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After Lukas showered, I laid in his arms on the bed. I was pretty sure he dozed off for a while. I know I did, but not before I played with his fresh, clean hair. While I stared at him, I watched his chest rising and falling and I could have sworn I saw the blood he’d drunk continue to work its magic. It seemed almost as if I could see the life returning to the individual cells of his body, the way his skin seemed to waver and change. I couldn’t identify it exactly; it was almost more like a knowing. Perhaps saying I could see it with energetic eyes may have been more accurate. I could see it, but I couldn’t see it.

When I woke up, I marveled at more of the same, trailing my fingers back and forth across his skin.

Then his chest stilled. “Are you staring at me?”

“I am. Can you blame me?” I felt rather than saw his smirk. He knew he was beautiful. How could he not? He wasn’t a television vampire that didn’t have a reflection.

He grabbed me and pulled me on top of him. “Now you’re staring,” I said.

“I’m counting every little freckle on your nose and cheeks. Eternity is a long time, things can change. I want to keep track.”

My skin felt hot. “You’re corny.”

“I’m something,” he murmured, tugging me higher and kissing me before he thought it would be a fantastic idea to count my orgasms instead of the tiny dots on my cheeks.

We showered together, something I never thought I’d do with a man. I’d always been too self-conscious to do it before. That went away pretty fast when I admitted to myself that it was inevitable. Neither of us were going anywhere again without the other.

While I towel dried my hair, I asked him, “What happened up there, on the mountain? We saw stuff down here. There was more lightning. Some thunder. Then there was this crazy bright light. Are they gone?”

He knew I meant Wyvon and Annalise. “They are. I should probably let Elijah know. Come downstairs with me and we can talk about it. There’s another topic to discuss, as well.”

We both dressed. Lukas in the formal-style clothes he preferred and me in leggings and a hoodie. I was still emotionally raw and wanted the comfort of loose, casual clothing.

Elijah and Selena were waiting in a room that reminded me of a small parlor. Couches with carved wooden trim and soft edges were set apart, with a short coffee table in between. A bookcase with glass doors was tucked in a corner and a floor to ceiling window brought bright sunlight into the space.

Elijah poured Lukas a glass of blood and handed it to him.

“The Kakian army was here, a portion of it. They somehow missed Juliet’s house, and they never entered the village. Their focus was solely on the castle. I’m sure they were here exclusively for Cassia,” Elijah said.

Lukas sat down and I settled beside him. “The unicorn. It killed them?” He asked.

“Yes. It didn’t leave a single man alive.”

Lukas and Elijah talked about what Lukas went through, on his way to meet Annalise and Wyvon, the battle, and his journey back.

“I know who Kate is. She’s friends with Samantha, Ramone’s wife. I’ve only seen her once. You’re lucky it was her and not some of the others you could have run into. Some of these women would slit their own wrists in front of you. I’m sure she appreciates you saving her life.” Elijah took a sip of his drink. “It's a very small world around here,” he said pointedly.

“I’ve gathered that,” Lukas replied. “I don’t know where Annalise went. She’s still out there, somewhere. I can’t feel her anymore and that’s unusual. She’s always kept a tight grip.”

Selena spoke up. “Why, do you think she’ll show up here?” Elijah appeared mildly concerned about the idea.

“No, I suspect she won’t. Not if she wants to stay alive,” Lukas answered.

“But it's a possibility?” I asked.

He glanced at me. “Anything is possible.”

I remembered the crows. “I used a crystal ball to try and call Kiam to help. He wasn’t answering Elijah’s emails or messages. All I saw in the crystal ball were birds, and then we saw a black cloud over the mountains. I thought... no I hoped, it would be crows. That Kiam sent them to help you.”

He grabbed my hand. “You have no idea how to use a crystal ball,” he said. “But yes, the crows came.”

“Did they do anything?”

A small smile tilted his lips. “They did. They helped me. Thank you.”

“How did you end Wyvon?” Elijah asked, stroking his chin with a couple of fingers.