Page 28 of Thicker than Water

Hallie’s face lights up. “A magic school? Really?”

Tudor nods. “We need to ingratiate ourselves with the witches, at least for now.”

“Witches?” Hallie gasps in amazement. “Like…witcheswitches?”

“Pick up as much magic as you can,” Tudor says. “It might come in handy. We’ve got to learn everything we can.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice!” Hallie says.

Lexi rolls her eyes. Tudor has a familiar glint in his eye. Renata and I exchange glances.

“Here he goes,” I whisper.

She rubs her temples. “Idon’thave time for this. I have a hotel torun!”

“For too long, vampires have remained insular,” Tudor says grandly. “Fearfully guarding our own practices, but also disregarding the practices of others. Slowly, the great vampire clans were picked off by larger, more diverse groups. We can’t continue to turn a blind eye to magical politics. We have to pick a side, to make a stand! Our verysurvivaldepends on whether we choose the right allies…”

“Ten grand says that he mentions the Algernon dragon shifters,” I hiss at Renata.

“NowayI’m taking those odds!”

“I’ll take it!” Lexi whispers. “And the loser has to write the winner’s annual review!”

“Deal!”

Tudor paces back and forth with centuries-old grandiosity. “The Hecate witches think their power is solidified, unshakable. But their certainty will also be their downfall. Comfort is a dangerous thing in the magical world. Remember the Algernon dragon shifters…”

“Damn it!” hisses Lexi.

I grin at her. “I’ll send you my quarterly reports, Lex.”

“Theytoothought they were safe,” Tudor continues, looking ominously at Hallie. She gazes at him with reverence and awe. “For centuries, the dragon shifters ruled the magical world with wisdom and unquestioned strength. But they refused to share their practices with anyone else. The isolated themselves, right to the very end. Tragically, the ancient art of dragon shifting died out after the War of the Final Fire.”

“Wow,” Hallie gasps. “There seem to be a lot of wars in the magical world, is that something I should be worried about?”

“Yes,” Lexi says.

“Absolutely,” Renata adds.

“You’ll be fine,” I say.

“Youwillbe fine!” Tudor raises a finger in the air dramatically. “Because we are not going to fall prey to fear and retreat like the dragon shifters. We’re going to choose our allies carefully, but keep our enemies close…”

There’s a quick knock on the door.

“Enter!” I shout.

The door opens and a head peers in. It’s the bartender from before. Her gentle hazel eyes widen when she sees all of us.

“Sorry to interrupt,” she says. “Another crate of bloodwine was just delivered, I wondered if any of you…”

“Ugh,” Renata says, shooting Lexi a look. “I can’t drink any more of that stale grape juice!”

“What wouldyouknow about taste?” Lexi retorts haughtily. “All you ever do is boss everyone around and complain about how much you have to do. You wouldn’t know quality if it staked you in theheart.”

“I think it’s sort of nice,” Hallie says.

“Celine, control your sisters, please,” Tudor says primly, as he walks to the door. “I’ve got important business elsewhere.”