Page 231 of Blood & Betrayals

I open the bedroom door and walk to Alice’s side, taking in the man standing in our doorway. He is wearing a brown trench coat, and his pale green eyes settle on me. It’s not immediately apparent what species he is. He looks unassuming, but my instincts scream at me.

“It’s okay, Alice,” I say. I tap on her phone twice, trying to communicate with her silently that she should contact the headmaster.

Alice hisses at the visitor again before reluctantly trudging into her room.

“Miss Tuatha De Daanan. My name is Chief Investigator Thomas Aquino. You’ve been fairly difficult to keep track of over this holiday season.” He waits for a response, but there is nothing to say. “Do you have time for a quick chat?”

I step to the side, inviting him in.

The investigator sits in one of the armchairs and waits for me to settle on the sofa before saying, “I’m sure you know why I have asked to speak with you.” His stare is heavy, intense, and penetrating.

I lift my chin, still not speaking.

The inspector smiles weakly, but his eyes remain flat and cold. “Miss Tuatha De Daanan. We can do this the easy way or?—”

“You are not to interview my students without me present, Tom.” The headmaster storms into the dorm, his expression thunderous.

The inspector holds his bland smile. “Ah, Jim. I was wondering how long it would take you.”

The headmaster walks to the side of the couch and narrows his eyes at Thomas. “Clearly, Miss Tuatha De Daanan is on her way somewhere. Surely, this can wait.”

The inspector’s smile hardens. “This won’t take long, Jim. And Miss Tuatha De Daanan has nothing to hide.” He looks at me. “Isn’t that right?”

I blink, looking at him. “Excuse me?”

“You don’t have anything to hide,” Thomas repeats, his gaze like a rash across my skin.

“No,” I answer, my voice hard. Though his words do not convey it, I can hear the accusation in them.

Thomas’s smile deepens. “Well then, Jim informed us that you found the newest victim, Alicia Tuatha De Daanan. It almost seems she was placed for you to find.”

Tension radiates from the headmaster. “That is a suspicion of yours, not mine.”

Thomas never drops his smile. “Ah yes, but it does seem odd to have you discover not just one, but two bodies.”

“I thought I was being questioned.”

“You are,” Thomas replies.

“You’ve yet to ask me a question,” I reply coldly.

Thomas laughs, and the sound is icy. “Right. Did you have any interaction with Lucia and Alicia prior to discovering their remains?”

I lift my chin. “I met Lucia once at a party.”

Thomas flips his notepad open and begins taking notes. “That’s a bit odd, is it not? To not be enclosed in your people?”

I shrug. “Whether it’s odd or not, it is my situation.”

Thomas’s pen scratches over the paper as he writes furiously. “We tried to pull a full history on you, Miss Tuatha De Daanan. We came up empty. That is also very odd.”

“Someone applied to Avalon on her behalf,” the headmaster replies tightly. “She had no contact with this realm prior to admission.”

I glance at the headmaster and then back again at Thomas. “Once again, Chief Investigator, I’m not hearing any questions. If you don’t have questions for me, I do have plans.”

He smiles at me again. “Was your foster family fae?”

My body tenses before I can stop it. I wasn’t expecting that question. I didn’t think anyone knew about them. Fuck, I barely know about them. They were barely a family to me.

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