Page 38 of After Darkness Falls

"You will attend this class for a year and a day."

"Hey, what's a fledgling?" she asked Gwen. The question had edged her mind when the professor had called her that.

"Oh, a kid, I guess? Like a teenager, not quite grown up yet. I think that’s also what they call birds when they can't fly yet. It's mostly used about vampires in this world. A fledgling is a young vampire, not quite in control of their power yet."

Oh. So he'd called her a little girl. Nice.

"Can we make a voodoo doll of Fin Varra or something?"

Gwen laughed. "Didn't you hear? 'No power can affect my sexy ass,'" she grumbled in a poor—and hilarious—imitation of the professor's voice.

They laughed until they reached the great entry hall.

"I'm starving. You?"

Chloe almost followed Gwen, who was edging toward the cafeteria, but she caught herself at the last moment. "You go ahead. I have something to do first. I shouldn't be too long."

She headed back to the dorm, took the white box from her bedside table, and walked right back to the Institute, heading straight to the red-doored tower.

She half-expected someone to appear in front of her the moment she crossed the threshold, but the curving staircase was empty. Determined, she walked up each flight of stairs, ignoring the little voice whispering that being here wasn't quite wise.

18

Irritated

By the time she reached the top of the tower, Chloe was out of breath and her legs were screaming at her.

The door of a large, tower-wide circular study was open, and five vampires were watching it, like they'd been expecting her. Four among them seemed amused. The fifth was glaring at her.

Yeah? Well, get in line, Levi. She was pissed too.

Ignoring everyone else, she walked straight to him and placed the box on the desk in front of him.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I can't take random, outrageously expensive presents from strangers."

It wasn't who she was.

Chloe considered retreating now that she'd said her piece, but that might have seemed cowardly. Instead, she glared at him, waiting for his retort.

"And you were under the impression that coming here to tell me that was necessary?"

She shrugged. "You invaded my place without an invitation. That's called payback."

"Feel free to come by mine any time, Chloe. This is work. I don't care for interruptions."

"Well, tough luck, asshole."

One of the vampires in the room disguised a laugh with a cough.

Levi sighed and closed his leather-bound journal.

"You're the protégée of an acquaintance. You came to Scotland in January with a spring jacket. I don't particularly want to explain to Charles that the student he sponsored died of pneumonia. If the coat was ‘outrageously expensive,’ blame my assistant. He likes spending my money."

"Guilty," said a man behind her.

She turned to glance at a striking dark-skinned guy who had pulled out a bag of popcorn and was shamelessly watching them.

"You bought it?"

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