“So, my sister didn’t kidnap you then, Luca?” I ask, between rasping breaths.
Luca exhales like someone who knows there’s no taking it back now.
“No, she didn’t kidnap me. I took her.”
His gaze never leaves Astrid, as if looking away might break whatever fragile tether keeps her here.
“The Disciples locked her in a lab, ripped her apart, left her to rot. We were supposed to burn the place to the ground. Leave nothing behind. But then I saw her.”
He swallows hard.
“And I knew … I’d shatter the souls of Disciple and vampire alike before I let them keep her.”
“Thank you for rescuing my sibling, Luca. Though I suppose ‘sibling’ is generous, considering we’ve never met. I’m wondering, though, if we could discuss my presence here a little later.”
The room tilts, and my shadows shudder violently. They lunge for my ribs, my spine, and my legs, desperate to keep me standing.
“I’m afraid I’m going to pass out,” I rasp.
The last thing I feel is a slow, pained coil around my chest.
Then nothing.
“AURORA!”
My throat feels like I swallowed fire. Was I screaming in my sleep?
My shadows are agitated. They twist and tremble, not because of the nightmare, but in response to something soul-deep and arcane.
Even awake, panic lingers in my ribs.
The dream is gone, but the fire remains.
Purple flames lick at my mind, searing grief into a place that hasn’t broken yet.
A shadow coils at my throat.
The thread pulls.
I have to get back to her.
Sticky sweat clings to my skin. My body’s trying to cool down, but everything inside me is on fire. Every nerve screams. Every joint grinds. The hurt goes deeper than it should. My shadows pulse, too restless to stay still. They tighten around my ribs, steadying me before I fall.
“Fucking fragile human meat,” I grumble.
A shadow writhes against my leg, clearly agreeing. When I stand, my head spins and my stomach lurches, but after a few deep breaths, I don’t feel like I’m teetering on the edge of unconsciousness any longer.
From what I can tell, I’m still in the warehouse. The room they put me in is small, with an enormous control panel and CCTV screens.
Someone cleaned my injured arm, bound it to my side, and then set my broken nose and dislocated jaw.
As I leave the security room, I hear Luca and Astrid talking and laughing.
I take the steps slowly, pausing a moment to watch Luca fail spectacularly at teaching Astrid gin rummy. My sister’s clearly losing her patience, but Luca doesn’t flinch. His smile holds steady, soaking in every frustrated twitch like he’s waited a thousand years to see her this pissed off.
When Luca playfully reaches for Astrid’s cards, his shirt rides up just enough to reveal ink etched low on his side. It’s violent and wrong in a way that sets my teeth on edge. That’s not some decorative vampire bullshit. That’s a predator’s mark, real and old.
I don’t ask. Now’s not the time. But I won’t forget.
