Page 17 of Plug and Claim

“Right, of course,” Susie said, sweeping back her loose hair. “You’ll want to get settled in.”

Instead of taking the grand stairs up, Susie led them through a narrow door, disappearing inside a small office before returning with a key.

Kira accepted it in surprise. “I get a key?”

“Yes, new rules. As of last year, all students have the right to privacy.”

“That’s…good,” Kira said uncertainly, wondering what the catch was.

“You have Susie to thank for that,” Nathaniel explained. “She’s advocated to improve lives for shifter students.”

Kira couldn’t tell if Nathaniel was bothered by this, but Susie’s chest rose with pride, mingling with a shy smile.

“All students, not just wolves,” Susie corrected. Then, as if the floodgates had opened, she took Kira by the arms as a flurry of words burst from her. “Any activities between students, including feeding, must be consensual, so don’t let anyone take advantage of you, Kira. The doors are just a precaution. You deserve to be here just like everyone else!”

“Sure,” Kira said, trying not to visualise what those other activities were, or that she was wearing a collar she had clearly not consented to. “Thanks…?”

“Shall I take you down?” Susie asked.

“No need,” said Nathaniel. “I’ll escort her.”

“Of course. Kira, I’ll come knock on your door before school and give you a tour, if you like?”

“Er, sure,” Kira said, waving goodbye as Nathaniel led her to a stairwell. She hesitated, glancing back out at the foyer. She glimpsed trees swaying gently in a breeze through a window. Sighing, she followed Nathaniel down the winding stairs into darkness. “The dormitory is downstairs?”

“It was once a dungeon,” Nathaniel said.

“Probably still is, knowing vampires.”

He shot her a quizzical look. “It was a dungeon before vampires ever dwelt here, back when wolves ruled the kingdom. This was where the Wolf King, Bakker, kept his special prisoners—vampires, wolf spies, prisoners of war, and, of course, criminals. It was only after the Revolution that it became a school.” When she didn’t answer straight away, he gave her a sidelong look. “I’m sorry. Does that not suit your narrative for evil vampires?”

Kira huffed. “A dungeon for criminals is better than a school that turns wolves into sex slaves, so don’t pretend you have the moral high ground.”

Nathaniel laughed, the timbre grating on her nerves, mostly because of how unsettled it made her feel. His proximity didn’t help, nor the way he spoke, as if there was a camaraderie between them—there was not.

They descended the winding steps, heading deeper and deeper underground. They passed several landings until they halted at one labelled fifth floor. The stairs continued down, but Nathaniel led her down a long, narrow corridor with greying carpet. Doors lined the walls on either side and wrought-iron wall sconces burnt with soft purple flames that she was sure were magical.

“This is your room,” Nathaniel said, stopping before a door labelled 505. “There are seven underground floors. The first five are all occupied by wolf shifter students. The ones below are reserved for vampires.”

“How many students are there?”

“Nearly seven hundred.”

Her eyes boggled. It was more than she’d expected. As Nathaniel unlocked the door, her mind raced with possibilities. There were seven floors, and only two of them were for vampires. It was a positive sign. The wolf shifters outnumbered the vampires by more than double, which meant that, just like the outside world, they had the advantage of numbers.

“After you,” Nathaniel offered.

Kira cautiously entered her new room. It had a small bed, a desk, a chair, a shelf, and, oddly enough, a pedestal sink. This far underground, there were no windows, and the only source of light was a glowing purple flame from a ceiling lamp, and an unlit candelabra. It was a plain room with nothing to like or dislike.

“Which floor do you live on?” Kira asked absently.

Nathaniel laughed. “Why, do you plan on paying me a visit? I can have a key cut for you, if you wish.”

“What? No, I …” she blinked furiously, realising he was joking.

“I’ll leave you to settle in,” Nathaniel said, but he made no move to leave as he leant in the doorway. “Before I go, a word of caution. Many things have changed in recent years, courtesy of Susie, but at Volmasque Academy, an open door is an open invitation.”

Her stomach twisted. “Can you be more specific?”