Page 76 of Blood Day

The majority of the students involved were the same as well, including Six. I stood beside him like I usually did when we had a course together and listened as Master Clarissa explained our first task.

My clan organization course was next—Six didn’t attend this one with me—which was led by a lycan named Master Felix. He didn’t appear all that thrilled to be teaching, his gruff tone and scowl clear markers of his annoyance.

And he dismissed us early.

I used the time to drop my new books off in my room and eat the protein bar I’d received for lunch.

Then I headed toward the gymnasium building for my new fighting course. Advisor Livia had said this final regimen would combine several tools together from the previous classes.

I hoped that meant I could use a bow again.

It’d been fun to aim at targets.

Even though they’d been shaped like human bodies with the bull’s-eye being the heart.

Master Khalid was already in the room when I arrived, his attention on his tablet. He wore his trademark black jeans and a matching T-shirt—an outfit he chose to wear to every class for the last eight months—giving him an intimidating appearance.

I’d originally assumed he was a lycan because of his height and muscular arms.

But he was actually a vampire.

Something I’d discovered when he’d drunk a glass of blood wine during one of our exams. His gaze had turnedpredatory at the time, reminding me of Master Cedric. Fortunately, I hadn’t been the one on the receiving end of that look.

Prospect One Hundred and Thirty-Nine had been the one he’d eyed with interest. She’d finally recovered from her injuries—something that had taken several weeks—and had been my partner in these courses ever since.

His gaze went to her now as she entered, the blues of his irises seeming to overtake the green. Then he blinked and went back to his tablet.

She scurried up beside me to set her items down next to mine. There were floor mats in the center of the room, suggesting we would be sparring again. But neither of us took off our shoes yet. We would once Master Khalid confirmed today’s task.

The archery courses had started in this same room before he’d led us outside. So it was possible he’d do something similar today.

More prospects entered the room, many of them familiar, but not from my previous fighting courses.

Actually, aside from me and Prospect One Hundred and Thirty-Nine, only two others were participants from our last course.

Odd.

We all usually progressed as a unit.

Perhaps our group was joining another class?

But if that was the case, where were all of our other former classmates?

Six entered, his eyes immediately meeting mine. A note of confusion flickered in his light green eyes. I responded in kind.

He joined me and Prospect One Hundred and Thirty-Nine and set his bag beside mine. “What course name do you have right now?” he asked in a low tone.

“Advanced Fighting Session Seven,” I whispered back to him. “You?”

“Advanced Endurance Session Seven.” His gaze met mine as he added the location and time.

“Same as mine, but a different name,” I replied.

Others in the class had begun to murmur as well, causing Master Khalid to clear his throat. “Quiet.”

Everyone fell silent immediately.

Minutes passed, and more prospects entered until there were nearly sixty or seventy of us.