I shoved her gently toward the door. Her neck was bare, washed clean with antiseptic, but I thought I could still smell very faint blood from the stitches under her bandage. “Well, then take a hint.”

She turned and shoved her foot against the bottom of the door. “Right there, Quinn. That’s what I mean. You guys are all fretting like old ladies. It’s like you’re more afraid of vampires than I am.”

“That’s cause we’re smarter than you are,” I pointed out. “And worried.”

“Well, suck it up,” she said crossly. “Because you’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

Chapter 22

Hunter

Monday afternoon

I didn’t hear from him for the rest of the night. Not a single text or phone message. Even so, I’d released some of the toxic knot of fear and worry clutching my insides, and I felt better prepared to do whatever I might need to do.

Which was convenient, since the first assembly of the school year was just as bad as I’d thought it would be.

It was after lunch and we were all gathered in the auditorium, which was in actuality an old wooden schoolhouse from the turn of the century, outfitted with salvaged church pews, also wooden. Hunters have always preferred everything to be made of wood—it’s easier to splinter off a piece to use as a makeshift weapon that way. The first thing my grandfather did when he bought his house was rip off the aluminum siding and replace everything with board-and-batten.

There were rows and rows of windows and the thick, rippled glass diffused the sunlight into every corner of the building. It followed me into the room. There was no hope of hiding. Students whirled in their seats, staring at me as I passed, whispering loudly to each other. Luckily Jenna and Jason were close enough to the back that I wasn’t on display for very long. I could see Chloe off to one side but she turned back to stare at the front, ignoring me.

I slid onto a polished pew to sit next to Jenna. She leaned forward and flicked the ear of a girl who wasn’t even pretending not to stare.

“Ow,” she squealed. She added a glare before shifting to sit properly.

Jenna folded her arms smugly. I sat with a straight back, my boots polished, my cargo pockets filled with regulation weapons and supplies. I couldn’t avoid looking at the table near the first pew with Will’s class picture from last year and a candle burning on either side. He was smiling earnestly. I tried not to remember him baring his fangs at me, trying to rip through my throat for my jugular. Or the feel of his skin and flesh and heart under the impact of my stake.

Jason leaned over from Jenna’s other side. “Any word on Spencer?”

I shook my head. “I went over this morning but Theo said nothing’s changed.”

“That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” he pointed out.

“Chloe’s still not talking to you?” Jenna asked.

“Guess not.”

When Headmistress Bellwood strode across the stage, the heels of her sensible shoes clacking like gunshots, we all sat up straighter. The chatter died instantly. Even the first-year students knew enough to be afraid of her. The rest of the teachers filed in behind her. Mr. York was last, his whistle around his neck as always. I swore he slept with it on. He once blew it in Chloe’s ear so loudly she was deaf for three days.

Headmistress Bellwood didn’t need a microphone; her stern, crisp voice found you wherever you were. “Welcome to a new year at the Helios-Ra High School. You are embarking on a new journey and creating bonds with fellow hunters that will last a lifetime. Some of you will be discovering new talents and eventually choosing a department of the League in which to serve. The departments include standard Hunting, Paranormal Studies, Science, and Technology. What we do here is prepare you to hunt vampires and join the Academy college for further study in your chosen field.”

I was only half listening. We’d heard variations of this speech several times over the years. And I was too busy talking myself out of checking for text messages from Quinn. He was unconscious in his bed; he could hardly have sent me a message.

Every time I thought about that kiss, my lips tingled, my belly grew warm, my knees went soft.

He was dangerous on so many levels.

“You will all be expected to model the virtues of this fine school: Diligence, Duty, and Daring,” Headmistress Bellwood continued. “I will not tolerate rebellion, recklessness, or arrogance. All of those qualities will get you killed and are, therefore, unacceptable. Those of you joining us for the first time will refer to the handbook for rules and regulations. Those of you returning are expected to remember those rules and follow them. I am certain you will all have an educational and enjoyable year. I look forwarding to meeting each and every one of our new students.” Each and every one of those new students shuddered. “I am sure you’ve all noticed the memorial to one of our eleventh-grade students, Will Stevenson. I am saddened to report that he was infected with the Hel-Blar virus and did not survive.” Everyone but Chloe was sneaking me glances. I lifted my chin, my expression blank. “Please pay your respects to his memory and take from this tragedy the necessity of always being on your guard.”

Ms. Kali, one of the Paranormal Studies professors, descended the steps leading off the stage and went to stand behind the memorial. We all stood. The Niners exchanged confused glances before scrambling to follow suit. They’d never attended a student memorial before, but this would almost certainly not be their last. Ms. Kali’s voice would have done an opera singer proud. She sang the traditional Helios-Ra mourning song, passed down through the centuries. Fallen hunters were usually buried with rose thorns, salt, and a mouthful of dried garlic. Garlic didn’t actually have an effect on vampires, but the custom had started long before anyone realized that. Hunters who weren’t cremated had a whitethorn stake driven through their dead hearts, another ancient precaution. Will had crumbled to ashes, so no one would be burying him in the local hunter graveyard. But the song was sung and a marker with his name would be added to the memorial garden behind the race track on the other side of the pond.