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“It’s no often anyone manages to sneak up on me.” He rosein one fluid motion, brushing his knees with an old-world precision that somehow fit him perfectly, despite looking barely older than I was. His crooked smile held a hint of approval.

“I think you might’ve been distracted.” I raised an eyebrow, passing him a mug. He placed it on the dresser behind him without drinking it.

“Aye, perhaps.” He slid his hands into his pockets.

“So what’s the verdict?” I took a sip of coffee, studying the floor.

He spoke with a soft cadence. “You’ve quite a gift with the pencil. Your memory’s captured me more truly than I would have imagined a human mind capable.” He smirked. “I’d be flattered if I wasnae already so naturally modest.”

A blush crept up into my cheeks. “I didn’t even realise it was you until I’d finished them,” I admitted. “They’re from before – before I knew who you were.”

Nicholas said nothing to that, and I let it lie. It was becoming more and more apparent that I needed to address what there was between us – the pull I felt with him was undeniable, prophecy or no prophecy. But this evening had brought other concerns to light that were probably more crucial than my personal life.

I took a sip, my mind back at Seven. The sight of the massacre kept replaying in my mind – not just the horror of it, but what it meant for me and, well, my friends. Solace had seemed genuinely afraid of her attacker, which probably meant I should be way more afraid than I had been so far.

“What you said at the warehouse,” I began. “About vampireblood being taboo. What did you mean?”

The faint lines around Nicholas’s mouth pulled downward into a frown. “Tis… unnatural. Wrong. I havnae heard of one who fed on their own kind for many a year – though it offers strength far beyond the norm.”

Fan-fucking-tastic.“So this woman… she’s stronger than other vamps?” I put my rapidly cooling mug down. “Could she be stronger than you?”

His jaw tightened. “I cannae say for certain. I’ve lived a long time, but I’ve only heard whispers of such things. The consequences… Those who feed on their own become somethin’ else entirely. Somethin’… unstable.”

“That feeling I had there – I could tell it was wrong. Like the air had gone rancid.” I shuddered. “If this woman is as powerful as Solace claims…”

“Then we’ll need to take more care, aye.” Nicholas finished. “But at least now we ken what we’re facin’.”

I nodded, though it wasn’t exactly a comforting thought. “I guess it explains why the regular vampire deaths have been increasing, too. They’re not just killing to frame you – they’re feeding to grow stronger.”

We stood in the quiet for a few moments, and I turned this over. I should have been having a complete meltdown over the idea of it – but with Nicholas by my side, the coming fight was a little less daunting. I knew he was a big part of the reason Jon and Maggie had died, and the other women too… but I couldn’t bring myself to wish him away. To wish he’d never come here.

“I meant what I said before,” I ventured, watching his facefor any reaction. “About you being in my head. I don’t understand it, but…” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Being near you affects me, and not just because of what you are. You feel…” I searched for words that wouldn’t sound insane. “Right. Like you fit into spaces I didn’t know were empty.”

His mouth twitched into a smile again, and I returned it like it was the most natural thing in the world, despite my embarrassing frankness.

“We’re different.” He sighed, and I averted my eyes. “But we balance each other well, I think.”

I ran a hand through my hair and nodded. Intense green eyes followed the gesture.

“When I first met Jon…” My voice caught. “I thought he might be the missing piece. I’d spent so long watching everyone else figure it out – falling in love, falling apart, moving on.” The memories ached less than they used to. “And there was something there with him – not romantic, but… it wasn’t him I was sensing, was it?” I caught Nicholas’s gaze through my lashes. “It was you, all along. Your connection to him. That’s why the emptiness never went away.” I traced the rim of my mug. “It was selfish of me to keep him close. But I suppose… it was in case I never found you. And I didn’t know youexisted.”

“It wisnae selfish, Erin – how could you’ve known?”

His lilting accent wrapped around the words like a balm, speaking truths I’d never been able to voice.

“I know.” The whisper felt raw in my throat. “After he died, everything felt… darker.”

“Aye, I expect it did.” His voice held centuries ofunderstanding. “But you dealt with his presence in your life far better than I ever managed, when in a similar position.”

I sank down, his history pressing in. His diaries had only prepared me for so much. Nicholas settled beside me, close enough that I could feel the cool air around him, but not quite touching.

“Might you begin to ken my frustration?” he asked.

I met his gaze – eyes dark with memory, seeking something in my face. And I said the words I never thought I’d say.

“I think so.”

He flashed a quick smile, but it was clear he didn’t believe me.