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“They call a half-vampire like me a dhampir,” she said, leading me down the long corridor.

“I didn’t know vampires could reproduce the natural way,” I admitted.

“Not in the mortal world. But here, very powerful vampires can. It’s getting hard since magic has started fading.” She sighed wistfully. “Our numbers have reduced greatly. The elders think magic will taper out in less than a century if we can’t find a way to keep the magic in the realm.”

My gut lurched. Had my father and I caused the magic to weaken in Mist of Cinder as well while I’d been draining magic from the mortal cities for Ruin for a decade?

“Our prince is the only natural-born pureblood vampire in centuries,” Drusilla said, her eyes shining with longing and sadness. “There’s hope if His Highness finds his true mate in the Brides Selection.”

Was she in love with Prince Louis? She’d be in for a world of hurt then.

“Hope is a dangerous thing,” I offered.

Guilt settled in my chest, weighing me down. As soon as Ruin was out there, no realm would be safe. And as long as I existed, magic wasn’t safe either.

She glanced at me. “What are you?”

“The fuck I know,” I said.

“Mind your attitude, boy,” she warned without heat.

“Sorry.”

“You might be half-human and half something else. No matter, you’re still one step above humans. They’re placed at the bottom of the food chain in the realm. Even so, few want to leave Mist of Cinder. Magic attracts them too, and they have a long life here.” She then turned to frown at me and scowled deeply at my dirty bare feet. “Why am I telling you all this?”

“You want me to survive,” I offered. “You aren’t as mean as the others.”

“Then you need to grow some sense, Little Bob. I hope you last. Maybe you will. I saw you barge into the house before Prince Louis initiated you. How did you do that? And the prince has never personally escorted any of his courtiers before.”

“I’m his squire, not a courtier,” I confessed. “I’ll be carrying his flag, and when he’s killed, I’ll make sure he gets an honorable burial.”

“Squire is just a fancy name for his entourage or top donors.”

“Fuck! He didn’t tell me that. He said it was a big promotion.”

I looked sour. Drusilla laughed and shook her head. “Okay, here’s the gist you need to understand. There are five kingdoms in Mist of Cinder, and each kingdom has a magical house in the academy where the Brides Selection is held. Currently, all the prince heirs, the most sought-after bachelors, dwell in the academy and are hunting for their true mates. Each house only admits their own kind unless the head of the house initiates an extra member of a different species into the house, including human servants. Basically, each house has a two-step authentication entry rule in place, except for the House of Chaos, where they take misfits, hybrids, outcasts from other houses, the unknown, and even a few demons into their ranks.”

“Maybe I should head over to the House of Chaos then.”

“It sounds easy to be initiated into the chaos house,” Drusilla said. “But its house rules are stricter than those of other houses. Two terrifying ghosts guard the entrance diligently, one of them a poltergeist.” She gave me a sharp look. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from that house, especially their formidable prince. He has cold eyes and the coldest heart. You go into his house without permission, and you come out in a body bag.”

“Shit.” I widened my eyes. “I don’t like the sound of that. Last time, I slept in a body bag to stay safe, and it got carried to a morgue at midnight. When a technician zipped open the bag, I blinked at him after being woken up. He gave a frightful scream and dropped to the floor, passing out just like that. A grown man!”

Drusilla rolled her eyes at me and stopped in front of a nondescript door. She pushed it open and gestured for me to enter.

“Lady first,” I said as I started to practice being a boy.

“It’s your room,” she said.

I stepped in tentatively.

“Bathroom and showers are in the servants’ common room at the left end of the hallway,” she said. “I’ll have a maid bring you a couple of new outfits to get you settled in.”

“Thanks, Drusilla.” I lingered in the doorway and blurted out just when she turned to leave, “By the way, do you know who the hell Killian is?”

She turned back to look at me. “You already met him?”

I nodded. “A few minutes before Prince Louis snatched me in the woods. Killian demanded to know who I was.”