“Markos is the worst about playing people and making promises. Everyone knows if you’re into men and want a great night with no promises, you get with Adrian, who isdefinitelynot Jesus.”
“What’s your name, friend?”
“Darian.”
“Bring it in, friend, because I think we’re onto something.”
“You want a hug?”
“Yeah. I hug my friends and I think you’re about to help me figure out something major. I’m completely and totally devoted to Sage, so this is a new friend hug. I’m not going to cop a feel.”
“You’re weird.”
Darian totally gave me a bro hug, so I gave her a bro hug back. It was okay if my friends weren’t huggers. Darian had alotmore gossip than Saffron did. I liked Saffron, and she’d helped Sage during the trials, but that fairy didn’t have a petty bone in her body like my new friend did. And Ilovedpetty people.
“Hey, Darian. This isreallyimportant. Is there anyone else on my side of the school messing with people who want to marry a god?”
“It’salwaysfreshmen, sometimes sophomores. You usually find who you’re supposed to be with and don’t bother with us. Ihave no desire to have sex with Adrian, but he’s fun to hang out with. I heard a rumor he found his people. He probably won’t hang out with us anymore.”
“Nah, I only just met the bloke, but I have a feeling he still prefers your side of the school and intends to just drag his mates with him. Ivar, Ari, and Alexios are great. Just don’t be weird because Ari is mute since Ivar is super protective of him. Do us a favor, love. You got anymore names like Markos for me?”
“There’s someone on your side of the school that’s fishing on mine, but doesn’t want anyone to know about it. There are several people talking about secret, powerful lovers but why would you want a lover who doesn’t scream it from the rooftop?”
“Did all of those people end up dead or disappeared?”
Because I was going somewhere with this. I needed my new friend to be brilliant and bring us over the finish line.
“No. Kira already found her fated mate. He was a prominent dragon, and she was happy with it. She already had prestige as Blaize’s lead guard. You know how it feels when you meet your fated. I don’t think shecouldhave stepped out on him.
“Star disappeared during the trials and she was against being with anyone who wasn’t a fairy, so she wouldn’t have had a secret romance with a god. A lot of the fairies think like that, so in theory, the other fairy that went missingcouldhave been hooking up with someone and not talking about it.
“The succubae and incubi don’t really brag about their bedmates with anyone but their kind. They have to recharge their magic with sex and they let each other know if someone is shit in bed and not to bother. Most of them were lining up for Adrian, but it would have been a big top up for any of them to be with any of you.”
Damn. I was pretty sure Kira and Star just got in their way and that was why they died. Erica died because Lola was Petty Betty and Erica didn’t kiss her arse. I was pretty sure someonewas using supernaturals trying to gain power and money by marrying a reincarnation to get close to the victims and also use the fact that the succubae had to feed off sex to pick people off, too.
I had a general ideahowthey were doing it, but I still didn’t knowwhy.
Since our schedules differed on Tuesday and Thursday, we always met up in the dining hall and shared what might have found out during the day. Now that Morgana taught us the spell where we wouldn’t be overheard, we didn’t have to rush through dinner.
Liam appeared dragging a tiny, bewildered-looking vampire with him and announced her as his new friend Darian. I hope he asked first and didn’t just grab a random vampire in the hall and decide they were friends because I wouldn’t put it past him to do that.
“So, Darian and her girlfriend are both vampires and strong enough to shift into bats. I asked her if she could help Lucianwith his because I figured something out. I warned her you don’t like your arse kissed or being treated like you’re important and to make you feel like every wanker here, it helps to frequently kick you in the kidneys.”
“I don’t like my arse kissed, but I abhor violence and don’t enjoy being punched, either.”
“Um, so you’re all aware if the Master wanted to, he could break every bone in your body in under two seconds without breaking a sweat. I already toldyouthis, but I wanthimto know, too,” Darian said.
“Lucian, please. I do need help with my bat, so I’ll take all the help I can get. The only vampire class I have is the remedial class with people who were turned. I belong there since I just became a vampire, but I am alsothevampire, so I probably need a tutor if you’re willing.”
“I’d love to if I could get a letter of reference. I want to go into teaching and it would seriously help me.”
“Write her whatever the fuck she wants, mate, because to defeat the Forsaken Ones, you have to become Batman with an even bigger stick up his arse,” Liam said.
“Explain,” Khalid said.
“So, everyone that died told Khalid and Professor Gefn they were surrounded by complete blackness. Once this bastard figures out how to draw his bat out, he’s got echolocation and is the only one of us who is going to be able to find their way through it. If he decides to choose violence for once, he could probably find and then knock the mess out of them so the rest of us stand a chance.”
Khalid and I were nodding because that made total sense. Lucian had big opinions about violence and I’d never force him to do anything, but if he could help the rest of us see through the void, we might survive an encounter with the Forsaken Ones.
