The plane ride to San Francisco consisted of the most awkward hour of silence in Mark’s life. With his spirit crushed from the most recent attack against him, he tried to ignore all the tension and simply rest against the plush seat of the luxury jet as they soared through the night sky. The flight had been a smooth one so far, which Mark supposed was a small bit of consideration, but his stomach was all knotted up anyway. There was vertigo on the peripheral of his vision, and even if he knew he couldn’t sleep a wink, he’d have give anything to have a bed to curl up in.

Near him he could feel Henry tapping out a nervous pattern on the seat armrest, and across the aisle was Zhou Mi, his face pinched in what Mark assumed to be some kind of irrational guilt. Any time something happened, Zhou Mi liked to hold himself accountable. His insistence of playing the martyr was something Mark didn’t think he could handle at the moment.

Both Henry and Zhou Mi hadn’t said two words to either Mark himself or anyone else. It was normal for Zhou Mi to be so quiet, but no so much for Henry. It was uncertain if the silence was hurting or helping, but it did give Mark a chance to think.

Stuck in Mark’s mind was the way Henry had reacted when he’d come upon the scene in Mark’s dorm. He’d expected rage from his cousin, from Henry who never deliberately discriminated against humans, but very much had a prejudiced father as an example of acceptable behavior. But instead Henry had fallen to his knees next to Mark. He’d crashed down so heavy, hands in his hair, pulling violently at the strands, and then he’d started screaming.

Such horrific mourning sounds had come from Henry--wails of agony as if he were being tortured. And Mark was suddenly reminded that Henry had lost loved ones as well. He’d lost an aunt and an uncle who adored him. He’d lost three cousins that he’d grown up playing with, who were the cousins he was closest to, and family members that were everything to him in the years following his mother’s death. This new event was a knife to Henry’s heart the same as Mark’s.

And what a sight they must have made when Zhou Mi and Amber and the whole of the faculty came pouring in, Mark clutching desperately at ashes that only slipped through his fingers, and Henry ripping his own hair out as he rocked back and forth on the carpeted floor.

To Mark, it felt as if all the good he’d managed, all the progress he’d made, was for nothing. It felt as if he’d survived the loss of his family only to endure more suffering. The happy moments of the past few months, from learning of his uncle’s survival, to meeting Jackson, to even simpler things, such as remembering Grace fondly in the company of Kyuhyun, was washed away.

Because someone had broken into Mark’s room. They’d trashed the place, which was of little consequence. But inexcusably, they taken the urn, the thing that Mark coveted the most in the world, and spilled its contents. This person, whoever they were, had disrupted the peace of his family, disrespected their remains, and desecrated something so sacred Mark struggled to breathe when he thought of it.

“Mark.”

His name was spoken so quietly that Mark barely registered it. But he forced himself to give Amber the tiniest of smiles. She was seated next to him, looking nauseous herself, but also seeming as if she wouldn’t leave his side for anything.

She’d been the one to pry his fingers away from the ashes. Amber had kissed his wet cheeks, his hair, and then finally, finally, made him stop groping for ashes that weren’t meant to be held. She’d taken him to the bathroom and helped him wash up, and when that wasn’t enough, she’d started him a bath, helped him discretely and carefully into it, and then waited for him to finish.

Amber, precious Amber, had waited with him until the water went cold, and even then some more.

And when she finally got him into an unrecognizable bed to rest, probably her own, with Zhou Mi prowling about the space with narrowed eyes, she’d done the same for Henry.

Mark had listened to Henry cry for an hour. He’d listened to Amber comfort him. And never so much before had Mark been aware of how badly both he and Henry needed her. Without her, he didn’t know how either of them would have survived.

“Mark,” she said again, and then her hand came to rest on his, cool but comforting. She didn’t say that things would get better. She didn’t ask him if he was okay. She merely lent him her strength and held his hand.

For a half moment Mark did feel a bit more courageous. He’d spent most of the flight so far with his eyes closed, willing himself not to start crying again, worried that if he started, he’d never be able to stop. But now he looked past Henry, past Amber, and further down than even where Zhou Mi was seated, staring blankly into his hands.

Mark looked to his uncle.

He wasn’t really sure when his uncle had arrived at Hawthorne. Maybe he’d flown in somewhere between Mark washing the ashes of his family from his skin, and being put to bed by Amber.

But when Mark had emerged from the bedroom to wander the halls and eventually end up back at his dorm room, no longer able to toss and turn and pretend as if sleep was an option, he’d found his uncle in the most undignified position possible.

