She cracked a wry smile. “Oh, I could sleep for days if this little guy would let me.”
I tried and failed to smile back. “I bet.”
Accalia stood awkwardly in the doorway for another moment, bouncing to keep Alaric from getting any louder. “Sorry, I just need to check if his favorite teething toy is in here.”
“Nothing to apologize for.”
She hushed and shushed, patting the baby… her baby… with the arm she held him in as her free hand rifled through a bassinet in the corner.
“I’m sure you left it here… hmm… oh, a-ha! See sweetie, I told you it was in daddy’s room.”
Alaric made a wet, gummy sound, and my eyes widened as they turned around and I saw the anatomical rubber heart that he was chewing on enthusiastically.
Noticing my expression, Accalia sighed. “Yes, it’s a little morbid, but he loves it. Vampires… what can you do?”
We gave half-hearted laughs in our shared exasperation of the Magik who’d imprisoned the both of us, and then she cleared her throat. “Um, I’ll be heading back to bed, then.” She paused. “And I’ll be going back to Fenmoor tonight for a while. My familywants to meet Alaric, and it would be better if we weren’t here for… whatever Victor is planning.”
Take me with you, I begged silently.
She walked past me towards the door, but leaned in, her voice a barely audible breeze along the back of my neck. “I’m so sorry he found you, Sage.”
I nodded, my eyes welling with tears. The door closed, and my chest shook as I held in the sob building inside me.
Taking a deep breath, I counted to ten and then released the pain quietly, hoping Victor would stay asleep long enough that I could watch a little more of my show before whatever programming he and Vorthain had in store for me was to begin this evening.
The episode ended—on a cliffhanger, of course—and the news started soon after.
Good afternoon, Fenmoor. We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you a breaking story. Authorities have confirmed the discovery of multiple bodies in the desert approximately one hundred miles east of Ignareth, near the Godscar Basin—a region of the neutral lands known for its extreme conditions.
The deceased have been identified as members of an archaeology field course from Umbris University in Noctis, led by renowned historian and antiquarian Professor Theron de Lornis.
Authorities say the group had been conducting sanctioned research at a remote excavation site when contact was lost three days ago.
Oh, Hecara, how awful. I hadn’t taken any classes with Professor de Lornis, but I’d attended a public lecture he’d once given onOld Lundarian witch cauldrons. For a vampire, he’d seemed remarkably humble and kind.
At least seven bodies have been recovered so far. Among the dead is Conan Silva, a Ph.D. candidate and werewolf researcher. University officials confirmed his identity earlier this afternoon.
The cause of death has not yet been released, pending forensic analysis. However, investigators have confirmed that two omega students who were part of the expedition remain missing.
I felt the blood drain from my face, and my body began to shake.
Conan… was dead?
“How tragic.”
I bit back a scream as Victor appeared in the doorway between our rooms, clicking his tongue against his teeth and shaking his head at the TV. “I suppose I will have to make some sort of announcement, then. Perhaps set up another memorial fund.”
My fear turned to anger, and I narrowed my eyes as I hissed, “Did you do this?”
His brows furrowed in confusion. “Pardon?”
I got up, feeling violently dizzy from a combination of the sudden movement, loss of blood, and lack of food. Victor came to my side to keep me from falling but I twisted myself out of his grasp, pointing my finger at him. “You did this, didn’t you?”
A low growl sounded from his chest. “I don’t appreciate the tone or the accusation, darling.”
“That isn’t a no,” I growled back.
He reached out and grabbed my finger, pulling me into him. “Why in Sanguiel’s name would I kill an entire class of graduate students?”
