Magic Forged (Hall of Blood and Mercy #1)(32)

I trailed behind him, dazed, but not for the reason he thought. I wasn’t shocked about the idea of training with a gun, but rather that a vampire was suggesting it.

Vampires are the old people of the supernaturals. They wear old fashioned clothes and are constantly moaning about the past “good ol’ days”. Vampires are terrible at adapting to our rapidly changing world. Heck, I don’t think the majority of them even know what the internet is!

That a vampire—the most tradition-worshipping race of supernaturals—was suggesting a gun as a weapon rocked my world.

“Here we are.” Killian yanked open a solid metal door to what I realized was a weightlifting room.

It was bright due to a bunch of fancy wall sconces that looked like they belonged in a five-star hotel. One of the long walls was comprised entirely of sparkling clean mirrors, the far end was beautifully stained timber, and the other long wall was floor to ceiling TV screens which pieced together to make a beautiful waterfall in the middle of a forest.

The ground was covered with cushy black mats that looked clean enough to eat off, but most of the floor space was covered with fancy weight machines, dumbbells, medicine balls, barbells, and the like.

I gaped at the room. Between the extravagant lighting and sparkling equipment, I was pretty sure most professional sports teams didn’t have such nice facilities, which was super weird.

Vampires didn’t do fitness training. In general, they tended to believe they were inherently superior—mentally and physically.

But judging by the presence of the six vampires who were sweating over their workouts, Killian Drake was not content with his vampires’ natural abilities.

Killian tilted his head back. “Rupert.”

The vampire who had been doing hanging crunches from a bar dropped to his feet. He trotted across the room, and I recognized his sharp features and red hair as belonging to the less than welcoming vampire I’d met in the kitchens my first day in Drake Hall.

When he saw me, he frowned, but dutifully bowed to Killian. “Your Eminence.”

Killian twisted slightly at the torso, glancing over his shoulder as the tall female vampire, Celestina, slipped into the room behind us. “Celestina, Rupert, I have a side project I want you to work on.”

Rupert perked. “Yes, Your Eminence?”

Killian flicked his eyes in my direction. “This.”

I—or this as he called me—pressed my lips together to keep from protesting. (I had the vague feeling that the more Killian knew how little I cared for this plan of his, the keener he would be to enact it.)

Thankfully, I was not alone in my dislike. Rupert gaped at Killian as if he’d grown another head.

“You mean the human,” Celestina supplied. “Hazel Medeis.”

“Yes,” Killian confirmed. “I plan to train her to be an attack dog, but first she needs to be toughened up so she’s not quite so…” He glanced down at me. “Puny.”

I mashed my lips together so hard it was turning into a demented smile. I dearly wanted to snarl about being puny and managing to hold off the monster the fae had unleashed on his land, but that was probably a death sentence.

But my tendency to stick up for myself hadn’t been beaten out of me by my fellow wizards, so it was too much for it to go entirely quiet, even when faced with the likes of Killian Drake. A sarcastic “woof” slipped out of my mouth before I even realized what I was saying.

Killian raised an eyebrow, Rupert—of course—frowned deeper, but Celestina grinned.

Before I could suffer any repercussions, Celestina saved me by holding out a gym bag. “I brought what you requested, Your Eminence.”

Killian took it from her, unzipped it, and riffled through its contents.

Celestina then turned her attention to me. “I am Celestina Drake—First Knight of the Drake Family. I will do my best to strengthen and train you.”

The First Knight—the title given to the second strongest vampire in a Family, which pretty much meant she was the second-in-command—and her focused attention was a little unnerving.

I wasn’t used to having a model-tall woman who had enough deadly grace to run easily in pantsuits and stilettos smile at me so welcomingly. The tight bun she had her black hair wrapped in couldn’t mask its luxurious thickness, and the golden-olive tone of her skin gave her beauty a warmth that the other vampires in the room—equally handsome but cold in their paleness—lacked.

I shifted nervously. “Nice to meet you, Celestina.”

Her smile grew, but although her white fangs flashed, the garnet shade of her eyes seemed almost kind. That warmth was dangerous. There was a possibility she used it to lull people into complacence.

I relaxed my posture when she finally removed her gaze, and glanced over at Rupert while Killian Drake unfolded black workout pants from the gym bag. “Rupert,” Celestina said. “Introduce yourself.”

“Why?” Rupert drawled. “It’s a rat-blood.”

“Rupert,” Celestina snapped. All of her warmth disappeared in a moment, and her eyes glowed red.

Rupert instantly snapped to attention. “I’m Rupert Drake,” he said in a flat but speedy voice. He jerked his chin at me. “I look forward to training you.”

Though he sneered, the speed at which he responded to Celestina’s order showed just how powerful she was. (Not that I expected anything less from Killian Drake’s First Knight.)