Magic Forged (Hall of Blood and Mercy #1)(31)

“Er, well, I can’t be too certain,” the Paragon began. “But it seemed quite right.”

Killian stared at him until he squirmed. “And what does ‘quite right’ mean?”

The Paragon fanned himself with his ledger. “It means she’ll be a capable wizard, should she ever get the seal removed.”





After a few more minutes of talking—which didn’t reveal anything more useful or illuminating—the Paragon kicked us out of his pocket realm and dumped us back in the library parking lot. The two Drake Family cars were the only ones in the parking lot given that the library had closed during our hour-long expedition.

By the time we made it back to Drake Hall—this time I rode with the much more pleasant Celestina and the female driver—I was yawning and ready for bed.

Or really, I didn’t want to think or feel anymore after the mixed surprise the Paragon had dumped on me, so sleep sounded amazing. I slipped out of Celestina’s car when we pulled up to the front door and waved to her as I hopped on the sidewalk and started to follow it around to the back side of the house, where the servant rooms were.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Ice threaded through my blood, and I turned around, almost ramming my nose into Killian’s chest. “To my room?” I said.

“I didn’t dismiss you.” A frown pulled at the corners of his lips—a very dangerous sign for my wellbeing.

“Um,” I said with a shocking amount of charisma. “I didn’t know you had to dismiss me?” I ended in a squeak, which I hated. Killian Drake was terrifying, yeah, but I didn’t want my mannerisms telling him just how scary I found him.

Killian snapped as if calling a dog to heel. “Come.” He walked off, casually climbing the stairs and disappearing through the front door of Drake Hall.

Celestina, moving so quickly and quietly I didn’t register her presence until she stood next to me, nodded at the door. “You better go after him.”

“Did I do something wrong?” I asked.

Celestina smiled, her fanged teeth a stark white against the brown of her skin. “Not at all.”

I wasn’t quite sure I believed her, but I didn’t see any way out of it. So, I trotted off after the master vamp.

I entered just as he finished giving instructions to the attentive female vampire who had driven Celestina and me home.

“Size small,” Killian said. He glanced back at me, then frowned. “No—make it an extra small.”

Before I had a chance to contemplate what important exchange I had just missed, Killian swept down the hallway, and the female vampire trotted off in the opposite direction.

I jogged to keep up with Killian, whose wretchedly long legs allowed him a casual walk for my huffing jog. “Your job description is changing,” he announced.

“Yeah?” I gloomily asked.

“You are no longer a member of my staff, but of my security,” Killian said.

I let out a loud “HAH!” that actually sounded like a goose honk before I slapped my hands over my mouth. I guiltily looked up at Killian, hoping I hadn’t stirred his wrath, but he ignored the sound and kept walking.

“Excuse me…sir.” The fitted waist of my dress pants was starting to inch down, making my jog more than a little awkward. “But…House Medeis doesn’t train for security.”

“I am well aware of House Medeis’s pacifistic tendencies and its stupidly optimistic attitude toward fighting,” Killian said. “But you signed a contract to my Family, and no one else will take you. You either join my security, or face the House Medeis member who threw you out.”

What a jerk! I knew he only cared about vampire interests, but the total disinterest in his voice as he discussed my life really hit it home for me. “I was not objecting to the change in position,” I said between gritted teeth. “But I wanted to make sure you knew that there’s nothing I can do for you that would be at all useful, between my background and the…seal.”

I briefly shut my eyes—if only I could easily stamp out the reminder of my parents’ lies.

“Obviously, you are useless at the moment,” Killian said. “But I’ve always wanted an attack dog, and I’d rather train it myself than deal with any bad behaviors you picked up previously. It seems to me it will be possible to scare that seal out of you one way or another.” His eyes resembled barely glowing coals when he glanced down at me. “Knowing that, the best course is to invest in your training. We will begin tonight.”

“Training?”

Given that vampires couldn’t use magic, it seemed unlikely a trainer was going to pop out of the woodwork and teach me meditation methods or something.

“Weightlifting, target practice, distance running, and some form of martial arts at the very least.” Killian started down a set of austere marble stairs, and I hopped after him, my mouth gaping as I searched for a response. Any response!

What I oh-so-charmingly found was, “Target practice?”

Killian looked over my head as we descended the last step. “I’m assuming your pacifist upbringing did not include instruction in sidearms.”

“You mean a gun?” My voice went high pitched.

Killian rolled his eyes. “As I figured.”