“Vyvyan,” Vane murmurs, his voice laced with a tender affection that sends a flush of warmth through me despite the grim circumstances. He handles her with such gentleness it is a wonder that I suspected he could ever raise a hand to her in hate. “Wake up.” With tender encouragement, Vyvyan stirs, cracking open an eyelid with a pained groan. Vane releases a choked sob, his relief tangible. “Thank the heavens.”
Vyvyan weakly licks her bloodied lips and then winces. I search the nearby bar for an intact glass among the shattered stemware. Once I find one, I fill it with water from a pitcher and hand it to Vane.
“Drink,” he instructs. She complies, her throat moving as she swallows the water, droplets escaping the corners of her mouth. Once she’s finished, Vane lifts her effortlessly into her expansive bed, which is large enough to accommodate half a dozen people.
“Who did this to you?” I ask.
Vyvyan flinches at the sound of my voice.
Vane’s muscles are tense as he releases Vyvyan, who manages to sit up alone, her movements stiff. As he steps back, I cautiously move closer, but Vyvyan watches me with narrowed eyes, her gaze accusatory. She’s scared of me.
“Vyv,” Vane prompts.
She points directly at me and declares, “You.”
The word knocks the air from my lungs.
“This is your fault,” Vyvyan states, each word a sharp slap.
I grip my chest as if I could calm my pounding heart. “Mine? I just got here.”
“Vyvyan, Desiree didn’t do this,” Vane says.
Vyvyan shakes her head.
“He’s right,” I blurt. But a chilling thought occurs to me. Did Jaxson tell someone that Vyvyan was vulnerable? He promised he wouldn’t. Bile rises in my throat.
“Vyvyan, tell us what happened,” Vane urges as he drapes a blanket over her shoulders.
“Someone broke into my room,” Vyvyan replies, her voice husky with exhaustion, each word seeming to take immense effort. “I didn’t get a good look at their face before they used me as a human punching bag.”
“Was it a witch or a vamp—” I ask, but Vyvyan’s frosty glare stops me.
“They weren’t as strong as a vampire, so I’m guessing it was a witch, but the whole thing is a blur. They hit me in the head. I think they wanted to kill me.”
Vane and I exchange a tense look. How did a witch infiltrate the Nest?
“Are you sure it was a witch? Could it have been a wolf?” I ask. Alden breached these tunnels before. Perhaps while we were all sleeping . . .
Vyvyan shakes her head. “You’d smell him if a wolf were here.”
I shake my head, my thoughts racing. “That Ravi guy is always with him. He’s a witch? They could be working together.”
“That’s a fair point,” Vane declares. “I will sound the alarm. See if the other vampires saw anything.”
Vyvyan grabs his hand. “Get rid of her.”
I blink, taken aback. “But, Vyvyan, you shouldn’t be alone.”
Vyvyan’s menacing laughter interrupts.
“You don’t understand. I want you gone—out of sight for good. I wish I were a vampire so I could have the strength to dispose of you myself. I am in this vulnerable position because of you and your toxic blood.”
“I am trying to help you,” I plead.
Vyvyan snarls. “Help me? Look where your help has gotten me. I amhuman. You are a waste of space and a threat to our kind. You are behind this. Did you do this as a revenge stunt after outing you to Misty?”
“No—”
