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I thought about it seriously. “No. I don’t.”

“Then do you thinkshe’sthe killer?”

I shook my head. “I’m not sure about that. I just...” I looked at her, really looked at her, trying to see her as a soul seer. “I just know you’re not the killer,” I finished.

“You are...odd.”

I tried, I really tried to stop myself from grinning, but I couldn’t help it.

Rhapsody’s lips twitched ever so slightly, no doubt having realized the irony of her words as well.

We started walking again, heading to the dorms. All students were required to board, the school being the safest place for pets to feed their Masters. There were also times when injured vampires came here to drink from unclaimed pets, but it was up to us to offer or refuse them blood.

“So...you just transferred here?”

She nodded. “Last week.”

“And you didn’t have a hard time catching up with the lessons?” I couldn’t help but be envious. Right now, I had one of the lowest grades among first-years. A perfect petnaturallyadored her Master. Most times, I was lucky if I didn’t naturallyabhorthe things I had to do as a pet.

Rhapsody shook her head at my question. “Before coming here, I was already being home-schooled about being a proper pet,” she said simply.

“Oh. I didn’t know that was possible.”

“My Master’s very powerful,” Rhapsody said matter-of-factly. “Most of the things are possible for him.”

ALEXANDRU

How could she say something like that so easily?His pet’s thoughts came to Alexandru loud and clear, which meant she was very close by.

My Master’s very powerful.

Alexandru’s brow arched in surprise at the thought.

Blech.

He smirked. Now that was more like his pet.

No matter what, I don’t think I can say it like that. I really can’t.

Alexandru mentally shook his head. Of course she couldn’t. While she made an adorable pet in many ways, she was also quite the little liar, the kind who would rather jump off a cliff than say something nice about him – even if it was what she thought.

Suddenly feeling impatient to see her, Alexandru used a burst of speed to get where Zari was. In LSL, there was no need to pretend he was not who he was – a vampire so ancient and powerful that even otherworlders shook in their boots at the sight of him.

He landed noiselessly just a few feet behind Zari and her new friend, the girl with the anonymous Master. Stealth did not come naturally to otherworlders, but for Alexandru it was a skill he had honed in the centuries he had hunted down vampires and other creatures that had gone rogue and lost themselves in the frenzy of bloodlust.

For a moment, he remained where he was, savoring the chance to look his fill of his pet. She was small and slim, coltishly so, the gentle curve of her dainty breasts only made noticeable by the tightness of her school jacket. But her legs were incredibly long, and her short black skirt made them even shapelier.

Unlike most pets who strove hard to be womanly, his pet didn’t appear to care about mastering the art of ladylike walking. Instead she walked briskly, her shoulders square, her back straight, and her long blonde hair swaying almost in rhythm with her hands, which she couldn’t seem to keep still against her sides.

An unusual pet, and not just because she was a soul seer. Dangerous, too, because she was beginning to mean too much to him, and he didn’t want that.

Ahead of him, his pet was peppering the new girl with questions – and all of it had to do with homeschooling. His eyes narrowed. He had a feeling he knew where this was going—-

“So...” Zari’s tone was calculating. “Does LSL offer homeschooling, too?”

The new girl nodded. “Your Master only has to request it.”

“I see.”