I
t was so awesome to see him. After the fire, we’d been relocated in a hurry, and I hadn’t even said goodbye to him. We had, of course, talked and texted while the Academy was being repaired, but I had missed him terribly. He wasn’t just my boyfriend; he was also my best friend.
“So, who’s your friend?” he drawled, lazily sitting up, and grinning.
I went over and kissed his forehead, running my fingers through his dark hair, resisting the urge to show him how much I had really missed him. I’d wait and do that once we were alone.
“Quinn, Faustine. Faustine, Quinn. I was asked to mentor Faustine. She’s King Sebastian’s daughter.”
“Ah.” Quinn sat up straight. “The half-human?”
“Yep.”
“Interesting,” Quinn commented, giving Faustine the once over, the demon kind–which was totally intimidating at the best of times. “You didn’t tell me you signed up for the mentoring program. What about tennis?”
“Stop that, Quinn! Don’t frighten her!”
“Oh, I’m not frightened,” Faustine protested. “My dad is the demon king of London. Nothing frightens me.”
I smiled inwardly. Poor thing. She must be terrified on the inside. “That’s right, Faustine. Nothing to be scared of. Is there, Quinn?” I asked pointedly.
He shrugged. “I guess not. Not if
you
are mentoring her. Still, she is half human, though, the first half-human we’ve ever had at the school. And she smells like it; I was just checking.”
Faustine raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Really? You’ve never had a human here before? Ever? Checking what?”
“No. We’ve had quite a few hybrids, but never a
human
hybrid. Are you more human or demon? I can’t tell from your smell, which is what I was trying to figure out. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”
“No worries.” Faustine sat down on the chair I pointed to. “I don’t know. I guess that’s one of the reasons I’m here, to find out. Say, I’m a bit hungry.”
“Oh, sorry. Quinn, join us for a snack? Let’s go down to the cafeteria.”
“Um, are you sure about that? May be wiser to get something sent up, considering…”
“That would take too long. I think Faustine needs to feed now. Is that right, Faustine?” I didn’t really have to ask. I could see the red-hollow hunger in her eyes even as she nodded. I’d keep her safe. Plus, I’d have Quinn to help, should we have any issues. “Okay, ready?”
We headed down the stairs and made our way through the dark, stone corridors to the courtyard. It was very quiet, and we only saw two other students. Both of them passed without paying Faustine any attention at all. I couldn’t help but notice the video surveillance cameras that lined the otherwise unadorned stone walls. The cameras were a new addition, part of the improvements during the rebuilding. We didn’t run into anyone else, but that would change tomorrow when the majority of the students returned.
As we approached the cafeteria, the aroma of grilled meat assaulted my senses to the point where I found it difficult not to drool. Much as I needed to head straight for the meat station, I stopped short and gawked as soon as we entered. So did Quinn.
“What’s the matter?” Faustine asked, looking at us wide eyed.
“It’s totally changed! I wasn’t expecting this.” I scanned the space that had once been an old-fashioned hall with banquet tables. “Boy, they totally redesigned this room! It used to be filled with long oak tables with backless benches. Five-foot chandeliers hung from the ceilings, and the stone walls were covered in candelabra sconces. We had ten of those twenty-foot tables, with the one reserved for the staff running perpendicular to the others. The food stations were over there.” I pointed at a door at the far end of the room. “By the smell of things, it’s still there. Let’s get some food.”
We walked through the brand new Starbucks-inspired seating, a mix of tables for four to eight and cozy sectional sofas with coffee tables. Gone was the old institutional ambience, replaced by a modern airy space. I wondered what had been behind that decision. The rest of the school seemed to have been restored to its former shape.
I wasn’t sure I liked the change, but couldn’t quite assess it at the moment. My stomach roiled with hunger. I didn’t even have to show Faustine where to go; she strode ahead of Quinn and me, her nose leading her straight to the meat station. Plates with thick, rare meat–without any unnecessary garnish–were sitting ready, sizzling on the counter. We grabbed a couple of plates each and went back to the dining area, plunking ourselves down on the first available chairs and diving into our food. As usual, no one spoke until we finished eating, a universal custom within the paranormal community. Dinner chitchat was a purely human thing, so it was interesting that Faustine didn’t say anything either while we ate. Once we were done, we sat back in our chairs, satisfied and happy.
“That has to be the best steak ever,” Faustine commented. “Mom always gets the best cuts of meat, but they don’t compare to this. I’m going to have to get the recipe before I go back home.”
Quinn laughed. “And a plane to transport some cows home with you.”
Faustine drew her eyebrows together in confusion.
“Faustine, the meat is so delish because of the way the cows are bred. They’re farmed right here on the property. I can take you to see them, if you want,” I offered.
Faustine squirmed. “Blech, no. I like eating steak, but cows freak me out.”
“Why?” Quinn snickered. “You’re a demon! A demon princess. Why would a domesticated animal freak you out?”
“I don’t really want to talk about it. A bad cow-tipping incident,” Faustine murmured.
I snickered. “Come on! Tell us the story.”
