The air is thick as always, this corner of the city darker than what I'm used to. Shadows hide long stretches of the street and only a handful of cars pass by, but I can sense people hiding out of sight. The scuffles of boots—or rats—skitter as we walk down an alleyway. Alone I would feel isolated, but with Levi a calm quiet hangs in the air.

The deli owner's words repeat in my head. Queen. That would make Levi a king, and truly, I can see him as no less. A man of power, of humility, of knowledge. Everything that's cherished in royalty, but rarely found.

Our time together doesn't come with an expatriation date anymore, and I hope he'll let me learn more from him, about his nature and about mine. I can train to harness whatever power has been dormant inside me, fulfill a purpose I've searched so long for, and earn my place by his side.

His desires have become as important to me as my own, but I still don't know what they are. Though he's talked about his past, and his present seems only a recycled version of that, I'm not sure what he wants for his future. Or what part I could have in it.

I know he'd never hold me back from my wishes, and his support in my quest to take down Lucien still leaves me in awe. With him, I feel like I might be able to actually make a difference.

Once we've walked a ways into the darkness, Levi slows and pulls me into him. I return the embrace, breathing easy for the first time today.

"It'll be faster if I take over from here," he murmurs. "I should have asked before, is there a way you prefer to travel with me?"

Now that I think about it, all the times he's carried me have been different. I bite my lip, guilty I've been a literal weight on him so often. Especially in the past 24 hours.

"Necromancers don't have any special speed powers?" I question into the collar of his jacket. "I don't like treating you like a form of transportation to ride on whenever I need."

He laughs, the sound erupting into a thousand butterflies in my chest. "Actually, that's exactly what I am, in that context." He tips my head up, the corner of his eyes crinkled with a knowing smile. "There will be time to learn more, but know you can ride me whenever you want."

A burn flares over my skin. He used my own words, but they couldn't be more suggestive. Suddenly I'm not sure about surviving the trip, much less the night.

Flustered, I shift on my feet and look away.

"Do you prefer to be on my back?" he asks, bringing me back to the original question.

Immaturely I shake my head, refusing to offer a proper answer, because I can't think of one. How do I explain that I like to be cradled, to feel our hearts close and chests pressed together, to have my legs wrapped around his waist and feel him move against me? Should I be as forward to say I want his arms pulling me closer, to be as connected as possible?

To know if I turn him on, in the same way he does to me?

He sighs, rubbing my back. "For me you are as light as a piece of paper, so whatever you're thinking just say it. I don't want to stand here forever." One of his fingers trails down my arm, along my injury. "But please remember to keep this safe."

Then an idea crosses my mind. An easy way to tell him without fumbling over words. I snake my arms around his shoulders and bring my lips to his, savoring the taste as he leaves them soft and pliable.

This time I take the lead, and he holds me close as if he's the one breaking. As if my touch can crumble him, despite all the strength and willpower at his disposal.

On a more adventurous whim, I glide my tongue along the seam of his lips and he opens, greeting me with a hint of warmth I haven't felt on his skin before. If I thought kissing him was addictive before, I'm a junkie now. I pull his lip between my teeth, loving every caress and the heat of his tongue, how my entire body tunes into his.

Hooking his hands around my thighs, he lifts me to the position I was aiming for. A smile tugs at my lips, and his follow suit. "Like this, then?" he says between kisses.

Nodding, I hum in affirmation and take one more long taste before nestling my head in the crook of his neck. The place I've come to call my own, despite it being on his body.

"You will still need to use words with me, you know." His arms shift as he moves the handle of the grocery bag to his elbow.

"Okay," I say. "But I did like that method."

"I'm not opposed." He takes a deep breath, nose touching my hair, then murmurs in a low tone, "I assume the drink was offered and not your personal choice, but in case you're wondering, I have plenty of energy for later."

My hands tighten on his shoulders, and I hide my face.

"Ready?" he asks.

"Yes."

—

The trip is a reverse of the one we took last night, with the sights and smells of the city fading into those of the forest. This time, I keep my limbs tucked in, and Levi seems extra careful to steer clear of wandering branches.

The hum from cars and glow of light pollution fade into quiet obscurity as we depart from the brush along a main highway, and then cross over to a less traveled path. Gradually, even my subconscious relaxes and I drop into dead weight, almost falling asleep as Levi's movements become more rhythmic.

When he slows, I assume we've finished the journey, but as I open my eyes and raise my head, the landscape is unfamiliar. Looking out farther, I realize we're on a hill, not in the nest of pines and bramble surrounding the cabin. A sea of trees falls below the horizon, sprinkled with light from a few houses here and there.

"Is something wrong?" I ask.

"Can you smell it?" he whispers.

