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I pulled back and reassured her. “I was just out back. How long have you been back?”

“We’ve been here for a good hour, I would say. Right?” Valentina glanced over to Arianna, who stood in the kitchen hovering over the counter.

Arianna nodded in agreement, though her eyes never left the creature in her hands. The fur was a vibrant blood-red, with long ears and a bushy tail. It reminded me of a gothic rabbit. She continued skinning it before moving on to the butchering.

“Arianna said she couldn’t see where you had gone in her visions. I thought of, Gods know how many scenarios.” Valentina’s voice shook with concern as she continued. “You can’t leave here again without Arianna or me with you. Some dangers lurk in these trees. You wouldn’t, and couldn’t, imagine what creatures in these woods want to do to you. To any creature.”

I smiled gently at her, acknowledging the warning.

“I understand. But I was actually going to bring up that exact thing.” I hesitated only a moment before asking, “Does Arianna have a pet hyena in her shed?” Subtlety had never been my strong suit. I’d rather get everything out in the open before it had the chance to blow up in my face.

With that question, Arianna finally spoke. “What shed did you see?”

Breaking away from Valentina, I stepped into the kitchen and leaned against the opposite counter. I watched as Arianna pulled the remaining pelt off the animal and set it aside on the table behind her. “The one out back. I thought it was yours. It was under the barrier.” My focus drifted back to the animal’s fur resting casually on the countertop. It was strangely beautiful. The color was unlike anything I’d ever seen on an animal.

“What is that?” I asked before I could stop myself.

“It’s a bloodhare,” Arianna replied casually. “They stain crimson when they’re hunted.” Then her attention snapped back to me. “What did you see? Were you able to go in?” she asked again, her tone sharper than before. She moved smoothly behind the counter as she waited for my answer, her attention split between me and the meat laid out on the kitchen table.

“I don’t know how I was able to go in,” I said. “When I first tried, the knob started glowing—bright orange, like it had come out of a fire. But as I was leaving, I heard a click. I turned around, and the door was open, just a slit. I was curious, so I pushed it open. I didn’t see much inside, so I was about to leave. That’s when I saw the hyena standing there. It charged me. I had to jump over it and run for the door.”

Valentina stepped beside me again, her eyes scanning my face before dropping to my hands. “And you’re not hurt?” she asked, worry creasing her brow. She caught both of my hands gently, turning them over. But the burn was already gone. The skin looked untouched.

“I’m fine, Val,” I reassured her. “I was more shocked than anything.”

Arianna looked up from where she was still butchering meat, her tone as cold as the blade in her hand.

“He let you live. That’s rare when he doesn’t know your scent.”

She kept cutting as she spoke.

“What you saw was a bultungin. They’re animals that turn into men,” she added, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. “Tricky, demonic things from the underworld. They devour souls and flesh for their masters. But really. They’re just savage. Some kill for fun.”

“Why do you have one of those?” I asked.

“Mind your own business, bastard king,” she replied with a faint smile.

An hour passed, and the dim sunlight of day faded into a deep purple hue. If I thought Eari was cold during the day, it was even colder at night. The only way the cottage truly began to warm was when Arianna cast a flicker of light into the hearth, multiplying the heat it produced. She had said it was easier to warm the house at night because the moons obeyed her power more.

Arianna eventually slipped out of sight while Valentina and I sat in front of the fire with a bag of blood and a bowl of bloodhare soup. I had to admit the steam rising from the broth smelled incredible. It reminded me of something my mother would make on a cold day. A variety of vegetables floated inside, none I recognized, but they were seasoned well enough that it didn’t matter.

Setting the soup aside, I grabbed the blood bag and took a sip.

My fangs dropped instinctively the moment the red liquid came into view. The familiar burn ignited in my throat as I bit down and drank. The soup became a distant memory as I drained the entire pouch in one sitting.

“Are you feeling better?” Valentina asked, breaking the quiet between us.

Placing the empty pouch beside the bowl, I nodded. “I’m feeling a lot better than earlier. I know you warned me about the cold. I just didn’t imagine it was actually this cold.”

The corner of Valentina’s lips lifted in a smile. “I suppose I should have asked how you felt about living in eternal winter before I brought you here.”

A laugh warmed my chest as I looked over at her. “For some reason, I think it was better finding out this way. I don’t think you could have sold me on potentially freezing to death.” I leaned back against the chair behind me while watching her raise her own blood bag to her lips. I had to look away before I got lost in the way they flushed red.

“Well then, the pleasure is mine,” she said with a smile, raising the bag toward me before taking another long sip.

Our eyes lingered on each other as she drank. For a moment, a comfortable silence settled over us, and I let my head fall back. I wondered what my mother was thinking about at that moment. Was she in pain right now? Would her transition be painful? I hoped it was quick.

Easy.