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“It’s more than that, it’s a pure bond.” She paused losing her train of thought just for a moment. “But first, I need to tell my father you’re awake. He’s been worried. Honestly… you’re only the second vampire known to transition like this at nineteen. The other was one of the Originals.” Valentina had a way of whiplashing me with her words. Each time she had opened her mouth had my mind blown in awe.

Being the second person in history felt strange. That meant no one had any idea what could be happening to me, or if there was more to come. If the only other person who could give me clarity was missing, where did that leave me? It left me exactly where I was before, not knowing a damn thing about myself. The only thing I knew for certain was that I came from Eliza. But she was the reason I was in this mess, and Victor. I tried to keep my face from scrunching, but my nose flared anyway.

A heavy sigh left my lungs as I tried to clear the irritation from my system. It flared quickly, but my control was quicker. “This dormant trait only seems to show up if the kid isn’t in Velarune?” I curiously asked. “Does that mean vampires originated from here?”

The mattress dipped when Valentina shook her head her body shifting with the motion. “No, actually,” a smile tugged at her lips as she placed a hand on my chest. It sent a jolt through my system that I ignored. “The first were created on earth. Velarune came to be a century after them, but no family has been so reckless since. They had no reason to send a baby away—to test the unknown.”

Even with the best adoptive mother and an all right adoptive dad, that didn’t replace the fracture that abandonment installed in me. Knowing more about the origin of that scar provided the clarity I needed. I wasn’t the only party that was hurt in the process. Eliza was hurt the most; her painful screams echoed in my head as I looked up to Valentina. Keeping a cool expression on my features, I smiled up at her and said, “You’re going to have to tell me more about how it was all made one day.”

“Well, of course, since you can’t get a proper vampiric education, I’ll have to suffice in being your tutor,” she laughed, as she cupped my cheeks, squeezing them together. A laugh pulled from my chest as I shook her grip free of my face.

“I’m honored, but don’t ever pinch my cheeks again,” I tried sounding stern, but failed.

Val’s laugh chimed softly, sending a tingle to every muscle in my body as she joined in. When she finally calmed down, Valentina bit her bottom lip before asking, “Do you feel… different?” The question came out quiet, her curiosity light and warming.

Words couldn’t cover it. The moment my spirit was forced out of my body, something shifted. The mist had given me clarity—purpose—and left something behind in return. I didn’t just feel different, I felt renewed and sharp. Complete was the only word that came to mind. A tingle pulsed in my chest, like a piece of me was missing… replaced by something colder. The transition didn’t just activate dormant traits. It allowed something ancient to crawl its way in and burrow deep inside my soul.

“Yeah,” I said evenly. “I do feel different. But… how long was I out? You said it’s my birthday?” I needed the subject change.

Valentina's face scrunched in distaste, remembering the timeframe. “According to my father, you collapsed shortly after I left for the Northern Mountains.” She sighed heavily as her hand traveled back down my chest with ease, rubbing circles subconsciously. I don’t even think she notices how much she was touching, just doing it effortlessly as like it was natural to her. I had to keep my eyes from falling to her as she continued. “I didn’t return until the next morning. He said no matter what he tried, you wouldn’t wake. Your body was burning and stiff.”

The memory flashed through the back of my mind, my body hitting the floor when the burning took hold of me. There was no escape from it. I had to push it down as the memory of the heat threatened my veins. “He brought me in here?” I asked, looking around the lavish room in its entirety. It was bigger than my room in Ash Town by a mile. It was more like a small apartment than a room.

She exhaled. “Yes, he did. I had to have Elaine show me where he kept you. He tried making me stay away. I couldn’t, though,” she admitted with no shame. “You only started to cool around dawn. I assume that was the shift we were waiting for. In total… it had been three days.”

“Three days?” I echoed, stunned. “It didn’t feel that long.” That dream barely felt like it had lasted twenty minutes. The fact that seventy-two hours were wasted in a bed was criminal. If I were back home, my mom would have had my ass for even trying it.

