"Ready to go?" Kaz asked, checking the time on his watch. "It's about time for you to meet with your father and Evander."
"Yes," I said.
A moment passed. Kaz raised an eyebrow. "When, exactly? You've been in the same spot for the past two minutes staring blankly into space."
"Have I?"
"Your jacket is inside out, too."
I looked down at it. "Is it?"
Kaz pursed his lips and walked over to me, pulling the jacket off my shoulders. I let him, holding my arms out robotically. "Are you that nervous?"
"No."
"Cleo, are your shoes on the wrong feet?"
My gaze dropped to my shoes. "Oh, that may explain why they feel weird."
Kaz's fingers curled around my jacket, his face going slack. "Maybe it's not a good idea to send you off by yourself."
I absentmindedly slid my feet out of my shoes, making sure to put them on properly this time around. Then I took my now correct side out jacket from Kaz, shrugging into it. "No, I'm okay, just lost in thought."
Lost in thought was an understatement. I'd reached a new level of stress. My body had been moving on autopilot all morning, my mind swarming with all the questions I wanted to ask my father, of all the ways he could criticize me for what I failed to do over these past few weeks, what his reaction would be when I told him I didn't want to keep sneaking around to sniff out information about the secret heir, how we could move forward with a plan to ensure peace if he was partial to it...
And the necklace. Maybe he wouldn't notice. Maybe he wouldn't care. Maybe that was wishful thinking.
I'd worn the only mock neck I brought, unable to ask Adora for a turtleneck as I had planned. She would be returning to campus today, but she hadn't yet. Hopefully, this covered enough of my neck that my father could think it was just hidden under the fabric.
"Make sure Claude steers clear of my father," I told Kaz. "I will make sure we don't go near the auditorium, either."
"That was my plan, anyway. Although if Evander requests for the two of them to meet with each other, I can't go against it."
I frowned. "Would he do that?"
The idea of it made Kaz's shoulders slump. "It's possible. Your father has a great deal of authority. And when Claude becomes king, he will too. If a peaceful coexistence between vampires and humans does end up coming about, they will no doubt have to keep in contact to continue it."
I knew it was dumb, but it had never occurred to me that Claude would become king. He was a prince. I wanted to slap myself. Of course he would. One day he would rule over the vampires. He would be included in the politics of our two territories. He would be the one who decided whether or not to accept a peace treaty. And that was why he was willing to work for me.
I'd been suspicious of his quick acceptance of us working together, and for what? It was literally his duty to try to find peaceful alternatives and prepare for the future. One day our elders would pass and we would be left in charge. Claude would begin making connections and taking over responsibilities once he graduated.
And I... what would I be doing? I wouldn't be heading my family. I didn't think I ever would be. But I could change how they viewed vampires, and I could aim toward a position in the UR and work alongside both vampires and humans, like Adora's parents, and like Adora planned to.
But that was getting too far ahead of myself. The first step was to get a start on working with my father to change his viewpoint and get him to understand there didn't need to be animosity between humans and vampires.
Although the idea of him befriending vampires sounded impossible and out of reach, if he was acceptable to the idea of working together with vampires for true peace, then it would work out somehow. And the idea of that made me a little giddy. Everyone getting along. My sister coming to meet Kaz and Adora. How would she react to Claude? They would totally butt heads but maybe get along after getting to know each other.
If everything just went well... I crossed my fingers. And then the nerves set in all over again and I hunched in on myself. I just needed to get this over with.
"Okay, I'm ready this time," I told Kaz.
"Are you sure it's okay to go out without your eye patch? Will it affect its healing process?"
I prodded at the skin under my eye. It was still sore, but I'd managed to cover the bruises with makeup. It didn't look like I was injured anywhere, maybe just tired. "I can't wear it. My father will ask what happened. It's just for a little bit."
"Okay... but make sure you put it back on after, okay?"
"I will. Let's go. Time to face my father."
Unsurprisingly, my father and I were meeting up in a secluded space, away from the throngs of vampires crowding the ground. I couldn't believe how many families had turned up. Groups were scattered across the courtyard, coming in and out of buildings, and students showed their parents around, settled into the benches with steaming Styrofoam cups, with no care to the bite in the frigid air. All smiles everywhere.
I smiled, too. I understand how they felt. As much as I enjoyed my freedom at the academy, I still missed my family. And even though I would be having a tough discussion with my father, I still really wanted to see him.
Kaz dropped me off in front of the visitor's center next to the auditorium. Claude would be in the auditorium all day, busy with addressing the parents visiting the academy. I kind of wanted to see that in action. I couldn't imagine Claude being friendly, let alone chatting with hundreds of people all day. Did Claude even smile? I didn't think so.
