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  Another pause came. “Oberon, look, I didn’t call you to ask you to go after the siren. Lord Dracul has already assembled a team to do just that. It would be inadvisable to go.”

  Oberon found his heart thudding against his rib cage. “Then why call me? To remind me that there’s nothing for me to do? That I’m a waste of space?”

  “You’re not a waste of space,” Delphine shot back. “Right now, you can be of more help to us outside the Dome than within. Listen. Back at the New Year’s Eve Ball, I tried to tell you about a vision I had. Last night, I had the same one, and it involves you finding a flock of gryphons.”

  Oberon’s breathing stopped, and he looked at Ren with wide eyes. “Delphine, you better not be plucking my feathers. I already got burned once based on a similar lead.”

  “I know that,” Delphine replied. “But that info came from a non-seer. I have seen this twice now.”

  “Don’t tell me they’re at Mount Logan,” Oberon said, desperation flooding his voice. He wasn’t about to travel back to Yukon to see if gryphons really were there.

  Delphine laughed. “Nope. No more trips to Yukon are in your future. Have you ever been to Calgary, Alberta?”

  “Twice,” Oberon said. “Both were trips for recruitments.”

  “I’d tell you to pack your bags, but something tells me they’re probably still packed from when you left the Dome,” Delphine said. “Your destination is the Canadian Rockies. Upon doing image searches online, I’ve determined that you’ll want to go to the remote location of Mount Joffre.”

  Like the heat from Ren’s cup of tea, hopelessness faded from Oberon’s heart. Ever since leaving the school he’d lost his sense of direction. Being purposeless was debilitating. Going after Myreen would’ve been his preferred purpose, but with the surety of Delphine’s vision, finding more gryphons was a worthy alternative.

  “Thank you, Delphine,” Oberon said. “We’ll leave as soon as possible.”

  “You’re more than welcome,” replied the mermaid. “I’ll keep adding funds to your account as necessary. Traveling won’t be cheap, especially for two.”

  “Again, thank you,” Oberon said. “You’re likely taking a risk reaching out to me behind Eduard’s back.”

  “This falls outside of the general’s domain,” she said with a snarky tone that made Oberon grin. “I don’t know your reasons for your vampire dealings, but I do know you, and there isn’t anybody in the world I trust more.”

  “You’ll have to let Oberon tell you about his vampire friend sometime,” Ren said. “It’ll make you appreciate the big bird even more.”

  “Another time,” Delphine said. “But I must be on my way. Classes won’t teach themselves.”

  “We’ll keep you posted on our findings,” Oberon said. “In the meantime, give the students my best.”

  “I will,” replied Delphine. “Good luck, both of you.”

  The call ended, and Oberon made eye contact with Ren.

  “I don’t know, Ren,” he sighed. “At this point, the Myreen incident seems far more important than finding a group of gryphons.”

  “If Lord Dracul has things covered, then let him take care of it,” said Ren, sweeping his hand through the air nonchalantly. “We’re not exactly military, anyway. Besides, it’s always been your dream to find more of your people. This is the perfect opportunity.”

  “You don’t understand,” replied Oberon. “Myreen is our only hope to end Draven. And due to my recent history with Eduard, you can imagine I don’t exactly trust his capabilities when it comes to Myreen.”

  “So what, you want to go storm the vampire castle and rescue the damsel in distress?” Ren laughed. “Don’t get me wrong—my mind has been pushing me to get more involved in the fight, too, but the two of us charging into the vampire hideout seems like an excellent way to die. Really fast.”

  Oberon set his jaw and glared at his friend. “Coward.” He regretted the word as soon as he said it. Ren flinched as if he’d been slapped. “Hey, I’m sorry. It’s just that a few weeks ago, you were begging me to allow you leave of the Dome so you could run off and join the military. Where’s that drive now?”

  Ren’s typically-humored eyes sank.

  “Chances are, if Delphine knows about a flock of gryphons, so do the vamps. Something tells me we’ll be seeing enough action in our future.”

