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“I appreciate that, Sheriff. I just want to make a difference.”
After the meeting, I inquired about Alexei. The response seemed rehearsed, raising an uneasy feeling within me.
“Where's Mayor Alexei? I haven’t been able to reach him for two days now.” I asked. Alexei was an honest person and he would explain whatever this madness was to me.
“Oh, he took a short trip. He's currently unavailable, but he'll be back soon.” Sheriff Callum replied, too quickly. Alexei’s note didn’t include that he was going on a short trip and it made me wonder if he was missing too, just like his sister. Oddly, the people that were supposed to protect him didn’t seem to care.
“A trip? He didn't mention anything.” I blurted out, making sure they realized I did not buy their fake story.
“People need breaks, Evelyn. Especially after such intense situations. He'll be back, and everything will return to normal.” Sheriff Callum added dismissively, only reinforcing my belief that Alexei was in danger. These people knew something they weren’t telling me, and I needed to find out what that was.
They suggested I leave a letter for Alexei, but I declined. I told them if he didn’t say goodbye to me, there was absolutely no reason for me to say goodbye to him.
Back at Alexei's apartment, I started to pack my belongings. The quietude of the empty rooms allowed my thoughts to wander. A feeling of foreboding settled in, urging me to stay and wait for him. I was worried.
As I sat by the window, watching the city lights flicker to life, I couldn't shake the nagging sense that something was amiss. The curfew had been lifted, and Harmony Grove was seemingly back to normal, yet an unsettling uncertainty lingered.
The minutes stretched into hours, and I found myself pacing the room. The silence was broken only by the distant sounds of the city. Questions swirled in my mind, and the absence of answers heightened my anxiety.
Finally, I came to a decision. I couldn't leave without knowing more. I'd wait for Alexei, no matter how long it took. He wasn’t alright and I couldn’t shake off that feeling... Whatever it was that the Sheriff was playing here, I would get to the bottom of it.
I stood in the middle of the room. Everything here reminded me of Alexei. It felt like parts of him were still there. I couldn't stop thinking about him, and I sighed. Maybe, just maybe, he felt the same pull between us, a connectionwe hadn't talked about.
I wondered if he left quickly because staying would make things complicated. Was he afraid of the same strong pull I felt? Did I occupy his head the same way he occupied mine? Where the hell is he.
I thought about the moonblood witches that needed my help—the coven. They wanted me to help them complete a ritual, but did I owe them that?
Thinking about my complicated feelings—and Alexei’s disappearance—I decided to delay going back to New York, despite the obvious dismissal from the Sheriff. I knew it was possible that staying in Harmony Grove could put me in danger since I never resolved whether my attacker had associates and still didn’t know what secrets the Sheriff was harboring. I couldn’t bring myself to leave, especially, when I knew there were still people here that needed my help. So, I cancelled my flight and embraced the uncertainty ahead.
The smell of spices brought me back to reality in the kitchen. I decided to make dinner—a simple task to distract me from my emotions. The clack of my knife on the cutting board as I chopped vegetables was a soothing rhythm.
While stirring the pot on the stove, my thoughts went back to Alexei. Why did he leave so suddenly? Was it our unspoken connection, or was there something else, some danger he wanted to face alone?
I didn't know.
As I went about preparing my meal, I tried to figure out my emotions. Maybe he left to protect us from a connection we didn't understand. I needed time to understand my feelings—was it just friendship, or was there something more from our nights in Harmony Grove?
Lost in my thoughts, I barely noticed the burbling of the pot that told me dinner was ready. I put the meal on a plate, feeling a small sense of accomplishment despite my mental turbulence.
Sitting at the table, I looked at the empty chair across from me. The space reminded me of the person who had become very important in my life. There were unanswered questions, but for now, I enjoyed a quiet meal.
CHAPTER 28 | DARK DREAMS
ALEXEI’ POV
The cold, damp air hung heavily in the dimly lit room where I was suspended, my wrists bound, and my body aching. My sister Anastasia paced back and forth, a cruel smile playing on her lips.
“Alexei, you've always underestimated me. Did you really think you could cast a spell without consequences?” Anastasia asked tauntingly and I closed my eyes tiredly. The woman before me wasn’t my sister, I knew it deep down and no matter how much I tried, she was under the spell of something stronger than either of us.
I gritted my teeth, my eyes fixed on her. I could see the subtle signs – the glazed look in her eyes, the slight twitch in her movements. She was under some sort of control. There should be a weakness within thespell that would allow me to wither the hold it had on her. I needed to figure out what that was and exploit it.
“Ana, you're not doing this willingly. I know you. There's still a part of you fighting against this. Father fought for thousands of years for this. Don’t taint what it means to be a pureblood,” I replied calmly. She chuckled, a dark sound that made fear shoot through me. I had been here for hours, witnessing the darkness within my sister brought to the surface and magnified by whatever spell had her in its clutches.
“Father would have been so proud of me if he was here. I am doing the right thing, showing the rest of the supernaturals that we are truly the king,” she replied to me with a smile. I knew our father would have hated for us to start another cleansing. The last war had cost us too much.
“Father wouldn’t have been proud! He would have been disgusted by you. This isn’t you Ana, this isn’t you!”
Anastasia replied with a laugh, “How sweet of you to think you know me. But you're wrong, big brother. I'm in control, and soon, Harmony Grove will belong to us.”
