Now I need to see for myself.
Heart thumping, I follow the path I took when I smelled Kayla’s scent in the air on Vittoria’s floor. There’s a trace memory of the scent around a door, accompanied by the sharp tang of blood.
My stomach clenches painfully with hunger. I shouldn’t be here.
But I reach out and put my hand on the cool metal handle.
There’s a keypad below so I don’t think it’s going to open, but when I turn it, the door opens.
The room bursts with the scent of Kayla.
It’s a bedroom, and despite the darkness, I can see that on the bed, on rumpled sheets, is a woman in a red corset, high-cut underwear, and fishnet stockings. She stretches her arms above her head as if I’d just woken her from a long nap.
“Vittoria,” she says dreamily. “I thought you weren’t coming back tonight?—”
My legs almost give way and I have to hold on to the doorframe to stop from hitting the ground.
No…
It looks like Lucian was right about one thing. Kayla is dead.
HumanKayla’s dead.
Because a vampire is looking back at me.
“Kayla?”
Vittoria’s voice cuts through the silence like a blade. “What are you doing here?”
I spin to find her standing behind me, dressed in black leather, and blood-red lips, her gaze sweeping from me to the bed and back again. Fury flashes on her beautiful face.
“You aren’t allowed on this floor,” she snarls.
Something in me snaps.
“Who did this?” I hiss, my voice shaking with rage. “Was it you? Did you turn my best friend?”
Kayla scrambles up to her knees, clutching the sheets to her chest. “Elliot, please?—”
“Don’t,” I cut in, never taking my eyes off Vittoria. “And don’tyoudare try lying to me, too.”
Vittoria sighs, like I’m an inconvenience. “You should leave. Right now.”
“Why?” I step forward. “All this time? You’ve been keeping her from meall this fucking time?”
Her eyes harden. “Careful.”
“Was this Lucian’s idea?” I ask. “Or yours?”
“What I do is none of your business.”
“She’s my friend!”
“Not anymore.” Her mouth curves into something cruel. “Lucian’s bitch or not, I will kill you if you keep pushing me.”
Kayla gasps, panic all over her face. “Please, let me explain. I didn’t?—”
“Shut up,” Vittoria barks.
