Chase the Dark Read Free Page B

lightly.”
    Flexing her jaw, she began another stretch. Because it took magic to counter magic, all Consuls had to be haemons. The word was slang-turned-official-term, short for half-human, half-daemon: haemon. Although they looked entirely human, haemons inherited magic from their daemon parent, giving them a powerful edge. But though she was a haemon, she had no magic.
    She leaned into her stretch, glaring at the mats. “I barely got a scratch,” she mumbled. “I could have handled it even if Ash hadn’t shown up.”
    Calder gave her a long look. She pretended not to notice.
    “Are you sure you can’t talk Father into letting me attend the meeting?” she asked. The ambassadors would be arriving in an hour. It was her last chance to get in on the biggest political event of the decade.
    “I don’t plan to try.” Calder angled his legs into a split. “It’s no place for an Apprentice. You’re lucky you even know about it.”
    She scowled and almost told him that Ash—impossibly—knew as well but she didn’t want to divert the topic. “You don’t think I can keep a secret? I haven’t let slip a single detail. You two could at least—”
    “Drop it, Piper. Not happening.”
    Exhaling forcefully, she started stretching her arms. It wasn’t fair. The biggest deal of the year, happening right in her Consulate, and she didn’t get to attend. Everyone right up to the damn President wanted in on the meeting, which is why only a select handful of special ambassadors knew when and where it was taking place. A fake location had been leaked two days ago to send everyone else running in the wrong direction.
    If her father hadn’t decided to be paranoid, she might have gotten to see it when they moved it out of the Consulate.
    They finished their stretches in silence. Piper stared gloomily at the wall of weapons across from her, everything from Japanese swords to throwing knives to guns. She was proficient with them all. She didn’t need a weapon to put a full-grown man on the ground. If combat ability were the most important part of being a Consul, she’d have her Apprenticeship in the bag. If knowledge and experience were key, she’d be in clear. All that diplomacy and negotiation and de-escalation might trip her up now and then, but she was getting the hang of that too—sort of.
    However, there was a skill she was missing, one she could never learn, that made her future as a Consul unstable at best. Without magic, her ability to defend herself was severely limited—not that she planned to give up. A full day of regular school plus four hours of lessons every evening was a small price to pay for a career that would never, ever get boring.
    After a quick shower, she headed for her father’s office for a second time. Maybe if she casually positioned herself nearby, Quinn would spontaneously change his mind and invite her to the meeting.
    The office door opened as she was coming up the hall. Quinn stepped out, a briefcase under one arm and a file folder between his teeth. He locked the office door and waved her over. Her nerves twanged with anticipation.
    He took the folder out of his mouth and tucked it under his arm. “I was about to look for you.”
    Her heart leaped with excitement. She tried to look mildly intrigued. “Oh?”
    “Nearly all our guests have departed for the night. Danica was scheduled as the on-duty Consul tonight but she’s ill. That leaves you and two daemons. I don’t want them wandering around while the meeting is ongoing so I sent them upstairs for the night.”
    She tensed. “ Upstairs? As in the Consul floor? But they—”
    “Just for one night, Piperel. It’s only the two of them. I want you to keep them upstairs and out of the way—no exceptions, you included. No one goes downstairs under any circumstances. They are your responsibility to supervise. Understood?”
    Her hopes shriveled to nothing. Fantastic. Babysitting duty.
    “While I’m in the meeting, I’ll leave