Page 85

I nodded and sighed, then picked up my fork to start into my food. When I looked up, I saw Tobias enter the dining hall with Niko and Brett, and my stupid heart skipped a beat. Icursed inwardly. Why couldn’t Kendall have that same affect on me?

I watched as he got into the buffet line and cocked my head at how everyone who had been ahead of him silently stepped aside to let him go in front of them.

It wasn’t the same thing as the way the mermaids at this table had just treated me. Those students weren’t moving away from him out of disgust but out of respect. Though Tobias seemed irritated by their action, he went ahead anyway and got his food.

“What the hell was that about?” I couldn’t help but ask, still watching him. I looked at Kendall and Ashlyn. “Tobias, I mean. Why does everyone treat him like he’s…”

“A prince?” Kendall finished with a sneer.

My attention to Tobias apparently hadn’t been lost on him, and a twinge of guilt twisted my insides.

I shrugged, feigning innocence. “Yeah. You said he was descended from dragon royalty, but why does that matter? He’s not heir to some throne, is he?”

Kendall snorted a sarcastic laugh. “No, thank god. The Dracul family lost their throne centuries ago.”

That name rang a bell. “Dracul? Why does that name sound familiar?”

Ashlyn snickered behind a bite of pizza. “Okay, even I know who Dracula was.”

“Dracula?” I blurted a little too loudly, then markedly lowered my voice to continue. “Tobias is related to Dracula? Dracula was a dragon? I thought he was a vampire.”

Ashlyn laughed again and shook her head. “Nope, that was a rumor started by the vampires. Vlad Dracul was a dragon king, and his family fought off vampires for decades before hetook the throne. That whole thing about mounting bodies on spikes? Those were all vampires. Impaling is one of the best ways to kill vampires, as long as you get them in the heart.”

“Wow, I would have never imagined Dracula was a dragon,” I mused, picking at the crust of my tuna salad sandwich.

“You know the word Dracul means dragon, right?” Trevor asked in a snide tone. “It’s not like it’s that big of a stretch.”

Kendall hissed at Trevor—a warning to be nice, I assumed. Trevor rolled his eyes but nodded his acceptance. Apparently, just because he didn’t leave, didn’t mean he disliked me any less than the others did.

I tried to let his negativity roll off me. “Okay, so if Dracula was a shifter, why did the vampires start a rumor that he was one of them?”

“He waged a war against them,” Kendall answered. “It wasn’t public, though, that his enemies were vampires. Back then, humans were very superstitious, and I guess he wanted to protect his people from the truth about vampires; otherwise, they’d freak out. So, the vampires used that against him. They started the rumor that he was a vampire so his own people would turn on him, and it worked. That respect for him turned into fear, and his campaigns on vampire-infested lands failed. His family had to flee and lost all respect of the humans they swore to protect.”

“But even after they lost their crown, his family continued to fight for shifters,” Ashlyn said, her features animated as she explained. “And not just dragons, but every kind of shifter. That’s why, to this day, they’re still respected above all others. Tobias’s father is the general of the shifter military, ranked even above my dad. If he wanted to declare himself some kind of king of the shifters, I doubt there’d be anyone who would put up much of a fight.”

It was Trevor’s turn to snort. “I would follow no royalty but my own.” He slapped Kendall on the back.

I furrowed my brow at that, a question mark on my face as I looked at Kendall.

“Didn’t you know, Arya? Kendall is a mer prince,” Trevor said. “Oh, of course, you wouldn’t know. You’ve got stars in your eyes for that dragon.”

“Trevor, that’s enough,” Kendall cautioned with a note of authority, and Trevor’s posture stiffened.

“Sorry,” Trevor said, all traces of disdain gone from his voice. “I just meant that my allegiance is to your royalty if I ever had to choose.”

“Wait, you’re a mer prince?” I asked Kendall. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Kendall shrugged like he didn’t care but couldn’t keep the proud smile from leaking through. “It’s just not something I flaunt, that’s all. And… I guess I wanted you to like me for me, not for my status.”

I smiled. Was he for real? Not only was he a hot guy who liked me anddidn’t hide his interest in me, but now, I found out he was a prince!

“Well, mission accomplished,” I said, making him smile in a way that somehow made him look even more gorgeous.

“I understand that you mer just recently joined the rest of us shifters,” Ashlyn said to Trevor, “but why are you all so against dragons? I mean, the Draculs fight for everyone, mermaids included. The least you could do is show a little respect.”

“And what would you know about any of it?” Trevor retorted. “Either of you. You both only found out about shifters, like, yesterday. You weren’t born into the world the rest of us know. So why don’t you keep your opinions to yourself?”

“What’s your problem, dude?” Ashlyn snapped, clearly getting her feathers ruffled. “It’s not my fault nor Arya’s that we weren’t raised in this world. We’re both doing the best we can to catch up. But at least I know to respect those who made this life possible—who made this school possible. If it weren’t for the Draculs, you mermaids wouldn’t have had such welcoming shelter to come to on the surface.”