Mark’s uncle had always been an aristocrat. Mark’s mother had loved her jeans and her gardening. She’d loved getting her hands dirty and laughing loudly and acting as improper as she could get away with. Mark’s uncle had been her polar opposite, always immaculately dressed, with a calm, educated way of speaking that radiated the pureblood vampire legacy he was a part of. Mark had never seen him wear anything but pressed slacks and pristine shirts. His uncle hadn’t ever eaten with his fingers, never had a hair out of place, nor used curse words. Mark’s uncle had been perfect from the way he’d acted to the way he looked.

And Mark had found him, contrary to that, on his hands and knees in Mark’s dorm room, meticulously collecting the ashes of their family from the surfaces they’d been scattered across. His perfect, beautiful uncle, with tears in his eyes, had been collecting up their family from the floor, not caring for one second what he looked like, or who saw him, or anything of the sort. He’d handled the ashes with such reverent gentleness that Mark had nearly burst into tears once more over the sight.

Mark had never loved him so much as in that moment.

Now Mark looked his uncle over and tried to imagine what was running through his mind. What was he planning to do? What would he say to the council they were flying towards?

Just behind Mark’s uncle sat several more figures, mostly bodyguards, vampires that accompanied Mark’s uncle around wherever he went now, ever since his throat had been cut in the council attack.

But the real surprise, possibly a welcomed one, was at the back of the jet. Occupying the space nearest the end of the aircraft was Kyuhyun. It made sense, naturally, that he’d be traveling with them to San Francisco, if only to save time and energy as they’d all been summoned by the council. Mark hadn’t had a chance to talk with Kyuhyun since the incident that had sparked the emergency council meeting, but Mark was glad to have him along all the same.

He only wished Kyuhyun didn’t look so tired. So worn down. Next to him his faithful friends and bodyguards Minho and Changmin played a round of cards, but Kyuhyun appeared disinterested. He was gazing out the window, out into the black abyss of the night sky, and looked like he hadn’t felt a moment of peace, nor rested, in ages. Mark wondered if Kyuhyun was thinking about Grace’s ashes being disturbed. Kyuhyun was probably always thinking of Grace.

“We’ll be there soon,” Amber said quietly towards him, closing her eyes and tipping her head back on the seat. She swallowed visibly and held in her free hand a bottle of club soda. Mark frowned and wanted to ask her if she was feeling okay. He’d thought earlier that she was only upset from the recent events, but maybe she was actually ill. Vampires, especially purebloods, were rarely ill. But if Amber was, the last thing Mark wanted was her having to fret over him.

So he whispered back to her, “I know. Thank you.” He allowed his head to rest on her shoulder and felt her head press against his.

She’d likely feel better when they were on the ground and out into fresh air. The jet was lavish, gorgeous even, and more spacious than Mark had thought private planes could be. But it was still small. And at near full capacity, Mark couldn’t wait to get out of it despite the short flight time.

Maybe it just felt crowded because next to Mark, on his other side and in the free seat nearest the window, was a small, beautiful box. It was white porcelain, with whorls of blue hand painted across its surface and a gold locking mechanism on the side. Gone was the urn, and in its place was the box. A more durable box. The last thing that would ever contain the precious little that remained of Mark’s family’s ashes.

His uncle had handed him the box hours earlier, hands shaking, and said, “Do not let anything happen to this. Do not let us fall to shame.” He hadn’t meant it in a mean way. His uncle had been too broken to be mean. But there also hadn’t been much left in the way of ashes to save. There hadn’t been a lot of their family to recover. And protecting the ashes, ensuring they remained protected, was a matter of honor. It was more than just a duty. It was a privilege.

The box felt like a newborn to Mark, and he could barely stand to let it out of his sight. It was funny, then, that Henry couldn’t seem to look at it.

“Don’t be nervous,” Amber said, squeezing his hand diligently.

“I’m not nervous,” Mark replied. It wasn’t a lie. He just wasn’t sure what he was.

He probably should have been, though. It didn’t matter that he was about to become the official head of his family when he had his introduction. It was still intimidating to face the council, and he’d only ever seen the thirteen representatives assembled in one place once before. They’d all been together when their mother had presented Grace for their approval. Mark had been young, very young, and barely remembered the event at all. But he remembered how small they made him feel. He remembered how intimidating they were.

Less than an hour later they were on the ground, unbuckling seatbelts and gathering up belongings. When Mark descended from plane and out into the open he took a deep breath of air, then made his way to one of the two cars parked nearby.

