FIFTY-NINE | COVEN

Just like Hale mentioned, the order of the rooms is different when we start the tour outside the study. A room that's apparently at the very top of the house. The study takes up half of the up stairs floor, and the other three rooms are simply storage areas for extra paper and office supplies. The next floor down holds the bulk of the sleeping quarters, six spare rooms with their own, full bathrooms and furniture.

So does the next floor down. And the one below that. These four floors are connected by a singular spiraling stair case and we have to go to the middle of the house to get to the next flight down. On this floor is Doc Quin's office and more office space, including multiple rooms with desks and half-scrawled on white-boards.

"This building is the main part of the compound," Hale explains as we make our way down the last set of stairs to the main landing. "Your room as well as most of the sleeping quarters are located in that building." He points out the window, across that courtyard I'd seen the first day, to a grand five-story building near the woods. I stare, completely dumbstruck as I examine the vast expanse of the outdoor portion of the compound.

There's a huge greenhouse that's at least the size of an entire football field on the adjacent end of the nor enormous clearing. Between here and the greenhouse, however, are dozens of vampires milling around in a field of greenery, the outer edges paved. They're all peacefully talking and going about their business, a few sucking on the open ends of donor bags like it's the most normal thing in the world.

There's one more three-story building on the other end of the courtyard, directly across from the one with the housing. Hale points this one out next.

"That's where the library and study rooms are," He tells me and I turn to gape at him.

"One entire building for a library?" I ask, feeling a little more than a little excited at the prospect of getting a book or two to read since I'm isolated from the library at school.

"Yes. Most of the vampires here choose to stay at the compound for a large portion of their time, so we put in a library a few years ago." Hale smiles at me. "There's an open-borrow policy so long as you bring back the books you take within a reasonable amount of time." I grin and bounce a little with each step now, promising myself to explore the building later.

"Question:" I think aloud, pausing. "Where did the money come from to build this place?" I ask, a little worried about the answer. Hale frowns, his lips pressing into a thin line before he sighs.

"It's from...I suppose you can call it family money," Hale hedges, not fully answering.

"It's not from anything illegal or immoral is it?" I grimace at him. He blink at me in surprise before laughing.

"Of course not, sunshine!" He chuckles and wraps an arm around my shoulders as he guides me to another room. "When I say 'family money', I mean what I say. I've lived a long time and had many priceless heirlooms I had stowed away when I was, shall we say, younger." He explains, still amused.

"Okay," I say, relaxing a bit.

"That and many of those in our Coven are very successful in their jobs. Quite a few of them contribute to the expenses of running our Coven, even though we're practically self-sufficient at this point." He adds and opens the door to the room. We're in another 'study' set up just like the first one, except this one has vamps manning the desks and buzzing around busily. Many of them don't even pause to look up as we enter.

Hale leads me over to the desk with vampire hunched over his desk, writing furiously until he looks up. His honey-brown hair is in disarray, thick, black rimmed glasses on his nose. I look at him in surprise, he's not much older than me. I can't help but wonder if he's as old as Mikyle or Hale.

"Scarlett, this is Elliot Powell, our resident battle-strategist." Hale gestures to the guy with the glasses. Elliot reaches over the mass of scattered paper to shake my hand.

"Scarlett, we've heard a lot about you." Elliot nods to me, grey eyes meeting mine, but not really seeing me. "Hale, the plans you asked for have been drawn up." He releases my hand and passes a stack of paper to my father.

"Thank you," Hale nods, taking the stack and flipping though what looks like a mass of diagrams. "Be sure to communicate with Yuri and Cole-"

"You want me to talk strategy with those buffoons?" Elliot grimaces. I'm starting to like this guy less and less.

"Those *buffoons* are in charge of training the Packs' forces." Hale crooks an eyebrow at the guy. "Cooperation, Elliot."

"Yes, sir." His shoulders slump. Hale begins flipping through the papers and frowns, now completely engrossed in whatever's written there.

"Mikyle," Hale summons his my shadow suddenly. With his usual speed and stealth, Mikyle appears a few feet away.

"Aye, boss," Mikyle gives my father his full attention while still looking as nonchalant as ever.

"I'd like you to begin Scarlett's formal training." Hale instructs without looking up as he flips the page to examine another set of neat diagrams.

"Whatever you say, boss man." Mikyle nods calmly, his eyes scanning over me calmly. "C'mon, princess." My stomach flips a little nervously when I recall what happened earlier while we were 'training'.

"Don't call me that." I snarl at him, pretending to be annoyed. My plan backfires and the vampire is suddenly less than a foot away, grinning wolfishly at me.

"Would you prefer Baby-cakes? Or maybe Sweet-thing?" Mikyle asks leaning in close and tapping me lightly on the nose. "Goddess? Light of the universe?" I'm too stunned to reply for a second, but my father seems to be able to read me more easily than I ever thought. *What's with Mikyle's shit lately? He's becoming more flirtatious than Yuri*.

"Mikyle," Hale sighs, giving him a wary look.

"Princess it is, then." Mikyle sighs, turning on his heel and walking out of the room. But we both know just how great Mikyle's hearing is.

"Try not to kill him," Hale tells me, patting my shoulder lightly. "Believe it or not, Mikyle is a great advisor."

"Can't make a promise I don't know if I can keep." I sigh under my breath and follow after my new mentor, but I can't deny the undercurrent of excitement to be finally learning something.