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
NataliaWith a quiet groan, our morning of passion cut short, Andrei and I untangled from one another and quickly dressed. I could practically feel his smirk burning into the back of my head as I pulled my robe around myself and hurried over to the door, although there was something else in that sta
Natalia“We have to call Damon,” I said, pacing back and forth across the floor of Andrei’s office. The space was still exactly as I remembered it: two armchairs sitting in front of the fireplace, a large window overlooking the driveway below, tall bookshelves lining the walls, and a large mahogany
Natalia & AndreiNatalia“We can play whatever you want,” Andrei said, already heading toward a cabinet in the corner of the dining room. He opened the cupboard door and pulled out a stack of various brand-new-looking board games, which made my brows shoot up in surprise.“Since when do you keep boa
NataliaMax looked so much better as he blew out his six candles. The sight of him grinning as everyone sang happy birthday made everything feel alright. Whatever Andrei had done upstairs, it had clearly worked.“Did you make a wish?” Jane asked, bouncing beside her brother. Her mouth was already wa