Mark didn’t know where they were going. Not specifically. The car wound through the mismatched and uneven streets of San Francisco expertly and Mark was only vaguely aware of the area. If he asked, he was certain his uncle would tell him the exact address of their destination, but Mark was almost glad not to know. He liked staring out the car’s window up at the petite houses, all squished together so improbably on crooked hills. It was better than having to make small talk.

It was some time before they stopped in front of a moderately sized home, looking completely normal in a neighborhood that seemed pleasant and quaint enough. From there Mark journeyed from the car into the home’s foyer, down a passageway that was expertly hidden behind a false wall, and at least two stories down to a space so open and wide that it must have run the length of several homes underground. Mark was impressed with the extensive underground network.

There were plenty of vampires already filling the space too, dozens of them actually, but Mark wasn’t certain which of them were council members, which of them were heirs, and who merely had the privilege of being present.

Mark felt anonymous. For once he wasn’t the most important person in the room, and certainly not the highest ranked in terms of importance. He could blend in with plenty of others, and it was a nice comfort.

“Excuse me,” Amber said, cutting to the side and away from them, looking green in the face. With a delayed, unsure face, Henry looked torn.

“Go,” Mark said, pushing at his cousin. “Go check on her.”

“Come,” his uncle said, cutting in smoothly, a hand at Mark’s shoulder. “You and I will present the united front that we are.”

He whispered back, what he already knew his uncle was aware of, “I’ve never met the council before. Not in person. I saw them when Grace was presented, but I wasn’t exactly worth them acknowledging back then.” He’d been studying them though, learning the names and faces of vampires he’d find himself surrounded by for the next several hundred years. They were the face of vampire behavior, justice and law. What they decided effected all vampires directly, and it terrified Mark to think one day soon he’d be one of them.

“That is inconsequential.” And as if reading Mark’s mind, his uncle added, “Do not let them intimidate you. You are their equal. In fact, you are many of their superior. Your age has nothing to do with your status. You have every right to be here. Do not let them tell you otherwise.”

Mark’s eyes strayed to Kyuhyun who was quickly slipping out of the room, heading down a nearby hallway and away from the gathering.

Where was he going? They were due to start any second.

A moment later Mark spied a figure moving after Kyuhyun. Siwon. That couldn’t be good.

“Have you been forging a friendship with Prince Kyuhyun?” his uncle asked, clearly having traced his gaze.

Mark gave a wordless nod. He could recall Kyuhyun’s words clearly, and the warning about the traitor in their midst. It was a vampire, and someone who had access to council information. Desperately Mark wanted to share Kyuhyun’s suspicions with his uncle. He wanted to share them with Henry, too. But something told him to wait--to hold back. Kyuhyun didn’t have any proof. He only had empty accusations, and every move that Mark made now had to be something worthwhile. If and when Kyuhyun had more to offer, Mark was going to let the people he trusted most know, and hope they could help.

“Well,” his uncle said with a sigh, almost as if he didn’t approve, though Mark couldn’t fathom why not, “he is quite powerful. Influential, too. He’s perhaps a good ally to have. You know of his tie to Grace?”

Mark gave a jerky nod. “They were matched. He loved her.”

His uncle looked more pleased then. “We can use that.”

Mark didn’t want to use anything or anyone. And he was convinced, no matter what others thought, that he could do more good by building friendships, than burning bridges.

Crankily Mark heard hid uncle complain about Henry’s disappearance.

“I’ll go get him, and Amber too,” Mark said right away, all of the sudden desperate to be away from his uncle. He couldn’t stand the idea of his uncle wanting him to use his friendship with Kyuhyun in any way. But he also couldn’t imagine for one second that he’d be able to pick anyone over his uncle. So he was making a tactical retreat, before his uncle could eek out any more information about how much Mark liked Kyuhyun.

“Five minutes,” his uncle warned, then offered him a small smile. “We can’t be tardy for your first official meeting as a part of the council.”

Mark flashed him a thumbs up and took off down the same hallway that Kyuhyun and Siwon had gone down. There had to be a bathroom that way as well, or a room that Amber had ducked into to fight whatever illness she was feeling.

“Henry?” Mark called out as he moved along, bypassing doors and trying not to be nosey as he peeked into some of them. Most were empty, typically filled with boxes and old, covered furniture. None of them contained his cousin or Amber.

“--at the funeral.”

Mark paused just before a corner, ears picking up the unique rumble of Kyuhyun’s voice.

“I didn’t think it was entirely proper,” a second voice answered. Siwon.

