“...fastest dinner ever...” I hear Bronx say, but he sounds like he’s underwater. The high pitch buzzing sound is trying to push its way forward, but I fight against it with all my concentration. Lex is trying to speak to me, but she sounds like she’s miles away. I stand up so I can join Bronx in front of the table, but Milo and Lenora take my hands and pull me into my seat. Codi is in my lap, hugging me tightly. I can feel the warmth of our special connection and hug her back. Pack members cheer and howl silently as Bronx gives his speech. He paces slowly and confidently while his hands add emotion to his words. Our pack looks so happy. That’s how it should be. Happy. A plate of chicken cordon bleu is in front of me. I look at it curiously. My mind can’t seem to remember how eating works. I dip my finger in the sauce and give Codi a taste. She claps her hands, but there is no noise. Lenora gives Bronx a worried look and shakes her head as she pulls her pup from my lap. Red, gold,

I watch from the doorway as Cora sweetly whispers a Greek lullaby to Kas before she leaves. She kisses her forehead and brushes her sister’s cheek before she finally leaves the room. “I will stay for now. I can say goodbye when she wakes up. Then I will make peace with my fate. I must help my Agrios. If their wolves come here, please have kindness,” Cora requests in a soft tone as she watches Kas from the doorway. I hold my hand out to her, palm up, so she can place hers in mine, extending the courtesy of the more primal interaction to make her comfortable. When the sensation of her ambient energy courses through me, I feel Saint howling with happiness. As much as he tries to play it off, it's clear that she is special to him, too. “Thank you for helping me understand, Cora. I have another question,” I look her in the eye. She simply nods with approval to ask, “My guard Marco told me you said you had to be named Persephone. Why is that?” “Because of the Waiting Room,” she looks to

“So, she’s just gonna go...prepare to die?” Tyree asks, looking down the hall after Cora. “Essentially, yeah,” I frown, “Then I give birth to her.” All he can do is shake his head in disbelief. I leave him and go to Amari’s door. We greet each other with a smile when she opens it. “Kas! A-are you okay? You look like you’ve been crying,” she pulls me into her room. “I just said goodbye to Cora,” I feel my lip tremble but remind myself what Cora said. It is temporary. I swallow back the lump in my throat, “Amari, I have a question about something you said to me.” “Of course, darling. What is it?” She pulls two chairs and we sit down at the kitchenette table. “The other day, you said I was an energy vampire. Lex said it's a slur, but what is it exactly? I have never heard of it before,” I ask calmly. “Oh, that. Well, yes, Elexis is right. It is a slur these days. I shouldn’t have said it. The more politically correct term is energy empath,” she places her hands on the table as she

Kas’s POV Marco catches up to me before I get to Katherine’s suite. “Kas, hey, stop,” he orders, tugging on my arm. “What’s up, Marco?” I turn to him and smile. I can already guess what he is going to say. “What did you do in there, Kas? What happened to Elder Randall?” I look around him to make sure there isn’t anyone down the hall, “Can you keep a secret?” “Of course, you know you can. Now spill. Whatever it was, everyone could feel it. It felt real dark,” he gives me a concerned look. “Marco, I need you to trust me, okay. I haven’t been only learning magic from Delilah. When I sleep or meditate, I'm able to go see my sister Leticia,” I confide, “She has been teaching me the things Delilah can’t.” “WHAT?!” he says loudly and catches himself. He leans toward me, whispering with wide eyes, “Are you fucking crazy, Kas? She’s dangerous.” “She’s not dangerous to me, Marco...well, mostly… I’ll explain tomorrow on our way to Paris,” I reassure him with a loud whisper, “Until then,

Delilah and I meet with the bakery managers in the afternoon and make sure they understand all of their responsibilities, give them back up contact information, and reassure them we trust them completely. It's the first time we are both going to be gone at the same time, so we do our best to hide our nerves and give them as much encouragement as possible. We help prep dry ingredients for a couple hours so there will be less work for them to do without us there. Marco holds the back door open for us when we are ready to leave. Bronx’s midnight blue Aston Martin Superleggera is idling in the alley. Bronx tinted the windows dark enough that I can’t see him inside, but I can’t imagine him letting anyone else drive it. I look down the alley and don’t see any of the sedan’s the guards usually drive, except the one Marco drove us to the bakery in. Bronx’s car only has two seats. He had to have it specially made because he is so tall. There's definitely no room for guards. “He said it's a