. A small vase of flowers rests in the center of our table, and I fight the urge to pluck each petal. “Until today, I would have considered it a blessing, but now…”
“What? You have a newfound interest in me?”
“No!” Yes. “And I’m revolted at the thought. But you’re scaring me, Jun-seong. Stop dangling the information over my head, or I’m leaving you alone with these humans.”
“You don’t have to resort to threats.”
“Apparently, I do.”
He leans closer, his jaw tightening as he grips the small, round table. “My father is the demon known as Strode.”
My lips part, and my eyes widen. Strode is a powerful demon known for having ties to our university. In fact, he’s supposed to be the founder—the namesake.
“Then you’re a nepotism baby?” I snort. “That would explain you always getting the best roles—”
“I’m no more of a nepotism baby than you are. Your father is involved in this, too.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t make me repeat myself, and don’t ask me how I know.”
My words catch in my throat, and his eyes flash red. The din of the café—the clinking of forks, and laughter from a couple huddled in the corner—becomes nothing but buzzing.
Papá? The man with the watch that matches Caldwell’s. The man who raised me and was more present than my mother. How…
“You need to slow down,” I say. “Give me a proper explanation—and if you think I won’t ask you to cite your sources, you’re more foolish than I thought. You will not accuse my father without proof.”
“Then I’ll accuse mine. I think my father is involved in the murders, too.”
“Slow down.”
“I don’t know how he’s tied to it, but… he’s in my dreams again. That can’t be a coincidence.”
“What is he? Freddy Krueger?”
“Margaux. Come the fuck on.”
“I’m serious! Is your father visiting in your dreams uncommon? He’s—he’s a death demon, isn’t he?”
We’re all required to study Strode history during our first semester. Strode, the founder of the school, is a demon of death. Everyone knows it.
Jun nods. “My father’s idea of raising me was sending me to a new boarding school whenever I got kicked out of the last one. He doesn’t reach out unless there’s a problem, and now he’s reaching hard. It started the night after I found the body.”
“I suppose that is concerning.” I press my lips together. “But it’s likely unrelated, and I don’t see how my father ties into this.”
His heart is racing. Jun is holding back—whether it’s a family matter or something else. We can’t work together until he’s willing to be forthcoming, but I know he has reasons to mistrust me.
I have the same reasons to doubt him.
He leans in, his dark eyes boring into mine. “What do you know about immortality?”
“Ah…” I chuckle. “I can’t tell you about that. It’s not that I won’t. I literally can’t. I don’t know a thing about immortality. There is a ceremony, but I’m not privy to it.”
“You need to become privy. Fast.”
“I can’t…”
I’m not ready.
Immortality has never fascinated me. My father has promised me, for years, that I can gain eternal life like my parents. I haven’t found the courage to tell him I don’t want to be like them.
“Fine,” he says. “Let’s try another angle. What can you tell me about your father’s secret society?”
No. No, no, no. I have to hear him wrong. How does Jun know about the—the secret society?
And does it have anything to do with the bird masks? With the sigil? It’s clear there’s something more happening around the campus, but my father doesn’t have a secret society. He can’t be keeping something this big from me.
“His what?” I ask, trying to keep my voice even as I lift my coffee to my lips.
“And once again, you don’t know shit.”
“I might, but—I need you to slow down.” I clutch the table. My head swirls as Jun continues.
“I can’t tell you how I know, but he has a group, and from what I’ve heard, it’s tied to the immortality ritual. It might tie to the murders, too.”
“Why? Why would those two things tie together?”
Jun is silent for a few moments, his heart racing faster and faster. I can hear each beat, every pound. He’s keeping things from me, and he admits to it. The worst part is that I still believe him.
How can I trust Jun more than my father? The world must really be ending.
“I don’t know why,” he says. “We need more information. I’ll admit that. That’s where you come in. Out of everyone on campus, you have the best shot at getting inside.”
