She was quiet for a moment, but I could hear the strokes of her pen against paper through the phone, before she asked, “What have you learned about yourself that has made it easier?”
My chest heaved with a big breath before I ripped the bandage off. “That I’m not defined by my mistakes. That I can learn from them and be better. That I can have grace for not only others, but for myself as well, because no one is perfect.”
Sure, that was the type of thing I knew Vic wanted to hear, but I wasn’t feeding her bullshit lines. I meant it. The chaos of forming these connections to my mates was the best lesson in learning grace all around.
“That’s immense progress,” she praised. “I’ll go get you a smiley face sticker for that if you promise to call me any time if it feels like too much. I know you have your mates and your friends, but I want you to feel like I’m a safe space for you in case you ever need it, Alina.”
Which reminded me…
“I know that, Vic,” I agreed. “But hey, can you tell me if Alexandra is doing okay in the demon sector? The last time I saw her was the night the student was found dead, and I’m worried about her.”
A heavy sigh came from her, before she admitted, “I was actually hoping that you would have information for us on where she went. She’s not at the Academy, and we haven’t had any success in locating her, even with the help of tracker witches.”
My heart dropped, and my gut churned with all the possibilities of what could be going on with her.
Was she hiding from someone or something?
Was she okay?
Had the attacker gotten to her?
I needed to get back to the academy as soon as possible when the issues with Jeoffrey and the board were all wrapped up here. I wasn’t going to leave this in their hands and hope for the best. As the Queen of Sanguis, I had resources, and I wasn’t going to rest until I knew Alexandra was safe.
I blinked repeatedly, trying to force myself to focus as Vic spoke, “I’ll keep you updated if we hear anything, okay? I know she was your first friend here, but please don’t do anything rash in the meantime. You already have too much on your plate.”
I agreed easily, knowing Vic would call me on my shit no matter what I said. “Sure. Sounds good, thanks.”
“Alina,” she hedged, a warning in her tone.
“Can’t wait to have a session again next week, bye!” I chirped, hanging up before she could continue.
Dropping the phone onto the bed, I pinched the bridge of my nose, letting my eyes fall closed as I shook my head. “Fates, look after Alexandra wherever she is, please.”
Her destiny is already determined, remember?
Yeah, well, fuck Fate if she gets hurt or killed. I’m going to continue to fight against it. I won’t lose anyone else just because Fate said so.
Throwing the blanket and sheets off me, I made quick work of getting ready for the day while finishing my coffee. Throwing my hair into a high ponytail, I nodded at my reflection in the mirror. I’d chosen a pair of ripped, black skinny jeans and an oversized white t-shirt, topped off with black slip-on Vans. A swipe of red lipstick really elevated the look in a chic, casual way.
“Let’s do this.”
The faster I tied up the loose-ends here in Sanguis, the quicker I could handle finding Alexandra as well as beginning to try to repair my connection to the slayers. I knew it would take time to try to win them over, but I hoped that with Jade’s family in charge, they would at least listen to what I had to propose.
Speeding to where I heard Lincoln and Andrei talking in the kitchen, I handed Lincoln his phone back with an apology, “Sorry. Vic might call you later to discuss the end of our conversation, but don’t worry, okay?”
His eyes narrowed, but I rushed to press a kiss to his forehead before doing the same to Andrei, giggling at the red lip marks left behind on each and their half-hearted protests.
Breezing out of the room, I headed to the meeting room, not wanting to miss out on anything anymore. Cracking the door open and peering in, I didn’t see anyone, but the sounds of grunting pulled me into the room regardless. Closing the door behind me, I neared a section of the far wall where the sounds were loudest.
A faint outline surrounded a massive mural of Dracula, so I pushed on it. A secret room? Cliche, but cool, nonetheless. Immediately, I was rewarded with the sound of it clicking. Success. Pulling the door open, I hurried into a tunnel that was dark save the spots lit by the torches lining the walls. I quickly rounded a corner and stopped in shock at the sight of the dungeon that lay before me.
Cells lined either side of the large room as far back as I could see, with the only light coming from the torch Lo was holding. It smelled of mold, piss, and blood the further I went, approaching Lo and Drake. My mate towered over someone that was begging for mercy.
“Please, I know nothing!” a feminine voice cried out. “How could you do this to me? I’ve been nothing but loyal. Have mercy, I’m begging.”
A chill crept through me, though I wasn’t sure if it was from the torture I’d stumbled upon or the room itself. The walls felt cold and damp, and the floors were slick with a thin layer of water that ran along the walls and pooled at the entrance.
“What did I miss?” I asked, knowing damn well that Lo and Drake would have heard my approach long before now.
