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“My hair?”

“The blue streaks didn’t hint to you that you weren’t exactly human?”

She held up a lock of black and blue. “Dyed. It was the one thing my mom actually let me do that was semi-rebellious.”

She leaned against the sink with both hands behind her. Something seemed to dawn on her suddenly.

“Is that why that Adina girl’s hair is that dirty blondish-greenish color?” Her face scrunched into a disgusted expression when she said it. “Because she’s a mermaid?”

I barked a laugh at her admittedly adorable grimace, then quickly composed myself again. “It actually has something to do with food preference, in Adina’s case.”

“Oh?”

“I believe she’s overly fond of kelp.”

Arya made that face again. I held back another laugh, but a smile slipped out.

“Some mermaids have hair color that would never be natural to a human or other shifter. As a kid, I knew a mermaid who liked to frequent the lake at my family’s vacation property. Her hair was brilliant violet. She was good friends with my mom.”

That sad look returned to her pretty face.

I studied her, trying to decipher the change of mood. But it didn’t take me long.Idiot. Her mom just died.

“I’m sorry,” I amended quickly, terrified that the waterworks would start again. I didn’t handle crying well, and Arya’s earlier had made me feel so utterly useless. “I shouldn’t—”

“No, it’s fine,” Arya said, but I could see the tears brimming on her dark lashes. “It’s just fresh, is all.”

“I don’t know how losing your mom could ever beless than fresh,” I said. “Unless your mom was like my father—”

I gripped my hair for an excuse to look at the floor, but I couldn’t do it long, and I made it look like I was running my fingers through it so she wouldn’t think I was some freak.

Yeah, she’d probably already come to that conclusion.

Still, I needed to stop saying things like that about Arthur. It always made its way back to him. Why couldn’t I be one of the illegitimate sons, like Adam or Alex, who could say and do whatever they wanted?

It was a burden being the heir. So much was expected. So much was required. I hadn’t had a moment of peace since the day I was born. I was grateful puberty came early for me and I’d been accepted to the school at thirteen.

But I’d never really wish tonotbe the heir because that would mean that Octavia wouldn’t be my mother. And I couldn’t imagine…

“I’m really sorry for your loss,” I said, and for once my voice sounded like I actually meant the words.

I wasn’t the greatest at conveying emotion, so it surprised me that I actually sounded like I could. It didn’t mean that I never felt anything. I just wasn’t great at expressing it.

She smiled sadly once more, but fortunately didn’t begin crying again.

One of the kitchen doors creaked open. For a high tech facility, you would think they could afford some WD40. I was grateful for the warning, though, because I suddenly realized my proximity to Arya was closer than I wantedanyoneto see.

Especially Ms. Tanis. The teacher’s eyes smiled—though her mouth didn’t—as soon as we locked eyes.

I covertly took a step away. It probably wasn’t subtle enough. I couldn’t care, though. I wouldn’t allow myself to care.

“Students should be in their dorms at this hour,” Ms. Tanis said sternly with a raised eyebrow. The smile in her eyes was gone. “You know that, Mr. Dracul.”

“Of course. Sorry, Ms. Tanis,” I muttered under my breath and exited as quickly as my legs could carry me. I only heard the end of Arya’s apology about being a new student and not knowing the rules.

Free of her intoxicating presence, my head mercifully cleared. But I didn’t slow as I trekked through the hallway. I couldn’t have Arya thinking I wanted to continue our conversation by stalling—and I hated that I secretly did.

Still, it wasn’t long before I heard the click of heels behind me.