Tonight, at nearly three in the morning, the comparison felt even more apt. I headed down the grand staircase, then hurried along the corridor toward the sitting room even as my mind kept trying to veer back to what I’d seen when I’d burst into Allie’s room. Her shirt twisted up. Jared’s hands. Alli?—
Not. Thinking. About. It.
I had bigger issues. Like, oh, the demon who’d killed Antonio.
That’s what I needed to focus on. Not the fact that my still sixteen-year-old daughter was clearly further along in her relationship with her vampire boyfriend than I really wanted to think about. Not the mortifying moment of eye contact with Jared while my daughter scrambled off him like the bed was on fire.
Murder.
I needed to focus on the much less confusing problem of murder.
The sitting room doors were open, warm light spilling into the hallway, and I could hear the low murmur of voices. They’d gathered fast—I’d sent Eric to rally the adults while I’d gone to splash some water on my face before getting Allie.
That was something, I suppose. Better to have me walk in than her father.
Still, lesson learned. Always. Knock. First.
I paused in the doorway, taking in the scene—my best friend Laura in her pajamas,
perched on the sofa arm next to Cutter, who looked grim and alert and ready for action despite the hour. The man could gofrom dead asleep to fully operational in seconds. Former Navy SEAL thing, I guess. They don’t live at the school, but they keep rooms here for convenience—like when we’re about to welcome new students.
Eddie was in his ancient flannel robe, looking exactly like an ex-Demon Hunter turned curmudgeonly pseudo-grandfather. Which, of course, he is.
Stuart took the recliner, leaning back in sweatpants and a Rolling Stones tee.
He barely looked my way, and I blinked back a fresh wave of tears as I shifted my attention to my cousin Eliza. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor near the fireplace, her dark blonde hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, watching me with those sharp eyes that reminded me so much of Allie. Technically, she’s a student. But she’s also an adult and family, so it made sense for her to be at this meeting.
As for Eric, he stood leaning against the wall, his expression grim. He nodded, a silent acknowledgement that he’d moved the body, tucking it somewhere safe from coyotes and other evidence-eaters.
As for Allie, neither she nor Jared had arrived yet, and my mind was spinning about what exactly they might be doing.
As if they’d timed it, the subjects of my angst burst past me into the room—Allie in a hastily thrown-on hoodie and sweatpants, Jared trailing at a respectful distance with the kind of perfect composure that only someone who’d been alive for over a century could pull off after getting caught with his hands up a girl’s shirt.
Neither of them met my eyes. Or each other’s, for that matter. Allie dropped onto the loveseat, and Jared settled beside her. I caught his eye as they got situated. He had the grace to look slightly abashed, but still took Allie’s hand with his own.
I had to give him points for that.
Bigger issues, Kate. Much. Bigger. Issues.
On that firm reminder, I ran my fingers through my hair, then moved to stand by the cold fireplace, crossing my arms and trying to project calm authority while my mind drifted to the memory of Antonio’s body and theSignum Fidelisburned into his hand.
“Well?” Eddie grumbled, his gray hair standing out in all directions, giving him the look of a mildly crazed eighty-something curmudgeon. Which, frankly, was exactly what he was. “And it better be good, Katie-girl. I was in the middle of a very nice dream about Rita.”
His wife, Rita, was away on a trip with friends. Since Eddie hadn’t wanted to stay in their empty house—technically, my and Stuart’s empty house—he’d decided to camp out in his old room at the mansion for a few days, leaving Kabit, my displaced cat in the temporary care of my old neighbor—and suburban arch-nemesis—Marissa.
Fortunately, Kabit can get along with anyone bearing kibble.
I turned to Eric, half-expecting him to tell the others what happened. He didn’t, of course. I’m the headmistress of this school. This was my news to deliver.
“Eric and I found a body in the cemetery tonight.” I let that land before continuing. “Antonio Russo.”
The reaction was immediate. Laura gasped. Cutter’s jaw tightened, his hand moving instinctively to Laura’s back. Eliza sucked in a breath. Stuart’s head came up, something flickering behind his flat, emotionless eyes.
Allie leaned forward, her fingers interlocked with Jared’s. “I trained with him,” she whispered, blinking back tears. “Those weeks at the Vatican after the gate thing. He was the nicest guy.”
Jared released her hand, and she wiped away tears as his arm slid protectively around her. And right then, a little piece of my Mom Angst fell away.
“Why was he even here?” Laura asked. “He’s not supposed to arrive until late tomorrow, sometime after Marcus gets here with the new kids.”
