We walk past a hallway, and I barely register my surroundings until I catch sight of bright pink hair on a couch in the distance. Brice is standing over her, staring straight at us approaching. He’s just as massive as I remember. Recalling the moments after the crash, it doesn’t take a genius to knowheis the Werewolf that tore off the door to my car.
It makes sense now—his spiked gray hair, the geometric tattoos crawling from his neck to his chest, where his shirt is unbuttoned. How I failed to connect him to the pack symbols before, I don’t know. But I’llberate myself over it after I’ve found Xeraphine.
He gestures to me. I fully expect Sydni to stand and come to me. But when she stays seated, I rush around the couch to her instead.
“Syd, I’m here.”
Once again, I’m caught off guard when she doesn’t stand. Her head is tilted down, not looking at me. If she’s upset with me for losing Xeraphine again, I wouldn’t blame her. I, too, hate myself for letting her slip through my fingers once more.
Dropping to my knees, I place a hand on her leg and give it a gentle squeeze. “Butterfly, talk to me. Please.”
A wash of realization crashes down on me as I take in her appearance. She had been bleeding so much in the car due to a deep gash right at her neck. Along with that, there should be bruising scattered across her body, yet I see none.
A cold fear tightens in my chest. I don’t know what I’ll find, but my hand instinctively moves to her chin, gripping it gently yet firmly, forcing her gaze to mine. Her eyes are shut, but tears streak down her cheeks.
“Open your eyes,” I demand, my voice low.
There’s a brief moment of hesitation, but when they finally blink open, I’m met with a deep shade of crimson staring back at me.
A tremor runs down my spine.
Oh no… no, no, no.
Sydni’s skin is cold, and though it won’t always be this way, it will be for some time.
“Rhyse…” Her voice trembles, and as her teeth bare, two sharp fangs emerge over her bottom lip. Her once pretty features are now sharpened, transformed by the Vampiric Night. “She’s going to kill them.”
Not if I do it first.
I place a hand gently on her cheek, my thumb running softly just beneath her eye. There’s so much swirling in my mind, but the biggest thought is that Xeraphine is going to go on a rampage when she finds out. My girl will hold no forgiveness to the ones that hurt Sydni, and I cannot wait to see her unleash upon them.
A sob escapes her lips, and my heart clenches.
“It’s okay. You’ll be okay,” I reassure her gently.
I was terrified when I was turned. My creator, the bitch she was, had killed me, all to get what she wanted—me, forever. I’m grateful she made the mistake and let her weakness for me cloud her judgment. Removing her head was satisfying, but burning her body? That was euphoric.
I turn to glare up at Brice. “How did this happen?!”
He sighs. “She was about to die, seconds from it, whenwe got a safe distance from the wreck.”
I turn back to her, her hands fumbling in her lap. Placing mine over hers, I give her a soft squeeze.
“Where is her creator?” My eyes drift over to Alaric, and for a split second, I wonder if he could be a Vampire, and can somehow change his eye color. The snake.
But I know he isn’t. The scent doesn’t match, and I would be able to tell if he was. Sydni still smells Mundane—her blood hasn’t been replaced by the thousands she’s fed on, not yet.
“It was me.” A feminine voice prompts me to look up to the same hallway Alaric and I came down. “You can call me Niyla.”
Personally, I’d love to call her dead for sinking her fucking fangs into my little butterfly.
A tall, dark-skinned woman—likely over six feet—stops just before the couch, giving me a weary smile. Her braided hair frames her face, and her crimson eyes bore into mine.
This hostility toward her runs deep, but nothing cuts sharper than the fact that, had I not been so immobile from the crash, I could have granted immortality to Sydni myself.
NowNiylawill forever be intertwined with her. A creator is more than just someone who bites and gives the Eternal Night. She will be able to find Sydni anywhere in this world. A fact that will directly link to Xeraphine once I’ve got her back. This will be something I’ll need to take care of once I’m in a better position to do so.
“W-What…” Syd chokes on a soft sob. “What do I do?”
