Keller passed terrified hikers and paid them no mind. He didn’t want anything to do with them. They were nothing. They didn’t matter.
The wind blew colder. The trees looked more barren than they had earlier.
How far had he traveled? How many days had passed?
Sometimes, it felt like he’d only taken a few steps from the house. Other times his body ached so terribly he wanted to lie down and never get up.
Night fell again, but he couldn’t remember how many times night had fallen since he had left the house. Lack of sleep made it impossible to take in any details aside from the feeling of the earth beneath his paws.
Then, just like that, the earth vanished.
He hit the ground hard, skidding across rocky terrain before coming to a stop. Only now did he realize how cold it was. His thick fur kept the cold out, but there was still a noticeable difference.
He blinked to clear his vision, but it wouldn’t clear.
He brought his hand up to rub his eyes. Wait, hand?
He stared at the blurry outline of his hands. When had he shifted back? What the hell was going on.
He sat up. No, wait, he hadn’t moved at all. He tried again. And again. And again.
“You know what the definition of insanity is, right?” A smooth female voice spoke from somewhere on his left. He tried to look but couldn’t move his neck.
“It’s trying something over and over again, getting the same result yet expecting a different one.”
Keller tried to sit up and failed yet again.
“That’s what I’m talking about. It’s important that you lie still. You’re caught in a rune trap. When I deactivate it, it’s very important that you don’t run off. Can you give me an indication that you understand me?”
Keller tried to say yes, but all that came out was a grunt.
“I’m going to take that as a yes but be warned. If you try to get away, I will catch you. I’m faster, stronger, and not afraid to break your bones as a means to keep you from getting away.”
Her voice wasn’t the one he’d heard in his head. This wasn’t the Maiden. Who the hell was it?
“Okay, the trap is deactivated.”
Keller didn’t feel a change. He still couldn’t move very well.
“Looks like you need a little help.”
Keller felt his arms move, though he wasn’t the one moving them. Dirt, pebbles, and twigs stabbed into his back as he was dragged somewhere else. His vision hadn’t cleared yet.
Two pale hand-like shapes took him by the shoulders and propped him up against a cold, smooth surface.
“I thought you’d appreciate a cool stone,” she said. “You’re burning up. You didn’t stop once, did you?”
“Stop?” he mumbled.
“You said a full word. That’s progress.”
“Who?” He could only get out the first word.
“Who am I?”
He moved in a way that might’ve resembled a nod, but it was hard to be sure.
“My name is Celeste. You don’t know me, and you have no reason to trust me, but if you don’t listen to me, we’re both going to die.”
“Cel—” was all he got out.
“Yes, Celeste.”
“Vampire.” His vision slowly returned to him. It wasn’t crystal clear yet, but he could make out the face of the shocked woman in front of him.
Her black hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun. Her skin was as pale as the snow that surrounded them.
Keller didn’t realize he’d entered a snowy region. Where was he?
“How did you know that?” she hissed.
“Lucien.”
Her mouth dropped open. Tears filled her sapphire-blue eyes.
“You know my husband? Is he all right? Is he safe?”
Keller knew Lucien had been around the house that night. He was ninety percent sure he was in the dungeon when Holly had spoken to him.
Strong, cold hands gripped his shoulders. “Tell me if he’s all right.”
Keller couldn’t feel the stone against his back or the snow under his bare legs. He didn’t care that he was naked in front of a stranger.
“Shit,” Celeste muttered. “You haven’t eaten or slept in days. You’re in bad shape. I get that, but I need you to pull it together and listen to what I have to say.” Her words sounded like rushing water.
Keller struggled to keep his eyes open.
“Don’t you dare!” Celeste pled. “If you don’t get it together, I’m going to have to take you to a place neither of us wants to be.”
Keller tried to grasp her words, but they slipped right through his brain.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT—TREVOR
It’d been four days since he received any kind of update for Lucien.
Trevor didn’t know whether to consider that a good thing or a bad thing. For most of his life, especially where his father was concerned, no news was often good news. Every time someone called with news about his father, it was always something terrible.
Hopefully, the same rule rang true.
He wanted to know how Holly was more than anything.
Every night, he laid in bed unable to sleep. They had only shared a bed for one night but, somehow, he’d gotten used to her being there. Her hair smelled nice splayed out on the pillow beside him. He ran hot, but it was nice to have another warm body beside him.
Plus, if she was in bed next to him, he didn’t have to stay up all night, worrying if she was alive or not.
“Beryl, do you think it’s wise if I have another drink before my little get-together tonight?” he asked from his usual seat at the bar. He’d come in every night since Holly left.
He should’ve gone with her.
No matter how
