Bolting upright, I grasped at my throat as I sucked in air with fervor. I blinked through bleary eyes at Naomi. She sat there beside me, her cold hands trembling around mine and tugging them away from my neck. Her face was half-lit from the rays of light that shone through the curtains, enough to show eyes wide with worry.
"Am awake," I said, voice hoarse and the words barely rolling off my tongue. I frowned at my blood-coated nails. "Sorry."
Naomi released my hands.
I cupped my neck to feel the damage. Many of the gouges crossed the scars, and they hurt. A lot.
"Here, let me," Naomi said while reaching for my neck.
I clenched my eyes shut as she touched my dewy skin, but the tenderness left at the warm sensation of her magic.
"There, all bet—" Naomi gasped.
Alarmed, I snapped my eyes open as she took my hand and traced the barely-there rune. Oh, great. I yanked it away and slid it beneath the blankets, cheeks burning. "It's nothing."
"Wait!" she shrieked. "That's a marriage mark, isn't it?"
A shuffle of feet slapped outside the door before it flew open and slammed into the wall. Blake stared wide-eyed as she clutched the pendant around her neck. "She's what?"
Oh, Goddess. How was I going to tell Blake? My throat tightened as I dipped my head in a nod. "Last night Lauvet came after me."
Blake shook her head, her platinum hair swinging back and forth. "Oh, no. What did she do? How did she even—"
"It wasn't my choice. She sent me to Lacroix." Dipping my chin, I gripped my blankets as Blake's eyes got misty. "He said the only way to save me was to . . . yeah."
"No," Blake said, leaning into the door frame. Tears fell free before she stumbled into the hallway. "I'm in love with him. You knew how I felt. I've waited four years for him!"
"It was this or death. Are you saying I should have died?"
"Of course not!" Blake said, reappearing. Her torso shook as she whimpered through quiet sobs. "It's just . . . it's so unfair!" Descending into hysteric sobbing, she vanished into her room and slammed the door behind her.
"Don't worry about her. She'll come around in a few days." Naomi took my hand and leaned forward with a weak grin. "Well, I'm sorry for what it's worth. Vera Lacroix doesn't sound half-bad, though. I'm assuming you took his name, of course."
That was an interesting point, but I didn't care to think about that yet. I shook my head. "Look, I don't know. We didn't have times for any of that crap. Just stabbed our hands together like a . . . kabob."
"A hand kebob? Gross." Naomi giggled, toying with a strand of her silky hair. "Vampires are hardcore. It's usually a symbolic gesture with like, rope or something. You know, tying the knot."
"I'm not sure we had any other way." I frowned at my hand. I'd have to go into town and get gloves. This wasn't something I wanted to flaunt around by any means. Rayna would have a field day.
A chime rang from the seating area.
"I'll get it!" Naomi sprang to her feet and darted into the hall. It took a minute before she returned, a paper in hand. "It's for you. Sorry, Vee. Looks like you're leaving a little later."
Ugh. I took the paper as she handed it to me. It was a summons from Tedric Halsey.
"Don't tell the others, please." I dropped the paper on the bed and pushed my blankets off. "I can't deal with them knowing yet."
Naomi zipped her lips. "Our secret."
After walking Naomi and Blake to the front, I left without so much as a word to Blake. I didn't want to make her angry again. The wound was still fresh. And while I didn't feel remorseful for choosing to survive, we were friends.
With my hands carefully tucked in my pockets, I headed toward the headmaster's tower and took my time in getting there. I knew what he wanted to talk about and I wasn't ready for it. In fact, all I wanted to do was pack up my things and go home. Maybe never come back. I went anyway, of course.
The doors were open as I climbed the last step. Tedric sat at his desk, his cigar lit and a cloud of smoke above him. "Have a seat," he said, gesturing to the chairs without even a smile. He put his cigar out, not that it would help with the stench, and tapped his fingers on his desk like he was waiting on something. Or someone.
As I heard footsteps behind me, I sat and didn't look. I knew it was Lucien Lacroix. Who else would it be? My hands tightened on the arm rests as my stomach did gymnastics. I wasn't mad at him, or anything, but I needed time to evaluate the situation myself. I didn't need the awkwardness of attempting normalcy in his presence.
