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Theo shifts closer without hesitation. His arm wraps around my back, his hand comforting against my side. He doesn’t say anything. He just pulls me in. I melt into his chest, my forehead pressed into the curve of his neck.

‘You’re not alone in this, Cupcake. You don’t have to carry it by yourself.’ He pulls back just enough to look at me. His thumb brushes beneath my eye, catching a tear. ‘I’ll be here. Always.’

I try to speak, but I can’t get the words out. The tears feel never-ending as I cry for everything. The mother I didn’t know, for the girl I used to be, for the family that never felt like mine to begin with. For the loss of people in a war I never asked to be a part of, for the lies, for all the changes that were thrown at me.

Theo stays silent, letting me cry on him. His shirt is completely soaked through, but he doesn’t seem to care. Eventually, the sobs slow, and I’m left feeling shaky and raw. He pushes to his feet, pulling me with him. He curls his arm around my legs, cradling me. I press my face against his hard chest, burying against him, not caring where we are going.

We end up in a dark room. We are both quiet as he moves me to the bathroom and bathes me. I dress in a silk robe that feels delightful against my skin. Soft and slippery, which is such a nice contrast to the battle and chaos that have been around me. When we fall into bed with clean sheets, soft materials wrapped around our bodies and damp hair, I feel refreshed.

‘I love you,’ Theo whispers, threading his fingers through my hair. ‘We’ll work it all out. I promise.’

Pulling him close, I lay my cheek against his chest and let the darkness consume me.

I feel better by the morning.

When I open my eyes, I feel a bit lighter. After spending a few moments enjoying the quiet with Theo, I force myself out of bed and dress for the day.

I find Cora and Raya in the kitchen. Cora’s standing at the window, sipping coffee, hair a wild mess, as though she hasn’t slept. Raya’s sitting on the edge of the counter, arms wrapped loosely around her knees, staring into the steam rising from her mug. Theo mentioned that vampires often have a coffee with a few drops of blood in it. I wonder if that’s what they are doing.

Cora glances at me, face hidden behind her mug, and Raya smiles softly in greeting.

‘Good morning,’ I say after a moment.

I grab a mug from the cabinet and pour myself some coffee, more for the comfort of it than anything else. Wordlessly, Cora pushes a blood bag toward me, confirming my thoughts. Acting as though I know what I’m doing, I open it and sprinkle in a few drops.

‘How did you sleep?’ Raya asks.

‘Good, actually. I was exhausted.’

Raya gives me a small smile, gentle and tired. ‘How’s Theo?’

‘He’s fine. As good as expected.’

I lean against the table and sip my drink, the warmth of it grounding me in the silence. It doesn’t quite hit the spot like it used to when I was human. Maybe this is why vampires put blood in it.

‘Hunter?’ I ask.

‘He’s all right,’ she smiles, her eyes flicking to Cora. ‘Kian is probably affected the most by all of this. He’s taken Cas’s death pretty hard.’

‘Of course,’ I murmur, chewing my lip.

‘He won’t admit it, but the betrayal cut him deep,’ Cora says. ‘No one saw that coming.’

I don’t respond to that, since I don’t know the guy. A silence settles over us, but it doesn’t feel uncomfortable.

‘I keep thinking about her,’ I say after a moment, swirling the coffee between my palms. ‘Nyra. About what she said.’

‘Me too,’ Raya says softly. ‘I believe she’s telling the truth. I believe she is our mother. The resemblance is uncanny.’

‘Doesn’t make accepting this any easier,’ Cora mutters, setting her mug down with a little more force than necessary, some of the liquid sloshing over the side. ‘It doesn’t fix anything.’

‘No,’ I agree. ‘But it explains things. Doesn’t it?’

Raya nods. ‘More so for you, than us, I’d guess. We spent our whole life thinking the woman who raised us was our mother. You always knew your family wasn’t your blood.’

She has a valid point. My situation is different from theirs.

Cora exhales, running a hand through her hair. ‘I never felt a true connection with Maree. I always struggled with her. Now it makes sense.’