Kyle is kneeling, his head down, my mother bending over him with her arm raised, like some sort of avenging angel. She turns, her face a pale oval in the darkness. ‘What?’
‘He’s not at fault. I er, I ordered him to bring me home. And it’s really not his fault we ran into the Reaper gang. In a way, he saved me.’
She straightens up. ‘Is that so?’
‘Truly, it is.’
She looks from me to Kyle. ‘Rise,’ she says.
He gets up and stands to attention, his heels together.
‘Very well,’ she says. ‘I accept you had no choice in the matter. Go now. There is a meal for you, downstairs.’
‘Thank you, my lady.’ He bows again. His glance flicks to me then he’s gone, a darker blur against the night, the other guards following.
All except for Bertrand. He escorts me and my mother to the house, my mother matching her pace to mine. I’m fine with that. I’ve had enough of being carried for one evening.
I lean against her as we ascend the steps to the front door, the tall pillars either side pale lines in the darkness. I’m cold, despite the warmth of the house once we go inside. I’m also buzzing, adrenaline at our close call, at the evening I’ve had, still running through me. In the sitting room the fire is burning, electric candle-lamps lit. I sit on the sofa. My mother sits in the chair opposite, leaning forward to the small table to pour me a cup of tea. I smell peppermint, steaming and fragrant.
‘What happened?’ There’s a faint line in the skin between her eyebrows.
I pick up the cup, holding it to me as I think. ‘It was just how we said. I was tired, and my head ached. I wanted to come home, so I made Kyle bring me.’
‘You did? Because our forces are stretched thin at the moment, and I’m not sure I can find a suitable replacement. Mistral sent him to us, actually, very highly recommended. That’s why I thought I could trust him with you.’
Mistral? He heads the most powerful Raven subset, and is my mother’s lieutenant, so he’s almost family, I guess. That doesn’t change the fact I think he’s a dick. He and Mother were an item once, long ago, but then she met Father and everything changed. Mistral doesn’t seem to have got the message, though, sniffing around Mother whenever he comes to visit. I wouldn’t touch anything he recommended with a ten-foot pole, but Mother, and sometimes Father, seem to think he’s all right.
In a way, it makes sense that Mistral recommended Kyle, seeing as he is also completely irritating. But, though I hate to admit it, he might have done me a favour after all. An idea is forming. I just need to make sure Kyle isn’t fired first. I know, just an hour or so ago I would have fired him myself, if I could have. But now I see… potential.
‘Well, you can,’ I say. ‘I know now it wasn’t a great idea, but running seemed faster than waiting for the car. Really, I’m fine.’
It’s not totally a lie. The adrenaline rush is wearing off, though, and I’m starting to feel tired.I cradle my teacup, the warmth comforting like the crackle of the fire, like my mother’s love. I gather it to me like a blanket, as though I can hang onto it somehow. I’ll miss her, more than anything, when I leave, and I know she’ll be the same. I wonder whether my father will miss me.
‘So how was the evening, apart from feeling unwell? Did you have fun at the party?’ She’s smiling now, a perfect pale beauty in the dimly lit room. When I don’t say anything, her smile fades.
‘Um.’ I have to say something. ‘Well, I had a good time.’ More lies.
My mother’s face lights up. ‘You did? And how was Stella?’
I blink. ‘I mean, it was strange at first, when I saw Stella.’ I pause. Stella was unforgivably rude. I decide to drop her in it.
‘Well, she wasn’t, um, that nice. She grabbed me. Tight.’ I emphasise the last word. My mother’s eyes widen. ‘But Kyle, you know, he sort of…’ I pause again. ‘Well, he let her know, he reminded her, that I was, that she shouldn’t, er…’
My mother looks pained. ‘Do I need to speak to her father?’
‘No! I mean, don’t bother. The important thing is that Kyle looked after me, the whole night. Like he’s supposed to.’ I nod at this last bit. There’s no way I’m going to tell her about being mistaken for a blood dancer – she’d probably have the club torn down. Humiliation washes over me again, at the memory of the vampire’s rough hands on me, Stella and her friends laughing, people waiting outside the club turning to each other, frowning, as I got out of the car. If anything has shown me I’m in no way cut out to be the next Raven, it’s that.
She narrows her eyes. ‘Emelia?’
Damn. ‘Yes?’
‘Is there anything else you want to tell me?’
I fold my lips tight, breathing through my nose and blinking.
‘Tell me,’ she says, her voice gentle.
‘Er.’ I don’t know how to say it. ‘When we got there, I mean, we were in the Raven car, and I was with Kyle, but… no one seems to know who I am.’