"Call or text me if you need me," Kaz told me, his forehead creasing as he looked up at the visitor's center. "I'm right next door, so I can be there quickly."
"I'm fine. Keep an eye on Claude, okay?"
"That's the plan. Good luck, Cleo."
We parted ways, and I climbed up the stone steps that led to the entrance to the building. My heart rate increased with each step, but I wasn't sure if it was due to nervousness or excitement. Maybe a bit of both. I stepped into the warm foyer and a guard gestured toward one of the doors toward the back.
"Through here and down the hall to the left," she said.
I nodded, hurrying past her, and only gave myself five-seconds to prepare myself before opening the door.
My father stood by the window and he turned as he heard the door open, a warm smile stretching across his weathered face. He looked no different from the last time I saw him. Chestnut hair slightly too long and in need of a trim, dark stubble dotting across his square jaw, the same long black jacket he always wore.
"Cliomh," he greeted. "How is my dearest daughter?"
"I'm good," I said, grinning as I walked over to him. "I'm happy you came. I miss everyone. Kieran didn't come with you?"
"I wouldn't give up a chance to check up on you," he told me. He leaned in and lowered his voice. "Let's talk outside."
"Why?"
"Who knows who could be listening in?"
"We're supposed to stay in here, though."
He headed for the door. "I don't follow rules made by barbarians."
His dig at vampires made me grimace, but I still followed him out the door. The way he moved through the halls made me think he'd checked out this place before meeting me. That wasn't very unexpected, though. He always had to know the area he was in, to know the escape routes. Not for him to escape, but for him to cut off the route to those trying to escape.
We exited out to the back of the building, near the forest. Maybe it was a better idea to speak out here, after all. I didn't know how he would react when I told him about my plans. I didn't want anyone overhearing anything incriminating.
It was colder though. I shivered as I stood under the foliage with him. We'd only be noticed if someone came through the alley between the auditorium and visitor's center, but we would notice them first.
"I expect all is going well?" he asked, reaching out to squeeze my shoulder firmly.
I nodded. "Yeah, I've been able to adjust really well. I've made some friends, too."
His grip on me tightened, and I winced. "Friends?"
"Yeah, I expected everyone to be unwelcoming, but it wasn't like that at all. A lot of the students here are really nice," I said, fighting the impulse to lower my chin and avoid my father's gaze as it narrowed. But I wasn't saying anything wrong.
The corners of his mouth curved downward, hardening. "They would never betray their true nature. Don't be fooled by them, Cliomh. You know why you're here. I know you saw my letter."
I stepped away from my father's hold on my shoulder. A quiet panic began to build, but I shoved it away. There wasn't room for hesitation. If I showed any sign of weakness, my father would exploit it. I knew he would. But I was hoping to be able to have a normal conversation before delving straight into this.
"I did. I received it."
"And what have you discovered? Assuming you weren't too preoccupied with creating false camaraderie."
"I haven't found anything."
"That's disappointing," he said shortly, giving me a cool look. "You have been here this long with nothing to supply to me?"
"I've looked," I told him because that much was true, "but there aren't even hints of a hidden heir. Are you sure one exists?"
He lifted his head up, looking at the sky. "There is. Here. Somewhere."
"How do you know?"
"I have my ways of getting information."
"Are you sure they are reliable?"
"They're from the source. Is there a reason why you're questioning me so much?"
The source? A deadweight settled in my gut. If he was saying he got confirmation from her, it meant that the hidden heir really did exist and that my father really had captured the queen. "You mean the queen? The one you imprisoned?" I asked, needing it to be confirmed by him.
"Is this why you have nothing to report?" he asked, unbothered by inquiry. "You were wasting time looking into irrelevant matters?"
"They're not irrelevant. I've heard you kept her captive for years—"
"Captive?" my father repeated, barking out a disdainful laugh. "That thing has been imprisoned for war crimes. It's lucky I didn't kill it. It can decay locked up as it deserves."
"It?" I said, surprised that anything my father said could shock me anymore. How could I forget how vicious he could be? "She's a person. A mother. She's a queen—"
"A monster, just like the rest of them."
"Father, they aren't as you said they were. They're not monsters. They are living beings just like us who just want to live in peace. They share the same hopes, doubts, fears—"
"How can you stand here and personify those beasts who have wreaked havoc on humans for years?"
I squeezed my hands into fists. "We did, too. Our family has murdered innocent vampires—"
"No vampire is innocent," he shot back.