“No, maybe later.”
In that moment, she looked much younger than her twelve years. Thirteen almost, as it would be her birthday very soon. Just for a moment, her memories must have caused her to let her guard down, and her full innocence shone through.
My protective instincts stirred, and I put an arm around her. “It’s okay, Faustine. No worries. All that matters is that you can eat them.”
“No kidding.” Quinn chuckled. “A vegetarian demon would suck.”
I threw Quinn a venomous glance. “Put a sock in it.” He could be such an ass at times.
He immediately drew back. “Sorry, princesses. I was just kidding.”
“No worries,” Faustine reassured him. “It is a weird phobia. I’m scared of spiders as well. Aren’t you scared of anything?”
“Well, mostly of Cordelia.” He grinned.
“Ha, ha.” I glared at him again.
“And that’s the cue for me to go and unpack.” He stood and planted a kiss on my forehead. “Later, ladies.” And with a wave, he was gone.
The cafeteria was pleasantly quiet, which would change the next day. I sat back and checked out the other students in the room while Faustine did the same. Two other groups sat at the other end of the hall. I vaguely recognized some of them. The first consisted of three vampires, who occupied one of the comfy sofas as they quietly sipped their red beverages. I noticed them intermittently glancing over at us. The vamps would be the most difficult for Faustine. Luckily, the ones at the cafeteria had been at the Academy for a while and were in control of themselves. However, even they seemed twitchy. The other group–two girls and three boys, all shifter-hybrids–was loud and rambunctious.
“Do you think it would be okay for me to go get another plate?” Faustine inquired.
I tried not to show my amusement. I liked that she had a good appetite; nothing worse than a demon with an eating problem. The better fed she was, the more likely she would be able to concentrate on other activities. “Sure! Just help yourself. You know where to go.”
“Can I come down here any time?”
“Um. No. This dining hall is reserved for the students who have gone through initiation. The initiation class has their own dining hall. I’ll show you later. However, I suggest you don’t use it.”
“Why?”
“Get your steak, and I’ll explain.”
While I waited, I checked my cell phone–over a hundred text messages. I’d have to find some time to go through them. I scanned them for a moment, noticing a few from Jagger, but Faustine returned before I could read them.
“So, why shouldn’t I use the other dining hall?” she asked, sitting down and taking a bite of her meal.
“Well, like Quinn said, you’re the first human hybrid we’ve had on campus. We don’t have any idea how the others will react to you, especially the Initiates, who aren’t trained.”
“You mean you’re concerned that the vamps will snack on me?”
“That’s a concern, but not as far as the Initiates’ dining hall goes. None of the new vamps are allowed in there. They’re way too out of control for the others to handle, so they have their own area in the basement. All their Initiate classes are down there, too. They only get to merge with the others after they graduate from their basic camp.”
“How long does that take?”
“The standard curriculum for all students is set for one year. However, it varies a lot, depending on the individual. The hybrids tend to take longer.”
“Why?”
“They usually have a lot more combined powers, some that they aren’t even aware of. Sometimes hybrid powers morph into new powers. Do you know what yours are?” I was totally overstepping again. I had no business asking her about her powers. I had to get a handle on my nosy gene.
Faustine shook her head. “No, not really. So if there are no vamp Initi– What was that word?”
“Initiates.”
“Initiates. Then why can’t I use the other dining hall? I’ve got to be able to go somewhere to eat.”
“It’s not that you can’t. I’d just rather you didn’t, not at first, anyway. Not until we figure out how your fellow Initiates respond to you. I’ve got no idea who’s in the incoming class. For all I know, they may have included vamp hybrids. They’re particularly difficult to place.” I sighed. I knew that there could even be some vamps from last year’s intake because the fire had really messed up the schedule. I really didn’t have a clue who would be in this year’s class.
“So, if I’m not supposed to be in here, and you don’t want me to eat with the other initiates, what am I supposed to do?”
I understood her concern. Feeding was of prime importance to all of us.
“You can use this place as long as you’re with someone who’s been through initiation, any Integrate or someone from the Enrichment program. It doesn’t have to be me or another mentor. A lot of the students who have gone through Integration stay for an additional period to complete their sport and other activity programs. Once they can sign on as part of the mentoring program, most all of them do. So there are quite a few of us. I’ll introduce you to the ones I like.”
“But what if I just can’t find anyone and I have to feed?” Faustine persisted.
“I’ve been thinking about that. It’s bound to happen. The mentors have their own lounge on the other side of the campus. I haven’t checked it out yet. It apparently has a full twenty-four-hour food station. I’m going to find out if there’s a way you can use it, and get you a pass or whatever you need to get in.”
Faustine suddenly looked pensive.
“What’s up?”
“They’re not going to let me use it. Why would they? I’m just an Initiate.”
“Not exactly. You
are
King Sebastian’s daughter. Your dad is one of the school’s biggest contributors. If it wasn’t for him, they would have had problems rebuilding after the fire. I don’t see an issue. You don’t look like you’re dangerous or anything. Are you?”