* * *
Dawn breaks through the window.I’ve only slept a short while. Most of my nights these days are spent awake, tumbling between the sheets with him, my love, my king, my bloodsworn.
Long, elegant fingers rake through my hair, stroking it from my face. As I stir, he places a kiss on my forehead.
“Good morning, Loretta.”
Loretta? That’s not my name… Awareness overcomes me, enough that it pulls me away from the bed. No longer do I feel the man’s nails lightly on my scalp.
A man and woman lie together underneath silken duvets, furs piled atop their feet. White hair frames him, splayed out on the pillow behind him. I see his face sharp and clear for the first time. A brunette is curled at his side, covers up to her chin. They share a smile and it’s then that I notice their eyes—his gold, hers green. He’s a vampir and she’s human.
Light glitters off crystal-cut chandeliers, casting rainbows on the fine upholstery of the walls. The castle is as glamorous as I imagined; I vaguely recognize the carvings of the bed. I turn to face bookshelves, full of trinkets, framing a familiar fireplace.
I wake with a start,throwing the covers off me. The sunlight is blinding. I shiver in a cold sweat, my head splitting with pain.
“Floriane?” Ruvan groans, turning over.
I stare at him, wide-eyed. His snowy hair is splayed on the pillow. Shorter, but just as silken as that of the man in my dreams. The man who has been haunting me at every turn has a possible identity now. Given Ruvan’s distant lineage, it would make sense…but it seems too impossible to be real.
“We have to go back to the room you first took me to.” I stand, scrambling for my clothes.
“What… What’s happened?”
“My dreams. I think I know who they’re about.”
“They’re still persisting?” He props himself up, eyes clearer and more focused.
“They never really stopped,” I admit.
“And you didn’t tell me?” Ruvan frowns slightly.
“We’ve been busy.” Tugging my shirt on, I give him a pointed look.
“Fair… But I still want to know.” He sighs.
“Moreover, whenever I try to think about them my head hurts.” I rub the back of my skull. The ache is present, but I’m not going to let it deter me. Not this time. I fight to recall the details of my dreams, wincing slightly. “I think I might know who Loretta was.”
“How? Who?”
“All of my dreams have had two things in common: a human woman and a man with long, white hair. This was the first time he used her name—he called her Loretta and they were in that room at the edge of the old castle. I know how it sounds but I keep feeling as though there’s something—someone—calling out to me.”
“What else do you remember of your dreams?” He pulls himself upright.
“I’m trying to remember.” I massage my temples. “But it hurts to try.”
Ruvan stands, taking both my hands in his and pulling them from my face. He gently massages in my stead. “Harnessing one’s innate blood lore is difficult. The struggle is normal.”
“How can I stop struggling?”
“It’s different for everyone.” He gives me an encouraging smile. “But I’m sure you’ll get it when you’re ready.”
“But you believe me?”
“Of course I do.” I only manage a nod; I’m suspended in dumb awe at the amount of trust he’s placed in me. “Now, let’s go inspect this room and see if we can unlock what your blood is trying to tell us.”
Together, we dress and speed from our quarters, across the mezzanine. Lavenzia, Callos, and Winny are in a fierce debate over our plan of attack, but none of them call up to us. Through the door and into the stairwell we round upward, but I stop the moment we enter the chapel. Ruvan goes to leave, tugging my arm. But I hold firm.
“What is it?”