"I don't agree with that. I know you can't change how you feel overnight, but if you could just listen to what I have to say—"
"The only thing I want to hear from your mouth is information about the hidden heir. Anything else is worthless," he cut me off, nostrils flaring. "You are testing me right now. You did not come here to empathize with these beasts. Do as I order you to."
I shook my head. "No. I don't want to. I came here as part of the peace treaty. I can only hope I can convince you to understand my feelings. If they're willing to forgive us for what we've done to achieve peace, we should be willing to do the same. There has to be other hunters who feel this way, too."
"You think you can change the way of things? You? Who can't even follow a simple order?" my father asked, venom lacing his words. "You want to forgive the vampires for everything they've done? You've been affected by nothing. You know nothing. You've been fooled by them."
I knew it wouldn't be easy to change his mind. But I wouldn't give up. Sometimes the first reaction to change was aversion. "I'm only doing what I think is right. And I'm only asking you to consider my feelings."
"Your feelings are wrong."
"Father. Please—"
He held his hand up to silence me. "I will give you two options, Cliomh."
I furrowed my eyebrows. Options? It didn't sound like he was about to consider my words any time soon. Was he actually? I waited, trying not to be unnerved by his sudden calmness.
"You seem to have an issue with my original mission for you."
"Yes," I said slowly.
"Then I will offer you an alternative. You can either find the hidden heir. Or kill the current one."
I drew in a sharp breath. "What?"
"What? That would be more undemanding for you, wouldn't it? You lack any kind of sleuthing skills, but I know you don't lack in combative skills. You may not be as accomplished as your sister, but perhaps you'll find killing the prince easier than investigating him."
A rushing sound filled my ears as I tried to process what my father said. Kill? Had he said kill?
"No," I said immediately. "I'm not killing Claude. I'm not killing anyone. I'm here as a peace treaty—"
"No, you're here under my orders. What has happened to you, Cliomh? You were never one to talk back to me like this. Perhaps it's these friends you've made? By befriending these parasitic, vile beasts you've forgotten where your loyalties lie? Is that it?"
The sickly sweet tone of his voice made me shrink back, my muscles tensing. I knew that tone. It was worse than when he yelled. I'd said the wrong thing. "I— I just mean that would be risky."
"Perhaps I should rid of them myself so you will focus on your mission properly."
My eyes flew wide open. "No! No. Don't."
"Then stop disobeying me."
"I'm not, I'm just trying to tell you what I want.'
He gave me a snide look. "Peace is not something meant for vampires and humans. Being here has made you forget how to be a member of the Levant family."
"That's not true—"
"You still dare to talk back?"
I faltered. "I—I'm not."
"Get your act together. You have a mission. And if you don't fulfill it, don't think about coming home."
"What?" I whispered.
"Have you gone deaf on top of being feeble and inept?" he scoffed.
Shaking my head, I gripped the sleeves of my shirt. "No."
"If you don't have anything to provide to me the next time we meet, you should start thinking about where you will go after this. Although, I suppose you should think of it now, anyway. I don't have much expectation of you at this point."
"That..." I didn't know what to say. He was threatening to kick me out? For not wanting to kill Claude? A lump rose in my throat, but I fought to keep it down.
"And what would I do with your mother, too?" he continued, tutting.
I stared at him, trying to understand why he would bring my mother up. "What do you mean?"
"Without you around, she's solely a hindrance to your sister and me. It was already enough for us to deal with her while you were gone, but if you never come back, I will have to figure something out."
"What? What's wrong with her?" I moved toward him, grabbing his arm, my pulse thudding in my ears.
"She's shut down. I suppose you were the only thing keeping her sane."
My eyes grew wide. "What do you mean?"
"She is a shell of herself. It doesn't matter, though. You seem to care more about making friends than your family. I wonder how your mother will take that news?"
"I don't!" I said desperately. "I love you guys. You're my family. I wouldn't choose anyone over you. I just want what's best for the world!"
"What's best for the world? Are you some saint?"
"No. I just—"
"You can do nothing, Cliomh. Get such ridiculous notions out of your head."
"But..."
"Your mother's wellbeing weighs on you, too. Don't forget that if you choose your righteous path over your family."
"What are you saying? That you won't help her if I don't obey you? She's your wife, you should help her when she needs it and be by her side," I said, my hands curling into fists.
"I lost whatever trace of my wife there was the day she decided she rather be trapped in her own mind than help me hunt," he said dismissively.
