Venetian history lessons became the bane of my existence, and not only because Marcus was likely to jump up and yell gibberish Venetian at any moment. As the next week passed, all I thought about in those pointless lectures was sleep.

Blaise did not help. “Are you sure you can carry that?” Blaise asked for the seventh time as I dared to push the threshold by carrying my own satchel to our history class. It was like he was in competition with my mother.

Younger students, passing to their own classes in the Useless Wing, gawked and giggled at him.

“Yes, Blaise, I’m fine,” I said through gritted teeth. I forced myself to breathe deeply, repeating to myself that I had no reason to complain. Blaise had stayed by my side, even if the scar itself didn’t help. The first night I’d been released, Blaise had returned to our dorm in good cheer, joking about how I must have suckered the nurse into getting me out of class.

Then I’d shifted my head the wrong way, fully exposing the scar. He’d gone strangely sombre after that.

I’d tried suggesting we make an amulet to cover it up. Blaise had gone to the library straight away, but he failed to find a spell strong enough. Le Savant didn’t allow sycophants to use his power to hide vampire bites.

At least my uniform collar covered half the scar. The part left revealed still drew everyone’s eyes, when Blaise wasn’t drawing their amusement. If only the uniform strictures allowed for a full cravat. Every time they looked, I felt my stomach drop and an urge to run away before they dragged me to the stake.

Blaise wouldn’t let them. He believed I wasn’t a deviant.

However, this same protection left me unable to speak with Valere. Whenever I even mentioned the thesis project, Blaise’s eyes found the scar and his mood darkened. No, he seemed to think, Valere was the last thing I needed.

And since Blaise had held my books hostage until this morning, I had no choice but to go where Blaise wanted to sit — on the opposite side of the classroom from Valere, so I couldn’t even pass a note.

If Valere just came to speak to me... Instead, I watched as Valere approached Dominic, spoke with Dominic, even walked with Dominic, while leaving me in Blaise’s clutches. Apparently, they’d made up after Dominic’s little tiff.

The only time Blaise had even allowed me out of arm’s reach was on my first day back, when Ashley had approached me with awkward hesitancy to enquire about the attack and the apprentice who had saved me.

Far too late, the memory had dawned on me. Ashley had been equally hesitant when he’d bumped into me at the book shoppe, and this explained why Ashley enquired. He was well acquainted with the apprentice. I had assured him Thierry was fine.

Then Dominic had stormed up to drag Ashley away to discuss their project and Blaise had jumped in to protect me, which went as badly as anyone could imagine, although with very little blood having been shed. Blaise hadn’t even needed a bandage.

We entered the history classroom, richly ornamented with mahogany desks with padded chairs and bronzed maps of Venezia and the independent city states. Non-Fallion history may have been seen as far less useful than Practicum, but without the eminent threat of explosions, more money could be spent on making the room comfortable.

Valere had arrived early, seated in the front beside Dominic, who’d gained the premier seat next to the window — the only seat which overlooked the courtyard and not the stone wall of the next wing over. Even from the back of the class, I heard Dominic sneer that Marcus should jump from the turret of his palatial estate.

Two seats remained in their row.

“Fucking Fornicator,” Blaise said. “That’s my seat.”

“We can sit behind them.” While we couldn’t discuss the project in public, at least I’d be able to work on my other assignment — learning about Valere. “You might be able to see—”

Blaise gripped my forearm and yanked me over to the far side, kitty corner from Valere, and far from any window at all. He plunked down into a chair, and glared at me when I did not follow suit.

“We can still sit next to the window.” I dropped my satchel on the desk anyway. It had grown rather heavy, although I’d never admit that to Blaise.

Blaise snorted.

“I’d rather like to sit—”

“Why?” I closed my mouth, and moved to sit. “No, please explain to me why you want to sit next to the person who got you attacked by vampires?”

I kept my voice quiet, unlike Blaise. “It was only one vampire, Blaise.”

“One vampire is one vampire too many.”

“It wasn’t his fault,” I said.

“What I’m wondering is,” Blaise’s voice grew louder, if that was even possible, “why Braud doesn’t have a scratch on him. You’re bitten by a vampire, and what, the vampire made his quota for the day?”

I stiffened. “How do you know he wasn’t hurt?”

