“And you were turned by the source, same as me,” Eve said. “It will take a few days for your power to build, and your owl isn’t dead. He’s still inside you.”
Yeah, right. “Then how do you explain the hole in my soul? When I try to call him, I can’t find him.”
Eve pressed her lips together and glanced at Venus. “Excuse me. I’ll be right back.” She rose and strode to the exit.
“You will find your owl again.” Venus gave him a sympathetic look.
“What if I don’t? Are we even still soulmates? My owl had claimed her, but if he’s gone…” An ache spread through his chest.
“I believe you know the answer to that.”
He wrung his hands on the table. He did know the answer, and he was an idiot for even posing the question. He loved Lilith with every piece of his soul that was left. If she had been the one lying on the ground, dying, and he’d had the power to save her, he’d have done it in a heartbeat.
And he’d told her he couldn’t stand to look at her. “What have I done?”
“Nothing that’s irreparable. You and Lilith are soulmates now and forever.”
Eve approached the table, flanked by a wolf with sleek black fur and icy blue eyes. “Spencer, you know Andrei, right?”
He narrowed his eyes at the wolf. “Yeah.”
Eve tapped the wolf on the shoulder before sliding into the booth. Magic shimmered around the animal, its fur dissolving as its body transformed into a man. Andrei bowed and pulled up a chair to the end of the table.
“You’re a shifter?” A spark of hope ignited in his chest.
“Indeed, I am. A shifter and a vampire, as are you.”
He shook his head, unable to wrap his mind around it all. “But I can’t feel my owl.”
Andrei chuckled. “If you had allowed her to explain rather than storming out in a huff, you would understand.”
Spencer’s ears burned. He’d acted like a dick.
“When Lilith turns a shifter,” Andrei said, “she binds the animal until the person has control of his urges. I too believed my wolf had died when I first awoke into this life.”
“Why would she do that?”
“Because the shifter she turned before me—I believe she said he was a panther—went on a murderous rampage the moment he awoke. He shifted immediately and could not contain his beast. Have your owl instincts never overridden your control?”
A tingle swept up the back of his neck to spread across his cheeks, and he lowered his gaze. There was the ferret incident… “A time or two.”
Andrei nodded. “When Lilith sees that you are not in a state of bloodlust like the unfortunate soul you unearthed, she will unbind your magic and you will feel whole once more.”
His stomach soured. “She did it to protect me.” And he’d accused her of murder.
“Lilith would never hurt you,” Eve said. “Thank you for coming so quickly, Andrei. Do you want me to walk you back to the portal?”
“Happy to be of service to you, old friend. I can find my own way.” He winked at Eve before looking at Spencer. “Please, tell your friend Rebecca she is welcome in Romania any time.”
As Andrei walked away, Spencer dragged his hands down his face. “Holy fuck, I screwed up. I was awful to her.”
“She’ll forgive you,” Venus said.
“Yeah, but you’ve got some groveling to do.” Eve crossed her arms.
“There you are!” A blonde vampire in a hot pink corset hurried toward their table. “Something’s wrong with Lilith.”
“She has a broken heart, but Spencer is about to mend it.” Eve gave him a pointed look.