Heat flushed through me and I could barely hold back my anger. My mother was only like that because of him. How did he not see that? He was trying to rile me up, I couldn't fall for it. He just wanted to add more punishment. If I didn't fight back, he would stop.
But my heart squeezed painfully, so much so I found it hard to breathe. Was something going on with my mother? I knew how the war had affected her. I knew how much regret she had. I knew she had nightmares every night because of it. It haunted her. But she could handle it. I knew she could. She had always handled it all these years. So, what was my father getting at?
"Think through this carefully. Your mother would miss you terribly if you couldn't come home," my father said.
Back to this again? I wanted to scream. Why did he constantly shut me down and give me ultimatums? "I wouldn't have anywhere to go."
"Then I suppose you will either hand the secret heir over to me the next time we meet, or the prince's body."
"What about the peace treaty?" I asked weakly.
"You know me better than that. It was all just a ploy to get you into this academy to find information for me. Why are you acting like this is such a shock?"
I knew it. I did. But I had kept the foolish hope that I could be wrong. That my father really wanted peace between humans and vampires. I'd stupidly believed that. And worse, I thought I'd be able to change my father's mind. I was wrong. Always, always wrong and useless.
"Your sister would have had no problem handling this," he added jeeringly.
"Maybe you should have sent her," I snapped.
A muscle in his jaw jumped, and I shut my eyes, preparing for a hit. Nothing came, and I slowly opened again to see him scowling. "I wish I could have."
What was that supposed to mean? He had the choice. He'd chosen me. I hadn't wanted to come, but he'd made me.
"If you fail in providing me the information about the secret heir, I will have no choice but to send her out to carry out the execution of that prince."
"You can't!" I gasped. "It will start a war!"
"Ah, so you at least understand the consequences of what will happen if you fail."
My chest heaved and I gripped it, the muscle constrictions as painful as the idea of killing Claude. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. This was dirty. I didn't know why I expected less. I either had to find the hidden heir, or Claude would die. And not just Claude's life would be lost in the end, because that would set off a war that would cause the loss of many more lives, vampire and human.
"What do you plan on using with that information if I find it?" I asked, having a hard time forcing myself to speak loudly enough.
"For leverage," he said simply.
"Leverage for what?"
His mouth went hard. "How inquisitive this academy has made you. We will have to fix that if you return home."
If. A gust of wind caused goosebumps to crawl across my skin. I didn't know what to say.
"Make your life easy, Cliomh, and just follow my orders."
"I..." I trailed off, turning my head to the side. I didn't agree with his directives. Everything I had wanted from this conversation had backfired. Felix had been right— he wouldn't listen. All I had done was get threatened. Why did I think anything else would happen? Nothing would ever change.
"You wouldn't abandon your family, would you, Cleo? It would hurt your mother so much. Think of your sister. She already has so much on her shoulders pulling the weight for both of you."
I hung my head. "I understand."
"Clever Cliomh, I knew you would," he cooed. "If only I had more time with you. You're becoming too soft-hearted. I am unsure of how you'll be able to handle killing the prince."
"I will find the hidden heir," I told him, swallowing. "That's what you want, isn't it? We can leave Claude out of it."
My father crossed his arms over his chest. "The fact you call him with such familiarity disturbs me. You should despise him. His family has murdered countless humans. You would be among them, had I not protected you."
I bit my tongue, holding back. He had murdered both Claude's father and grandfather. How was he one to talk? But talking with him would get me nowhere. "I am following the orders of the peace treaty, too, as to not be suspicious. A requirement was for us to try to get along."
"Perhaps you can use that to your advantage. If he trusts you, you can get information out of him."
I would never betray Claude like that. I would have to find the hidden heir on my own. "That's a good idea," I lied because arguing with my father at this point was futile. It would only land me in more hot water.
"You know I'm only tough with you because I want the best for you, right?" my father asked, brushing the bangs out of my face.
"Do you?"
"I'm your father. I love you. I just want you to obey me like a good, dutiful daughter."
"I always have," I told him.
"When you diverge from the path I've laid out for you, you are putting yourself in danger. The last thing I want is for you to be hurt. Even if it means I have to say cruel things to you. You understand, right?"
Did I? I used to. But now, I didn't know. It didn't feel right. It didn't feel right to go against him, either, though. "Yes, Father," I mumbled.
"Are you still wearing your necklace?"
The question came out of nowhere and I froze, my mind going blank when I needed it most. I had to tell him a lie. Say I was wearing it under my shirt—
"Let me see it," he demanded.
Crap. Crap. I was so close to getting away without him noticing. "I... I lost it," I admitted stiffly.