  “So we just abandon Myreen?”

  Ren shook his head. “Delphine said the general will execute a plan to bring her back. This is a military task. Let the wondrous Lord Dracul try. Tell you what: if he fails, we can talk about our own mer-aculous rescue mission. I’ll even document it, then upload it to ShifterTube.” The kitsune held his hands up, gripping an invisible camera while humming a random theme song.

  Oberon grunted, sitting back and folding his arms. Eduard didn’t have the scales to pull off the rescue operation. But whatever plans the general did have might be foiled worse if Oberon went barreling into the middle of it.

  “Fine,” he said at last.

  They sat there in awkward silence for some time, and Oberon twiddled his thumbs.

  “You know, I’ve never been to Canada,” Ren said, breaking the quietness. “I hear it’s pretty. But let me tell you this. If we bring a bunch of Canadian gryphons back to the school, they’ll be setting the expectations pretty high.”

  Oberon furrowed his brow. “Why’s that?”

  “Because they’re so used to getting eh’s.”

  It was a dumb joke, and Oberon knew it. Still, he found himself laughing. A weight had been lifted off his shoulders. There were still other gryphons in the world, and he was about to find them.

  Chapter 6: Myreen

  “Good evening, Myreen. May I come in?”

  Draven.

  Though she’d been expecting to hear that voice for hours, it still quickened her heart rate as it resonated from the other side of the door. The fact that a few inches of metal sat between them offered little solace.

  She swallowed, attempting to recover, to build courage. “Would it stop you if I say no?”

  “Of course. You’re the only one with a key. This door won’t open without your direct consent, and contrary to what I assume you believe, it’s framed with copper and as such is impenetrable to vampires. You can stay in that room by yourself for as long as you desire. However, you are only mortal, so you will eventually starve.” He paused. “And I have no intention of leaving until I’ve spoken to you.”

  Myreen perched on the edge of her bed, rooted by indecision. She was pretty convinced by now that he wasn’t going to hurt her; he’d had ample opportunities to do so, and he gave her this gorgeous suite. But assuming he did just want to talk, she didn’t want to hear what he had to say. He was the notorious vampire villain who was to blame for the attack on the Dome, the attacks that almost killed Alessandra and Kol, and the attack that did kill her mother. Whatever words came out of his mouth were guaranteed to be lies—or laced with venom. Either way, she wasn’t interested.

  But she was getting hungry. Would a school for vampires even have food? How long could she hole up in this lavishly-furnished prison cell? Especially since it became clear after Kendall’s visit that sleeping here was going to be just about impossible.

  Finally, she decided to get it over with. She crossed the room and opened the door just enough to look out. He was alone, dressed in a fancy black suit and shoes that outshined his glossy, marble-like eyes. He smiled at her, the kind of smile that could disarm a high-security vault. Her chest warmed, but she shook it off, reminding herself that charming people was what vampires did, and that she mustn’t let her guard down.

  She opened the door all the way, planting her hands on her hips as he strode into the room. Closing the door, she kept him in sight the whole time, scowling as he made himself comfortable at the foot of her bed.

  “What do you want with me?” she asked, crossing her arms.

  With his knees apart, he leaned forward, resting his el
bows on his thighs and lacing his fingers together between them. “I know this will be hard for you to believe, but all I want—all I’ve ever wanted—is to have the father-daughter relationship that was stolen from me.”

  She snorted loudly and rolled her eyes.

  “It’s the truth,” he said with a shrug. “Your mother no doubt spent your whole life turning you against me, but I’ve spent your whole life trying to get you back. Both of you.” His brows creased, making his expression heart-warmingly vulnerable. She could almost believe that he truly cared.

  “Is that why you killed her?” Myreen shot at him with every ounce of snark she could inject.

  A red spark of anger flashed in his dark eyes. “I did not kill her. The fool I sent to fetch you both did, and I can assure you he has been fully dealt with.” The look on his face was the epitome of deadly, and for the first time since she’d handed herself over, fear of him flooded her.

