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I groan and roll onto my back, my hand pressing gently at my stomach. It’s still tender and pulls a bit when I move, but it feels like an injury that’s four or five days old.

Hide everything. ‘Don’t say a word, sweet girl.’

Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I look up, noticing the sun has recently risen over the hills. Standing hesitantly, I tip-toe across the stone floor toward the window, pressing my hands against the panes of cold glass.

It’s beautiful here. Past the training yard and the compound, there’s nothing but forest for miles. Beautiful green pines reach high as their branches sway in the soft wind. Eventually, the flat expanse of land ends, and the forest continues up hills so tall they could be mistaken for mountains.

I press my forehead against the cool window, watching my breath fog on the glass. My feet are bare on the stone floor, and it’s so cold I can barely stand it most mornings. Today, though, I don’t move. I just let myself feel the cold and the sun, remembering the way Caelan’s arms felt wrapped around me.

Just like the sun. Warm and safe.

As I turn away, something catches my eye—a flash of yellow in the brush. I squint, trying to make it out.

A large black cat slinks out from the hedge line and pads purposefully toward the house. The feline pauses, then takes one slow, purposeful step. Then another. His large body gracefully folds until he’s lying in the grass, crossing his front paws like a king on a throne. His eyes never leave mine.

I don’t realize I’ve placed my fingers back on the glass until they start to tremble. I don’t blink, afraid that if I do, the image will disappear.

It’s Shade.

I recognize the eyes. The shape of the head. The small grey mark on his forehead that resembles a crown—the only part of his fur that’s not a deep, rich black that swallows the shadows.

He’s… massive.

It’s like he’s tripled in size since I last saw him. Days ago? A week? How long have I been here?

He yawns, his long tongue unfolds between enormous pointed canines that glint in the morning sun—teeth that would give even a vampire pause.

How are they so big?

How is he so big?

Shade continues to stare up at my window, tail flicking lazily. I just watch him, a smile lighting my face, tears burning my eyes. A shocked laugh full of delight bubbles up⁠—

And jump out of my skin when someone slams a fist on the door.

“Wake up and get downstairs, Omega! Dax needs you in the library!”

Cage. It’s always Cage. His voice grates on my nerves, which are already raw and exposed after being ripped away from Caelan.

My lower lip trembles, and I bite down to keep from tearing up. Cage slams his fist on the door again, louder and more insistent.

“Coming,” I don’t bother raising my voice. He’s a vampire, and as I recently learned, possesses heightened senses. He’ll hear me easily, even through the oak door.

Like he knows I’m being pulled away, Shade stands in a single, fluid motion and turns, stalking away to vanish into the forest.

A small, hopeful smile erases my frown. Even the thought of spending the day with Daxen can’t erase the joy I feel knowing Shade’s alright.

But…how did he find me?

Don’t say a word. Do you understand, daughter?

I flinch, my mother’s voice slipping past my defenses before I can shove it down again. I shake myself, trying to force it out of my head.

The leggings that were left for me are a perfect fit, but the shirts are large. I have to tie up the hem to keep it from tangling around my knees while I work. I spend a lot of time on my hands and knees cleaning floors and folding laundry. If I don’t tie the hem up, I wind up crawling on it and getting twisted up all day long.

I reach for my water bottle, intending to fill it at the bathroom sink, and freeze when my gaze snags on the floor.

Two blackened handprints are scorched into the stone. One on either side of my blanket. My breath stutters to a stop.