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I opened the cushion beneath me and pulled one of the shirts I left stored in case of emergencies during feedings. In the past, Raphael had left our sessions with soiled attire, which Noah reprimanded the two of us for. At this moment, it proved to work in our favor.

Katerina turned in the cushion, her face falling onto my line of sight as her eyebrows knitted across her forehead. Her lips motioned as if she was whispering. I scooted to her side, sparking a reflex that led my fingers to caress her temples. Cold sweat trickled from her forehead, my touch swiping them away alongside the crease still embedded between her eyebrows.

“It’s okay, Katerina.”

You like her.Tristan's comment resounded within my mind, the three words stretching into a treble. It was absurd as it held no embodiment. I’d never felt attraction, never seized the desire to develop a close relationship. Katerina’s and I’s relationship still upheld itself on a rocky foundation, yet, I couldn’t help but enable my pillars to sink underneath it.

Katerina stirred the turmoil that I had kept at bay. Feelings that had been buried with our mother. Yet, the overwhelming sense of hope unfolded, an obscure warmth blanketing it.

Before I could confront such revelations, her episodes came to mind.

The Human Bureau and the Ministry designed the Interchange Act to nearly forbid humans from transitioning into vampires. After our mother, no other human-turned-vampire was born as she was the testament to the supposed miracle transitioning bestowed. The complications were too grave, and she was the prime example of what could occur if anyone dared to go through it.

But one detail never accounted for in the media was her burden of marrying into a Regal Family and bearing seven heirs one after the other. It had depleted the little mental state she had relegated all alone.

What I witnessed with the two confirmed it was impossible for Katerina to be a transitioned vampire.

Katerina inhaled a sharp breath, her body rising away from my touch. The hollowness in the loss immediately settled as I took her in. Her hair detached from its disheveled knot and cascaded over her shoulders, the length of the waves nearly reaching the floor. Her eyes gleamed with the familiar icy green hue as our gazes met.

Green was slowly becoming my favorite color.

“You’re awake,” I muttered faintly.

“What happened?” Her eyes trembled as she bit away at her thumb, the claws she bore completely gone.

“My apologies, Katerina.” I cleared my throat, attaining the profound inflection I’d briefly lost. “Everything is fine, but I authorize you to have the rest of the day off.”

“Wait—” Katerina stopped shuddering, and now the familiar heat seized her expression. “What happened, Alek?”

The limousine paused before the inner gate that had yet to open. “We will discuss it later. You are excused.”

The worrisome curiosity didn’t melt away, but she did as I asked. Katerina swiftly exited the car and vanished beyond the trees. Though she appeared fine, the knots in my stomach continued to burrow.

When the driver pulled into the driveway, I recognized the limousine that occupied the side space and stuffed the damaged shirt away. To my knowledge, we weren’t expecting a visitation from the Ambrogios— unless it was an act of surprise.

Bodies crowded the foyer, all seven Ambrogio sisters before us sporting eloquent outfits in varying shades of the rainbow.

After my greeting and quick apologies, Christopher announced, “Let’s move over to the dining room, shall we?” We all followed him, Anabella on his side as she whispered untraceable words. Raphael met my side, though Gia, the youngest and on par with his age, trailed near him. There was no need to share words as his gaze asked,What happened?

I slightly shook my head,Nothing.

Our routines followed suit.

Each of my brothers sat beside their accustomed betrothed within the expansive table. Davina, on the other hand, sat before me, her back to the foyer.

Jacque followed on my other side with Esmeralda, her twin, Fortuna between her and Jacob, and at the very end of the other side was Gia and Raphael. Although the three youngest sisters were from the third mother within the Ambrogio name, they resembled their older siblings, their feats closely corresponding with the older four.

Murmurs arose into extended conversations, Davina’s eyes dawning on me. “Oh, Alek, your delayed feeding backtracked us.”

“My apologies,” my tongue quickly responded. She was the first to initiate the conversation when together. It was identical to the routine I bore with my brothers because, like them, Davina held authority over me in one way or another.

Her pale hair was pulled into a bun, further chiseling her angular features. Round, rose-pink lips stretched into a thin line while deep gray eyes pricked against my flesh like knives.

“No worries, sweetheart,” she responded, her tone disguising the hostility. With each visit, a blazing hatred intensified through her words and glare. The feeling was mutual.

Servants entered the dining room with goblets filled with crimson red blood, the sweet, metal aroma flooding the space. Yet, I lacked the desire to feed.

“The ball's underlying theme has been approved,” Anabella mentioned.