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“Where is he?”

“He’s returned to his post, but he’s been wandering the grounds since morning.”

I sensed my body stilling, and my jaw set as the memories of our day together in the garden surfaced. The man’s tall stature had towered over Katerina, and from a distance, I deciphered a shadowy gloom in his appearance. His narrowed eyes evaded mine as she’d parted from him, vanishing into the bushes.

Brutish panic enclosed my chest, one so potent that it reverberated the forgotten sensation from the night our mother passed.

“Did you search for her?” The words slipped through gritted teeth.

“Yes, she’s nowhere to be found,” Tristan responded with a stern tone that attempted to submerge his alarm.

That’s impossible.

We were meant to meet today. If Tristan hadn’t discovered her across the grounds or within the household, then that signified. . .

“Go to the cemetery, specifically the mausoleum.”

“Where will you go?” He fell behind my tracks.

“The lake.”

I blurred across the household and through the forest, halting onto the shore that met the water. The sun had completely vanished from the sky, replaced by a muted crescent, a cool breeze traveling along the air and nestling my body whole. The faint light shined upon the lake’s surface, the surrounding mountains and trees embracing the obscurity.

A vampire’s senses heightened at night, and in my current dismay, multiplied tenfold as a cloud of fright weighed against my bones.

I need to find her.

I reached the edge of the pier. Amidst the lake floated webs of hair, the strands accenting against the dark water’s surface. Distant memories hardened my skin, yet I overlooked them. There were no thoughts, no calculations that stopped me from descending into the water.

It had been years since I’d dipped into the lake, yet the waves accepted me, my muscles tense as I swam faster. Further.

I snatched Katerina into my embrace, her body limp as I brought her closer. The panic flourished into a burrowing fury— it electrified my veins until my skin burned. Whodareddo this to her?

“Katerina,” I rasped, the words nearly a wail, “I’m here. Wake up,please.”

At that moment, coughs escaped her lips, her arms wrapping around my neck with great force. I swam back to the pier, the tension in my muscles lulling as I sensed her warmth radiate profusely.

“Alek.” A sob echoed against my neck, her fingers traveling and intertwining into my hair. They were soft touches, as though she was studying me, confirming that I was here with her. “Make it stop.”

Harsh steps jerked along the pier, Tristan jogging toward us as I reached the edge. He helped me with Katerina, holding her as I steadied onto the wooden boards. Tristan and I didn’t exchange any words. A silent plan came about between us.

He rested Katerina in my arms, her curved body curling into my chest. Her forehead nuzzled into my collarbone. Both of her hands balled into my drenched shirt as her whimpers continued. Her breathing steadied. Her body appeared unharmed.

She was safe.

The proof rested in my arms, yet it didn’t numb the raging desire to slaughter whoever did this to Katerina. Never had I felt such blinding wrath— not even toward my brothers.

Tristan followed my lead as I motioned away from the gates and through the guardian concourse. A metallic scent trailed behind us until we reached the infirmary.

I rested Katerina upon the barren bed, her drenched body slumping while I neared her side. Katerina’s nostrils flared as she took in a sharp breath. She hastily straightened against the bed’s board, and Tristan leveled a bin before her, Katerina immediately tipping her head into it as she retched.

Tristan tapped against my shoulder and stepped outside. Katerina tugged at my shirt before I could stand. “Stay.”

“I wasn’t planning on leaving.” I studied her, tracing the sharp curves on her face, the hollowness that deepened her under-eyes. Though exhaustion resided in her eyes, her gaze penetrated through me, clenching my chest. “I’ll be quick.”

Before I could settle beside her, I stepped out the door where Tristan oversaw the pool.

“You need to question her,” he said. “If this was the intruder, then. . .”