LOGINI straightened up. My heart was pounding. I looked around the room and for a single, disorienting moment, I had no idea where I was. The black stone walls, the red sky beyond the window, the dead air of this place—none of it felt right. None of it felt like mine. I felt like a man who had woken up m
Andrei’s POVThe collar of my shirt was pissing me off.I had fastened it twice already and it still insisted on sitting crooked, pulling too tight on the left side. I undid it a third time and redid it, slower, watching my hands in the mirror rather than my own face. My reflection had been botherin
Natalia’s POVHe didn’t hesitate.The moment I swung the rod toward him, his hand shot out and closed around my wrist like a vise. My arm wrenched sideways, and I felt the bones grind together under his grip, and the rod fell. It clattered somewhere on the stone floor, rolling away into the darkness
Andrei’s POVThe room was warm. The bed was soft and plush, the pillows made of feathers and velvet. Everything smelled familiar, the kind of scent that you recognize from a past life but can never put a finger on its source.Home.The woman was laying next to me, just as she always did. Amber hair
But I would do it, because the alternative was my children going through whatever came next, and that was not something I was willing to consider.I wasn’t certain yet. That was the only reason I was still trying so hard now. Because there was still a small part of me that thought that there must be
Natalia’s POVThey came for me after what felt like a full day. I say felt like because it really could have been any amount of time, or none at all. But someone did bring me some slop to eat at some point, so that had to have meant that at least a full cycle had passed.I was on my feet before the
NATALIABy the time Damon and I got back to my room, I was shivering—less from the chill in the air, more from everything that had unraveled over the past twenty-four hours. I sat down on the edge of the bed, towel still looped around my shoulders, and tried to process it all.The confrontation. The
Natalia & AndreiNataliaI was about to leave, but couldn’t get far before Andrei’s hand shot out and wrapped around my wrist. He pulled me back toward him, and I gasped, stumbling against his chest.“What are you doing?” I hissed, my cheeks flushing as he wrapped his arm around my waist and held m
“I’m sorry you came all this way,” I said. “For nothing.”I crossed my arms over my chest.“Your ex-wife is likely dead, Andrei. And I’m sorry for it. I always liked her.”He winced, but he didn’t make a move to leave.I sighed. Fine, then, if he wanted to play it this way.He wouldn’t find her.Not
I frowned. “Why didn’t you mention it sooner?”“Because I wasn’t planning on going.” He passed me the folder. “But now I think you should.”I opened it.Maps. Lists. Names. Schedules.“I’m not stepping into a summit pretending to be your Luna,” I said quietly.“You wouldn’t be pretending.” His tone