“What am I supposed to do?” I choke on my laughter. “If I tell him I know about the secret society, or whatever, he’ll know it’s not a secret anymore.”
“Margaux…”
I continue rambling. “That’s the entire point of secret societies. The word secret is right in it, and—I still don’t know where you found out about any of this.”
A demon like Strode having secrets is no surprise, but my father being involved, without me knowing, is. Why wouldn’t he tell me, and how much more is he hiding?
His cheeks turn pink. “A friend. I can’t tell you who.”
“Ah… that kind of friend.”
“Don’t ask Professor Cruz about the society directly. You’re right, that’s stupid as fuck. All you have to do is ask him about immortality. Start there. Trust me.”
He’s right. The topic wouldn’t turn any heads in our household. Father and I have discussed it several times, but this may require me to push him about immortality more than I usually would.
“And why should I trust you?”
“No one else knows the things I know.” His eyes narrow, and he leans in. “Not a single soul. You’ve got to trust me, or your days of solving murders will end faster than your acting career.”
“Watch it.”
“It won’t matter. We might as well kiss the campus goodbye.
If my father is involved, this goes deeper than a couple of deaths.
It’s not a baby vampire on the loose or a serial killer.
If you think you can take down an ancient power with your little friends, you have another thing coming, and I won’t stick around to watch you die. ”
“I must admit…” I swallow thickly. “My father has been behaving suspiciously as of late.”
He smirks. “Oh?”
“I’m not saying he’s involved, but even though I don’t like you or trust you, I’m willing to allow you to prove yourself—and to be right. I don’t give chances like these so easily, and I won’t fall for faulty information.”
I was the one to push back against Tobey’s suspicions, and I’m thankful for it. Caldwell would have been in big trouble if I trusted their instincts without proof. Now, my father may be involved, and I’ll do the same with Jun.
“It’s not like you have another choice,” he says. “I’m the only lead you have, right?”
“That may be so. This ancient thing…” I close my eyes, doing my best to process the information. “You think it’s your father? Our fathers are killing students?”
“I don’t know, but I think they’re involved. And I think it’s big. You and I are the only ones with the connections to figure this out. So, I’m in.”
“I didn’t even invite you—”
“I don’t care. I’m in.”
As much as I hate him, and as much as I don’t want to accept his help, I need it. Whether Tobey will be happy about this is another story, and this may be another thing I regret, but…
I’ll take all the help I can get.
“You were terrified when we found the body. Why the sudden change?”
“Finding a corpse would scare anyone shitless.” He shrugs, leaning back in his seat. “But I won’t let fear freeze me. We need to end it this time—to really fucking end it. And I don’t think you can do it without me.”
In another circumstance, I would want to do it alone, or at least without his help. Proving Jun wrong should be imperative, but I no longer care. This is the time to strangle my ego, not let it fight against the only chance we have.
Tobey and I succeeded at killing Amelia but failed to avenge Poppy. I will always love Poppy and Tobey, but if Jun is right…
This is bigger than both of them. It’s serious enough for me to set my grudge aside, meeting Jun’s gaze with a devious smile.
“Perhaps you’re right,” I say.
“I am.”
“Then this is how I make a deal with a devil.”
“Not the devil—just a half-demon. Better that than a deal with my father.”
“And what is our deal? There has to be a catch or a payment. I know how demons operate.”
His teeth grind together, and he leans in, close enough that my nose fills with cinnamon and musk. “You don’t know me, no matter how much you want to.”
“Oh, trust me. I do not want to know you.”
“I’m not like my father.”
“Sure. I’ve clearly touched on a sore subject.”
“The point is, there is no catch. No deal. It’s you and me working together as equals. If you can’t do that, I’ll go to Tobey instead. They like me, don’t they?”
“They tolerate you.”
“I’ll take it.”
I grimace. There’s more Jun doesn’t know, and it’s probably best to change that if he’s going to work with us.
“Speaking of Tobey… there’s something you need to know about them if you’re going to be a part of our team.”