"Ah, good. You're here." Tedric brought his fingers together, making a tent. "I have some jobs for the two of you to complete over break."
This wasn't what I expected. It was worse. Was he playing matchmaker? I turned my stare to the window, a little frostily, as Lucien sat in the other chair. Tedric could try all he wanted, but I was not going to act like it was a real marriage. Not if I could help it.
"Vera, I'll need you to scout through the university and take note of Remnant locations. I had a map made so you can just mark them when you find them. See?"
I stole a peek. Tedric waved a clipboard with a stack of simplified blueprints of the school. I leaned in to take it and pointed at some stray buildings floating to the side by themselves. "What are these?"
"Ah. There are a few tucked away buildings in the Sages. Dungeons included. Lucien can show you after you've searched the main areas."
"For starters," I said, un-clipping the pencil from the board, "there's one behind you. May I go now?"
Tedric exhaled a long breath and shook his head. "I believe you should discuss—"
"I will take care of that," Lucien said tersely. He held a pair of anti-magic cuffs out to me. "Here. You are not yet fully recovered."
Scowling, I took the cuffs without looking at him. I set one down with the clipboard and snapped the other onto my wrist rather awkwardly. Then I did the second one. My wrists grew heavy as the magic left them.
"Excellent." Tedric clapped with false enthusiasm and grinned. "You're free to go. Don't do it all in one day. I'd like you to take it easy. Maybe even start tomorrow."
"Yes, sir." I left immediately, clearing the doors and descending the steps two at a time. The sooner I had this done, the better, and there was no reason at all I couldn't start with the fourth floor. I'd never been on the fourth floor before, but it still came as a surprise when I was immediately confronted with the sight of a Remnant. It floated in the hallway's center between a window and a classroom.
I examined the clipboard, flipped the page until I found the correct floor, and marked the hallway. Then I entered the most immediate room. A handful of Remnants twisted in there, too. Whatever happened, they were surely all tethered to the same event. I marked the paper.
Usually, I never bothered with them, but the temptation to peek at this memory needled at me. It was such a big number clustered together. More importantly, curiosity had me wondering if anti-magic cuffs could prevent me from opening one at all.
Throwing caution to the wind, I flicked my hand through a Remnant. It sprung to life, blue lines flinging outward and forcing the other three awake as well.
Oops. Guess not. My brows pinched as I prepared myself for the agony of watching four rifts at once. The scene was tamer than my expectations, though. Five figures stood about the room, two of them dueling in the center. One of them collapsed, and without much indication of anything, really, the flicked their hand in an arc that send some wavy outlines around the room. Only one of the figures made it to the door. The others melted away.
It took a moment, as the outlines all returned to their rifts, for me to process what had happened. An Elemental spell, maybe? Something big that could kill everyone in the room. The one that broke free? He was the sole survivor. A shiver shook my spine as I massaged my aching head. The pain was all I deserved for looking into something that was none of my business.
"Vera."
I spun around.
Lucien's tall figure leaned in the doorway, his arms crossed and his eyes gentle. He cocked his head to the side, dark-brown waves lifting off his shoulder. "Are you all right?"
Dropping my hand from my head, and pretending everything was fine, I clutched the clipboard to my front. "Fine."
"Come." Lucien gestured me closer. "I will take you to a location away from prying ears."
That meant he wanted to talk about us. My stomach dropped. I glared as I took his waiting hand.
The world around us shifted, the floor morphing into snow and dead leaves while the walls changed to trees. Lots of trees. A building stood ahead of us. I'd never seen it before. Dead bunches of ivy covered much of the brick walls and the windows that remained were painted in soot. Remnants floated inside, one of them visible behind a broken window. Something bad definitely happened in there.
"Where are we?" I raised the clipboard and stared at the page where Lucien tapped a finger.
"Right here. There was a fire. The buildings were once separated into schools of magic. This was the Clerical building."
My curiosity was engaged as I eyed Lucien. "You were there?"
"I was."
Fascinating. He probably had the most amazing stories to tell. A question was on the tip of my tongue, but I refrained. If I asked him about the classroom, he'd know I opened a Remnant. Knowing the details wasn't worth the lecture I'd have to endure. Sighing, I started toward the door.
