Page 206 of Fractured Fate

“What do you mean?”

Noah looked at the headmistress. “He’s scared of that person, but I think their influence allows him to stay in power. I think it’s an ego thing. Anytime any of the guys questioned him, he spoke of the Red Carnation.”

“Red carnation?” Riley’s nose wrinkled. “What does a flower have to do with anything?”

“It’s not a flower. It’s what James called the person over him. I guess it’s a code name or something. I told the security team about it.”

“Code name?” Seth’s brows rose.

“I’ve not read over those documents yet,” the headmistress said. “I intended to do that today until this happened.”

“This Red Carnation is dangerous,” Dominic said. “If they have enough influence to make the rogues fall in line behind a human…”

Lukas sat forward, resting his forearm on his knee. “Shouldn’t the Blackthorn Clan say something about them too? Not just Charlotte’s dad?”

“Sperm-donors don’t deserve that title,” Riley snarked.

“Huh?”

“Dad is a dad. A real parent. A father is the dude who contributed his chromosomes to create life. Biology. James doesn’t deserve to be called anyone’s dad.”

Lukas held up his hands in surrender. Riley obviously held strong feelings he wouldn’t contest.

The headmistress shook her head. “So far, the Red Carnation isn’t making themselves known. Putting a spotlight on them, making them aware we know who they are, might drive them into greater action.”

“Until we ensure Blaire’s safety, or she makes the change, we have to play defense,” Dominic said. “We don’t know enough to know what this person will do.”

“There’s no telling how they’ll respond to this failure as it is.”

Aiden’s words were met with several nods of agreement. Until they knew more, they were nothing more than sitting ducks waiting on the hunter to find them.

44

FRACTURED FATE

Days passed with no information on Charlotte’s father, and the lack made her restless. She tried to distract herself with Aiden’s collection of video games and even joined some random online groups to interact with people other than those around her. She needed some sense of normalcy. Something human.

It helped until it didn’t.

With classes starting in a little over a week, she finally met with the student liaison and settled on Business Administration so she could delve into several facets of her mothers’ businesses and potentially be able to create her own in the future. She didn’t know why she never considered a broad degree like that before.

In need of a change of scenery, she entered the main building, heading up the stairs to the canteen to find herself a snack.

Aiden insisted on joining her.

He still didn’t enjoy letting her roam the campus alone, concerned for her safety. She didn’t blame him, considering rogues had infiltrated the academy grounds and nearly killed Seth. She would never have survived that. She didn’t have the perks that came from being a Vasirian.

After they grabbed a few canned drinks, candy, chips, and a blood packet for Aiden, they made their way down the hall until a flash of burgundy and sparkling rubies on silver chains rounding the corner caught her eye.

She took off in a sprint down the hall.

“What the—Charlotte!” Aiden ran after her.

They skirted the corner in time to see the Oracle disappear up the stairs to the third floor. When she entered the library, they followed.

Charlotte’s gaze moved around the room. A few students sat at the tables near the windows, preparing for their upcoming classes; but otherwise, the space seemed as abandoned as the day Noah arrived.

“There,” Aiden said, pointing to a side hallway. “I know where she’s going.”