Mirage by Kristi Cook Page A

in.”
    “Is that what happened, then? I admit, I wasn’t quite following the subtext.”
    “Todd sat down right behind us, even though there were plenty of empty tables.”
    “Marking his territory, I suppose,” he said with a shrug.
    “Yeah, but they broke up, remember?”
    Aidan nodded. “Oh, that’s right. Well, your little friend didn’t seem to notice, if his incessant chatter was any indication.”
    “Oh my God—‘my little friend’? You’re as bad as he is. He calls you ‘the boyfriend.’”
    “At least he knows where things stand. Remind me to congratulate him,” he said with a smirk.
    “C’mon, give the guy a break. He just lost his dad, you know. Back in April.”
    His brows drew together at once. “No, I didn’t know. Does he know about your father?”
    “Yeah, we were talking about it today, after practice. It was … I don’t know.” I shook my head, searching for the right words. “Easier this time, I guess. Talking about it, I mean. Mostly I just felt angry. Really, really angry.”
    He pulled me closer. “I think that’s normal, Vi. Especially in a situation like this, where there’s no justice.”
    “I swear, just knowing that they’re still over there, thinking they’ve won …” I shook my head. “It makes me sick.”
    Aidan reached for my chin, tipping my face up toward his. “You know, if it would make you feel better, I could take care of it. They deserve to die, and I would take great pleasure—”
    “No, Aidan. Oh my God, the very idea of you anywhere near them …” I swallowed hard. “Just no, okay?”
    “Violet, I’m a vampire. What do you think they’re going to do to me? I could end them all in a matter of minutes, with no risk to myself whatsoever.”
    I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the mental image of Aidan taking on my father’s murderers. A shudder snaked up my spine. “You would want their blood inside you, Aidan? Tainting you? They’re evil—pure and utter evil. Just … no.”
    “Of course,” he said softly. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
    “I know. It’s okay. I appreciate the sentiment, trust me. They do deserve to die. I just don’t want their blood on your hands, that’s all.”
    “Understood. Anyway, back to Tyler. He seems like a pretty okay guy,” he conceded.
    “He is, and I think he could use some friends. Jack seems to like him.”
    “Yeah, he said as much. He thinks Tyler can help him with his work in the lab. Which is good, because I’m pretty preoccupied with my own lately. And speaking of which, guess who stopped by today—to check on the progress of my work, she claimed?”
    “Who?”
    “Nicole,” he said, and then corrected himself. “Mrs. Girard. Our esteemed headmistress. I’m pretty sure she’s never set foot inside the science wing before.”
    “Hmm, that’s kind of weird.”
    “I thought so too. I don’t want to get too complacent about her—she’s definitely not to be underestimated.”
    I nodded. “Right, the chairwoman of your vampire court. They’re all females, right?”
    “Actually, there are two males on the Tribunal, Luc and Goran,” he said. “Impeccable pedigrees, those two, turned by the Impaler himself.”
    “You mean … Vlad the Impaler?” I said incredulously. “He’s real?”
    “Definitely.” There was a trace of amusement in his voice. “He’s like a rock star in our world. Probably the most revered male vampire ever.”
    “Wow. That’s … I don’t know, surreal. Where is he now?”
    “Oh, I don’t know. Around. He’s pretty much a recluse these days.”
    I couldn’t believe how blasé he sounded. I mean, Vlad the Impaler? He was only the most famous vampire ever . Well, except for Dracula, but I’d read somewhere that Stoker had actually based Dracula on Vlad, so I guess they were really one and the same. “Okay, so who else is on this Tribunal?” I asked.
    “Let’s see, there’s Nicole, Luc, and Goran.” He ticked them off on his