Valere had seemed fine when he’d visited me in the hospital ward, but when I’d seen him in the showers — bad thought, bad thought.

“You were unconscious for two days and he didn’t even need to visit the hospital ward,” Blaise said. “How suspicious.”

I glanced at Valere’s corner, and even though Blaise’s voice had to have carried, Valere seemed unconcerned, his eyes on the book he’d propped open once Dominic had stopped speaking.

“The apprentice obviously reached us before it could.” Not to mention Valere had Seraphin… Although, for all I knew, Seraphin might have bit Valere himself, in one of the blacked out memories I’d lost.

“I thought you didn’t remember.” As loud as Blaise said it, he might as well have yelled it.

“Shh,” I hushed him. “Can you keep yourself quiet?”

“Why are you protecting him?” Blaise asked. “It’s his fault you’re…”

“I’m what?” I stopped myself. “Valere is my partner, and I don’t need any more trouble.”

“Oh really? It’s not like he’s done anything useful. You’ve been doing all the back-breaking research straight out of the hospital ward. You should be resting, and yet he won’t lift a finger to help you.”

“He is helping.” I hadn’t seen Valere out of class since the hospital ward, not even at dinners. “And I’m not breaking my back doing research, because you hardly let me stay in the library twenty minutes without rushing me to bed!”

My voice cracked through the classroom. Dominic turned around, a look of disbelief and glee rounding his cheeks.

“I mean — I mean, you make me rest,” I stammered, my own cheeks turning red. “Not — not—”

Stop protesting, I told myself.

“You should rest!” Blaise exclaimed. “You’ve only been out of the ward for a week.”

“Yes, a whole week,” I said. “I’m fine, now.”

“You were unconscious for two days!”

“A week ago.”

“Because your new pal Braud dragged you into alleys to get attacked by vampires!” Oh dear, did we have to go back to that? Could he not wait until we were alone?

“It was an accident,” I tried to say, but I was a lousy liar, even though it was partially true.

“You’re too suspicious, amico,” Marcus told Blaise. I glanced behind me, even though I was certain a guilty expression cemented my features. Marcus had just come through the door. “It was just plain rotten luck.”

“I’m not suspicious enough,” Blaise declared. Marcus turned his face away to stifle a laugh. Blaise scowled. “Braud always returns with some black eye or cut. Who is he fighting? He doesn’t brawl with anyone here.”

“He’ll brawl with you if you keep yammering on like that,” Marcus said. “Il puttanane Fornicator’s with him all the time, and unfortunately for us, he’s still with us.”

Blaise shuddered. “Who in their right mind would want to bite that? Even a vampire has standards. You’d have to lock one up in a cell for a century or more before they’d even take a second look.”

“While the rest of us can remain assured we’re safe around you,” Dominic said to Blaise, finally roused into the argument. “You would bore a vampire to death.”

“Oh, your mother wasn’t bored, puttanane,” Marcus said. “Then again, you only need hold up a six pence coin to hold her interest.”

Dominic flung himself to his feet, scrambling around Valere to jump into the aisle. I only had a moment to set myself between the two men before Dominic scurried toward us.

“Stop it, both of you!” Ashley ran into the room, squeezing around Marcus to join me. “Dominic, you’ll get expelled.”

“Scared?” Dominic asked, his full attention still on Marcus. “You must be quivering if you’re hiding behind the dunce.”

“Cosa? I couldn’t quite hear that through Valere’s petticoats,” Marcus said. “Oh wait, he enjoys watching you writhe just as much as we do.”

Dominic pushed his chest against me, his arms trying to snake around to claw at Marcus. I tried to push him back, but I hadn’t the strength, even with Ashley’s help, not with Dominic pressing his full weight against me.

With Marcus still out of range, Dominic snarled, “At least I chase petticoats. What favours need you repay the dunce for hiding you?”

Marcus made a disgusted sound. “You’re the one pressed against him. What, did you finally figure out Valere’s not a sodomite like you?”

Dominic jumped back as if I’d suddenly erupted into flames. He glared at me and spat, “Vampire bait.”

Great. How did this argument go back to that?

“You’re just jealous,” Marcus said. “Daniel had wild suffragettes hanging all over him.”

