Page 30 of Blood of a Huntsman

Chloe laughed. "That's definitely a perk. Fancy sparring, then? I don't have a class until two."

Cat stole one last glance at the piano before turning her heels and heading out of the common room.

"You know what? Sparring sounds great."

After leavingChloe as sweaty and out of breath as one of their kind could be, some of Cat's frustration had dissipated. She was starting to untangle her thoughts.

Too much had happened all at once. The manticore yesterday, the wounded girl in her family home on the hill, Bash. All small concerns that had effectively hidden why she was feeling uncomfortable. The questions and theories that had robbed her of her peace of mind the last few months.

But now, Cat had an inkling.

The entire situation in Oldcrest felt like a major setup. The term had started in October, so how come she, along with a dozen new students, had turned up at the same time in January? She'd have to check with the administration to be certain, but Cat doubted so many people usually started in the second semester.

Then the demon attack. Why make it so very obvious, leaving bodies out in the open? It felt like a warning more than anything else. Or perhaps a test.

But above all, the most important pawn—set up on the chessboard, by whatever player was carefully manipulating the pieces—was her.

Before March, any resident of Oldcrest could invite someone through the gates. Now, the invitation must come from a current resident of Night Hill.

Cat stayed in the dorm by choice, because she hadn't wanted to lock herself away in a huge empty house. Her current address was Number Three, Night Hill, which meant that she could let anyone she wanted inside the territory.

Her family had let her come to Oldcrest for a reason, and Cat now doubted that it was so she could bag a De Villier prince, as she'd initially thought.

If she was right, her family was against Oldcrest. Against Chloe, Levi, everyone else. Cat knew her aunt too well to doubt that she'd call herself queen given half a chance. They could be the ones behind this whole mess. If Drusilla wasn’t the queen, at the very least, there was a considerable chance that they were in league.

Meaning, Cat would soon be given orders she might not like.

As her next lesson wasn't until later that afternoon, Cat walked down the hill at a leisurely pace. She decided to stop and see how the patient was doing, if only to distract herself.

She walked into the guest bedroom, where Greer was changing Maddy’s bandages.

"Hey there. You look better."

Ever so slightly. Cat hadn’t changed very long ago, so she remembered that it took time to heal from the stupidest little things. Maddy's attack had left wounds as serious as any human could get. Even with Alexius's healing powers and Greer's magic, she wouldn’t be walking for weeks.

"Funny. I didn't peg you for a liar." Maddy snorted.

"All right. You look alive. Alive is better."

The girl tried to smile, and gave up after a wince.

"Anything I can get you? Food, a book? Is someone copying your lessons?"

Maddy closed her eyes, as though keeping them open was too much of an effort.

"I'm all good, thank you."

Something changed in the air, all of a sudden. Cat went to the window and looked out at the darkening sky.

Cat went to the girl's bedside table and took her phone. "I'm inputting my number in here. I can't take calls in the Institute, of course, but text if you need anything."

"Everyone offered to help," Maddy replied.

"Well, you're not everyone's guest. You're mine."

She'd learned many lessons she would have liked to scratch from her mind. Hospitality wasn't one of them.

"You're nice. You should let people see that you're nice."

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