"The more I learn about Arcane University, the more it sounds like every other nom school." My hand balled into a fist at the thought of the bullying I'd suffered in high school. "Elitists think they own the place and everyone in it."

Lina touched my hand and smiled. "It's not so bad. I'm sorry for complaining."

I smiled. "Thank you for, uh, helping me."

"It was my pleasure." She regarded me with her big brown eyes. "It was really good to see you again, Justin." Lina leaned forward and pecked me on the cheek.

I smiled. "You, too."

Cinder watched her go and turned to me. "Where is Elyssa, Justin? I do not ever recall seeing you without her nearby, except, of course, when we were captives of Maximus."

"Taking her Templar graduation test." I glanced at the bunk beds and felt a pang of regret. I was missing her something awful already.

"I remember her mentioning the Cho'kai on many occasions. Perhaps once she is on active duty, you will see her even less." He tried to smile, though it looked more like a maniacal leer than anything else.

"Uh, that's not something you smile after telling me," I said, frowning. "It's a bad thing for me, not good."

He considered it for a moment—at least how I interpreted his silence. "Advancement for your mate is not a good thing?"

"Not when you put it the way you did." A yawn took me by surprise, and I suddenly realized just how exhausted I felt.

"Shelton once told me when he yawns and stretches in my presence, it is a cue he wishes me to leave him in peace so he can sleep." The golem tilted his head slightly. "Am I correct in assuming that is why you yawned?"

"No." I chuckled. "I am tired though, so I think I'm gonna hit the sack."

"Very well," Cinder said. "Rest well, and dream of large women."

I felt my eyes go wide and a large grin stretch my lips. "Where did you hear that?"

"Bella told me it would be appropriate to say such a thing the next time Shelton yawned in my presence." He paused. "Was she correct?"

I nodded. "It's perfect. Why don't you get some rest and dream of large women as well?"

"I do not require sleep, though I must admit I am curious to understand why dreaming of large women is desirable."

It took all my effort not to laugh.

The next morning, I awoke to an empty room and someone knocking on the door. The sheets on Shelton's bunk lay folded and unused. My back felt a little sore, but other than a ravenous hunger demanding breakfast, I felt great. I jumped up and answered the door to find a robot that looked like a shiny white trashcan on wheels with a domed lid for a head. It looked suspiciously like one I'd seen in a movie.

"Package for Mr. Slade," the robot said in a calm tone then whistled robotic noises while handing me a large suitcase.

"Uh, who sent this?" I asked.

"The sender is one Bella last name unknown via overnight shipping from Atlanta, Georgia."

I took the suitcase. "Thanks."

"Sign, please," the robot said.

I swirled my signature with a finger on the proffered arctablet.

"Thank you." The robot spun and zipped down the hallway toward the exit.

The suitcase brimmed with fresh clothes. "God bless you, Bella," I said with a grin and grabbed clean underwear.

After a shower, I felt more than wonderful—I felt fabutastic. When I entered the room, I saw Shelton sorting through the clean clothes. "Where were you last night?" I asked.

"None of your business, Dad," Shelton said without turning around. He gathered some clothes under an arm and settled his wide-brimmed hat atop his head. As he headed toward the door, I noticed something off about his face.

I gripped his arm and looked. "What the hell happened to your face?" One eye was swollen almost shut, and his lip was split.

He jerked his arm away. Strode for the door. "Fell down some stairs."

I blurred to the door and braced my back against it. "Spit it out Shelton. What happened?"

"Don't make me—"

"What, curse at me? Shoot me with your fancy magic wand?" I crossed my arms. "I found out yesterday your father happens to be the Arcane head honcho. Not only that, but his last name is different from yours. Then you vanish all night and come back looking like this. I want answers, Shelton, and I want them now."

He clenched his jaw. "There ain't much to tell."

"Good, because I'm hungry."

He continued to look at me. "Let's save it for later. We have a big day ahead of us."

I shook my head. "Knowing the way my days go, I might not have another chance." An exasperated breath escaped me. "This isn't the first time you've been all weird. Remember Colombia? You said you'd help and vanished. After everything was over, I found out you'd turned tail and run home because of something from your past."

"That was different." He shrugged. "I've made some enemies in my life. Everyone does. You, of all people, should know that."