Moving as stealthily as possible, Mark neared closer. They weren’t focused on him, which meant they probably weren’t listening for an interloper. Mark didn’t want to overhear their conversation, but he thought it would be infinitely more awkward if they saw him. They were both in a nearby room, the door cracked so Mark could just see their forms, and with any luck, they’d be done soon. He certainly couldn’t get by the door without them seeing him.

“It was noticed,” Kyuhyun said, “your absence. It was less proper that you weren’t there to pay your respects. I felt slighted on Grace’s behalf.”

Siwon was standing so close to Kyuhyun that Mark felt his own face flush at the body language. With shoulders turned in, Siwon was almost a good head taller than Kyuhyun, though the both of them were already exceptionally tall. But Kyuhyun didn’t seem cowed by Siwon’s stance in the least bit, and if anything he was leaning into him. They reeked of intimacy, and Mark felt a little envious that they could be that way with each other.

Mark reminded himself that they were friends. No matter what Siwon felt for Kyuhyun, they were still friends. Kyuhyun trusted Siwon.

“I’m sorry,” Siwon said with sincerity. “You’re right. I was wrong not to go. Grace deserved a last boon of respect. Kyu. I’ll pay my respects the next chance I have.”

A rare, soft smile unfolded across Kyuhyun’s features. “How are you, Siwon?”

“Better than you,” Siwon replied, then added quickly, “My mother has asked me to inquire about your father. You know she cares for him.”

Mark leaned back against the wall and sighed quietly. Was he going to be stuck for what precious little time he had listening to mundane or benign conversations between old friends? If so, Mark was more interested in cutting his losses and going directly back to his uncle without Amber or Henry.

He caught the tail end of more of the conversation, surprised to hear that Kyuhyun and Siwon had changed subjects so soon.

Siwon was saying, “--considered what I’ve proposed to you?”

Tension locked up Kyuhyun’s form as he folded his arms around himself. It was the smallest he’d ever looked, the most insecure or fragile. And it seemed to take real effort for him to say, “We’ve spoken about this many times, Siwon.”

“And,” Siwon charged back, his voice raising just slightly, “I’ve always respected your feelings on the matter. But Grace is--”

“--still alive in my heart.”

Siwon looked away, towards the open door, and Mark froze. He thought for certain Siwon knew he was there.

But then Siwon said quietly, sadly, “I would give it all up for you, if you’d only have me. I would give up everything for you.”

Mark barely dared to look towards them in time to see Kyuhyun bring a hand up to Siwon’s jaw. His fingers rested there gingerly as he mumbled, “You are the head of your family now. It’s not something you can give up so easily. It’s not something you should want to.”

“I have two younger sisters,” Siwon said firmly, his fingers catching Kyuhyun’s and squeezing tightly. “Both of them have trained significantly for the position of heir. Either would be a fine stand-in, and my father would have been proud of either of them taking up the mantle as head of family. If you agree to marry me, if you agree to have me, I’ll let one of them have the title. I’ll let one of them have it all. The shame others would try to make me feel would be nothing to endure, not compared to what I would have in return.”

The implications of Siwon’s words were not lost on Mark, who knew that heirs, particularly those raised from birth to know what their future would entail, were expected to fight viciously to hang onto their power. No heir was supposed to place anything above the welfare of their family, and to do so was likened to the highest form of cowardice and disrespect possible. If Siwon abdicated his position, he’d be a laughing stock. He’d be shunned. He’d be beyond disgraced. And still he was offering to do it, if Kyuhyun wanted him to.

Because, Mark realized, he and Kyuhyun couldn’t be together if the both of them were the heads of their respective families. There was no way the council would allow that kind of joining of power.

“Siwon. I can’t.”

“Please,” Siwon said, voice cracking. “Please, Kyu. I love you.”

“I can’t,” Kyuhyun repeated, drawing his hand back. “I can’t force myself to feel things for you I don’t. I love you very much. You are my greatest friend. But I’m not in love with you, and I very much doubt I ever will be.”

Mark inched himself way. He shouldn’t be hearing what he was. It wasn’t right. It was so private.

“You don’t know that,” he heard Siwon say back. “You could grow to love me. If you only give yourself a chance. I would make you happy. I’d do anything for you. I’d go anywhere, or be anything. For you it would be no burden. If you’ll only say yes.”

Mark was almost completely out of earshot when with finality, Kyuhyun’s voice rang out, “I wouldn’t be in love with you when we married. That’s what I care most about, and it’s what you should as well. You deserve someone who will put you first in their heart, and want to be everything for you, that you’re offering to be for me. I am not that person, Siwon. I’m so sorry to hurt you, but if you truly care for me, you won’t ask again.”

