Luvon, the larger male, stepped forward and grunted, but a twin pulled him back.
“She didn’t mean it that way, Luvon,” she said, her tone smoky. “Sorry, he’s protective. And don’t worry about our fae essence. Our headmistress strengthened our glamour so we shouldn’t affect even the most sensitive vamps anymore.”
Huh. That was interesting. I hadn’t known that a fae could manipulate other fae’s glamours. Judging by the stunned looks on my team’s faces, no one else had either.
There was an awkward silence, which the smoky-voiced twin broke. “Since you probably can’t remember which one of us is which, I’m Ayla. You can tell by the gold jewelry.” She lifted her arm to reveal a stack of gold bangles, and pointed to a gold necklace around her neck. “Sana is wearing silver. That way, people who meet us can remember.”
Sana gestured to the guys. “They’re easy to remember. The dark-haired one is Luvon, and Volwin is the blond with the beard.” Both guys looked tense, not at all as if they wished to be going to a party.
“Umm, hi,” I said, and Volwin scowled.
Sana batted his shoulder. “Seriously, stop it. They’re trying to be nice. You can chill on the guard duty.”
“Guard duty?” My eyebrows pulled together.
They had introduced the guys as champions, not guards. And why would Sana and Ayla need guards anyway?
Sana looked like she wished she hadn’t said anything, but Ayla waved her hand dismissively. “It was bound to get out anyway, sister.” She focused her attention on us. “Sana and I are of the Riverlands royal line, so we travel with a guard.”
I gaped. They were royalty? Why were they here and not in Faerie?
Ayla rushed to explain. “Not likerealroyals. I’m sixth in line for the crown, and Sana is seventh. Even if all our relatives died off, it’s unlikely the Riverlands Court would crown one of us, as we’ve only been to Faerie once. But our parents don’t see the difference.” She rolled her eyes. “They’re so protective, they wouldn’t let us attend spy school without escorts. We’re hoping that if we do well in the Spy Games, they’ll loosen the reins a bit.”
“Or at least stop commenting that we should leave school because it’s too dangerous,” Sana added.
Oh my God, it’s like they’re me from last year.
When no one said anything, Sana bit the inside of her cheek. “It might sound dumb to you guys, but—”
“No,” I blurted. “It doesn’t. I can relate.” I smiled, and she beamed back. “Why don’t we all walk to the party together, and you can tell us all about your situation?”
The twins moved to either side of me, and their guards winged them. As we walked, I learned about the twins and a bit about the Fae Academy of Elemental and Arcane Arts. There were many similarities to Spellcasters, but many differences too—like how in their final year, the Academy of Elemental and Arcane Arts expected the fae to spend a month at court in Faerie.
When we reached the Dark Tower, where the party was being held, I was disappointed to have arrived so quickly. I really wanted to find a quiet spot and keep chatting with the twins. But showing our faces was what we’d come to do. So instead of asking the twins to hang out with me in the corridor, I followed the group into the party.
Unsurprisingly, the tower was dark, although the strobe lights that pulsed from every nook and cranny alleviated that effect somewhat. Music blared, but even so, most of the people in the tower had very sensitive hearing. They turned to study us as soon as we walked in.
“Excellent! The witch and fae champions have arrived!” Francis, the albino vampire champion, swept over to meet us, somehow not spilling a drop of blood from his shallow cocktail glass as he moved. “We worried that the fae wouldn’t show due to the newbloods revolting manners earlier.”
My mouth fell open. “Newbloods?” I croaked.
Newblood vampires were freshly turned and possessedterribleimpulse control. It took months just for them to stifle the urge to jump on someone and drain them dry.
Why would Nightdwellers allow them at the academy?
“Notrealnewbloods.” Magdalena, the Hispanic champion, joined Francis. “It’s just what we call first-years here.”
A wave of relief washed over me, and apparently it was obvious, because both vampires chuckled. Not wanting my opponents to think me nervous and naïve, I straightened my spine. “So, what’s the party for?”
Francis smiled a sly smile. “If it were up to our headmasters and headmistresses, we’d only interact at proper dinners and the Games. But we wanted to have a little fun and get to know everyone in a lighter manner.”
“That’s half the reason for the games, right?” Magdalena supplied. “We’ll all be working for the PIA one day. It would be nice to see familiar faces when we get there.”
At Magdalena’s reassurances, my shoulders relaxed. Although they were both my competitors, I trusted her way more than flashy Francis.
“Great point,” Sam said and cast a glance around. “So, where are the drinks?”
Francis wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and shockingly, Sam didn’t balk at the attention. He then proceeded to lead our group to a bar on the far side of the circular tower.
