LOGIN“Do you remember what he looked like?”“It’s all a blur. Sorry.”I nodded slowly, looking around again. I spotted Max on the other side of the yard, returning to his work with a group of other males.“What’s the labor for?” I asked. “Are we building something?”“We think it’s for an army. The stone
Natalia’s POVBy the end of the first hour, my shoulders were burning and my palms had gone from sore to numb. The rock I’d been assigned to break with a heavy pickaxe was dense and black, and I was expected to break it into small pieces, then place them on a large wagon. One of those awful gray thi
A pair of figures crossed our path as we walked across the roadway. We fell into step behind them naturally, matching their pace. Neither of them looked back.The water trough was near the center of the settlement. I spotted a short line of people standing in front of it. It wasn’t running water, bu
Natalia’s POVI jerked awake with a gasp.The red sky was the same as it always was. Max was curled on his side a few feet away, still asleep, his chest rising and falling slowly. Nothing had moved. Nothing had changed.I pressed my hand flat against the ground and steadied my breathing.The vision
Natalia’s POVThe report came back the following morning. I’d hardly slept that night, which was strange for me; usually, sleep came quickly and efficiently, serving purely as a means to regain my energy for another day of hard work.But last night, I kept tossing and turning. That pull in my chest
“It’s no use!” I heard her voice call after me. “He’s already gone, you stupid bitch! He’s not who you think he is anymore! You’ll all die here!”Her words struck me somewhere deep and painful, but I kept running. We didn’t stop until the hovel was well out of sight. Only then, once we were certain
We split up, each taking a different section. I found myself in the genealogy records, pulling down heavy books filled with family trees and bloodlines. Most of it was written in fading text that was difficult to read, but I forced myself to focus, scanning page after page for any mention of Bloodmo
NataliaJane was bouncing on her bed in her pajamas, clutching a new stuffed bunny she’d gotten from Grace for her birthday against her chest while I tried to coax her under the covers.She had an awful lot of energy for a little girl at ten o’clock at night, although I supposed that was because we
With a nod, I stepped past Catherine and into the room. Jane was crying quietly against my shoulder. Max was pale but clearly trying to be brave.“I’m sorry, Mommy,” Jane sniffled. “I didn’t mean to cause trouble.”“You didn’t cause any trouble, sweetheart. None of this is your fault.” I set her dow
My children had been through enough. They didn’t deserve to suffer more, especially not at the hands of a madwoman.“What are you going to do about her?” I asked.“I haven’t decided yet. But first, there’s something I need to show you.” Andrei reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card,







