MasukI 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
But the twins were too excited to notice the stares, and honestly, I was too focused on Max to care much about gossip. He still seemed perfectly fine, but I found myself watching him for any signs that he might be getting sick again.We’d barely been seated when I became aware of the buzz of convers
NataliaBy the time we finally stopped for the evening, I was completely exhausted. Not physically, because we spent most of the day sitting in the car, but emotionally—from watching Max grow paler and more still with each passing hour.Around sunset, we found a small clearing surrounded by dense pi
Natalia“What happened?” I asked as Grace led me through the front door. “He was fine this morning.”“It came on really suddenly. Damon was playing with the twins in the living room after you left, and Max just started complaining that he felt hot. By the time I took his temperature, it was already
She didn’t tear her gaze away. Just mumbled something that I couldn’t make out.With a soft sigh, I pulled another chair close to hers and sat down. Max looked so small in the infirmary bed, his dark hair messy against the white pillowcase. Despite his state of unconsciousness, his chest would still