He struck my face with the flat of his palm, the resulting smack echoing through the clearing, the force enough for my head to snap to the side. Pain blossomed in my cheek and I slowly raised a shaking hand to it, the skin smarting and feeling hot under my touch.
For a moment I stood there, stunned, unable to process anything. But as things came back into focus, my gaze zeroed in on two familiar faces standing by the building in the distance.
Kaz and Claude.
Fear seized me.
Kaz stepped forward, but Claude flung out his arm, holding him back. Even with so much space between us, I could make out the fury on Kaz's face.
Ice seeped through my veins, my heart racing for an entirely new reason now. How long had they been there? What had they heard? Were they far enough they couldn't make out our conversation? Or had they heard it all? And that was the look of betrayal on Kaz's face.
No. No. They couldn't have heard— they couldn't.
"Look at me when I speak to you."
I ripped my gaze away from the two vampires at the sound of my father's voice, unable to process his words.
His eyes narrowed. "Were you listening to anything I just said?"
"I—"
"You know what that necklace means to our family. And you are saying you lost it? This not some trinket. It is our family's heirloom. I thought I taught you better than this. Don't you remember what happened last time when you decided to take it off?"
I resolutely kept the memory out of my head. "I'll find it."
"I knew you were incapable of doing any simple task, but this is beyond incompetence. Don't say you'll find it like you have a choice. The next time we meet that necklace will be around your neck, or you will not like the consequences," he warned.
My throat went dry. "I will. I'll have it the next time we meet."
"And you better not let it interfere with your other duties. I have been lenient, but clearly, leniency isn't the way with you. Don't disappoint me any further."
"I won't," I said quickly. I needed to end this conversation. Were Kaz and Claude still there? "I'm sorry."
"Apologies are useless. You know that."
"Yes."
"I've wasted my time coming here. I'm leaving."
"Um, you need an escort—" I started, but shut my mouth at the deadly look he gave me.
"I'm not a child. Those creatures cannot impose their rules on me."
The idea of my father roaming around campus freely didn't sit well with me. I'd need to alert the guard right away. Discreetly. "Tell Kieran and Mom I say hi."
"I'll think about it. I'm not sure you deserve that."
He turned away from me before I could say anything else. I watched after him for a moment, the sudden quietness overwhelming. But no, I couldn't get distracted by my thoughts yet. I looked for Claude and Kaz, noticing both of them were gone from their spots near the building. I swallowed hard. I needed to talk to them. Find out what they heard.
But first, I needed to alert the guards. I ran to the auditorium, knowing that a few were stationed at the entrance. They immediately went into action, one taking off for the visitor's center. I felt a little better knowing they were taking me seriously about this, unlike the incident with the intruder in Claude's room. But I suppose my father was more of a threat than anything else.
"Are you the human?"
I jumped as something touched my hand. Looking down, I noticed a little girl maybe around the age of seven looking up at me, wide-eyed and curious. Her curly black hair nearly reached her waist, her dress pristine and elegant. I wondered what I looked like. I felt drained, wanting to cry, but too tired to. Still, I crouched down to her level. "Yes. I am. My name is Cleo."
"I'm Maria. I like your hair."
I found myself smiling despite everything that had happened. "Thank you. I like your hair too, it's very pretty."
"My mom said you're here to stop bad things happening, like the bad thing that happened to my dad."
The lump in my throat returned. "I'm sorry to hear about your dad. And yes, I'm trying to stop bad things from happening."
"Thank you," she said. "I don't want my mom to cry anymore."
Before I could answer, the little girl was wrenched away from me by a frantic looking woman. "Stay away from her!" she cried shrilly.
I stood up immediately, putting space between us, putting my hands palm up. "I'm sorry, I was just saying hi."
"How can they let you roam around with no surveillance?" she responded, face paling.
"I—"
"Let's go," she said to her daughter, hurrying away.
I twisted on my heel, keeping my head down, and bolted for my dorm. Everything was all wrong. Why had things ended up like this? I didn't know what to do. And Kaz and Claude had overheard us. I didn't know what, but I would never forget the look on Kaz's face. I was scared to face them. I didn't have any excuses.
Whether or not I'd intended it, I'd betrayed them by keeping my secrets, and now I would have to betray them again or risk losing my family.
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What's at Stake has hit over 100k words with this chapter! I haven't written this much in such a short amount of time in five years! I think it's been six months since I started this book. Wow!
I hope you guys liked the chapter! Thanks for reading!
Also, I've officially run out of commissioned art, but yankeesforever has created this adorable fanart off piccrew of Claude and Cleo. So adorable!!