I take in a deep breath, inhaling pine and pollen, but besides the otherwise clean air I sense nothing out of place. "No."

"The wind must have shifted, then."

"Smoke?"

"Look there." Levi uses one arm to support my weight as he points with the other.

I squint at the darkness, unable to see much from this far away. A sort of glow lights up in the very far distance.

"Fire." Levi answers my unspoken question.

I swallow, a horrible tugging growing in my gut. "The cabin?"

He nods. "I think so."

No. No no no. Too soon our moment of peace has ended, our night once again thrown into disarray.

"Lucien?" I croak out.

Even though I've become aware of my advantages over the undead, and I've seen that Levi can handle himself, an automatic rise of fear accompanies the thought of our opposition. Of returning to see Lucien's wicked grin lit by flames, fire devouring my one place of sanctuary.

At the cabin. Our cabin.

"Most likely," Levi responds, and grips me tighter.

"I thought—I thought they wanted to ambush us?" As unsettling as it is, if they wanted to catch us by surprise, they could've. A fire is a signal, it gives everything away. "Why not wait? And how did they figure out where it was?"

"They must have had something to track...that could only be your scent, but this is too far from the city. It's too far of a jump from the station to my cabin, that's part of why they haven't found it before." He pauses, taking a long exhale. "Hanna, was there anything from the hotel in your bag?"

I think back. "Some of the soaps...and," Oh no. "A business card."

That would make it as easy as reading the address, but how would that lead them to the cabin? Sure, it's closer, but still a distance away. Unless his credit card was tied to him, but Levi wouldn't be that careless.

I lean back to look Levi in the face, but the moonlight is too faint to make out anything except his eyes. "Did I leave a trail? How could the hotel lead them to the cabin?"

"I've been hunting in their territory for a while, so it's clear I have a place to stay somewhere just outside their borders. Until now Lucien hasn't been interested enough in me to go looking for it, and I've hidden my tracks well enough. But if he used the hotel as a starting point, and with Anne and Hugh helping him, all they had to do was search for your scent in an expanding radius between Bayport and their territory."

Still, they'd have to search a long way before they found anything. Would my scent be strong enough to pick up? Then—I remember. "My blood."

When the branch reopened my stitches.

If they were really determined to find me, that would lead them on a path straight to the cabin. "Is it still fresh enough to notice?"

"It would be," he confirms.

I slump. "I'm—"

"You don't have to apologize."

"But why did they have to light it on fire?" I sulk. There's no going back home now.

But even as I ask, I'm starting to have an idea why. As much as the reason bothers me, it makes sense. Piecing together what I've learned about Lucien, how he likes to win his battles, it's clear.

This isn't just about Levi any more.

It's not a game over territory or settling an old rivalry.

This is about me.

Levi has become more than a rogue causing trouble, he's a challenger.

"To send a message," Levi says, confirming my thoughts. "He won't want to kill me with as little effort as possible, like he tried earlier, and he won't want to use you in the same way he does the others."

I swallow, knowing the next words before Levi speaks them.

"He wants to prove his strength, get us on our knees, so to speak. To hunt."

My eyes dart back in the direction Levi pointed, but it's of no use. Everything is blurry. And even if I could see clearly, I wouldn't be able to see anything through the trees. There's no way to detect where they're hiding, which shadow conceals them. Could they be watching now?

"We'll be okay," Levi assures, and I realize my breathing has quickened and my fingers tremble. "I've had a lot of practice avoiding other vampires. I know every tactic they can use and how to counter them."

"What do we do now?" Even though the last thing I want is to run—again—I can't fight. I have no idea what I'm doing. At the moment, I'm only a liability.

"I had planned to take you to visit an old acquaintance—another Source," Levi says. "Seems it would be best to expedite our trip."

"They won't follow us?"

"No, the distance is too far, and even so, this is a person even Lucien won't mess with. But he won't be one to pick sides, either. Don't think of this person as an ally."

A hint of relief calms my nerves. "What about the others? My coworkers Kristi and Mags, he already has them—" I can't finish, because Levi probably knows more about the details than I do. "Will he use them? Will he hurt them more because of this?"

Levi takes a long exhale. "They will be kept alive, since he knows you care for them."

That's not very consoling.

"The best thing you can do is learn as much as you can. Vampires are patient, and this will only make it more fun for him. Your friends will suffer no more than usual."

"Do you know what he does, what really goes on?" This is what I need to know, the thought that's haunted me ever since my first day at Transylvania.

"We can talk about it later. For now, I will find a place to spend the night."

I bury my head in his jacket again, and try to believe it really will be okay.

RIP the cabin 🪦

❤️‍🩹 Siberia