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“A month or so before the academy, before I knew any of you,” I said quickly.

He nodded, glancing between us. “Everyone had you before me, huh?”

My eyes rolled. “The vampire doesn’t have shit! It was a one-time mistake.”

“I’m confused on why a vampire would turn you on. You’re Spectre, and you hunt vampires.”

My eyes closed, almost remembering the heat that Theron gave me. “I know.”

“She likes being bit, apparently,” Theron said. “It’s the first time someone got so wet from me biting them.”

I scoffed. “I barely got wet. It was rough and dry, and I was intoxicated.”

“Even I don’t believe that,” Kier stood. “You will need to train with him, but at the headquarters, none of this can be said there.”

“What about you?”

Kier sighed, standing. “I leave for a mission outside the walls.”

“What?” I stood, looking up at him. “When?”

“In the morning.”

“When did you know? Why didn’t you tell me? Why would they—”

“You certainly ask a lot of questions,” Theron muttered.

I glared at him, wanting to stab him hard with each of my knives.

“I leave tomorrow, and I need a Father to train you?”

“Won’t it look suspicious? It already does with me living with you.”

“Living with you?” Theron asked. “That was left out.”

“It’s just a student asking for help, nothing more,” Kier said, glaring at Theron. “No touching outside of punching her, no flirting, and no fucking while I’m gone.”

“So, when will you get back?” I asked, brows pulling. “Is this where the lies and truths come out?”

Kier sighed. “The Bishops and I knew Spectre would join the academy. Someone leaked it when the paperwork came in, meaning someone knew who you were and wanted you to be found out about.”

“There’s a rat… and a spy?” I whispered, looking down. That meant someone knew about me beforehand, someone who had been watching me from the start. But I was resourceful; I never took their money rewards; I never showed my full face and wore disguises.

Kier nodded. “I have a small circle of people I trust, and I trust Theo.”

My lips closed. I didn’t know why Kier trusted Theron, and I didn’t even know why I trusted Kier. Kier was cruel and rough, he was rude, but I was sad he was leaving, and I was worried about him.

But he trusted me enough to reveal that Theron, a higher up, was a vampire. That was huge.

“You did this to make me trust you? Give me the power to turn in Theron if you fucked me over?” I whispered.

Kier nodded. “Somewhat. I needed you to know that I was on your side. I want the vampires gone; we both do. I want Ashbourne to get better. I want the human race to win, but others don’t.”

“What do you want?” I asked, looking at Theron.

“My empire. I have spent over thousands of years controlling my empire, my vampires. Now they run rabid. I’d like my empire back and to be on top controlling.”

“And you would just tell them to kill us instantly?”