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“Liberty seems nice,” I said once I heard the front door close.
“Yeah, she is. That’s what makes this so much worse.” Grace let out a pained groan. “You were right. The plan backfired.”
“You mean the plan to encourage Rebecca to get out there and experience the horrors of modern dating before realising the most incredible person, i.e. you, was right under her nose the whole time?”
“Yes, that plan. I’m pretty sure they’re both smitten with one another. Why did Becks have to be lucky and meet an amazing woman on her very first try? I mean, what are the chances?”
“Hey, don’t let yourself worry too much. Just because everything’s rosy now doesn’t mean it will be forever.”
Grace cast me a scrutinising glance. “Like you and Peter?”
“Well, no, I love Peter so it’s not the same.”
“What about Vasilios? How do you feel about him?” I bit my lip, a frown tugging at my lips. “Come on, I know there’s more you didn’t want to say in front of my dad.”
Again, the mark sizzled under my skin, making its presence known. I rubbed at it a moment, then said, “I have no idea what I feel for him. Maybe it’s just trauma bonding. I was only in the prison for a short time but we went through a lot together. The day before we escaped a gang of vampires locked us in a cell with no outer wall. The floors were slanted so the only way not to fall to our deaths was to cling to one another. For hours,” I finished with emphasis.
“Oh.” Grace’s eyes widened. “That sounds…intense.”
“That’s one word for it.”
I recalled the way I’d felt, how the mark had been bubbling over with joy that we were so close. The arousal I’d felt for him. Ugh, I really didn’t want to think about that.
When I glanced at Grace her face was full of questions and I hadn’t even told her about the visions of our future together. Mine and Vasilios’.
“What are you going to do?”
I blew out a breath. “I wish I knew.”
She reached out to squeeze my shoulder. “Why don’t we have a girls night? There are a bunch of new movies we haven’t seen yet. We can just hole up in your room for a few hours and forget about our worries.”
I smiled gratefully. “That sounds perfect.”
***
Much later, after Grace went home, I opened my closet and dug out the small box containing the silk scarf my great-grandfather Roman gave me. I hadn’t looked at it in forever and I’d almost forgotten how pretty it was. I sat on the floor, running my hand over the smooth silk before wrapping it around my neck.
Roman, I whispered in my mind. Roman, it’s Darya. I need you.
I waited a few moments, unsure if I should expect him to show up immediately or if it would take a while. I hadn’t ever needed to call on him like this before so I wasn’t entirely sure how it worked. It wasn’t like he could just drop everything to see me, right? He could be doing something important.
I was still sitting on the floor when I heard my mother come up the stairs. Quickly, I shoved the scarf into a drawer before she knocked on the door.
“Darya, are you in there?”
“Yes, I’m here. Come in,” I answered and she stepped inside.
“How did it go with Carra at the station?” I asked, still sitting on the floor. Mum lowered herself onto the plush stool by my dressing table and rested her hands on her lap. “It wasn’t too bad, but she grew upset when Sergeant Davis asked her to describe some of the mistreatment she’d experienced. Red Armand had barely been feeding her and he had her casting all sorts of intricate spells to cover his tracks. That takes a lot of energy, mental and physical. I’m surprised she survived to be perfectly honest.”
“She might not look it but she’s strong,” I said. “If she endured the same life Vas and Sven did then she must be.”
Mum stared at me with a certain careful look in her eyes, then she cleared her throat. “It’s been decided that there won’t be a mission to retrieve the prisoners from Oreylia. It would require too many resources and the Guard aren’t prepared to travel to another dimension to find them. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to be sorry. I never expected they would go after them. That’s why I want to—”
“We’ve already discussed this,” Mum cut me off. “It’s too dangerous for you to go there, Darya.”
“Actually, I’ve thought of an alternative,” I said and she seemed surprised. “Uncle Gabriel gave me the idea. He said I should ask Roman to retrieve Vas and Sven. He has the power to travel between dimensions and I’m certain he’s stronger than Red Armand.”