There was a lump in Mark’s throat as he ducked away. He wasn’t sure who he felt worse for, Kyuhyun or Siwon. Neither one seemed to be in a good position, and it was only made worse by all the circumstances surrounding them.

“No such luck?” his uncle asked as Mark trotted back to his side.

Mark shook his head, thinking it best not to mention Siwon or Kyuhyun at all. “I have no clue where either of them went.”

His uncle’s shoulders heaved for a second, then he nodded. “It’s just as well. Yours is truly the only presence needed, unless the council should want to question Henry about anything he may have witnessed.”

“Question?” Mark echoed. He was under the impression that this was a caucus. That they were meant to discuss the growing threat of humans, and attempt to discern if there was a correlation to the actions against Mark at Hawthorne. Of all things, Mark didn’t want Henry dragged into council business. Not even if he knew his cousin would be happy to offer assistance.

“It’s time,” his uncle said lowly, so much that Mark barely caught the words. “Finally.”

There was a soft chime, from an origin that Mark couldn’t place, and then a group of men and women were making their way up to a dais at the head of the main room where thirteen seats had been arranged. They filed in according to which family they represented, heads of family first, and heirs second. It was orderly, calm and sort of terrifying, at least when Mark imagined that soon, very soon, he’d be with them.

Mark’s eyes raked over them and he fought back the smallest of smiles as Kyuhyun and Siwon did their best to slip into the ranks smoothly, Kyuhyun behind his father and Siwon in front of a young girl who shared too similar features to be anything but a sibling.

Once again it only reminded Mark that he had no heir of his own. It was clear that Siwon, being young and unmarried, had no direct heir himself. He must have appointed that position to one of his younger sisters, one of them that he’d spoken about to Kyuhyun. She was a placeholder of sorts, but Mark knew it provided a strong front for Siwon’s family. Mark would have to do something of the same. If his uncle was invalidated, Mark absolutely had to find out about Henry. If Henry was eligible, Mark’s decision was made for him. If not, Mark shuddered to think of how infinitely more difficult it would be. The last thing he wanted were dozens of cousins vying for the position.

“Prince Mark,” Zhou Mi said, emerging at his side and holding out a hand. “I’ll you to your seat.”

Mark frowned. “My seat?”

“Go,” his uncle urged, turning to look for Henry and Amber once more.

With a shaking hand, Mark put his fingers in Zhou Mi’s grip and it took him only a second more to realize that he was being led up to where the rest of the council was waiting. And all eyes were on him.

Zhou Mi took him to the seat fourth from the left and it was a surprise because Mark hadn’t imagined that he’d sit with the others until he was officially introduced in a few months. But he supposed he still had a vote, at least his uncle said as much, and he was still the potential head of his family. An heir. That meant he represented his family, especially during council proceedings.

A voice cleared and a councilwoman stood.

“We are here,” the representative from the eleventh family, a woman situated so far down the line that Mark could barely see her, spoke, “to discuss the continued attacks against our own, at the behest of Marcus of the fourth family.”

Standing directly in front of the council, Mark watched his uncle draw himself up to his full height. He wasted no time snapping, “I find it absolutely abhorrent that this council has continued to allow my nephew, who is very much the last standing heir of my sister, to be placed in constant, threatening danger. One of your own!”

Mark’s eyes strayed to Kyuhyun who was standing, along with the other heirs, just behind the seated council members. He had one hand visible on the high back of his father’s chair and was wholly focused on Mark’s uncle as he spoke. His face was unreadable, as was Siwon’s at his seat. There was an intensity to the both of them, and a fierce concentration that Mark respected immediately.

“The failings of your nephew’s safety is not this council’s first concern at the moment. Neither is it our explicit responsibility,” the female vampire shot back, her eyes narrowing. “Marcus, if you’ll remember, you were the one who asked that he be placed at Hawthorne Academy. We wished to place him at Twilight Academy where there is an increased council presence and where we were confident Prince Mark would receive a superior education geared towards his readiness to serve on this council. You argued against this as if it were your dying wish. We explained to you that Prince Mark might be vulnerable at Hawthorne Academy, but you were certain it was best for him. We deferred to you, as his current guardian.”

This was the first Mark was hearing of this, and it had his eyes shooting away from Kyuhyun and back to his uncle.

“Not your first priority?” his uncle snapped, shoulders tense. “He’s the last surviving direct heir of the fourth family! How is he not your first priority? Should anything happen to him, be it your responsibility or not, I don’t think I need to remind you the serious ramifications it would mean for this council, yourself included.” Mark’s uncle’s eyes narrowed dangerous and Mark felt his stomach flip over at the dark indicator. “And your daughter as well.”

Tiffany. Mark recognized the daughter in question, Tiffany, from Hawthorne. She was the heir to the eleventh family. She was a little scary, like all purebloods at Hawthorne, but Mark had seen her be exceptionally sweet to her match Jessica, and Mark understood fully what his uncle was implying. No doubt everyone did.

This time a different council vampire spoke, saying, “We are dealing with the rising tensions between vampires and humans as a direct result of recent events. Things are reaching a critical point. We cannot focus on individuals. Our focus must be on our species as a whole.”

“Mark is being targeted!” his uncle exploded. “He is being attacked time and time again and the humans are getting increasingly bold. This time it wasn’t enough to frighten Mark. No, they had to act in the most foul and disrespectful way possible, disrupting the ashes of my sister and her family laid to rest.”

Kyuhyun cleared his throat, waited for approval to speak, and then said, “It’s very interesting that humans were able to access Prince Mark’s room on a campus that is expected to be secure. It’s even more interesting that they managed it a second time after the initial act, despite an increase in security.”

“Prince Kyuhyun,” the second family’s heir, a boy who didn’t look much older than Mark, and who’s name Mark couldn’t recall at the moment, interjected, “I’m sure most of us are uncertain as to what you’re leading towards.”

Kyuhyun dipped his head in a bid for forgiveness. “I simply find it fascinating, in light of our superior instincts and abilities, that the humans would be able to evade thousands of vampires in such an isolated location as Hawthorne is. And leave no evidence behind. The only way I might imagine something like that happening, would be either in the instance of them having access to information they should not, or perhaps not being the culprits at all. They--”

His uncle’s voice rose, cutting in sharply, “It is absolutely ludicrous to suspect anyone of our kind working with the humans. We are better than such a distasteful thought, but should you have evidence to counteract this statement, I suggest you present it, Prince Kyuhyun.”

Kyuhyun was silent and Mark felt sick.

“Then,” Siwon said, his gaze flickering past Kyuhyun to Mark for a half second, “the matter at hand is not your nephew’s safety, but rather the human conflict.”

“Aren’t they the same thing?” another vampire asked.

Mark felt absolutely invisible. He was the head of his family, seated up with the rest of the council, and the matter at hand was at least partly about him, but they barely saw him. They barely knew he existed.

“I want the vote moved up!”

Mark startled at the shout from his uncle.

“The vote?” Siwon asked, eyes narrowed. “We’re all fully aware that you’re acting as Prince Mark’s proxy at the moment, but a vote on the extremely delicate matter of the treaty, must be done by a whole and complete council. The council that intends to handle this matter to the end.”

Weathered and beaten looking, Kyuhyun’s father gestured to his son, barely seeming as if he was aware of where he was. “No vote until Kyuhyun takes my place.”

At the mention, Kyuhyun nodded. “My father won’t officially step down from his seat for another two weeks, and Prince Mark won’t be eligible for his introduction to vampire society for another eight weeks. A vote can’t be made before then.”

Mark’s uncle argued, “And in the meanwhile we continue to be sitting ducks? Prey to humans? I won’t let my nephew become a victim. If he’s attacked again, I will have him fight back.”

“Absolutely not!” several vampires broke out at the same time, followed by a much louder voice, from the first family, who stated, “Any violent altercation between a member of the council and a human at this moment will be akin to the start of a new conflict or war. We cannot afford that spark.”

Mark was tired of being invisible. And whether he liked it or not, Zhou Mi was lending him strength just by focusing on him, showing him that he wasn’t alone.

“The humans,” Mark said, starting weakly, but rallying himself, “killed my family.” He stood slowly, voice rising as the room went silent. “They attacked the most important members of our society, with heartbreaking casualties. The fourth family recognizes the losses of the ninth and the sixth. We mourn for your losses as you’ve mourned for ours. And now the fourth family asks how many others there will have to be. I am not a vengeful person. I’m not. But they defiled my family’s memory yesterday. They disrupted the rest of their remains. I can’t stand for this. And I won’t see anyone else go through what I have. I say no more losses of loved ones. No more funerals. This council must do something.”

He had the eyes of everyone in the room and he felt powerful. His uncle was shining with pride while other vampires, Siwon included, looked pleasantly surprised by his boldness.

“You propose moving against the humans?” a vampire asked Mark. “Sparking a war that will take even more casualties? The fourth family supports this course of action? This course of war?”

