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Bomani’s massive frame was the first thing I saw, towering under the dark sky. He stood out against the fresh white snow like a rooted tree, still and eternal. His oiled skin shimmered in the moonlight, reflecting silver like sunlight on metal. How he was always barefoot and shirtless in weather like this, I’d never understand. Maybe Gods didn’t get cold. Kleitos and Arianna flanked him on either side, their cloaks drawn tight, hands tucked inside. The one person I wanted to see standing there wasn’t.

My heart dropped.

Was Valentina really staying behind because she was upset?

Did she not realize I was just as upset? That it was going to kill me, physically, mentally, not being near her? Starvos had only just stopped being a menace about consummation because I compromised: I agreed to hold her every night, so he’d calm the hell down. Now he was finally quiet, content. Apparently, he’d even agreed with me. Because there hadn’t been a single ache or internal protest when I told her she couldn’t come.

But now? Was she punishing me by not even saying goodbye? That was something else entirely. I could handle her claws in my hand. If she were going to claw at my heart too—? That, I would not forgive.

As I cleared the rest of the path toward the group, two figures emerged near the back of the carriage. Each were bent low as they loaded crates. Her scent hit me first, undeniable, warm, and familiar. It rode the current of air straight into my lungs. It teased the back of my throat, tugging at instincts I’d barely learned to manage.

Giving Bomani a quick pat on the arm, I glanced up at him only briefly. “I’ll be right back,” I murmured, then veered off before anyone could question me. Rounding the carriage, I found exactly what I wanted. Lord Draco and Valentina were working side by side. They worked side by side, neatly stacking a half dozen large metal crates into the rear storage compartment. Steam rose from them in heavy rolls, dissipating into the cold air. The surprising part was that no scent leaked from the lids.

“What is that?” I asked curiously.

“Blood,” Lord Draco answered plainly.

I stared at the crates, then back at him. It never crossed my mind how they produced their supply of blood. It always just appeared in a heated tray, leaving me almost numb to where it came from. “How do you have this much just… lying around? I mean, if there are no humans here. Where is all this coming from?”

Valentina and Draco exchanged a brief glance, barely a second, but enough to register. Worry? Hesitation? They must have known this question was coming. Lord Draco straightened his back as he placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “It happens just like in any other civilized society, Alexander,” Lord Draco said with a practiced tone. “We have farms. Ones that supply what you and I require to live.” Removing his hand from my shoulder, he slid the final bin into place, stepping away. “I’ll go speak with your father,” he said. Lord Draco disappeared around the carriage before I could ask anything else.

Farms. Of humans?

It was uneasy to think about. Was it like how I imagined a farm to be? Where were they deprived of all rights? They couldn’t have just been bred and fed for harvest. Most importantly, how were these humans even acquired? The part of me that had lived among humans felt sick. The other part, the one that knew how my body ached when I hadn’t eaten. The one who knew how that first taste of warmth felt sliding down my throat understood. It was efficient. Clean. Controlled. If they wanted to survive without making war on the human realm, this was how.

Still… something about it felt wrong.

There would be time for hard questions later. I didn’t want to spend my last few moments thinking about how inhumane it felt. There would be plenty of nights to worry about crimes against humanity. All I wanted in this moment was to talk to Valentina.

My eyes found hers.

Valentina gazed at me with that soft, unreadable expression. Her eyebrows were knitted tight, and one of her sharp fangs peeked out as she bit her lip. Just one glance and the tension melted from my shoulders. Damn her. When she wasn’t trying, she made it hard to think of anything else.

“Are you okay?” I asked as I took a step toward her.

Stepping away from me, she inched closer to the stable wall. That frustrated me more than it should’ve. She was trying to evade me, slip away like this wasn’t tearing me up inside. Her distance was a knife to the soul. My own stubbornness refused to let her slip away. If I had to spend gods know how long away from her, she didn’t get to escape me with a single backstep.

As the tension rose between us, the stable flickered to life with orbs of light. Tiny moth-like creatures appeared slowly around us, blinking like fireflies, speckling the space with golden light. One zipped past my line of sight as I took another step forward.

“I don’t know. Am I, Alex?” she threw back, her tone sharp and petty.

Following her, I closed the space between us. “I’m asking you, Valentina. Why are you mad?”

Instinctively, I reached for her hand, gently, but she yanked it away and tucked both hands behind her back. I had to bite back a growl as I settled for my own brows furrowing. Val matched the look with that same fire burning behind her eyes. Our frustration slammed together in almost a perfect melody.

“I should be coming with you,” she snapped. Valentina took another step back. I matched it with one of my own. The space between the wall and her grew closer, but I didn’t say it.

“No, you should be safe,” I replied, voice low.

Shaking her head, she bounced her curls as strands danced across her face, wild and stubborn. That hair, those eyes, that defiance… Valentina was every bit the fire I couldn’t put out. One last step, and her back met the wall. Taking my final one too, I closed the gap between us until there was barely an inch left. Bracing my hands on the wall on either side of her head, I caged her in. It was not out of dominance, but desperation.

Lowering my face to hers, slow and careful, I whispered. “You don’t think you should be safe?” My breath rolled over her cheek. I hoped she could smell my scent in this moment; if anyone, I wanted it to be her.

Valentina always knew how to pull the right strings, how to send the perfect shockwave through the cords that puppeteer my heart. She shoved at my chest with those tiny hands of hers. I didn't budge. I pressed in closer, trapping her between my body and the wall. My eyes locked onto hers as she whispered, “Move.”

“Valentina,” I breathed—no, I pleaded with her. This wasn’t a moment for her rebelliousness. This wasn’t one of our games. This was one of those rare moments I just needed her to be the soft, grounded woman I knew lived beneath all that flame. “Please… stop.”

It only took a fraction of a second before she stilled beneath me, her resistance slowly ebbing away. She wasn’t fighting anymore. When her eyes finally lifted to meet mine, really met them, I could tell she saw it. The ache. The longing. The need that was carved so deep in my gaze I couldn’t have hidden it if I tried.