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Scarlet got up, her eyes not meeting mine, taking the clothes from my hands. Pushing past me, she left the room, going to the toilet and shutting the door.

Sighing, I dropped onto the chair, retying my boots.

All I wanted was for Scarlet to be safely back home with her family so I could continue on with my quest. I didn’t have time for distractions or to worry about people. That was why I left Budapest.

I knew Brexley, Kitty, and Warwick would’ve stopped me, or knowing Warwick, he’d have come with me. And I couldn’t have that.

This was my mission and mine alone. I couldn’t forget that. This was about Kek and Lucas. Retaliation for their lives and for what was taken from me. I had sworn to them I’d track Sonya and Iain down and make them pay.

It was a vow I would not break, no matter the costs.

I could hardly savor the cold ham and fried eggs, the food skimming past my tastebuds in a hurry to get to my stomach. The night before, I had been too tired to really appreciate Anca’s home-cooked meal. This morning, I scarfed the organic, farm-raised food into my mouth like it was the last meal I would ever see. With my luck, it might.

Sensing Scarlet’s gaze on me, I peered up while guzzling coffee. “What?” The cup clinked on the table as I set it down.

She wagged her head, cutting her egg into small pieces as if she were being graded on her manners.

“Did you chew?” She huffed.

“No, I swallow.” Our gazes locked on each other. The response had popped off my tongue absently, but the moment I noticed the pink in her cheeks, I realized what I had said. My chest and throat tightened. A rush of emotion heated my skin, and I stared down at my plate, my appetite lost.

I sounded the same as the old me. The happy me. The one before I lost everything and became bitter and angry.

Kek and I used to love to tease Lucas with innuendos in front of people to see how long it would take him to turn bright red, hiding a shy smile.

Gods, we were incorrigible.

That part of me had died with them. And I was okay with that. It felt right because how could I feel joy without them, especially so soon? To laugh and tease again with someone else?

The egg in my throat fought to go down, my bones uncomfortable under my skin.

“There is plenty more.” Anca pointed to a plate of cheese and pickled veggies they had stored from the summer months.

“I’m stuffed.” I forced a smile, pushing my plate away. “Thank you.”

Anca frowned. The need to fill my belly until I couldn’t move was baked into hospitality here. She quickly hopped up, taking the plate toward the kitchen area.

“I will pack this up to take with you.”

In the light of the early morning, I could tell Vasile was a lot more restless with our presence in their home, as if the murky rays of sunlight were pointing right down on the house, telling everyone he was harboring fugitives. I understood his unease and told him we would be heading out immediately, though Anca demanded we eat first.

“You can take either one of these paths.” Vasile stubbed his finger on a map he had laid out. “But once you hit Sebe?, keep southeast to get to the caves. They are here.” He circled with his finger. “Bran or Râ?nov is the last place to get any supplies. But be careful. I’ve heard there is a big military presence around that area now. Might be where they are training recruits.” His thick brow flatlined, his lips twisting.

“Military? There?” I asked curiously, sensing unease rising in him.

“There are strange rumors being spoken of that land again.” He stared at the map. “Things people don’t want to talk about.” He went quiet, then shook his head, rubbing his chin, chuckling darkly. “But I guess that’s nothing new for Transylvania.”

To humans, Transylvania had become almost this cartoonish stereotype of vampires who slept in coffins, with peak hairlines, capes, and a cliché Dracula laugh.

The castle was famous and funny enough, but the man who made it so, who wrote the book, had never stepped foot in Romania. Legend blurred the lines of reality and fiction. The castle became famous for this story that people treated as real, and it had nothing to do with vampires.

Not to say it didn’t have its own dark, haunted history, but what lured people there, feeling the magnetic vibes of something they couldn’t explain, was fae magic. It had been a fae stronghold during the first battle between humans and fae, before we had to go into hiding for centuries.

“I appreciate your help.” I rose from my chair.

“Here, take this with you.” Vasile rolled up the map, handing it to me. “The mountain area still might have spells, keeping people away. Just stick to the path.”

“And here.” Anca placed food wrapped in newspaper in my hand. “There are also some herbs in there to ease her pain.”