Page 76 of Ulune's Daughter

“But would it work with another predator’s blood or is there something special about cat’s blood that makes it anathema to vampires?” Jane asks the group.

Since I find the subject distasteful, I yawn, showing off my fangs, and curl into a ball on Kellan’s lap to snooze.

“We should try more basic wards that just rely on the blood as a repellent,” a pale girl whose dyed-black hair doesn’t suit her says. “To create a control group.”

“We’d need much more blood,” responds one of the boys.

There’s a moment of silence as all eyes focus on me.

Kellan curls her arm protectively around my small body. “No one touches Whitey.”

“It wouldn’t hurt him,” the girl objects. “It’s just like giving blood.”

“Yeah, it’s for science,” the boy adds.

My twin chuckles. I’ll defang him if he tries to take my blood for his grotesque experiments.

“No,” Kellan says with finality. “I’ll order more blood through the bursar’s office, but no one sticks needles in my cat. Luca, please email me your notes.”

Still grinning, my twin nods.

They yap for another hour while I doze on my mate’s lap, digesting the chicken I devoured down to its bones. Finally, the other students leave. My twin and Jane Serpa linger.

“I was wondering if I could see the cup before I go?” Luca asks Kellan.

“Sure.” She gathers me up carefully and carries me through into her laboratory. I grin at my twin over her shoulder. She settles me on my cushion while she shows Luca the cup, encased in one of her gently vibrating machines. From Luca’s expression, I can tell the disturbance in the aether is bothering him. He keeps yawning like he’s trying to pop his ears.

Luca peers at the cup and takes several pictures on his phone. He points out something on the cup’s base that gets both Kellan and Jane peering at it. He finally excuses himself while Kellan and the other professor linger, examining the cup.

“It’s not quite the same,” Jane says.

“Could be a variation. Or it could just be that the cup’s been damaged. It’s worn in several places,” Kellan replies. “Luca’s right. It’s either the same inscription as the one the raven gave me or a slight variation. The repeated chevrons and that double-wavy line. That’s distinctive.”

Jane hums over the cup for another minute. “When are you giving it to Column?”

Kellan leans over me, resting her elbow on the back of the cushion and stroking between my ears. “I’m not sure I’m going to anymore. I thought the chief curator was upstanding. I’ve never had a reason to doubt him before. But he let Jakob Maher stroll in like he owned the place. I get that Jakob had a decent reason to want the cup, but he’s not a good guy. He promised me a reckoning. I don’t want to know what form that would take if he got his paws on the cup.”

“Goddess.” Jane rubs the bridge of her nose. “You shouldn’t keep it here, Kellan. Its magic is malignant. I know you have your wards, but we can’t be certain it’s not influencing you.”

“I know,” my mate agrees.

I sigh softly with relief. If she’d resisted, I’d have had to arrange for the cup to be stolen. My mate may be a new incarnation of the Morrigan, but until I have proof of her immortality, I’ll protect her from every potential threat. Whether she likes it or not.

“What about Ivywhile or Thistlemist?” Kellan asks her mentor.

Giving the poison cup to the snooty Seelie sounds like an excellent plan. I purr my approval.

“What about Ash Hill?” Jane asks.

“Seriously? You want me to give it to the demons?”

“They’re the least likely to be harmed by it.”

“They’re also not very likely to give it back,” Kellan protests. “Gabe’s uncle, or whatever he is, is hugely useful when you’re fighting a Fate, but storing precious relics? I don’t think so. And he has dim views about mortals. What if he decides the world’s better off without New York City and dunks it in the public water supply?”

“What if the jackalweres or some other group steals it from Ivywhile or Thistlemist and does the same thing? At least at Column, we know they have the mechanisms to safely contain very malignant magic. They’ve had those soul chains for centuries?—”

“They also lost the Crown of the North,” Kellan points out.

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