I had to do something to keep moving or else I’d fall into the darkness of my mind, and I refused to be swallowed by it.
I was afraid that if I did, I’d never come back out.
“I’ll message Sam to see if she’s heard anything. Maybe tonight we could—”
Bastian cut me off, “Did you not hear me, Serina? I said you are not leaving this place until you are healed. You can’t keep going at this rate; you’ll be dead before the end of the year. If you want us to help you, we will. But we will do it right. Not hunting and killing everything that moves hoping to find answers.”
I bristled at his words. “It got me this far.”
“Yeah, it brought you to death’s door,” Bastian spat.
“You know, being a hardass doesn’t earn you any brownie points,” Nox said over a mouthful of food.
I shot him a glare.
“One more day and there wouldn’t have been a death to avenge, Serina. You would have joined him,” Bastian finished, and I couldn’t argue.
If I had waited any longer, I probably wouldn’t have made it. But would that have been so bad? In whatever afterlife I would have—hell, heaven, somewhere in between, would he have been there?
I shook the thought from my mind.
“Fine,” I snapped, shoving the last of my eggs into my mouth. The truth was, I was too tired to argue.
I’d play along until I was strong enough to leave. Two weeks. I just had to get through two weeks of this, and then I could stay somewhere else. Just because I had agreed to work with them didn’t mean I had to stay here.
“I think I’ll take that tour now.” I glanced toward the house, realizing again just how much sunlight was streaming in.
My brows furrowed. How the hell were they not burn to ash? Every encounter I had with them was before the sun had fully risen, but now? It was mid-morning, and sunlight was streaming through the windows. Nox had rays hitting him directly. I had been so distracted by the normalcy of it all that I hadn’t thought to ask.
“First, would you like to tell me how you’re able to go out in the sun?” I asked, looking between the two of them.
Bastian lifted a hand with a ring on his right ring finger, and Nox did the same. “Magic. These daylight rings have been bound by magic from a Witch. They allow us to move freely throughout the day. They’re rare, and not many Vampires have them, but it’s good for you to know. Now you can be on the lookout.”
I knew Witches existed, as one of my best friends was one, but they normally stayed close to their covens. I wondered what would make one of them help Vampires. And what would make them create something that would give monsters even more of an advantage?
Thorne came back to the table with meds and his own plate of food, distracting my thoughts. I noted the ring also on his finger as he handed me the painkillers. I took them down quickly and stood.
“I’d like to go back to bed now,” I said, turning away from the table. Eating had only served to make me more tired.
Nox stood abruptly. “I’ll walk you. Can’t forget about the tour,” he added as he took the lead, nonchalantly showing the kitchen, living room, and office, before pointing to the bathroom on the ground level of the house. “I believe you’re already acquainted with this bathroom,” he said with a grin, and heat rushed my cheeks.
Had he known I was watching? He winked, and it was answer enough. He moved up the stairs, showing me where all their rooms were before he led me back to Bastian’s room—my room.
He opened the door for me, and I walked past him, my wooden stake within my reach, just in case. I turned to face him.
“Get some rest, Serina,” Nox said before closing the door behind him.
Knock, knock, knock.
The light taps on the door woke me up before Bastian entered the room.
“Hey, you okay?” he asked, sauntering over to the bed.
“Yeah? Why?” I replied, sitting up slowly through the ache.
“Because you’ve been asleep all day. It’s dinner time, and it’s pizza-popcorn night, so if you’d like to join us, we could go downstairs. Thorne and Nox have started their pizzas already, and—”
“What did you just say to me?” I raised an eyebrow.
