Page 29 of On Wings of Blood

I stole a glance. A striking, tall young man with golden-hued skin sat at the head of a long table. “But his last name...”

“He’s an Avari on his mother’s side,” Coregon explained. “He chose not to take the Avari surname. At least, not yet. He’s proud of his father’s lineage.”

I stole another look at Kage Tanaka. The Avari leader looked... intense. Dressed in a tailored black uniform trimmed with silver braid, he exuded authority, dominating the group of students around him. As he spoke rapidly, his dark eyes narrowed in focus. I got the impression no one would dare to interrupt whatever he was saying.

Kage’s uniform was inscribed with an insignia I assumed was that of House Avari. A silver dragon holding a crescent moon.

I squinted, trying to read the inscription written around the crest.

“Luna sanguinea surgit,” Theo provided as he saw my gaze. “Blood moon rises. Oh, look, there’s another one. Catherine of House Mortis.”

He pointed at a beautiful girl with alabaster skin and white hair braided into a coronet who was striding down the row of tables, tossing a plum in the air and catching it again and again with effortless grace. She wore a short, white, high-collared dress paired with red, leather boots.

Behind her, two young women followed closely, both dark haired and beautiful. One had ebony skin and was dressed all in white. Her long hair fell in long narrow braids. The other had porcelain skin, chin-length hair, and was dressed all in red. The two women’s hands were entwined.

The three women seemed to move as a unit.

I lowered my voice, “Are those her... consorts?”

Coregon made a choking sound while across the table Quinn snickered again.

“Her consorts?” Theo shook his head. “No, they’re her thralls.”

I sputtered. “Thralls? What does that mean?”

“It means she just had them for breakfast,” Quinn muttered from across the table. “By the Bloodmaid, this blightborn girl really knows nothing.”

Theo ignored her. “It means they’re blood-bonded. It’s not as crass as Quinn is trying to make out. But if you’re asking if they’re all lovers, too, then the answer is yes, most likely.”

“Not as crass?” I managed to say. “But they’re her, what? Slaves?”

Theo shrugged. “I mean, in a way, yes. But it’s not as if they’re being tortured. The feeding process can actually be rather pleasurable.”

I didn’t want to hear it. “So you mean they’re willing? They weren’t coerced? They volunteered for this?”

Theo exchanged a look with Quinn and Coregon. “Uh, well. Almost. Not exactly.”

“Thralls means they’re enthralled,” Quinn said, practically giggling at my stupidity. “She has them under her thrall. They love her. Theywanther to feed from them.”

“That’s disgusting,” I said, angrily. “You can’t just do that to people.”

Quinn’s expression turned nasty. “But we can and we do. And they’re just grateful it’s not worse.”

“What does that mean?” I demanded.

Coregon cleared his throat. “Traditionally, vampires have been more forceful in their hunt for blood sources.”

“He means we used to kill those we drank,” Theo explained. “But now we usually...don’t.”

“Usually?” I spat.

He shrugged. “Some people prefer the old way. It’s not against the law to hunt blightborn, but most have moved beyond it. Veilmar is a safe city. The blightborn are protected. My Uncle Viktor has recently begun to promote a culture of restraint. He believes curbing our bloodlust, saving it, storing it, makes us more powerful.”

I didn’t even want to know what Viktor wasstoringthe bloodlust of vampires for.

“And there’s nothing wrong with that,” Quinn retorted, as if I’d offended her. “What do you think your precious betrothed prefers?” She bared her teeth at me and I flinched. “Don’t you think he’s taken his share of blightborn lives? Hunted and killed to feed?”

“Blake does come from a very traditional branch of the family,” Theo agreed, though I thought he looked a little uncomfortable. He shifted on the bench and looked around the refectory. “In any case, I think that’s it for our house leaders. I don’t see Lysander anywhere. He’s the leader of House Orphos. His sister, Lunaya, may be in some of your classes. A very sweet girl.”

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