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Caesar had used school funds for my ticket, and the entire flight had been an exercise in torture. I didn’t know why I was so terrified. If the plane were to crash, the chances of me actually dying were extremely slim. As long as my head wasn’t cut clean off, I’d heal quickly from any injury. But still, it would hurt like a bitch, and take valuable time away from my mission.

It wasn’t just the possibility of an accident. I was a vampire confined in a tight space full of humans. Like a snake in a box of mice, except the snake was pretending to be a mouse.

“The things I do for shifters,” I mumbled as I practically skipped down the airbridge.

I could hardly believe I was back in the state of Washington. I’d had a direct flight to Wenatchee, and I’d purposely caught an evening plane.

I’d only packed a carry-on with clothing. There was no way airport security would have allowed me to bring blood bags on the plane, so it was easy to pack light. Besides, I knew there would be plenty of blood options at Heritage Prep, and honestly, blood was the least of my worries right now.

My main concern was figuring out how I was going to convince Hadrian to let me back into his ranks.

I had spent a good portion of the flight running through different scenarios. In each one, I could only see triggering the wrath of the vampire leader.

And when I wasn’t thinking about my mission, my mind kept flickering back to the girl from the alley back in Chicago. The witch.

She hadn’t been my Alice, but she looked like she could be her sister. And she knew all about the old magic—hell, she’d used it on me.

I’d tried my best to be friendly, but I screwed up the encounter. Even with the offer to help her get into Caesar’s school, to give her Alice’s grimoire, she’d still rejected me.

“Hello, sir,” an airport employee said cheerfully as I entered the arrivals terminal. “Welcome to Pangborn Memorial Airport. Are you in need of a ride? We have a few shuttles that can take you into town, as well as a cab service.”

“I don’t need a drive, thank you,” I replied. “I can walk just fine.”

“Sorry,” the uniformed man said. “I wasn’t implying you couldn’t walk. The convenience of a drive is something we’re happy to provide.”

“Trust me, walking is much more convenient for me,” I said, dragging my carry-on right past the man.

“Of— of course,” the man stammered. “Thanks for flying.”

I didn’t respond as I made for the automatic glass doors that led out into the cool Washington night.

Outside of the airport, I was happy to see just how vacant the place was. Only a few cars were out, either dropping off or waiting to pick up passengers.

Wenatchee got me relatively close to my destination. Heritage Prep was located within Cle Elum city limits but a bit north in an outcropping of the mountains along the Teanaway River.

That meant I’d have to cut southwest through some rougher terrain. It would be a difficult hike over the Columbia River and through the Wenatchee Mountains—at least for a human.

For me, it would be like a jog in the park. My vampire speed would get me to Heritage Prep much faster than any car.

Pressing forward, I took long strides in the appropriate direction. Technically, I was in a neighboring city to Wenatchee, but it would only take me a half hour or so at top vampire speed to make it to Cle Elum.

I considered traveling down to Vancouver—it had been years since I’d visited the remains of the Skye Boarding House. That was the only place I’d ever felt truly at home.

I had run away from home in California at the age of fifteen, and the Skyes had taken me in, giving me room and board in exchange for managing their orchard. They had become like family, and I’d gotten particularly close to their daughter, Camilla. She was like a sister to me, and I missed her dearly. I wished I could confide in her right about now.

But Vancouver was out of the way, and Caesar would frown on such an excursion. Maybe after I grovel at Hadrian’s feet, I could make a trip down memory lane. If I was still alive.

Drawing out the arm straps on my carry-on, I hoisted the bag onto my back. It was late enough in the evening that I didn’t worry about being spotted. I would stick to the shadows in the city, and I’d be in the clear once I got to the mountains.

The sooner I got to Hadrian, the sooner I could finally reunite with Alice. That was the only thing that mattered.

***

Thirty minutes later, I was descending the mountains, the towering gothic turrets of Heritage Prep pointing high into the air like spears. There were a dozen of them—all black—appearing to be connected to one big shadow in the night.

I came to a stop a few hundred yards from the castle, and every muscle in my body went tight. This was the last place on earth I wanted to be. I thumbed Alice’s brooch in my pocket.

“Is this what I should be doing?” I asked her silently.