Page 7 of Beastkin
“Is it that obvious?” I managed, my voice sounding strained even to my own ears.
She laughed, the sound musical and light. “Everyone looks a little shell-shocked their first day. I’m Lila.” She extended a hand which was deathly pale and spider-webbed with black veins.
I took it, feeling the ice-cold touch of her skin. When she smiled, I saw the fangs on her upper jaw. Definitely a vampire.
“Phoenix,” I replied, shaking her hand despite the cold shock that ran up my arm. The pendant against my chest seemed to suddenly heat up, as if in warning, but I ignored it. This was exactly the kind of person my parents had forbidden me from associating with, which made talking to her feel like the most rebellious thing I’d ever done.
“Phoenix Emberwood,” she said thoughtfully, her shifting eyes narrowing slightly. “I’ve heard that name before. Your family’s pretty well-known in certain circles.”
My stomach dropped. Of course they were. The Emberwoods had been vocal supporters of magical segregation for generations. I felt heat rise in my cheeks, both from embarrassment and the small flames that always threatened to manifest when I was emotional.
“I’m not like them,” I said quickly, then immediately regretted how desperate I sounded.
Lila’s expression softened, and she tilted her head with what looked like genuine curiosity. “No? That’s interesting. Family expectations can be...” she paused, seeming to search for the right word, “suffocating.”
Something in her tone told me she spoke from experience. I found myself relaxing slightly, though the pendant continued its subtle burn against my skin.
“You could say that,” I admitted. “They’ve had my entire life planned out since birth. Including who I’m supposed to talk to.”
“And vampires aren’t on the approved list, I’m guessing?” Her smile revealed those sharp fangs again, but there was no malice in it.
“Definitely not.” I glanced around nervously, half-expecting myparents to somehow materialize from the shadows. “They’d lose their minds if they knew I was even having this conversation.”
“Well then,” Lila said with a mischievous grin, “we should definitely continue having it. Want me to show you around? I’ve been here two years, so I know all the good spots.”
I hesitated for just a moment. This was it, my first real choice at Widdershins. I could make an excuse, walk away, and spend the next four years following my parents’ carefully laid plans. Or I could take the first step toward becoming who I actually wanted to be.
“I’d like that,” I said, and meant it.
As we walked away from the bulletin board, I caught sight of a figure watching us from across the quad. Tall, with dark hair and an intensity that made my breath catch. Even from this distance, something about him seemed familiar, though I couldn’t place where I might have seen him before. When our eyes met for just a moment, I felt a jolt of recognition that made no sense.
Then Lila was pulling me toward what she called theinterestingpart of campus, and the mysterious figure was forgotten as I took my first real steps into freedom.
The tour with Lila was exhilarating. She showed me hidden alcoves where students practiced forbidden spells, a secret garden maintained by dryad students that bloomed with flowers that shouldn’t exist, and finally the dormitories. By the time we reached Hawthorn Hall where I’d be staying, the pendant around my neck had gone from uncomfortable warmth to a persistent burning sensation that I tried desperately to ignore.
“This is your stop,” Lila said, gesturing to the imposing stone building with ivy climbing its walls. “Hawthorn’s mostly witches, but there are a few fae and half-bloods too. They try to keep the vampires separate since our sleep schedules are so different.”
“Thanks for showing me around,” I said, genuinely grateful despite the discomfort pulsing at my throat. “Maybe we could hang out sometime?”
“Definitely. There’s a party at the old river shack Friday night.Good way to meet people and get outside the wards for a bit.” She flashed those fangs in a grin. “All kinds of people your parents would hate.”
I laughed, though the pendant now felt like it was searing into my skin. “Perfect. I’ll be there.”
After Lila disappeared with vampire speed, I stood alone before the entrance to Hawthorn Hall, my new home. The pendant’s heat had become almost unbearable, clearly my parents were monitoring my interaction with Lila and weren’t pleased. I’d need to find a way to neutralize it soon before they decided to pull me out of school entirely.
Inside, the dormitory bustled with activity. Students levitated trunks up staircases, enchanted posters to stick to walls, and greeted old friends with explosive displays of magical affection. I checked the room assignment I’d been given. Room four-eighteen on the fourth floor.
The magical elevator was crowded with floating luggage, so I took the stairs, passing groups of chattering witches and what looked like a young man with antlers sprouting from his curly hair. No one gave me a second glance, I was just another new student, not Phoenix Emberwood, heir to one of the most notorious pureblood families.
Room four-eighteen was at the end of a long hallway. I took a deep breath before inserting my key into the lock, wondering what sort of roommate Thomas McNally would turn out to be. My parents had assured me he came from an appropriate family, which meant he was probably just as prejudiced as they were. Still, I hoped he wasn’t a stuffy prick like the rest of theapprovedfriends I’d met growing up.
The door swung open to reveal a spacious room divided neatly in two. One side was already meticulously arranged, books alphabetized on shelves, clothes presumably hung in the closet, bed made with hospital corners. Not a single personal item in sight.
“You must be Emberwood.”
I turned to find a tall, thin young man regarding me with cool blue eyes. His blond hair was cut in a severe style that reminded me uncomfortably of my father, and he wore a pressed button-down shirt despite it being the first day of the term.
“Yes,” I replied, setting my bag down on the unclaimed bed. “Phoenix. And you’re Thomas, I assume?”