Xinyi stared up at me with wide eyes. “Okay, okay. I get ya. That’s just what we were told is all.”
“Of course they said that,” I scoffed, letting her lead me forward. “Let’s just say I’m having a bit of a disagreement with my parents right now.”
“And does this have anything to do with the missing vampire?” Xinyi’s gaze slid toward me, keeping her voice low, though it didn’t matter much here. Every vampire and human servant could hear us. Thankfully, most of the rooms had thick walls and doors, so it was only the ones lingering in the common areas.
“Uh… not really. Kind of.” I brushed my hair over my shoulder, shoving my hands into my pockets and bunching my shoulders. “It’s hard to explain.”
Her hair swished as she nodded. “Got it. None of my business, anyway. Come on, Iris is going to die when she sees you.” She paused and then giggled. “You know what I mean.”
Xinyi led me to their room and opened it without knocking. Covered in dark reds, blacks, silk sheets, and carpets with busypatterns, Iris lay on the bed in a short, white lace nightgown. Her eyes lifted to the doorway when we walked in.
“Jack!” Iris sat up in bed, her brows raising. “What a pleasant surprise.”
“Hey, baby.” Xinyi released my hand and bounced onto the bed, crawling along it until she was able to curl up against Iris’s side. “Jack isn’t back. Right?” She looked at me for confirmation.
“Right.” Then I slid my gaze back to the leggy Greek woman. “I don’t mean to hold up your sleep, but have you noticed any vampire — a female one — that didn’t come home tonight?” I thought back to the mess of blood and limbs in the alley, grimacing as I picked out two-toned hair. “She has black and white hair?”
If possible Iris’s brows rose even higher. “That’s Marianne, I believe. Has something happened to her?” She slid out of the bed, much to Xinyi’s disappointment.
“Oh, no. Well, I don’t know. Maybe.” I wasn’t sure how much to share with Iris. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her, but I didn’t want to get Kyren in trouble or the Hunter’s Guild on her ass. “Do you know where her room is here?” I gestured back toward the hallway.
Iris pursed her lips for a moment and then her head twisted toward Xinyi and spouted out something in another language. Mandarin, maybe?
Xinyi pouted and sank back onto the bed, staring off to the side.
“Come,” Iris instructed, not bothering to pull on a robe as she led me out of her room and down the hallway.
We passed by half a dozen doors before we reached one near the end of the hall. Iris indicated for me to wait and then knocked on the door. We stood there for a few minutes before she knocked again. Still nothing.
Iris wiggled the doorknob and found it locked.
With very little thought about it, she turned it until the lock broke. Pushing the door open, she dipped her head inside, and light from the hallway filled the room. I crept up behind her, peering over her shoulder.
Marianne’s room was more simplistic and modern than Iris’. Bathed in pale pinks and purples with random clothing thrown around the room. A floral perfume filled the air, too strong for it to have been days since it was sprayed.
“She was here today,” Iris commented, glancing toward me. “Have you seen her?”
I avoided Iris’s gaze. “I can’t really talk about it. I just needed to confirm her identity.” Not sure how close Iris was to this Marianne, I braced myself for her to demand answers.
She asked for none.
“Very well. Let me know if or when you can discuss it.” Without a goodbye, she walked out of the room, leaving me there standing in the middle of a dead woman’s bedroom.
I poked around for a few minutes but found little more than poorly written essays and far more perfumes than one person should ever own. Rubbing my eyes, I sighed and headed back toward the surface level of the dorms.
Crossing through the hallways, I contemplated if I could get into the school’s computer system without raising suspicion.
“Jack?”
I’d been so close. So close to getting the information and getting out of here without anyone being the wiser. Of course, it would be on my way out when I’m not paying attention that I’d get caught by the one person I didn’t need to see right now.
Pausing mid-stride, I forced my face to smooth over before turning around. “Professor Fawley.”
Chapter seven
Julian
Itwassimplydumbluck that I’d decided to see what I could find out about the murdered vampire at the dorms right then. If I hadn’t been trying to procrastinate grading papers, I might have missed this chance to see Jack.
