“Jack,” my mom placed her hand on my arm, “we just want you to be safe is all.”
I turned on her. “You can’t keep me in a box and only pull me out when you want to show me off. Life happens, and sometimes you won’t be able to protect me from it.”
Several of my dads started arguing over each other, trying to explain to me in so many words how much they loved and cared about me. But, at this point, it was just noise over the rushing of my pulse.
“Quiet.” Antoine’s voice rang out through the room, his powers of command shutting them all up in an instant. Heturned his pale gaze onto me. “Jaquelynn, what do you like to do?”
I sucked in several deep breaths trying to get a hold on my emotions and thoughts. What did I want to do?
The thought of going back to the school and facing Tate and Kyren terrified me. More so that Kyren would find out who I was, and how he’d look at me the way the vampires I fought on a regular basis did. Like I was his enemy.
But there was a job to do. I’d made promises — a commitment — to find the rogues, and I wasn’t about to let my teenage drama get in the way of doing my job.
No matter how much I was hurting, how much it would kill me to face them, I had to go back and do my job. If I didn’t, they were right, and I wasn’t a hunter at all.
“You spent most of my life shielding me from danger,” I began, turning around the room, “even more so after I was kidnapped. No one knows what I look like, but you and I know that those against the council and, let’s be honest, the Durands.” I sent a look around the room at my family. “They won’t be able to help themselves if they know I’m around. So I want to announce it at school. It’ll be the perfect bait.”
“But Jackie,” Allister stepped toward me, “we don’t want to put you in any more danger.”
“He’s right,” Tristen pointed out. “You’d be painting a target on your back.”
I shrugged. “How is that any different from any other mission I’ve gone on?”
“You’ll have to be careful.” My mom frowned. “You won’t be able to tell who your friends and enemies are. Believe me as someone who went to public school. You might think someone is your best friend, only for them borrow five hundred bucks, steal your boyfriend, and then take off.”
I arched a brow. “Wow, mom, that was oddly specific.”
“I just mean,” my mom sat on Wynn’s lap, “you’ll need to be more careful. You won’t be able to stay in the dorms like you do now.”
“Right,” Rayne interjected. “It’s not secure. Anyone could come in and kill you in your sleep. In fact, I should skim some minds, make sure no one has plans to —”
“Dad.” I shook my head and chuckled. “It’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. I promise.”
There was a moment of silence before Drake spoke up. “So, any ideas of how to let everyone know you’re a Durand? I was thinking something big. Something that’s in your face. Something no one can ignore.”
I smiled as they devolved into arguing once more over the best way to reveal my identity, but it was settled. I was going back to Durand Supernatural Academy.
Now if someone could tell my heart that it was a good thing, then we’d all be on the same page.
Chapter thirty-five
Kyren
Mondaycamearoundfartoo slowly and still no word from Jack. I’d been on edge ever since the run-in with the professor and, with Tate’s emotions all over the place, it wasn’t making it any easier for me to be patient and wait.
Everything in me screamed to find her. To send my shadows out into the world until they could tell me where she was. Except I knew the limits of my own abilities, and I’d likely end up hurting myself before I ever found her.
“There’s an assembly today,” Tate commented from his side of the bed, where we’d practically camped out all weekend. “I didn’t think they had those in college. What do you think it’s about?”
“What time?” I sighed, not wanting to leave the room for anything other than to see Jack’s face. Then I’d then put her over my lap and spank her ass red for making me worry the way she did.
“Uh… nine o’clock. We’ll miss our second class of the day. Apparently, all the professors will be there, too, so we don’t haveto worry about losing points.” Tate grunted and rolled out of bed. “Want to go to the cafeteria first before we head to class?”
“Sure.”
I went through the motions of getting dressed. Tate walked me to the cafeteria where my eyes scanned the room, searching for the familiar dark curly head of hair. She wasn’t here.
We found Xinyi and Iris at our usual table. “She’s not here yet,” Xinyi said before we even sat down.