“You were lucky to be out, too; you would’ve seen how worried I’d been on my Soulpass. It wasn’t a very pleasant day.” She said sheepishly. Pushing myself up, I leaned against the headboard as a foreign word slipped out of her mouth so effortlessly. It also made me uneasy that she was worried about me; she shouldn’t have been, but then again, she was just as clueless as I was about the transition.

“Am I supposed to know what a Soulpass is?” I asked as my shoulder nudged hers.

“Oh yes, I forgot. You are used to the human term. It’s a birthday,” She answered, biting her lip. “But much more elegantly phrased than a birthday. It’s your soul’s day; the day you pass the threshold from spirit to realm. Soul pass.” She explained.

That was a beautiful term. I could see how it was comparable to a birthday. There was a texture to the word that just felt lyrical rather than just the clinical human term. Then it struck me, she said hers had just passed. “Wait, it was your birthday too, then? What day?” Suddenly, I felt guilty that she was worried about me in this bed rather than enjoying her own day.

There was a blush to her cheeks as she realized the omission. “It was yesterday,” she admitted with a sheepish grin. That actually surprised me. I thought she had been older, not because she looked it, but because the way she carried herself was timeless. Valentina had a way of captivating and demanding a room, even when quiet. She wielded authority like it was hers only to command, but I didn’t expect her to be born just a day before me, no matter the gap.

My gaze deepened as I took her in, really assessing her. She looked my age, but that wasn’t any indication because everyone here seemed dipped in youth. “I’m sorry I missed it,” I whispered to her, bumping her shoulder once more. I dipped my head closer, my words ghosting over her ear, “How old are you exactly?"

Valentina's chest rose within the confines of her dress as an air laugh escaped her throat. Resting her hand against her throat, she tried to contain her giggles but failed. “Do you think I’m one hundred, Alexander?” She teased, raising a brow. “Or maybe even a thousand?” She offered.

A deep chuckle rumbled through my chest, not able to help but be amused by her. I ran my fingers through my curls, and I brushed the stray ringlets free from my face. They felt longer than my usual ear length, even heavier as I shook them, letting them fall free. The chestnut strands cascaded around me in waves, draped over my chest.

What the fuck? I needed a mirror.

Pushing the thought to the side, I glanced back up at Valentina with a smirk. “Just tell me,” I asked with my voice soft, no weight behind it.

“I’m nineteen,” Valentina replied with a smile. “But that is of no importance, Alexander; there are more things at stake.” She was just as good at changing a topic as I was because my mind wandered towards what mattered. My mother was one of them… then the matter of Mark.

“What about Arianna? And my parents—have they shown up yet?”

My mother’s transformation finished today. I hadn’t forgotten about her for one moment. There were so many things I wanted to say to her, and so many questions unanswered. Most importantly, I needed to know she was okay. There was no place where I was that I didn’t want her to be. That’s the whole reason I stayed so close to her when I went to college. That connection had meant more than anything, so even though I had questions, they were never going to be accusatory. She had her reasons. But my biggest fear was whether she could ever forgive me. There were no words to apologize for what I had done. For what Valentina had done. I had taken the world away from her, which was priceless. Life itself. I didn’t know what this new life would be like, but I knew it would be different from the one she knew.

A part of me wanted to see Mark, too. He was a complicated blur in my vision. That was so strange, even in this first hour of my waking, the world was clear. Not like three days ago, that was only a small glimpse at clarity; this was something more. Even with that precision, he was foggy. I wasn’t sure if that had to do with my judgment or my emotions. I didn’t like either option.

“Your parents should arrive at the next dawn. Arianna’s already heading back to the portal to greet them.” She gave me a look. “But you need to stay here. The entire estate is up and moving, and no one knows you’re here—except my father and Head Maiden Elaine.”

The grand room suddenly felt small as she laid out the stakes so plainly. Glancing around, I took in the layered elegance saturated in deep, rich colors. Red brick walls stretched toward a balcony at the far end. Two doors branched off on the right side of the room likely a closet and a bath. The bed was cloud-soft, piled with pillows, draped in a thick red comforter. Its carved dark-oak frame sat beneath a curtain hanging behind the headboard like a crown.