I knelt and looked through the crack.

My breath hitched.

There was Kiev, crouched down over the bare body of a woman whose face I could not see, for it was being showered with his kisses. But as my eyes fixed on the pillows beneath her head, I didn’t need to.

It was Sofia’s bare form writhing beneath him. Her deep red hair splayed out on the pillow. Her fingers dug into Kiev’s back muscles as he pressed against her. His lips lowered to her pale neck. When he brushed his hands along her hips, tremors ran through his body.

They were so consumed with each other, it felt like I could have walked right over to them and they might not notice.

I couldn’t remain a witness to this scene a moment longer.

Pushing the door open, I ran up to the bed. I gripped Kiev’s shoulders, attempting to pull him off. But my fingers slipped off his skin like butter the moment I touched him.

I shouted. I screamed. I tried to use my magic to turn over the bed.

But it was as if an invisible force field was around them, keeping them locked in their own little bubble. Nothing I did had any effect.

My shouting fell on deaf ears. My spells bounced off.

They still remained, lying there in a world of their own—a world I was totally locked out of. If anything, with all my attempts, their passion only increased each second that I stood there, until finally, Kiev whispered the words that sliced my heart in two:

“I have always loved you, Sofia.”

* * *

My eyes shot open. Gasping for breath, I sat bolt upright. Beads of sweat dripped from my forehead. Shafts of moonlight trickled through the curtains, falling on Kiev’s sleeping form beside me.

I dropped my head into my hands. It felt strangely chilly. From the sweat, I assumed.

I breathed deeply, trying to steady my racing heart.

It was a dream. Just a dream.

I lowered myself back down against my pillow and reached an arm around Kiev’s waist, pulling myself closer against his back and kissing his shoulder as he remained in slumber.

Sofia would never betray me like that. She is my friend.

And Kiev certainly wouldn’t.

In any case, he’s over Sofia… isn’t he?

Chapter 28: Derek

The night had been plagued with… a strange dream.

After hours of tossing and turning, I eventually gave up trying to sleep and got out of bed. Making my way to the kitchen, I poured myself a glass of blood.

Trying to push aside thoughts of the nonsensical dream I’d had, I forced myself to think of the problems that were plaguing us.

As we had promised the humans, swarms of vampires were now taking turns to guard their homes. Sofia and I had also decided that we’d personally take a tour round the human residences three times a day to make sure everything was in order.

My thoughts turned to our son. Now that he had murdered Yasmine, humans, vampires, werewolves and witches alike had begun to suspect that perhaps he was the cause of the others’ deaths too. Of course, Sofia and I knew that he couldn’t have done it, but until we found the actual killer, this suspicion would remain in the hearts of many.

Ben. It had been a while since he’d last… fed. His blood levels would be running low again.

Grabbing some blood from the fridge and the syringe Sofia had fetched from Corrine’s medical room, I headed to his bedroom.

Opening the door slowly, I was surprised to see that he was awake already. He lay flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling, his eyes glassy. He did nothing to acknowledge that I’d entered the room. I sat on the edge of the bed and reached for his collarbone. He didn’t resist as I injected several doses of blood into him.

Then I left the room. I guessed he was feeling guilty about what he’d done. He didn’t need me to rub it in. Silence was the best course of action right now. I made sure to lock the door behind me.

I retreated to my study and paced up and down for a while longer, mulling over the most urgent issues I had to do today, until eventually I decided to try to sleep again—at least for an hour before Sofia woke up at six o’clock, so we could wake up together.

But as I returned to our bedroom, she wasn’t there. Her side of the bed had been neatly made, and her nightgown that had lain on the chair nearby was gone.

“Sofia?” I called softly.

I walked into the ensuite bathroom. It was empty. I walked back to the kitchen, thinking maybe she’d also had a restless night and was having some breakfast. But she wasn’t there. I walked through the living room, intending to check some of the other rooms, when I noticed that her cloak that usually hung by the front door was gone, along with her set of keys fixed to the key holder near the door.

Then I spotted a sticky note on the door. Sofia’s handwriting.

“Gone for a walk…”

An early-morning walk was appealing to me too, so I grabbed my coat and headed out. A brisk walk would do me some good, help to clear my thoughts for the day, and perhaps I’d even bump into Sofia.

I descended in the elevator and began walking through the woods. I wanted to feel the sea breeze against my skin and the water lapping around my feet, so I made my way toward the shore. But as I entered the clearing in front of the Port, I stopped short.

What I saw there, at the end of the jetty, made me believe that I must have still been dreaming.

Chapter 29: Mona

I tried to fall asleep again, but the nightmare kept resurfacing each time I tried.

I let go of Kiev and tossed and turned in bed, trying to find a comfortable position. I drifted off only briefly before being woken yet again by the same nightmare. I sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes.