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She nudges her shoulder into mine. ‘He misses you. What else do you remember?’

‘You,’ I say. ‘Blurry nights of drinking and dancing.’

‘We had plenty of those,’ she grins. ‘Anything else?’

‘Drinking blood. Getting wasted. Being cruel.’

‘You weren’t that cruel,’ she shrugs. ‘Bloodlust got the best of you at times, and arrogance, but you were also fun and charming. A good time. You could have been a lot worse, Theo, don’t beat yourself up about things.’

‘That’s comforting, I guess.’

‘Look, you’re not the easiest vampire to love,’ she says dryly, ‘You’re certainly annoying when you want to be, but you are the kind of person who is there for your friends. Loyalty is a big thing when you’re a vampire, considering most simply look out for themselves and that’s it.’

I swallow the lump forming at the back of my throat. It’s stupid how something so simple can hit so deep. I do feel like I’m always in the background. The side character in someone else’s story. Like I’m never the most important person in the room. The loyal friend that people keep around for amusement and entertainment. I mean, I’ve enjoyed playing the part. I like joking and not taking life too seriously, but things feel different now. I’m different. It’s like the witches stole a part of me and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get it back. Then there’s Tara, and this connection we have, and all the unknowns surrounding it.

‘You came for me,’ I say quietly.

‘Of course I did.’

Cora finally turns her body toward me, one leg drawn up on the bench now, her voice dipping lower. ‘We’ve been through worse. We will work this out. We always do.’

‘I hope so.’

‘I’m glad you’re okay,’ she says, touching her hand to mine.

I try to answer, but the words don’t come, because I don’t know if I am okay. I don’t know much about anything anymore. She leans into my side like she used to, her head resting against my shoulder.

‘I missed you, you know.’

We sit there, side by side like nothing’s changed, even though it feels like everything has.

Kian waits until after nightfall to gather us.

He likes the dark. All vampires do. We all get a little braver when night-time rolls around.

We’re in the dining room. Tara curls into the far end of the couch, her knees tucked up, on alert, probably feeling uncomfortable with how outnumbered she is by vampires right now. Cora stands behind her, arms crossed, gaze flicking toward me every now and then like she’s keeping a close eye on me. Maybe she has noticed the change in me too.

I don’t sit. Neither does Kian. He paces slowly across the rug, hands clasped behind his back, every movement deliberate.

‘I’ve made contact with two informants inside my office at Red Thorne,’ he says, voice smooth and firm, as always. ‘They are gathering a team.’

Tara shifts, her face tightening. She doesn’t want to return to Red Thorne and face what she left behind. Kian doesn’t miss her reaction. He faces her.

‘I know your family will be watching the roads, the houses, and they probably have access to footage around town. This means entering Red Thorne needs to be done carefully. I have ways to get in. There’s a secondary access route into the heart of Red Thorne’s territory. A tunnel system, older than the town itself. My contact is mapping it. I’m counting on the witches not knowing about it.’

Tara leans forward, twisting her fingers together, which is a nervous habit of hers that I’ve noticed. ‘You think they don’t know about it? They’ve been around a long time. Their magic is rooted in the soil all over town. That’s why they are so protective of the place.’

‘I’m hoping they don’t. What matters is whether they can sense our locations once we cross the town line.’

The room goes quiet, because none of us know the answer to that yet. No one knows just how much control and power the witches have.

Tara’s voice breaks the silence. ‘The coven is their strongest in Red Thorne. It might be a better idea to draw them out.’

Kian doesn’t blink. ‘I’ve beaten them before. In Red Thorne.’ He says it so casually, like taking down one of the most powerful covens to exist doesn’t faze him. I suppose it doesn’t. He is very powerful himself. He defeated an undefeatable death curse. I do believe he can achieve anything he puts his mind to.

‘Any questions?’ he asks when no one says anything.

No one answers. He nods.