I was saved from answering as my chair was pulled even further away and Kaz shoved Adora’s chair between me and the man. He sat down hard, a glare settled on his features. “Don’t even think about it, Felix.”

“You’re lying if you say you haven’t tried her.”

“I haven’t,” Kaz said firmly.

Were they talking about drinking my blood? I covered my throat with my hand. They wouldn’t dare. Vampires got more than enough from blood bags. It was one of the agreements made after the Blood War. In exchange for vampires to stop feeding on unknowing humans, hunters would smuggle over fresh blood from our blood centers. Maybe the regular humans didn’t know they were feeding what they believed to be mystical beasts, but they were paid for their troubles. Enough people were present every day to keep the vampires satisfied.

Of course, there were the errant vampires. There always would be. Which was why there would always be vampire hunters. And in turn, hostility between hunters and vampires. We couldn’t exist without each other, but we couldn’t coexist.

Yet.

The white-haired man made me nervous, though. He spoke so easily of Kaz or Claude drinking my blood. Like someone who didn’t fear the repercussions for doing so. It was illegal. Just as illegal as the hunters who sold their blood through the black market. Not only illegal but dangerous.

I needed to keep my guard up. The students here were vampires. After spending my life hearing about them but never encountering them, I found it hard to remember that. They looked and acted like humans. Nothing as my father described. But that didn’t mean I was safe. Just because San, Adora, and Kaz treated me with respect didn’t mean anyone else would. They all had their reasons for being befriending me.

The teacher finally showed up and called the class to attention. Adora ducked in a second later, blinking as she realized Kaz had taken her spot. She found a new seat, pouting a bit. I felt bad, but I was happy Kaz had placed himself between Felix and me. I had no idea where Claude went, but I was happy to not have to sit by him. I needed to keep my wits about me.

“Today we start the lesson on the Blood War,” Ms. Maharaj said, turning on the projector at the front of the room. It was old and outdated. With all the technology available and how much money the school spent on the dorm rooms, I would have thought they would have better equipment. Maybe that was another similarity to humans— teachers were shafted when it came to classroom materials unless they paid out of pocket.

I sat up straighter in my seat, smiling at Kaz as he slid his book between us. History had always been one of my favorite subjects. I believed if I didn’t know the past, I wouldn’t be able to change the future. As such, I was curious to hear about the Blood War from the opposing side. I knew it would paint my family in a bad light. I couldn’t disagree, though. There were bad people on both sides.

“Ms. Levant?”

I tensed as Ms. Maharaj called me out. “Yes?”

“If you ever become uncomfortable, please feel free to excuse yourself from class, okay dear?” A warm smile crossed her face. “No war is ever just. Each side has its rights and wrongs. What’s important is we are working for peace now.”

“I feel the same,” I said.

Someone scoffed from behind me.

I grimaced. I already knew no one would believe me.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Ms. Maharaj responded. “I expect everyone in this classroom to treat Ms. Levant with kindness and respect. This is a sensitive topic for everyone involved. But we must know our history to keep it from repeating. We can’t go back and fix mistakes. We can only learn from them. What our ancestors did do not define us as people. It’s our own actions that do.”

Some of the strain in my body left me. I was sure I’d be getting along well with Ms. Maharaj.

She faced the whole class again. “This unit is chapters thirteen-eighteen in your book. Today we will start notes on chapter thirteen. There will be two essays in this unit of which you can find in your syllabus. The first is identifying and discussing three significant factors that led up to the outbreak of The Blood War which will be due two weeks from today.”

Kaz groaned. “Another essay already?”

“I can hear you, Mr. Karimov.”

Kaz mimed zipping his lips.

Ms. Maharaj shook her head. “Okay, open your books. We have a lot to get through today.”

“When are we going to study the assassination of King Cyrios?”

That was Claude’s voice. It made my heart seize up. I knew we would eventually reach that topic in this class, but I figured it wouldn’t be until the last chapter. Why was Claude asking about it specifically now? Just to get under my skin? Everyone probably already knew my father killed his grandfather. My father killed lots of people.

“We’ll get to it,” Ms. Maharaj said softly. “As I’ve told Ms. Levant, if you feel uncomfortable discussing it, you may leave class. I knew it’s hard to lose a family member. Even harder to learn about it in history class when the assassin is still unknown.”

Wait. What did she mean by that? The assassin was still unknown? That wasn’t true. My father killed Cyrios. Wasn’t that a known fact?

