Okay, enough screwing with the vamps, Odie.
I leaned back in my chair. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t smell or see the effects of a demon stone, but because I’m demon-touched, I felt it.”
My fellow witch champions jerked backward, clearly shocked that I’d admit such a thing. A few gasps came from the fae and shifter end of the table. The vampires, however, seemed unaffected as they studied me—exactly how I thought they’d react.
Inspired by Alpha Conon’s talk of camaraderie, I’d thought intensely about coming out as demon-touched while I prepared for the feast. After telling my fellow Spellcasters champions the truth of what being demon-touched meant, it no longer felt like a cloud hanging over my head. Right before leaving my room for the feast, I’d concluded that Alpha Conon was right. We needed each other. So this was a test. Depending on their reactions, I would tell them more, and maybe, in time, we’d become allies.
Finally, after ten seconds of silence that felt like far longer, Francis leaned over the table. “Demon-touched? As in, by a royal?”
I nodded. “Ishtar.”
Simone’s eyes widened for a heartbeat before she caught herself.
“And my best friend is demon-touched by Lucifer,” I added. “Outside the safe walls of our academies, evil is building like never before. The demons want to invade our realm. And because I have a connection to them, I can feel their presence—and that of demon stones.”
Anton shook his head. “Why are you telling us this, though?”
I turned to the massive blond. “We’re supposed to be building camaraderie here. Obviously, it’s also a competition, and I expect that tomorrow, you guys will be all cut-throat as usual. But what I’m talking about isreallife. You might be affected too. And you should know the truth so that you can save those you love when things start happening.” I twisted to make sure that none of the heads of schools were approaching. “These past few months PIA agents have gone missing. I only know of the witches, but perhaps you’ve learned of others?”
Each champion looked shocked, and then, surprisingly Volwin, Sana’s bearded guard who had barely said a word during the Games, spoke.
“Actually, yes. I’ve heard of fae agents disappearing. My older brother is one of them.”
Sana gasped, and her hand gripped Volwin’s forearm. “You didn’t tell me that!”
Pink bloomed on his pale cheeks as he glanced down at Sana’s hand. “Apologies, Lady Torna, but I don’t like to burden you with my personal issues.”
Hurt flashed across Sana’s face. “You couldneverburden me with your problems. We’re friends . . . family, really. I don’t want you to hide anything from me.”
I cleared my throat, not wanting to lose momentum when I was learning new information. “When did your brother disappear?”
“Two months ago,” the fae replied.
My gaze ran across the shifters and vamps. “No one else has heard anything?”
They shook their heads.
“Alpha Conon runs a tight ship,” Dasha spoke up for the shifters. “No news gets in or out. We don’t even have a cute little town nearby to get news from, like I hear Spellcasters does.”
“Neither do we,” Magdalena piped up.
“Interesting. We—”
A howl rang from behind me, making me whip around. When I saw what had made the sound, my mouth fell open.
Alpha Conon had shifted into a midnight black wolf the size of a 4-wheeler, and was prowling the dining hall, waiting for everyone to quiet down. Apparently, the Alpha did have a theatrical flair.
“Holy crap,” I breathed, then shot a look to Dasha. “Are you that big?” I didn’t remember her being so large when she’d transformed at Nightdwellers, but I’d also been pretty preoccupied, and she’d been far away.
She shook her head. “Less than half his size, but I’ll fill out. Conon is what wolves like to call an alpha’s alpha. He’s one of the biggest to have ever lived.”
And if the intimidating way he prowled and growled for attention was any indication, one of the most fearsome too. In a matter of seconds, a chattering room full of shifters had quieted. When Alpha Conon shifted back into his human aspect, any residual noise halted with a clap of his hands.
“Tonight, we break bread with the champions from our sister spy schools. Everyone, please join me in welcoming them to the Shifter Academy of Spies.”
Polite clapping filled the hall, and everyone at the champions’ table waved.
Once he’d decided that we’d been properly respected, Alpha Conon lifted a fist, and the sounds stopped. “Tomorrow, these sixteen students will participate in a challenge at this very school. One that will test their abilities to seek and find, and also determine how well they work as a team. Because as my kind knows, lone shifters often die, but teams—or packs and prides—survive.”
