FIFTY-EIGHT | INDUCTION

I'm still a little dazed after the run-in with Blue by the time we reach the Coven. Enough so that when I finally snap out of it, I find myself alone with my father in a room within the Coven compound. I blink, looking around as Hale closes the door behind us. I vaguely recall him calling it a 'study'. There are a bunch of desks in neat rows along one wall and work benches on the opposing side. Every available surface is covered, the only desk that has some order to it is at the back of the room where Hale's standing.

"So, how does this work?" I ask Hale when we've settled in the room. The 'study' is more like a war room.

"Vampires are all about blood," Hale shrugs, pulling out a little dagger from a holster on his hip I hadn't even noticed till now.

"Um..." I stare at the tiny yet sharp looking curved blade. "Yours or mine?" I ask tentatively.

"Mine." Hale's fingers move in a blur and his writ is suddenly split open. I gasp in horror, watching as his blood begins to seep from the wound and down his arm. Hale reaches between us and offers me his bleeding hand. "Drink."

"What?" I squeak out. Unlike with human blood, Hale's vampire blood holds no appeal for me. All I smell is the reek of iron and my father's usual scent of cloyingly sweet apple. "Why?" He sighs and wipes away the blood from the now healed spot on his wrist with a towel.

"Wolven Alphas mark their initiates. Vampire leaders have theirs drink a little of their blood." He tells me warily and holds the knife over his wrist again. "Are you ready to be part of the Coven or not?"

"I am." I reply firmly, steeling myself as the silvery blade moves in a flash. This time when Hale offers me his arm, I take it and lower my lip to the wound.

The second the blood touches my mouth, I feel my fangs drop and pierce Hale's flesh. My icy bones suddenly feel like they're on fire, like my father's blood is molten lava flowing from my jaw to the rest of my skeleton. Flashes of memory flow into me, *blood strewn battles where ancient warriors clash. Weapons I've never seen before are brandished, and cause devastatingly effective blows. But the opposing side barely flinches, moving like possessed creatures, they invade the human army and*-

The scene ripples and *I'm standing in the center of an elegant room, gold trim along every wall, thick and luscious accents of gold on almost every piece of furniture. Men and women alike wearing white wigs with insanely intricate strings of gems and clothing with ornate patterns. Humans draped across the laps of several, blood coating their destroyed necks*-

Thankfully, the memory fades quickly, and *I find myself walking along the edges of a large auditorium, my eyes trained on a woman leaning over a thick book. Her strawberry-blonde hair is twisted up in a high bun, little wisps of the straight locks hanging in her face, though her concentration seems wholly intent on the book before her. I trip over a footstool and the woman looks up. The second our eyes meet, her crystalline-blue eyes widen and something begins to beat in my chest*-

*And then I'm staring at myself. Bright, sapphire-blue eyes watch me distrustfully, loose blood-red curls covering what look like still-healing scars on pale skin. Behind me- the me from the first day I met Hale - stands Blue, his silvery-grey eyes watching the exchange carefully. Knowingly. I mentally brace myself as the two come over to my desk*-

*"She's my mate-" Zane growls at me. Eyes glowing possessively as he gets right up in my face.*

*"She's my daughter-" I remind him calmly, but he's not having it. For once, the icy child is expressing his emotions. *

*"I don't want you screwing with her head," Zane warns me, raising a finger as if he can threaten me...how cute.*

*"Don't forget who you're talking to. You may be the son of the Alpha, Zane, but I am a Rege." I remind him, feeling just a flicker of power dance to life in my eyes. The pup grimaces, but remains where he is. The smallest amount of respect makes a little smile come to my mouth. Men have shat themselves over the centuries when seeing even the glimmer of power I just showed him. Lesser men, apparently. "I won't use my abilities on her without a suitable reason." I finally allow. The boy visibly relaxes and takes a step back, the same fire and resolution still haunting his eye*s-

"I think that's enough, sunshine," Hale's voice bubbles in the back of my mind and I feel the connection break. I'm back in my mown body, staring at my father, who's now watching me grimly. "What did you see?"

"I-" I sputter, then swallow the rest of the blood coating my mouth before I try to speak again. "Some stuff." I manage to get out, taking another step back. My knees hit something and I crumple into a chair. I massage my aching temples, waiting for the room to stop spinning. "You really are ancient." I groan, rolling my head. As the roiling bubble of information quiets in my head, I begin to feel things.

My skin tingles, looking paler than usual, but healthy. The bones of my hands seem more delicate, but I know they're just as strong as before. And now, the cold is hibernating in my bones, still there, but deeper. I feel more like my old self.

"I never claimed otherwise." Hale smirks, sitting in the chair across from me. I take a few seconds to readjust to the sensations around me, breathing in the scent of fresh ink and paper around us.

"What's a *Rege*?" I ask, the word popping back into my head as I think of everything I saw. Of everything, that word keep coming back to the forefront of my mind, bugging me.

"It's a title used in vampiric society." He studies my expression carefully. "In what context did you hear that term?" It's a question, but when he says it, I can't help but answer.

"You were talking to Bl- Zane." I admit. "I think it was a week after I got here-" I add, then shut up, wondering why I'm spilling all this.

"Some vampires find it hard to lie when they first become part of the Coven." Hale smirks, seeing my expression. "Think of my blood the way humans would of truth serum."

"Hm." I grimace. "When does it wear off?"

"For most, a week. For you..." Hale bobs his head from side to side. "Probably a day, maybe less."

"At least you're honest." I mutter to myself before clamping my lips shut. Hale chuckles and stands.

"Now that you're officially a member of the Coven, why don't I give you a proper tour?"