“I myself have researched it. There is no record of who killed King Cyrios. I can understand why you want to know, but it’s still an enigma all the time later,” Ms. Maharaj went on. “If you need someone to talk to, please see me after class.”

The blood in my veins turned cold. They didn’t know. How was that possible? How did my father get away with that? My family never hid the fact that he killed the king from me. Why didn’t my father warn me that no one knew? I could have slipped up without any idea of what I was admitting. The thought of that made my pulse race. Why hadn’t anyone told me?

“Perhaps Cleo can offer some insight when that time comes,” Claude said smoothly.

My hands curled into fists under the desk. I wasn’t sure to speak up to defend myself or not. Wouldn’t it simply look like guilt to everyone if I did? But wouldn’t silence be admittance? My mind was still reeling. How had my family hidden the killing of the old king all this time? What would happen if Claude found out? If the royal family knew?

How much did Claude know? How did he know to go straight for my pendant when we’d never even met before? He said he’d find out my secrets. Is this what he meant? I’d assumed he rightly thought my family planted me here as a spy. But perhaps he was trying to get confirmation on who killed his grandfather.

Why, then, had I been sent here with the ones around my neck?

“Your Highness,” Ms. Maharaj said, her voice turning strict. “Please refrain from making accusations in my class. This classroom will remain a safe and neutral environment for everyone. The subjects we discuss may be sensitive, but I won’t allow anyone to make anyone else uncomfortable.”

Claude’s voice was light as he responded. “I made no accusations.”

Maybe not. But that wasn’t his intention. He’d said it to stir more distrust for me. As if there wasn’t enough already. I grit my teeth together. I had to be even more careful from now on. I couldn’t let Claude affirm his suspicions. I was afraid of what it would lead to. The peace treaty was precarious at best. Did Claude want another war? Revenge for his grandfather?

Staying low would be best for now. I wouldn’t take any more risks. I really wished I could talk to my father. I had so many questions. Why didn’t he warn me? Why did he want to find the hidden heir? What would he do with them? Did he want to start another war? I knew my father detested vampires, but would he take it so far?

I wanted to believe he wouldn’t. If both sides wanted to start a war, how would I be able to stop it?

I couldn’t focus for the rest of the class. When the bells tolled, I stayed in my seat, hoping to avoid the mob of students walking out. Hands slapped down on my desk and Felix’s scarred face hovered close to mine as I lifted my head. “Come with me for a second, Flos.”

“She’s not going anywhere with you,” Kaz interjected before I could respond. “Come on, Cleo.”

Avoiding Felix’s gaze, I followed after Kaz.

“I have something to tell you,” Felix called after me.

“Just ignore him,” Kaz muttered.

“That’s the plan.”

Kaz and I split up from Adora for our next class. I kept leagues ahead of Claude. Evander’s plan was going to have to wait. Laying low would mean ignoring Claude for now. The other students were paying more attention to me, too, now. Stares and whispers. That was okay. That was unavoidable.

“Cleo, stay away from Felix,” Kaz said suddenly.

“Why?”

“You know the massacre of Vesper?”

“Yes,” I said softly. I knew it very well. My father boasted about it all the time. He’d cut down twenty vampires in twenty minutes. Generations of the same family. Gone. It was one of the things he liked to use against me when I didn’t meet his standards.

I slaughtered twenty vampires in twenty minutes. You can’t even aim a gun properly. You’ll stay out here until all targets are hit with no misses. I’d hurry. The temperatures will be in the single digits.

I swallowed. As if murdering so many people like that was something to be proud of.

“Did you know someone survived?”

My heart sunk. “No. I didn’t. That’s Felix?”

Kaz gave me a grim look. “Yes. Your family took everything away from him. Out of anyone here, he would be the one who wants revenge on you the most. That’s why you need to stay away from him. That kind of pain never disappears. It festers and rots. He might try to fool you with a friendly face, but trust me. He’s good at hiding behind a mask.”

I felt hollow. What did it feel like to lose everyone you cared about all at once? I knew I’d encounter families of those my family had slain, but a Vesper? How cruel it must have been to be the only survivor. I almost wanted to offer myself to him so he could avenge his family. Something like that was unimaginable.

And if a war broke out, it could happen again. More lives would be lost. For what? Power? Greed? Spite?

I couldn’t let it happen. I had to be more careful. I had to believe my father didn’t send me here to start one.