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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CJ

I feel the tingle at the back of my neck before I see him.

Dad.

I purse my lips at him, lurking.

Okay, Constantine Kaius Aquila doesn’t lurk.

He stands around all elegant and shit in a designer suit that cost more than an entire month of my trust fund.

Where I come from, we deal with money. Here, fuck knows what they use to make purchases.

I’ve never left the academy since I got here.

Maybe they still use gold and silver. Maybe I should find out.

My future has shifted in the last few days.

Before it was here to finish my education and go home.

Now? Now, I have absolutely no fucking clue what happens next with Isolde, the idiot angel, and the violent vampire slash Sanguinarch, whose inflated ego is even more apparent.

“Excuse me,” I murmur to Isolde, pulling her closer to brush my lips against hers in a chaste kiss. “I’ll be back soon.”

She nods warily but then shoots William a look. “That’s how you say goodbye, arsehole.”

He snorts. “Noted.”

I ignore them and slink off into the shadows, knowing Cassiel is watching my every move.

“Dad,” I say when I get close enough. “What are you doing here?”

His eyes, like mine, linger on Isolde for a moment before he looks at me. “CJ. Who is that girl?”

“That’s it? No, hi, how are you?”

“Oh, and your ‘what are you doing here’ was so polite.”

Well, he has me there. “Her name is Isolde Morvoren. Isaac’s sister.”

He raises an eyebrow. “She is special.”

“You could say that.”

“Do I want to know?” he asks wryly, “Or does trouble follow you around like it does your mother?”

I snort openly. It is an inside joke. My mother could find trouble isolated in a nunnery. “It’s probably best if I keep it to myself for now.”

“Does she know who you are? What are you?”

I shake my head with a frown. “No. Not yet.”

“CJ…” he starts in warning, but I hold my hand up.

“I know, I know. But she is more than special, Dad. She is my future. I can’t keep lying to her.”

My father’s expression shifts, a flicker of concern passing over his aristocratic features. “Your future? That’s quite the declaration.”

“I know what I’m feeling,” I insist, though the words sound defensive.

He smirks. “I never said you didn’t. But if you are anything like me, which I know you are, that means you are in this for eternity, whether she wants it or not.”

“She wants it. I told her I would give her my name, and she accepted.”

“Even though she knows you are lying to her?”

“I’m not lying, per se. Omitting, but yes. Even then.”

“The Hunters back home are circling,” he says, changing the topic abruptly. “They know we have sent you away.”

“Do they know where I am?” I ask, a twinge of concern flickering through me. I’m only worried that they will come here and make life difficult for Issy when she is already in enough trouble.

“Not yet,” he says. “But it has exacerbated the situation. They will find you, one way or another.”

“So, you came to warn me?”

“I came to warn Blackridge that if anything happens to you while you are under his care, I will remove his head from his person, shove it up his ass, pull it back out of his neck and crush it with my bare hands.”

“Now that’s a threat,” I say, impressed. Dad does love the violence and theatrics of a good beheading. It might not kill Blackridge, but it would be remarkably unpleasant.

“It’s not a threat.”

“I’m aware. What did he say?”

“Same as he did last time. He knows what I’m capable of.”

“So, I’m untouchable.”

“Don’t use that as an excuse to cause shit, CJ,” he says exasperated. “You are supposed to be lying low.”

“And I am. Sort of,” I reply with a wicked smile. “I can’t help my genes. Blame yourself for being an obsessive, possessive, violent bastard.”

Dad’s eyes narrow, but the corners of his mouth twitch upward. “And your mother for being stubborn, reckless, and impossible to control.”

“The perfect storm of genetics,” I agree, glancing back toward Isolde. She’s watching us now, her head tilted slightly in curiosity. Even from this distance, I can feel the pull of her, the invisible tether that binds us together.

“She’s concerned for you.”

“I know.”

“A blood bond?” he asks, his voice dropping lower.

I nod. “Among other things.”

“Complicated,” he murmurs, studying Isolde with renewed interest. “Vampires here are odd.”

“Not all of them. Those two, yes. Very odd.”

“Rare sub-species?”

“You could say that.”

“Same as you. Like finds like, I see.”

“In a manner of speaking.”

“Be careful, CJ. These Hunters are not what they used to be. They are… more. If they find you...” He glances at Isolde again. “They’ll use her against you.”

“They won’t get a chance. If they even find me. This place is warded more than Ponte.”

“And that is one of the reasons we sent you here. Along with…” he glances around with a smirk. “… the sinister ambience.” His gaze pins mine again. “Are you sure she is worth it?”

“She is everything.”

He nods and vanishes from sight. I turn to see Isolde still hovering, and I move towards her.

She meets me halfway. “Everything okay?”

I nod. “Perfect.”

“More secrets?”

I ponder that. “That was my dad.”

Cassiel and William catch that and look more interested, which is concerning all by itself.

“Figured. You look just like him,” she says with a smile.

I chuckle. “Apparently. It was nothing. Just a visit to remind Blackridge why I’m untouchable.”

“Untouchable?” William repeats suspiciously. “Is that what you think?”

“That’s what I know.”

Our gaze locks, and I can see William reevaluating me, realising there’s even more to my story than he initially thought.

His eyes narrow, a predator assessing a potential threat. “And what makes you so special, Aquila?”

“That’s my business,” I reply smoothly, placing my hand on the small of Isolde’s back. “For now.”

William’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t press further.

Smart man. Despite his renewed corporeality, he knows pushing me would be stupid.

My markings tingle beneath my skin, the dragon blood in my veins responding to the challenge in his eyes, but I ignore him and focus on the only thing that matters. Isolde.