I gawked at Marcus. How did he know that? Hanging all over me was an exaggeration — tolerating me for Valere’s sake was a more apt description.

“Suffragettes?” Blaise gaped at me, then smiled, as if we hadn’t just been bickering.

Ashley, on the other hand, scoffed.

Dominic bristled. “I’m supposed to be impressed because Lord Travere here can afford some doxies?”

“They are not doxies,” I said. That was exactly the attitude that had lost Dominic any chance with them. “They are ladies.”

“Ha! Apparently your lineage is good for something,” Dominic said. “It left you short of beauty and brains, but at least you have a title to shove in everyone’s face.”

A title I may never inherit.

“Did you tell them if they sucked on your cock, they’d get to be a lady for a day?” Dominic turned on Marcus. “Did he promise you the same thing?”

Emeric jumped in, causing everyone but Dominic to jump. Even Marcus. “We’d be happy to oblige you in a good flogging, if you keep running your sodomite mouth like that.” Emeric smirked and jerked his chin at Marcus. “How many do you reckon before he starts crying?”

“He wouldn’t even make it to the first blow,” Marcus said.

Dominic tensed his shoulders.

“I suppose it’s easy to forget when you hail from common stock, but the rest of us are already nobles,” he continued. Except for Ashley, who hailed from a respected gentry family, and Valere… well, who knew about Valere?

Dominic’s face splotched as he sputtered. He jerked his index finger at me. “That… that lordling wouldn’t even know what to do with a girl!”

“Of course I do.” Even deviants and dunces like me knew that much. “Get properly introduced by an acquaintance, dance with her, eventually marry her.” Listen to her propaganda…

Somehow, my response was even more shocking than my acquaintance with suffragettes. Dominic’s mouth moved, but for once, no sound came out. I glanced over my shoulder to find Marcus and Emeric both mimicking Dominic, although they were both too distracted to feel properly horrified at the prospect.

Blaise only sighed.

“Are you putting us on?” Emeric asked.

I frowned. “About what?”

“How can you even call yourself a man?” Dominic asked. Ashley tugged on his jacket, and Dominic let him pull him away from the fight. “What a waste of time.”

Marcus and Emeric also moved to take their seats. Outside the door, I spotted the bobbing head of the balding history teacher hiding from our argument.

“Come on.” Blaise gestured for me to take my seat.

Instead, I picked up my satchel and carried it to the front, setting it on the desk next to Valere, Blaise hot on my heels. Valere glanced up, as cool as ever, the only one who hadn’t insinuated himself into the argument, even though it was his name being dragged through the mud.

“Daniel,” Blaise whispered, tugging on my arm. “What are you doing?”

“Go sit down, Blaise.”

“Come back and sit with me.”

“Why?” I shook my head. Blaise had already been quite clear, and I wanted nothing less than a repeat. “I need to discuss something with my partner.”

“Him?”

“Yes.”

“Daniel, he—”

“Go sit down.” And stop embarrassing the both of us.

“You better see the light soon,” Blaise said, “before it’s too late.”

I gestured to the window we sat near, with actual sunlight visible. “There’s plenty of light.”

He threw up his hands. “Fine, do what you like. Maybe next time you’ll get to join their ranks.”

My heart clenched. Of all the people to think that… I sat down and turned to Valere. “What chapter are we on? I think I missed the last lesson.”

Valere flicked his eye to Blaise. “Twelve.”

“My thanks.” I unlatched my bag and drew out the text.

Blaise made a noise and stormed off to return to his seat.

Maybe now I’d actually be able to get some research done. More than a week gone, and I’d been able to accomplish nothing. Blaise would just have to understand.

The pad of my finger slid over the leather cover. Blaise would regret his last remark later. He only worried about me. He knew I wasn’t really a vampire sycophant, right?

Maybe, maybe I should return to sit next to him and smooth it all over. His gaff was all bluster hiding concern, really. Was a night’s freedom really worth pissing off my best friend?

I glanced at Valere’s desk. Wait a moment. The book Valere held wasn’t our assigned textbook. He was working on our thesis project during class. Genius!

I would start at the library as soon as possible and root out everything about blood. My breath caught, the room gone suddenly frigid. If even Blaise accused me of being a vampire sycophant, how would the guild be any different?

If only I’d been partnered with Ashley.