Mark frowned. “If you’re asking me how I’ll vote in eight weeks when I’m of age, I can’t say either way just yet. I will, of course, give that much more thought than the impulse reactions I feel now. But we can’t just sit here and be targeted. We can’t sit here like we’re easy targets. Something has to be done. I’m tired of being hurt. Are any of you?”

It was as if his uncle had been waiting for that moment, because seconds later the older man was breaking in with, “Listen to reason! Either this council acts in a way befitting the members who are most in need of protection, or I will pull my nephew from Hawthorne and take him as far away from that place as possible. I’ll hide him away, even from you, if that’s what it takes to keep him safe.”

“You will not,” Kyuhyun snapped, and he was absolutely so vicious about his tone that Mark was startled. “Prince Mark, despite the incidents that have occurred, has more protection at Hawthorne Academy than anywhere else you can take him. And contrary to the idea you seem to have over the concern we share for him, we will not allow you to remove him and expose him.”

“He’s already exposed!”

“Regardless,” Kyuhyun’s father grumbled out in agreement, “Kyuhyun is correct. Prince Mark will not be removed from Hawthorn Academy. And it surprises this council that you would try to make such a bold move. It was you who argued that he was safer with his cousin for protection. It was you who said his place was at Hawthorne, with his match by his side to watch over him. Or am I mistaken?”

Mark froze, air catching in his throat and heart seizing.

Match.

What was that Kyuhyun’s father had said? He’d said … it wasn’t possible …

The way Zhou Mi looked away for the first time, guilt all but overtaking his expression, exposed everything to Mark.

“This matter of Prince Mark’s unfortunate incidents at Hawthorne is adjourned for now,” the first family’s representative vampire said. “We will meet again in two weeks for the ascension of Prince Kyuhyun to his place on this council officially. At that time we may revisit the aggression towards Prince Mark, and the possible correlation to the previous attacks on our council. For now, this council will retire. This location is not as secure as we would hope. Time is not on our side.”

Mark couldn’t move. He couldn’t do anything but sit, his eyes locked on Zhou Mi who was pointedly not looking in his direction, and if anything inching away.

“Mark?” Henry asked, taking a tentative step up to him as the rest of the vampires cleared out quickly. “Mark? You look pale.”

Mark looked frantically from Henry, who seemed to have appeared out of thin air, to Kyuhyun who was standing still at his father’s seat, and then back to Zhou Mi who’s eyes were now closed as he took deep breaths.

Mark heard his uncle move after the departing council members, demanding more time from them, but so little of Mark cared about that at the moment.

Mark, voice shaking, asked Henry, “I have a match?” It was too much. “Tell me the truth now. Don’t you dare try to lie to me. I swear to god, if you--”

“You do.”

It was Amber who spoke, looking a little better, but still like she was coming down with something. She was at Henry’s side, a hand on his back in either comfort or support or something else entirely.

“And,” Mark asked with a cracking voice, “is it Zhou Mi?”

“It is,” she said, being the one to answer again.

Mark strained to look for him around Henry and Amber’s bodies, still not trusting his feet to hold him if he stood. “Why?” It didn’t make sense. His mother had promised him … “Why? I just … why?”

It wasn’t possible this match had sprung up over night. It hadn’t been a recent development. That was something Mark knew without having to be told. Matches were things arranged in childhood, then brought to the forefront in puberty. If he had a match it meant that his parents had done it while he was still a child, and then lied to him about it his entire life. They had lied right to his face, his mother had, when she’d sworn to him that he wouldn’t be tied down by something so hindering as an arranged marriage.

“Mark.”

Zhou Mi approached slowly, hands tucked behind his back as if he were being led to his execution. Mark couldn’t deny he was feeling the urge of physical violence towards a person he had trusted. A person who’d known all along that they were supposed to get married. That they were supposed to be together.

“Mark, I’m so sorry--”

“We’re matched?”

Zhou Mi nodded.

“My parents said I … I wasn’t an heir … I shouldn’t have …” His voice shook and made him feel pathetic.

Softly, Zhou Mi knelt by the chair he sat in and said, “You have been living in a bubble, Mark. I am not saying this it hurt you, only so you understand. Your parents raised you to be free, and the truth is you are not. You are bound by all the rules that the rest of us are, the difference is you didn’t know you were. You have a match because you were born into a bloodline that values such things. And because while you may perceive a match as being something that holds you down, the purpose of our match was to offer you additional protection and support.”

“Protection?” Mark snapped out. He could feel his fingers shaking and he clamped down on them, refusing to show weakness. “Was this a joke to you? Just follow Mark around and make fun of him for not knowing? Were you looking for the perfect time to spring this on me so you could laugh? All of you?”

