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I flinched back in my seat as the words left his mouth. There was no room to contest what he’d said; it was a declaration and a warning wrapped into one. Valentina had already made me aware of how dire my situation was, but hearing it from him, from something ancient, made it real in a way I hadn’t felt before. The panic I’d buried to stay composed stirred again, simmering beneath my skin, prickling at the edges of my control. If he noticed the shift in me, he ignored it.

“I know you didn’t seek any of this,” he continued. “You might even feel like life itself has taken on a whole new shape.” He leaned back into the leather of his chair with a quiet sigh. The sharpness in his features softened, replaced—if only slightly—by something closer to empathy.

For a moment, he sat in silence. Not speaking. Not rushing me. It felt like he was choosing his next words carefully. Maybe even remembering a piece of his own pass. The thought barely formed before it disappeared, his expression settling back into a firmer one.

“I can’t apologize for saving you. That was an easy decision,” he said, giving a small nod to himself, as if agreeing with the memory. “I will not apologize for placing you in a world that is not your own. It was the safest way.” A brief pause. “But… I do hope you can forgive me for not retrieving you myself.”

Lord Draco’s apology sounded sincere, even if it was rooted in conviction. And it wasn’t like I didn’t agree. I was grateful for everything he had done. There was no part of me that hated my old life. The way I grew up, there had never been a lack of love from my mother. There was support when I needed it, and guidance when I fell short.

It wouldn’t be fair to ask him to apologize when the life I’d had was far from a death sentence. The alternative would have been exactly that. “There’s no need for that,” I whispered. There was also no reason to be upset with him for not coming for me himself. Valentina had been there, and even though she was a menace, I didn’t think I would change that.

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly at my response. “Good,” he said. “I’m glad we understand each other on that matter, because I couldn’t leave you in the human realm any longer.” He leaned forward, his elbows settling against the desk. “In a few days, all that strength you’ve built up… it’s going to overflow into something far more powerful.”

The mention of more power sent a flicker of curiosity through me. I already felt like a powerhouse from the small surge I’d experienced, what else could I possibly become? My mouth opened to speak, but he lifted a hand, stopping me before I could.

His voice softened, carrying a quiet warning. “You’re going to develop a hunger deeper than blood. You’ll crave power. It will be up to you how you choose to wield these truths—and I can only hope the humans who raised you taught you the difference.”

The word power pulled loose in my memory. That thread between Valentina and me… it surged back, vivid enough that I could almost feel it again. The moment I had commanded her, and she listened. It had been… intoxicating.

Her eyes, the way they shifted, yielding, responsive, it had undone me. That pull to take control, to press into it… it had felt natural. Too natural. Even now, the memory stirred restlessly beneath my skin. Whatever existed between us in that moment felt endless, like something I couldn’t measure or fully understand. And that scared me more than anything else.

Lord Draco’s voice pulled me from my thoughts, back to reality. “There’s always a risk I won’t be around for long,” he said. There was a calmness in his gaze that froze me in place. It felt like he had already made peace with that outcome.

I had never considered that someone might be willing to lose their life because of me. The paranoia swept in just as quickly as the earlier spark of excitement had, but this time, it hit harder. Heavier. My head throbbed with the weight of it, the loss of control settling deep in my chest.

I didn’t want anyone to die. Not a stranger. Not someone I knew. Even if I didn’t remember him, he was part of my story. And I wanted those pieces back, no matter how hard they were to face. Each word he spoke scraped against my mind, like dragging brush sharp across a soaked canvas, warped, damaged, but still holding the impression.

“Once the king learns you’re alive, I’ll be seized. They’ll come for you. For Valentina. For anyone carrying your scent.” A brief pause. “And they’ll do it quietly. To avoid public backlash. To keep your mother, the Queen, in the dark.” His voice was calm. Controlled. But the words didn’t land that way. They cut.

The breath I’d been holding slipped out, not from fear for myself, but for everyone else. Everyone I might get killed. If I hadn’t understood the stakes before… I did now. And it was suffocating. The room began to shift around me, subtle at first, then more pronounced. Draco’s form blurred at the edges, pulsing in and out as nausea pooled in my stomach.

Waves of cool air twisted around my ear in a sudden chill, like a whisper from something unseen. The warmth of the fire no longer touched my skin as the draft slid down my body, pulling a shiver from me. Disoriented, I searched for the source, but my gaze only found the chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. I tried to shake off the unease, but I couldn’t. The throbbing in my head persisted as I forced my focus back to Lord Draco.

“So it’ll be quick, then… if he does find me?” I asked.

His face remained still. Unreadable. “Don’t doubt it, he’ll make it hurt,” he said with a quiet exhale. “Quiet will never mean quick.”

There was no comfort in his tone. And I couldn’t stop the hopelessness from settling in. There was so much risk in everything laid before me. In that moment, I had no way to contain it as it wrapped tight around my chest.

“What do you expect me to do, then?” I asked, more to myself than to him.

Lord Draco’s voice softened, just slightly. “I know this is a lot… for someone completely new to all of it. But you’re the one it affects most.” He paused, as if searching for the right way to steady me. “I have a way to extend my life—to guide you through what’s coming. But you’ll need to stay out of sight for a while.” A beat. “And follow my lead.”

It was too much. Too much to take in all at once. My skull throbbed beneath the weight of it, my thoughts pressing in until even breathing became difficult. There was nowhere to run. Nowhere to turn. And for the first time… I felt small.

“You can trust me. I’ve been planning your return for nineteen years.”

“This is… a lot,” I murmured, still stunned.

“It’s only natural,” he said. “You’ve lived as a human your whole life. Of course this feels overwhelming. But you’ll adapt.” A pause. “In this kingdom, under your uncle’s rule, it’s kill or be killed. All because of one night.” His voice hollowed, turning almost ghostlike.

“What happens next… is up to you.” I just needed a second. To breathe. To think.

Alex, get yourself together.

But my head pounded harder, even as I tried to steady myself. The reassurance did nothing to ease the weight that had already rooted itself deep inside me. A low ringing began to build in my ears, slow at first, then louder. My vision washed out, bleeding into a blinding white. Lord Draco flickered in and out of focus, like my mind couldn’t quite hold onto him anymore.

I fought to stay present, but each second dragged me further into exhaustion. “What did you have in mind?” I managed, pressing my palms against my eyes as I leaned forward onto the edge of his desk.