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And beneath the adrenaline a single question gnawed at me:

What the hell was happening to me?

It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes, felt like seconds, and then I was cutting the corner into my mother’s neighborhood. But I wasn’t about to give myself that much credit. Honestly, I was impressed I didn’t fly right past my mom’s small two-story home, and even more impressed I managed to stop in time. As my eyes adjusted, I spotted the sleek sports car parked at the edge of our driveway.

That glossy black paint was impossible to forget. She leaned casually against the hood, one hand in her hair like she’d been posing there for hours, waiting just to piss me off. And I finally really saw her in the bright daylight. She wore a tight silk shirt that clung to her like static, paired with black leather pants that caught the light. Valentina still had those sunglasses on, cool as hell, like nothing rattled her.

"You made it the easy way, it seems," she beamed, walking toward me. Her stride was catlike, sexy, like I was her prey. "If you'd just let me explain your ability... you’d understand. You’d want to help. But we can’t let you hide among the humans anymore." Her voice was fire, low, fierce, and burning with purpose.

“Hide among humans? We are human—”

She cut me off with laughter that was too wild, too sharp to be normal. I was clearly left out of the joke; I knew I’d been right to call her insane. Only the unwell laughed at nothing. Concern laced my expression as I took her in, and her face finally softened. Maybe she had finally caught the unease in my eyes.

With the calmest tone I’d heard from her, she shook her head. "No, darling. We are not. Especially you. You're of royal blood."

Absolutely nothing she said made sense. If she thought she wasn’t a human, then what in her mentally ill mind could she think? But I egged her on. Stepping closer, I looked her straight in the eyes and asked, “What do you think we are then?" My eyebrow lifted in challenge, like she couldn’t possibly surprise me.

"A vampire, darling," her voice softened with a wicked smile, just as my smug expression vanished.

“I don’t drink blood.” I barked out a laugh right in her face. What kind of fantasy book was she reading? The kind that clearly had castles and lost heirs because this girl was rambling. I was adopted. Not a fucking vampire. I caught my knees as my laughter rumbled through my belly.

"If you'd just let me explain, with your mother present, it would be a lot easier to prove. Stop being such a prude." I should have been insulted. She was going to run my patience thin with that mouth, but she was sick, or if not sick, deep in a psychosis.

Looking her over, I almost felt bad now, clearly she wasn’t in the right mental state, but I did need more information on her. “Fine, you crazy woman. And don’t think I forgot, I still need your insurance. How about we start there first?” I mused, grabbing her arm. Leading her up the cobblestone path to the blue front door, I smirked. Our house wasn’t the biggest on the street, but it held its own with a neat green lawn I mowed every Saturday, and painted off-white with black trim. A house full of memories.

My mind couldn’t help but find what she said interesting. I wondered what she meant, what she thought she knew. The girl seemed certain of herself in a way that made my skin crawl, but I couldn’t let curiosity drag me down some paranoid spiral, so I let it go… for now.

The warmth of home hit me the second I opened the door.

My mom had made this place feel loved, lived-in. That cozy heat clung to you the second you walked inside. Even the air smelled familiar, warm cinnamon and the wild mint she grew around the house.

Photos were everywhere. Me as a baby. Me with missing teeth. Me in uniforms, birthday hats, elbow pads, braces. I was their only child. Every wall said it.

There were pictures of my parents too, framed on shelves, tucked in albums, clipped to the fridge. Those ones were harder to look at. My dad passed a year ago… right before graduation. He wasn’t in the most recent photo. It was just me and my mom. She’d worn this two-piece white set, long slacks and a tank-style blouse. Her hair had been cut into a neat bob after the funeral and she hadn’t grown it out since. I stood beside her in my gold graduation gown, and even through the smile, there was a sadness behind my eyes I couldn’t hide.

It was hard. For both of us.

My mom said she was fine, maybe she even thought she was. But if that was fine, then fine didn’t look like much. She stopped going out. Stopped seeing friends. Stopped everything except work and tending her garden. I tried to believe her, but the truth always showed in the quiet.

I tried to be there for her this past year. But between school and work, I barely kept my own head above water. Some nights I’d just sit in my dorm thinking about Mark and all the unfinished business between us. He never saw me walk the graduation stage. Never saw my first day at the university. He’d always been a distant dad, missing games, missing milestones, but when he was there, he’d been a good man.

At least… that’s what I thought.

But now, whenever I mentioned him, my mom shut down. She avoided talking about him like it physically hurt to say his name.

And something about that had started to feel wrong.

As we stepped inside, the smell hit me instantly, cookies baking in the oven. Cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla… every note sharp and distinct, like I’d never actually smelled them before today.

Beside me, Valentina’s mouth curled into a knowing smile as she watched me breathe it in.

“Mom!” I called out.

The soft shuffle of her footsteps approached from the kitchen. My mother had aged well, sure, a few fine wrinkles, but she didn’t look a day over forty. Not to me.

“Alexander! You’re here—” her eyes flicked to Valentina, widening, “—and you brought a girl!” She pulled me into a hug before I could prepare for it. I held her back, tighter than usual. The warmth of her body spilled straight through me, and for a second, I swear I heard her heartbeat, soft, steady. Her loose brown hair brushed against my nose as I pulled away, carrying that familiar scent I’d grown up with.

Before I could linger in it, a voice knifed through the moment.