Chapter Seventy-Eight: Carol's POV

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Carol's POV
Avery raised his eyebrows slightly. "Maurice St. Claire? The vampire professor?"


I nodded, not daring to speak. What had I just done?


Called Maurice to bail me out of a Peace Council investigation?


The vampire who'd abducted me to the Emerald Bar?


The vampire who was particularly interested in my blood and abilities? But he was also the only one who wouldn't immediately go to Simon.


He might give me some space to figure out what was happening before everything spiraled completely out of control.


"All right." Avery paused, making a note on the tablet. "I'll contact Professor St. Claire. But Miss Valodin,"


he looked at me and continued: "Until we determine what your abilities are and whether you're connected to those disappearances, you're not to leave Seattle. I may call you for questioning at any time. Do you understand?"


"I understand," I said, though the words had no conviction.


He stood up and gathered his things. "Someone will take you to the waiting area. Professor St. Claire should arrive in about an hour."


The waiting room was slightly more comfortable than the interrogation room, with cushioned chairs instead of metal ones, and a window overlooking the street. I sat there feeling like it had been forever, watching the traffic below, trying not to think about what disaster my life had become in just one day.


My phone buzzed once, a text from Emma asking where I was. I swiped the screen and typed a few words: I'm fine, don't worry.


Then I locked the screen and clutched the phone in my palm, the light dimming to reflect my own face.


When Maurice finally appeared in the doorway, a complicated rush of emotions welled up inside me. Relief that it wasn't Simon.


He looked the same as always, immaculate three-piece suit, gold-rimmed glasses reflecting the light, that faint smile at the corners of his mouth.


"Carol," he said. "You've certainly had an eventful day."


I stood up, probably looking disheveled.


"Thank you for coming." The words came out stiff and formal because I didn't know what else to say.


"Mm." He glanced at the door behind him, then back at me.


"The investigator filled me in. Psychic manipulation, missing students, a very unfortunate case of mistaken identity." As he spoke, he turned and pulled open the door.


"Let's find somewhere quieter to talk. I've signed the paperwork. You're free to go."


In Maurice's car, it was quiet all the way.


The city slid past the windows, evening shadows lengthening across the streets. I stared at my reflection in the window glass, trying to recognize the person staring back at me.


When did everything become so complicated? When did I stop understanding my own life?


"You said psychic manipulation was detected," Maurice spoke first, interrupting my spiraling thoughts. "Can you describe the person who controlled you?"


I hesitated, then nodded. "Blonde. Should be a vampire. Looked to be in her thirties. She never spoke to me, just took over. Made me walk to that warehouse like a puppet."


I saw Maurice's fingers tighten on the steering wheel. "Blonde vampire, relatively young appearance."


He repeated, then continued: "That's not much to go on. There are several blonde vampires in the Seattle area, but most aren't affiliated with the major families."


He paused and continued: "I'll make some inquiries. If I find anything, I'll let you know."


"Thank you."


When the car stopped in front of the dorm building, it was completely dark.


The streetlights came on one by one, orange light falling on the wet pavement.


"Carol." I was about to push open the car door when he stopped me.


I looked back at him. "Be careful. Someone went to considerable trouble to frame you for those disappearances. That means either it's personal, or you're interfering with something bigger." His gaze was steady, unreadable.


"Either way, you've made an enemy. Don't underestimate that."


I nodded, got out of the car, watched his taillights disappear around the corner, then turned and walked into the dorm building. My whole body felt like it was filled with lead, heavy, just wanting to collapse on the bed and think about nothing.


But when I pushed open the door, Emma was sitting on her bed, holding a cup, steam still rising from the tea. The moment she saw me, her whole face crumpled with worry.


"Carol," she put down the cup and stood up. "I've been so worried. Where have you been?"


"Long story," I managed to squeeze out, throwing my bag by the bed and collapsing onto the mattress. Every muscle in my body ached. "Can I tell you tomorrow? I just want to sleep right now."


She didn't press, just nodded and handed me a cup of hot milk she must have been keeping warm for me. "Okay," she said. "But if you need to talk, I'm here. All right?"


"Yeah." I meant it. I drank the milk, sweet and warm, exactly what I needed.


Emma turned off the overhead light, leaving just the desk lamp on her side. I crawled under the covers without even changing my clothes.


Almost without transition, darkness swallowed me.


The next morning came too soon, gray light seeping through the curtains. I felt like I'd been hit by a truck, muscles stiff, mind foggy, mouth dry.


But I still struggled to get up, showered, changed into clean clothes, pretending I was just a normal college student living a normal life.


Emma had already left for her early class. She'd left me a note on the desk saying to text her if I needed anything. Her quiet, unobtrusive companionship warmed my heart.


I needed to see Caitlin.


I had to figure out why she was accusing me, why her memories had been altered to make her think I was the one who brought her to that warehouse.


If I could make her remember the truth, maybe I could use my own ability to break through whatever control the blonde vampire had placed on her. It was at least worth a try.


I looked up Caitlin's dorm number in the student directory and walked over, my stomach churning with nerves.


I knocked on the door and heard movement inside, then approaching footsteps.


The door opened a crack, and Caitlin's face appeared in the gap. Her expression shifted from annoyance to shock to fear.


"You," she said, her voice high and tight. "What are you doing here?"


"Caitlin, please," I kept my voice low, trying to stay calm. "I need to talk to you. About what happened. You have to know it wasn't me who—"


"Stay away from me," her eyes were filled with real fear.


She tried to close the door, but I reached out to stop it, not forcefully, just enough to keep it from closing.


I focused on her eyes, trying to touch that psychic thread I'd sensed before, the one that let me reach people's consciousness and guide their thoughts.


Let me show you the truth, I silently pleaded. Remember what really happened.


I concentrated all my attention, could even feel that familiar connection hovering at the edge of consciousness, but nothing happened.


Caitlin's eyes widened further, and she pushed the door hard enough that I had to let go or my fingers would be crushed.


The door slammed shut with a bang that echoed down the hallway, then the sound of the lock clicking into place.


I stood in front of that closed door for a long time, staring at it. My ability had never failed so completely before.


What had the blonde vampire done to Caitlin's memory? Had she set up a barrier to prevent anyone else from tampering with it? Or was it something else, something worse?