  She pulled her gaze from his face. She had to, otherwise she’d be paralyzed by that fear. She had to continue playing the rebellious teenager, because if she gave in to the fear she knew Draven had earned a thousand times over, she’d be useless.

  “So you think you can force me to abandon everything and everyone I care about and we’ll just start fresh and be a happy family?” She kept her eyes down as she spoke, not yet ready to look at him again.

  There was a rustle of fabric as he stood, and from the corner of her eye she saw him come toward her. She forced herself not to flinch.

  “And what was it that I forced you to leave behind?” he asked, now standing less than two feet from her. “Young Kendall tells me you weren’t quite welcome there, that the mer refused to accept you and made your life miserable.”

  Draven’s insight into her life caught her off guard, and she couldn’t help but look at him with surprise. He seemed to enjoy that, satisfaction tugging at the corners of his lips underneath those deceptive eyes.

  “The mer were less than welcoming, yes, but I still managed to make true friends outside my species.” She thought of Juliet and Nik, and even Kol, and a sting pierced her heart. But she kept her expression unwavering. “Because you stole my mother from me, they were the only family I had left, and now you’ve taken that from me, too.”

  His hands were on her shoulders in a flash, and she did jump this time. “I loved your mother.” The sincerity in his voice stunned her. “Zaia was my match. We had the same goal—to create a lasting peace between all species of supernaturals. It broke my heart the day she ran away, and her death wounded me as greatly as it did you.”

  Myreen swallowed. “If peace with the shifters is what you want, then why did you attack the Dome? Why have you been attacking shifters for decades?”

  He released his grip on her shoulders and took a step back. “You think we’re the ones who struck the first blow?” He shook his head. “You’re so new to the shifter world. How could you know our history? No, it was they who started hunting us. There was a time, centuries ago, that vampires and shifters lived separately, autonomous of each other, yet harmonious in our domains. But the adoration of the mortals over whom we reigned gave us great power, and the shifters felt threatened. The Draculs led an army against us, wiping out thousands of vampires. We’ve been battling ever since. But I dream of a world where that’s no longer necessary.”

  That wasn’t the way she remembered the story. But she only read the shifter version of history, and there were always two sides.

  “And how do you plan to bring peace? Your vampires killed dozens of mer today, and if I hadn’t come out, they would’ve flooded the Dome and killed every shifter inside. Tell me how war ever brings peace.”

  Draven looked down, nodding and pursing his lips. “Yes, that would’ve been an unfortunate turn of events. I didn’t want to kill them, but every war has necessary casualties. And I would’ve gladly paid that price if it meant getting you back. You see, Myreen, you’re the key to the peace I dream of.”

  His sapphire eyes bored into her, and for a moment she felt like the most important person in the world.

  “M– me?” she asked, putting her hand to her chest and taking a step backward. Did he know about the prophecy? Was it his intention to kill her after all? Was all this just some twisted game?

  “Yes. Within your blood lies the key to linking vampires and shifters once and for all.”

  “M– my blood?” And then she remembered what Kendall told her the night he attempted to drag her off to Draven. Myreen was the result of DNA experimentation, the one successful chimera. He thought he could use her blood to create a hybrid: a vampire shifter. He was the reason she was such a freak. “So that’s what you’re really after? The guinea pig of your experiments? If that’s the case, then why this charade?” She waved her hands at the room. “Why not just take my blood and be done be with me?” After the words came out, she bit her tongue so hard she thought it might bleed. Why not just ask him to kill you, Myreen?

  “Because I meant what I said about wanting to be a family. If your mother hadn’t gotten cold feet, we would’ve been a very happy family all these years. But I’ve missed out on so much of your life. I want that time back. I want to earn your trust, be the father you never had.”

  The question of who her father was had always plagued her. She loved her mom, but she always wondered what life would’ve been like with a dad. Would they have stayed in one place? Lived a normal life? Would she have siblings? A dad was the longest-held, secret desire of her heart. With her mom gone, the concept of a true family was incredibly tempting. And Draven was terribly convincing. She couldn’t see the seam in his façade. Could he really be telling the truth? Could the infamous vampire leader really be a bleeding heart deep down?

