Then my eyes focused on the nightstand beside the bed—my nightstand. The same crystal tumbler I always kept there, the leather-bound journal I’d been writing in for decades. My gaze swept the room more carefully now, recognition dawning like sunrise through fog.
The Italian leather chair by the windows. My collection of rare whiskey displayed on those crystal shelves. The built-in bookshelves lined with volumes I’d accumulated over centuries.
Christ.I was on theSangue Reale.
My stomach lurched with the movement. “Serenity?” My voice came out hoarse, confused.
“I’m here.” Her cool hand found mine, fingers intertwining with practiced ease. “You’re on board theSangue Reale.”
“How did I get here? What happened?”
The door creaked open and Angelo appeared, his tall frame filling the doorway. He adjusted his red tie—he’d changed out of his blood-stained suit into a fresh new one, crisp and immaculate as always. “Serenity healed you, Enzo. You don’t remember?”
I rubbed my forehead. “No.” My mind was like Swiss cheese.
Serenity squeezed my hand. “That’s good. It wasn’t…pleasant.”
“For you?” I glanced warily at Angelo. He’d tear me apart if anything happened to her.
She clasped my chin, forcing me to look at her and smiled. “No, not me. You.”
I scrubbed my face, still trying to clear my mind. “How long have I been out?”
“About five hours.”
“Shit.” Panic shot through me like ice water. “I’ve got to get back to Joy.” I pushed against the bed, but my arms quivered and collapsed. I didn’t even know where to start looking.
“You need blood,” Angelo said as he rolled up his sleeve.
The pulse in his wrist called to me—steady, strong,alive.
He stretched out along the couch, one arm draped over the carved armrest, the other extended toward me. The houseboat slowly rocked back and forth, water lapping against the sides.
Come on,” he murmured, wrist turned up, exposing the vulnerable skin where his life thrummed beneath the surface. “You need this.”
My fangs ached as they descended. I didn’t hesitate.
The puncture was swift, clean. His sharp intake of breath dissolved into a low sigh of satisfaction as I sealed my mouth over the wounds. The first taste hit me like lightning—rich,warm, alive. It flowed down my throat in steady pulls, each swallow sending fire through my veins.
His free hand found my shoulder, fingers tightening as I fed. Not pushing away, but anchoring. Encouraging.
The blood didn’t just fill me—it transformed me. My vision crystallized until I could see the deep, rich wooden beams on the houseboat.
Strength flooded back into limbs that had felt leaden moments before. But it wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough..
My fangs sank deeper. The hollow ache in my chest demanded more; Joy’s terrified face flashing behind my eyelids. I pulled harder, desperate to drain every drop that would give me the power to go into the Elder Dimension and bring her back. Blood escaped the seal of my lips, trailing warm and copper-sweet down my chin.
His muscles tensed beneath my grip.
“Enough.” He yanked his wrist back, skin tearing slightly as my fangs released.
“Stop.”
His words echoed in my mind and I winced, allowing him to break free.
I sat back, panting, and wiped the crimson from my chin with my sleeve. “I’ve got to get back to the cathedral.”
Angelo studied me as I sat up, his dark eyes searching my face with an intensity that made me want to look away. He was cataloging every weakness, every sign I wasn’t ready for this. But I held his stare, refusing to back down.
