“Well, are you coming in?” he says, clearly displeased.
I don’t hesitate. I slip through the doorway and into his common room, where the blackout curtains are already drawn and the fireplace is lit for the evening.
“Speak quickly,” he says like he can’t get rid of me fast enough.
I move my loose braid over my shoulder and straighten my posture, working up some courage. Ever since he told me he was my cousin, I haven’t been able to unsee the resemblance. The last thing I ever thought I would find in this school was family. And now I have two cousins—Matteo and Brendan—one who hates me and the other who wants me dead.
I run through a few approaches in my head, but everything I want to say sounds awkward. So instead of asking him flat-out for help, I simply say, “I’m going to find my dad.”
Matteo huffs. “You’re here to talk to me about your Lion father? I really don’t care what happens to him.”
I take a step forward, frustration sparking in my chest at the suggestion that my dad is anything other than wonderful. “If you would listen for more than ten seconds you would see why you do care. And I’m sick of these Family lines. You’re a Bear. He’s a Lion. Who cares? Some people are terrible and some people aren’t. My dad is one of the good ones. End of story.”
Matteo’s fist clenches, and I start talking again before he decides to kick me out.
I take a breath, calming my voice. “After my aunt Jo died—scratch that, after our aunt Jo died—my dad sent me here. And as far as I can tell, he went to Europe to do something about it.”
“What do you mean by ‘do something about it’? What kind of something?” Matteo says, and I can tell by his insistent tone that this question matters.
“That’s exactly what I intend to find out,” I say, matching the gravity in Matteo’s voice. “I don’t know Family politics the way you do, but I know enough to say that Jag is—”
“Jag is your father’s father, your grandfather,” he says judgmentally.
“Do we share some of the same genes? Yes,” I say, my defensiveness ratcheting up a notch. “But don’t you dare suggest I’m anything like him or the Lions. He killed my mom, and our aunt. The Lions are hunting my dad. They’re trying to kill me. And as far as I can tell, they would be happy to take out Layla, Ines, and the rest of the talented students at this school, making all of Strategia bow to their will. Meanwhile everything I’ve been doing at this school has been aimed at stopping them.”
He grunts. “Everything you’ve done here has been to save your own butt.”
For a second, I’m silent. He’s not right, but he’s also not wrong.
“So your plan is to what? To challenge the Lions by yourself? Or maybe you and your traitor father will team up,” he says flippantly, “if they haven’t killed him already, that is.”
“Geez, Matteo,” I say, taken aback. “Can you be any more of an ass? You expect me to understand how deeply your friend’s death has affected you, but you can’t sympathize with the fact that I’m scared for my dad?” I shake my head at him disapprovingly. “At least he’s doing something. At least I am. What are you doing?”
Matteo’s face falls and he rubs his hand over his forehead. He takes a few steps away from me. “You’re right,” he says, and his voice loses its edge. “That was uncalled for.”
I watch him. Underneath his temper and his grief, I catch a glimpse of someone decent. And for a few seconds we stand there awkwardly, neither of us sure how to proceed in the absence of our usual ire.
“Where are you going in Europe?” he finally asks.
“I’m starting in the UK,” I say.
He nods like he assumed as much. “Who else knows you’re leaving?”
“Ash, Layla, and Blackwood,” I say.
He watches me with a searching expression. “And Ash is going with you,” he says, and I look at him sideways.
Did the way I said Ash’s name give that away or was it something in my body language? “He is,” I say reluctantly, and as the words leave my mouth, I’m surprised at how easily I’m telling him things. I have no reason to trust Matteo, do I?
“And I’m assuming you’re here because you want my help,” Matteo continues.
I exhale, relieved by the opening he just gave me. “Yes. Please. Whatever you’re willing to tell me,” I say. “If I’m going to be in Lion territory, I’ll need all the help I can get. And even if you hate me, surely you must hate the Lions more?”
Matteo presses his lips together and looks around the room, like there might be an answer there somewhere. He’s silent for a few seconds and then nods like he’s come to a decision. “If I agree to help you, there’s a condition.”
“What kind of a condition?” I say slowly.
Matteo’s expression is serious. “You must agree that this information will be used by you and you alone. I need your word. I have absolutely no interest in telling Ash my Family secrets.”
I hesitate. I hate the idea of keeping things from Ash, but I can’t discredit Matteo’s need to protect Family secrets. And in truth, I’m flattered that he’s considering trusting me with them.
“Agreed,” I say.
Matteo takes a good look at me, reading me again, and when he seems satisfied that I’m telling the truth, he continues. “There’s a Bear Family apothecary in London. Her shop is called Arcane Minded; the front is an antiques store. If you need supplies to use against the Lions, you can go to her. Tell her Aut cum scuto aut in scuto.”
“Aut cum scuto aut in scuto,” I say, repeating the Latin phrase.
“Either with shield or on shield,” Matteo says before I have a chance to work out the meaning. “It roughly means ‘Don’t surrender; never give up.’ It will let her know that you’re battling the Lions and you need her assistance.”
Secret phrases in secret shops with secret apothecaries. A month ago I would have rolled my eyes and made a comment about how I didn’t think apothecaries existed in anything except old stories, but my entire world has shifted since I came here.
“Will it matter that she’s never met me before?” I ask.
“Well, that’s the thing, you do look like our immediate family. She may just assume you’re a second or third cousin she’s never met. But”—Matteo pauses—“if she realizes who you really are, you may have a problem.”
I remember my talk with Ash last night and his warning that some European Strategia might recognize me. “Do the Bears hate me, too?”