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“I don’t know yet,” I answer truthfully. “But Alaric and I are looking into it, so please don’t worry.”

She looks like she has more to say about this, but doesn’t. It’s not the first time I returned home bruised and bloodied, but it’s the first time Helena is questioning me about it.

I clear my throat. “Until we deal with the situation, it’s best if the kids arehomeschooled for a couple of days.”

She nods and leaves the room. The corridor isn’t empty, though. Emma stands there, looking like she heard every word of our conversation.

“Fantastic,” I say.

“Who called the house this morning?” she questions.

I try not to notice all these little things about her—like how luminous her skin looks in the sunlight or how the scent of cupcakes lingers playfully in the air.

“I don’t know,” I say.

She narrows her eyes at me. “But you have a suspicion about who it is.”

She’s always had an uncanny ability to see right through me.

Alaric’s words play in my head. It’s the last thing I want to do right now, but it’s better if we get this conversation over with.

“Actually, I need to have a word with you,” I say.

Because I cannot be trusted to be alone in a room with this girl, I meet her in the corridor and close my bedroom door behind me.

She stares up at me with those big doe eyes.

All of the words dry up in my mouth. Just looking at her makes me lose track of all thought.

“What did you want to talk about?” Her husky voice and cupcake scent only makes me want to pull her closer. It makes me think about the way my come was leaking out of her pretty little pussy last night.

I glance down the corridor. It’s empty, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe to talk here.

The walls have ears.

I can’t ask her about her stalker. Not yet.

“The kids will be homeschooled for the next few days,” I say. “I’ve already arranged for the tutors to come here. I wanted to let you know about that.”

“Um, yeah, I heard you telling Helena,” she says.

“Also, the kids shouldn’t be allowed to leave the premises under any circumstances.”

Her eyes widen. “But today is Halloween.”

“And?”

“The kids have been looking forward to this day for weeks,” she says. “I told them they could go trick or treating in the neighborhood.”

“Tell them that there’s been a change of plan,” I say.

“It’s going to break their hearts. They have their costumes ready and everything,” she says.

She looks genuinely distraught by the news.

“They’ve had greater disappointments in life. They’ll get over it,” I say.

“How can you say that?” she remarks.