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“A special person,” I breathed.
The vampire smiled understandingly. “Ah yes, love,” he observed before grabbing red roses and other flowers complimenting the lilies.
I was speechless as I pondered the word he’d said: love. Was he right? Was it love? Wasn’t it natural to want to celebrate the birthday of the woman filling my life? Anyone would have done the same, I was sure.
The vampire handed me a magnificent bouquet in shades of red and white, from rosé to crimson. “It’s perfect!” I said with satisfaction.
I paid the vendor and hurried back to the mansion. Today was going to be a fantastic day.
But a knot formed in my stomach, and my fingers tightened on the bouquet as the mansion came into view. The windows were shattered, and pieces of stained glass littered the floor. My heart raced when I saw that the front door was wide open, off its hinges, with claw marks on the wood. My thoughts collided, and panic took hold of me. I ran as fast as possible, petals escaping from the flowers as they fell victim to the wind. Fear gripped me, and I prayed with all my might that she was all right.
I dropped the bouquet on the floor at the sight of devastation—everything was upside down. The armchairs were torn apart, the fabric peeling away. The walls bore battle scars, and dust still filled the air.
I held my breath when I heard crying coming from the kitchen.
“Are you all right?” I shouted, heading toward the crying. I was desperate for an answer. Please let it be that she was fine.
A desolate sight awaited me. Judith and other servants were on the floor next to the body of my butler. He lay in a pool of blood, his body decimated with scratches and bites. Even with healing powers, it felt unlikely he could still be alive.
Judith’s tear-reddened eyes turned to me. “Master,” she spoke between sobs.
I fell to my knees at the feet of my butler, the man who had been there all my life. Memories ran through my mind, all the times he’d been there for me when I needed him. What had I given in return? I’d been absent the one day someone—something—had attacked my home. I felt guilty; I should have been here to protect them. I took his arm between my fingers. It was already cold and rigid. I waited a few seconds just in case, but there was no pulse.
“He tried to protect us,” Judith added.
She fell into my arms, seeking comfort, as the other servants sought each other.
“Why didn’t you all hide together?” I asked, a knot forming in my stomach. “He’d still be alive! What happened?”
Judith sniffed between sobs. “The werewolves. They came and destroyed everything. We were trying to protect her.”
My blood froze in my veins at this realization. “Esmeralda!” I exclaimed.
I cursed. I should have been better prepared that they’d find her one day. But after so many days since I’d bought her, I’d been certain this pack of savages would never come for her. I knew werewolves protected each other, but this seemed bigger than anything I’d heard about them. For them to come and stage an attack, right in the middle of a vampire city, in broad daylight . . . She must have been important to them. What had she been hiding from me? What was her role in this pack?
“They took her. She screamed to let her go, but they took her anyway.”
A deep pain took hold of me. They had taken the one thing that had chased away my emptiness. They had taken my pet. They had taken my . . . mate.
I froze at this realization. She was my mate. I hadn’t even considered that possibility since she was human. When I think back to the first moment I saw her in the store, the distress when she ran away, the rage at the vampire attacking her, it all came together. It all made sense now.
I snarled, “I’m going to get my mate back!”
My servants’ eyes met mine at these words. Nothing else mattered. I had to find her. The destroyed mansion could wait.
“Rest. We’ll repair the house and give our dear friend a proper burial when I’m back with her.”
They nodded. I was sorry to leave them in a moment of need, but I needed to get her back. It was the only thing I could think of, and the thought overwhelmed me—no, it was a compulsion. I would tear up anyone trying to stop me.
I left the mansion in a hurry. I could faintly smell her lilac scent in the air. They’d been here not long ago. I would make them pay.
The further I went, the stronger the smell became. The trail quickly left Ichoryllia and went into the forest to the west. Soon, with my heightened senses, I could hear the panting of wolves, the noise of cracking branches, and the sounds of someone struggling.
“Let me go!” That was her—she was close.
“Esmeralda!” I yelled. At my voice, the sounds of struggling and cracking branches ceased.
I kept moving toward her scent, but I picked up on the sweaty smell of fur and men. I knew exactly where they were, but they had heard me too. At once, a dozen wolves quickly approached, revealing themselves from the dense forestry. They surrounded me, snarling and baring their teeth menacingly. A man approached. He was at least six feet tall, had a scruff, and short black hair. I thought I was muscular, but this man had arms even bigger than mine. He looked at me hatefully but was wrong if he thought he could intimidate me.