He had never felt so betrayed by all the people he cared about.

“Not in the least bit,” Zhou Mi said, his eyes so kind. “I simply knew how much your parents meant to you. You loved them deeply. Therefore I knew it would hurt you to know they hid this from you. I only wanted to protect you from being hurt a little longer.”

“I am not in love with you,” Mark said, thinking only of Jackson. How would he tell Jackson this? How would he deal with it?

“Matches don’t require love.”

“I won’t--”

“Prince Mark.”

Mark looked to Kyuhyun who was now standing beside Zhou Mi. He had a hand outstretched and a carefully guarded look on his face.

“Prince Kyuhyun,” Mark returned, reaching for the hand. There was still Kyuhyun, he realized. There was still Kyuhyun who didn’t lie or hide things or pretend to be what he wasn’t.

“I will see him back to the plane,” Kyuhyun told Zhou Mi, helping Mark steady himself on his jelly legs. “Rest assured, I’m more than adequate protection for your intended.”

Zhou Mi let them pass silently, and Mark delivered such a hurtful look to his cousin that he wondered if Henry could sense their relationship would never be the same again.

Mark knew he was squeezing Kyuhyun’s hand too tightly, and he told the older male, “Thank you,” the second they were back up on the public streets and Mark could breathe again.

“You were unaware?” Kyuhyun asked, escorting him to a car that Minho and Changmin climbed into first.

“That I was matched?” Mark huffed. “Yeah. I had no idea.” But he should have. Now he felt nothing but naïve and stupid. The hints had been there all alone. The way Zhou Mi had acted, how Henry had constantly pushed them together, and how Amber looked so concerned all the time. The hints were glaringly obvious now.

Kyuhyun closed the door behind them and waited until the car was rolling to say, “Zhou Mi is right, Mark. Matches do not require love to be successful. And he is a good match for you. Your parents wouldn’t have chosen him otherwise.”

Mark shot back darkly, “Then isn’t Siwon good for you? He certainly thinks so.”

It was a terrible thing to say, rooted in anger and distress, and it revealed too much about what Mark knew. The look on Kyuhyun’s face, the open sadness, was something Mark regretted greatly.

Changmin gave him a venomous sneer and Minho looked as if he wanted to say any number of things to Mark, none of them kind.

Mark beat the both of them by apologizing quickly, “I’m sorry, Kyuhyun. That’s none of my business. I … overheard something I wasn’t meant to. I’m sorry. That was wrong of me.”

Kyuhyun was silent for minutes more before he finally said, “Matches are not made lightly, Mark. Our parents choose partners that will compliment us, be kind to us, and offer us as much strength and power as possible. If your parents saw all this in Zhou Mi, it’s only a refection of how much they love you that they arranged this. You might not have been their heir, or anywhere close to the position, but they saw the threats towards you long before you did. I guarantee you this was a match based on the protection it afforded to you. They would not have made it otherwise.”

“I don’t care!” Mark bit out. He sunk in his seat and watched the scenery fly past him. “I’m not marrying him. I don’t care what anyone says.”

“The wedding wouldn’t be for a good deal time more. Decades, surely, if not more. Vampires prefer long engagements.”

“I don’t care.”

Kyuhyun gave a small laugh. “Then I suppose you’ll be calling it off shortly.”

Mark shot him a confused glance. “Calling it off?”

Minho and Changmin were doing their best to give the illusion of privacy as Kyuhyun said, “You’re in a very particular and interesting position, Mark. Matches are enforced by the heads of families, and you’re about to come of age. You are the head of your family, as far as that authority goes. Effectively, you are in charge of your own match. Call it off if you want, when you have your introduction, or keep it. But think on the matter. Zhou Mi is a good match for you. He strengthens your family, and I tell you honestly, it’s strength your family needs.”

“I hate that,” Mark said, huffing and turning to lean on the window. People had said it often to him, Henry had said it, and now it was making sense. Of course they were bound to say that he and Zhou Mi were a good match. It was all but said and done.

“Also,” Kyuhyun added, settling back against his seat. “You might think to take into account Zhou Mi’s feelings on this matter. He was given exactly as much control over this situation as you were. You’re perceiving him as the villain, when in reality he’s more of a victim than you are.”

Mark frowned. “More of a victim than I am?”

Kyuhyun’s lips were pursed tightly for what felt like forever before he said, “Zhou Mi is from the thirteenth family. Of all the families, it is the least honorable in the way it values its members. Zhou Mi is no better than chattel to his family. Ask him about it. He is not the villain. And you are not the hero for refusing this--in fact, it may make you the villain.”