"We should speak first."
Stopping abruptly, I faced him with a racing heart. Did we have to?
Lucien sat on a stone bench beneath a low-hanging branch covered in snow. His arm draped over its back as he gestured to the bench like he wanted me to join him.
Biting back my annoyed groan, I crossed the space between us and sat awkwardly on the other end as far as I could get from him. If he was offended, he didn't make a show of it.
"Last night, your name became Vera Lacroix. It will be an insult to my family name, to our tree, to acknowledge yourself as Vera Tate. You may not think it a big deal, but it can expose you to greater dangers than Shades. My family is nothing if not opportunistic."
That felt like a tall order. I set my clipboard on my lap and exhaled deeply. "Why can't I keep my name?"
"You accepted my name, as was the purpose of our marriage." Lucien looked in the opposite direction, and for a moment I wondered if that was him feeling as awkward as I felt. "The Shades could not harm you as a member of my family. We married the old way, as is customary within my tree. Nothing else is acceptable."
"Fine. What do I do if someone calls me Tate?"
"An example," Lucien began, turning toward me. I hesitantly met his stare as he gestured to my wrists. "Miss Tate, how long have you worn those cuffs?"
I remained silent, waiting for him to answer. When he didn't, I sagged my shoulders and frowned. "I am not Miss Tate?"
A brief laugh shook his shoulders. "That is acceptable, but I suspect you wish to keep our binding a secret."
Did he not? I rubbed the mark on my hand as I searched his dark, red eyes. "Do you . . . think that's the wrong approach?"
"I have been the subject of many a rumor. It bothers me little. Your predicament is where my concern lies. I suspect you dislike being the focus of rumors."
I wasn't sure why that surprised me, but it did. Not the fact that he knew of the rumors, but that he considered how I felt about them. He was already acting like . . . like it was real. I rubbed my head and glared at the ground, praying for an end to my humiliation.
"Returning to the topic at hand, you can do several things. The easiest is to remove yourself from the situation by either physically leaving or simply ignoring the person speaking."
"Easy," I said, nodding eagerly. "I can do that. What else?"
"You . . . may not attend Distortion classes with me any longer."
What was I supposed to do in the meantime? Hit the library and pray?
"I will teach you on Monday afternoons, and not as your professor." Lucien looked skyward. "I cannot sit in on your exams or provide input for disciplinary matters. That said, please stay out of trouble."
I fiddled with the clipboard and chewed on my lip. That sounded worlds more awkward than I'd like. "I see."
"It should go without saying that romancing others would come at a steep cost."
"I'm not stupid. I know this," I said harshly. It was disheartening enough just to know it. I didn't need a reminder that I'd essentially been forced into a relationship that was likely to—and probably should—go nowhere. I scrubbed at my eyes as they grew wet and willed the waterworks to go no further. "Fine."
"I know." Lucien dropped his gaze from the sky to mine as he crossed his arms. "My family has a tradition. It is oftentimes not invoked, so I will spare you the details until it is relevant. The affair is tedious, but so long as you are with me there is no cause for concern."
Oh, yeah. Family. My stomach twisted. Oh, no. "What about mine? Do they know?"
Lucien shook his head, his brows pinching. "It is unlikely they know yet. Why?"
"They're going to be so happy. It'll be nauseating." I pulled my ponytail to my front and twisted it. "I'd rather keep it quiet. Can we not?"
"Our situation may not be ideal, but it is ours," Lucien said, glancing off at the trees. "I will meet your parents, as it would be improper to do otherwise. When the time comes, you will meet my mother, too. That can wait, however."
"Well, nothing about this has been proper to begin with." I dug the tips of my sneaker into the snow. "Does it really matter?"
"It does."
As much as I wanted to stomp my feet and refuse, I knew Lucien would never change his mind. I bowed my head, about to answer, until a strange sensation rattled my brain. A tug. Something tugged at my mind. I pressed a hand to my head, trying not to freak out, and searched the direction it came from. The tug came again. I stood, the clipboard clattering to the ground, and took a shaky breath.
Something was calling to me. With my record, it was probably something wicked.
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