  “And what about my blood?” she asked, her tone noticeably less hostile.

  “I do need it for my plan to work,” Draven said bluntly. “But I won’t take it from you by force. I want you on my side. I only have one condition: that you never use your powers against me. So long as you abide by this one simple rule, I’ll wait until you offer me your blood willingly.”

  The terms seemed fair enough. “And if I never offer it willingly?”

  Draven held her gaze for a moment, and for the first time, she saw whispers of her reflection in his features. He had the same thick black eyebrows, the same hairline framing his face. There was no denying the family resemblance now that she recognized it.

  “I have faith that you’ll come around. In the meantime, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

  He brushed past her and opened the door—being sure to only touch the inside—and stuck his arm out, curling his finger in a come-hither motion. Myreen leaned forward, apprehensive yet curious.

  A boy no older than ten walked in. He looked like a miniature version of Draven—same head of shiny black hair, same dark blue eyes, even carrying himself with the same dignified posture, assuming a sense of nobility. The only difference was that he was cute as button and pink-skinned, and he exuded an innocence Draven could never fake.

  The boy stood beside Draven, who draped his hand over the boy’s shoulder. “This is Tyberius Denholm. He’s my son and heir... and your little brother.”

  Myreen gasped. I... I have a brother?

  “Hello, Myreen,” Tyberius said with a nod of his cute little head. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for a long time.” He smiled, and her heart warmed instantly to him. Just as with Draven, the family resemblance was obvious.

  “Hello,” she felt compelled to say back.

  Draven looked at his son. “Tyberius, would you do Myreen the honor of showing her around the castle? She’s not yet had a proper tour.”

  “Of course, Father,” Tyberius said with strict obedience.

  “When you’re finished, report to your chambers for dinner. You’ll both need a hearty meal after such an excursion.”

  “Yes, Father.”

  Draven patted Tyberius’s head, careful not to ruffle his
hair. “Well, I leave you both to it.” Draven smiled diplomatically and turned for the open door. But then he stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Oh, and Myreen, please don’t do anything foolish. The security here is quite extensive, and it would devastate me to see you injured.” Then he disappeared without so much as a change in the air, his silent threat hanging like a cloud over her head.

  But the door was open, and young Tyberius had taken her hand and was tugging her toward the stairwell beyond. She felt uneasy about leaving the presumed safety of these four walls, but the morbid curiosity of seeing the inside of Draven’s secret headquarters pressed her forward.

  And despite Draven’s warning, an escape attempt was inevitable. She’d need to know every inch of this place if she had any hope of being successful.

  They exited the room and proceeded down the stairwell. Myreen was keenly aware of the fact that her two guards followed them. She wasn’t sure if she was comforted or uneased by their presence.

  “This is my room,” Tyberius said, pointing to a door as they passed. “Our rooms are right on top of each other, so you can come visit me any time.” His tone was so restrained, which was odd for such a youthful voice. Like he was always holding back any strong emotions he may be feeling. “If you want,” he added with a shrug.

  Myreen’s previously creased brows smoothed. “I’d like that.” She offered a small smile, and he smiled back briefly before continuing to guide her forward.

  “We’re in the tallest tower of the castle,” he explained. “Only the Elite live up here.”

  They came to the large room she remembered going through before, and Tyberius led her to an elevator tucked between some pillars. He tugged her inside as the doors slid open, the guards following behind. The light inside was surprisingly dim, intensifying Myreen’s claustrophobia. Tyberius slid his keycard through a slot by the door, then pushed a button as the doors closed, and they descended.

  When the elevator stopped, the four of them walked into a central foyer from which it seemed all other rooms branched. It was filled with both vampires and humans bustling about. The sight of so much warm flesh in this place was alarming, like seeing cattle roaming obliviously through a pack of drooling wolves.