Chapter 52

STEFANO.

Shock invades my body in strong waves. I grip the phone harder in my hand in an effort not to end up shattering it on the floor, but it’s proving to be very difficult. I don’t even trust myself to speak right now.

Priestess Lilith seems to know the effect of her words on me, because she says, “I don’t think you can find her out in the open. She’s still in hiding. There is a place in that castle that blocks her scent. We can’t go in any further. You’re the one who needs to find her.”

“Understood,” I manage to utter, my voice robotic. “Thank you.”

With that, I turn off the phone and slowly walk back to the office. The first thing I notice is Eden not being there anymore. The only one left is Celeste, who’s been pacing the floor when I see her.

“Where have you been?” she demands.

“Where’s Eden?” I ask, my tone still absent.

She lets out an irate noise. “Really? I told her to leave because I thought you’re not comfortable talking with her around!”

To be honest, she has a point. The next revelation would be really hard to tell Eden. Maybe it’s a good thing, because I don’t think I can bear to explain everything that happened when they all come down to this point.

“Okay,” I mutter, taking my seat and spinning around on its wheels. “Okay, okay, okay…”

“What the hell is wrong?” Celeste asks, sitting in front of me and leaning forward like she wants to claw at my face. “What’s happening? Ever since Eden told us that Valeria has been freaking out with her blood, you won’t look at anyone. What do you know?”

I face her, and with that, I decide to face the very real possibilities too. “Valeria might not be half human after all.”

Celeste’s body deflates. “She can turn into a wolf, but do you mean that she’s half vam--”

“Yes, but let’s not claim that yet.” I sigh deeply. “That’s why I asked my people to find her mother, so we could confirm all these things. Valeria’s records say that her father is a human, but he has no name. He has no records himself. The last name she’s using belongs to her mother. The things that I remember from her mother and her pack... all point to Luna Valentina having a child with someone she’s not supposed to.”

As I’m saying this, I feel some sort of sinking sensation in my stomach.

Why haven’t I pieced this information together before?

My family has a strong tie to that pack. We are the Mages that protected them, but Luna Valentina was the last one who ruled. The rumor was that she fell in love with a human and went on to have a child with that man. That’s why they were cast away and basically exiled.

I thought that that was the reason why Valeria was never put in the School as a young girl. I thought that the wolf community was still pissed off about what her mother did and what she is, which is a half breed.

But now, I can’t help but think that perhaps their reason for not letting her in was far deeper.

And that I broke it.

I was the one who brought her here. I was the one who introduced her to this life. What if that was not meant to happen at all?

“She was exiled,” I say slowly. “The last time I saw her was when I took Valeria to the School. She was shot, and we thought she was dead, but there was no body.”

She swallows hard. “And what now? Did they find her?”

“Yes, and they traced her all the way here. She’s hiding in the School. Her scent is blocked by something.”

Celeste holds my gaze. “The tunnels.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” I admit. “She’s most likely in the tunnels.”

“Meaning someone kept her there, or she’s the one trying to get Valeria in there.” She shivers. “I don’t like this at all, Stefano.”

“Neither do I, but we have to find her.” I clench my jaw and start rifling through the papers in front of me, finding a blank page. “We need to come with a diversion. A plan to keep everyone else away from the tunnels while we try to find Luna Valentina. We need an excuse to have everyone in one place where we can watch over them.”

“For that, we have to split,” she says, biting her lip. “Someone has to watch over the people, and someone has to go into the tunnels.”

“I will go in,” I say. Even though my heart is pounding at the idea, I know that I have certain abilities that would at least lessen my chances of being dead in those tunnels. Celeste, on the other hand, while powerful, could be overpowered. I need her to keep everyone at bay, and her Siren spell can do that. “You will watch over the people. We can use that telephone device of yours to communicate. Can it go two ways?”

“Yes,” she declares, her face now hard with determination. “And for the event… we can have a dance. A ball, for everyone in the School.”

* * *

By the end of the day, Celeste and I have come up with an event called the Winter Ball, which will be held on New Year’s Eve. Every student and teacher is required to attend, and since it would be ten days away from now, our preparation has to be spot on to hide the fact that the event is just a cover up for something bigger.

Now, I’m clutching the folder containing all the details of the plan for Professor Blossom’s approval.

I take a deep breath as I round the corner to his office. I wanted Celeste to come with me, but she insists that I would get better chances if I’m alone, so here I am.

I’m about to enter the office when I get blocked. Someone else is in there with the professor. And I’m about to step back and wait when my sharpened senses allow me to hear that it’s Eden.

“They won’t let me in,” she says in a fierce voice that I never heard before. “They won’t let me know either. There is no way. You have to take control.”

I frown. Why does it sound like she’s demanding stuff from him?

I'm about to listen more closely when suddenly, I hear some slamming and some footsteps approaching me from the other side of the door. I jump back and pretend that I just arrived when I see Eden walking out. For some reason, she doesn't even acknowledge me. She doesn't seem to notice me.

I take a deep breath and get inside the office, only to find Professor Blossom sitting behind his desk looking stressed out. He looks up immediately, and it seems that he didn't expect to see me there at all because his expression darkens. Still, he motions me to sit. I force a smile and say, "I have prepared an event for new year's eve, sir. I figured our morale needed some boost—"

"Hand me the folder, I will sign it," he interjects.

Confused, I hand him what he wants and he indeed signs it without looking. He just gives it back to me, all set.

I should be happy, but I can't help but feel uneasy. "Thank you, sir," I just say. I get up from my seat and bow. "I hope you have a nice day."

He motions me to leave, and before I do, I notice a clear trail of blood on the floor. Not marks, not footprints, but smears.

As though something covered in blood has been dragged around his office, leading to the back where his quarters are.