Boy, did I ever. "Did your past beat the crap out of you? I need your help, Shelton. You can't just vanish on me." I leaned forward and spoke in a low tone. "What the hell is going on?"

His fists clenched, and his face screwed up in something like disgust or anger. Then he turned and hurled his clothes across the room where they fluttered to the floor in a heap. He jerked off his hat and tossed it on the table. "Fine, but this stays between you and me. Nobody else hears this, not even your girlfriend. Promise?"

"Why—"

"Do you promise?" he shouted, eyes full of anger.

I nodded. "Yes."

He dropped into a chair. Sighed. "Man, oh man, oh man." His eyes squeezed shut, and he pounded a fist on the table.

I kept quiet, doing my best to be patient. I'd never seen him so worked up.

Shelton took a deep breath. "I'm adopted." His hand trembled. He gripped the side of the table. "My real parents weren't exactly model citizens. The council tried to arrest them a long time ago, but they escaped and left me in my crib." His eyes met mine. A cauldron of emotions steeled his gaze. "Jarrod Sager took me in and adopted me. He and his wife had another kid, Martin, when I was about three. I, of course, had no idea. I didn't know why they treated me differently. Why Martin got everything, and I was left out." A smile broke through his façade. "He treated me like a real brother. He shared with me, he helped me through some dark times."

"Like a best friend," I said.

Shelton nodded and took a deep breath. "To make things worse, I was a late bloomer with magic. The Sagers took me to a healer every year to have me checked out, but it looked like I wasn't ever gonna develop skills. Martin, though, he was as talented as his dad. I, of course, had no idea at the time Sager wasn't really my dad. It wasn't until my real parents tried to reclaim me that I found out the hard truth." A haunted look clouded his eyes. "The reason Jarrod Sager adopted me was so he could draw my real parents out of hiding."

"He used you as bait?" I said, horrified.

"Yeah." Shelton chewed on his lower lip. "I guess he and my dad used to be best buds in college. Then my dad tried to kill him."

"Why?"

He shook his head. "Even I don't know the whole story. Suffice it to say Sager became obsessed with taking down my dad. He used me for that purpose, and it worked. Before my dad died, he told me the truth." Shelton's red rimmed eyes grew unfocused. "I just wish I knew for sure."

I waited for him to finish the thought, but it didn't look like he was going to. "Knew what for sure?" I asked.

Shelton flinched, like I'd woken him from a dream. "Whether my parents were really evil or not." He rubbed his eyes. "I know the official story, but the winner writes the history books, and I guess we know who won that battle."

I didn't know what to say. Sager had to be absolutely heartless to use a child in such a way. I also understood the need to know. Plenty of people thought I was evil just because I was part demon spawn. "Maybe we can find the truth," I said.

Shelton shook his head. "Let the dead rest, man." He drew in a long breath and sighed it back out. "Sager's wife didn't know about his plan. Neither did Martin. It wasn't long after that when Martin died. Sager tried to make amends with me, but I told him what he could do with apologies."

I didn't know what to say. My emotions toward my father churned with anger, betrayal, but also a longing to have him back. To have my whole family back together, living in the house I grew up in with my little sister. I had a terrible premonition my fantasy would never come true.

"That was when I went to Science Academy. I met Miles Chamberlain, and he turned my life around. Gave me a second chance." Shelton's face went tight. "Guess I blew that, too." He looked at me. "I went into bounty hunting and made nothing but enemies."

"How did you get involved with Vadaemos?" I asked. "Were you somehow involved with the death of Meghan's father?"

Shelton ran a hand down his face, eyes miserable. "I had nothing to do with her dad." He stood and picked up the clothes he'd thrown. "I'm going to clean up."

"You're evading the question," I said.

"Look, we can go our separate ways anytime you want." Shelton locked eyes with me. "I was a lot happier before I met you."

I returned his challenging stare. "You're more than welcome to go your own way Shelton. I'm thankful to you for giving us a place to stay, for teaching me magic. But you're a closed book to everyone. I'm not the one to forgive you or judge you for your past. But I need to know I can trust you."

He nodded. "Yeah. Can't blame you there." Shelton snatched clean underwear—a pair of boxers with dancing cats on it—from the suitcase. "Well, I'm going to clean up. Maybe after, we can go grab some breakfast."