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EMMA

T his can’t be real.

Seraphina died in a car crash along with her husband. There’s no way she’s standing in front of me looking exactly like she did in the portrait.

“You recognize me,” she states.

“I thought you were?—”

“Dead?” she says. “Well, yes, that’s what I wanted everyone to believe.”

My stomach drops. “Why?”

“That’s a long story,” she says. “Are you going to invite me inside?”

I continue staring at her. Her raven hair is longer than it was in the portrait.

Her blue-gray eyes are flat as they stare back at me.

Even though her expression is calm, there’s an unmistakable aura of rage simmering beneath the surface.

My breath hitches in my lungs when I see the gun she’s holding in her hand.

“Why do you have a gun?” I ask her.

“Because I have unfinished business,” she says, taking a step toward me.

When I don’t move out of her way, she lifts the gun and aims it at me.

“What are you doing?” I ask, sucking in a deep breath.

“I suggest you get out of my way, Emma,” she says. “You seem like a sweet person, but I’ve been waiting for this moment for far too long.”

Her gaze slides to something over my shoulder.

“Hello, Brother,” she says.

“Sera,” Klaus whispers brokenly.

The thick emotion in his voice makes my heart shatter. I glance over at my fiancé. He’s looking at his sister like he’s caught in a trance. And then he notices the gun she’s pointing at me.

Everything about him hardens.

“Put the gun down, Sera,” he says sternly.

“Take me to him,” she says, walking past me. “I know you have him. Take me to the bastard.”

Out of my peripheral vision, I see people spilling out of the room where we were all gathered. I hear the gasps and muffled whispers.

But all of my focus remains on Klaus. I’ve never seen him look this broken before, not even when he was telling me about all the things he endured in the war.

“Where have you been, Sera?” he asks her. “You made us think that you were dead.”

“You never really believed that,” she says, squaring off with her brother.

“The children mourned you,” he says.

Her expression falters at the mention of the kids. Her blue-gray eyes cloud with immense sadness, more than a person should be capable of holding. But she collects it all and sets it aside like she’s used to the pain.

“It had to be like this,” she says. “Whatever I did, I did it for them too.”

“Why?” he asks.

“I was waiting for you to capture him,” she says. “However, I didn’t predict it would take you so long. Where is he, Klaus?”

I look at Klaus. Every instinct in me tells me to hold him and comfort him because I know he needs me right now.

“The basement,” Klaus says.

She storms past us, looking like an avenging angel with the gun in her hand. Nobody stops her. Nobody follows her. A few moments later, we hear the gunshots. The sound is slightly muffled,but the screaming that follows is unmistakable. Seraphina just shot a man.

Klaus walks up to me and gently cups my elbow.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

I stare at him incredulously. His sister just came back from the dead, and this man is asking me if I’m okay.

“Are you ?” I ask. “What’s going on, Klaus?”

He opens his mouth to speak, but he doesn’t say a thing.

“Did you know that she was alive this whole time?” I ask him.

“It’s a long story, Emma,” he says. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“Who’s in the basement?” I ask.

The screams continue like a macabre melody, sending spikes of fear through me.

“Her husband,” he says.

“The kids’ father is alive too?” I ask. “And you’ve had him here this whole time?”

“We only found him a few days ago,” he says. “We’ve been searching for him for months. I knew he was out there somewhere, and I had a gut feeling he would lead us to my sister.”

“Is he...dangerous?” I ask.

“He’s a worthless piece of scum, but he’s not a danger to you or the kids,” Klaus says. “The basement is extremely secure.”

“I wish you had told me, Klaus,” I say.

“I was going to,” he says. “There are still a lot of things I need to tell you.”

The memory of last night trickles into my mind—the strange woman who banged on my door, ultimately saving all of us from the fire. I can still see her vividly in the back of my mind. I can still see her long black hair and the lace veil covering her face.

I can still feel her eyes on my skin.

“You’re upset with me,” Klaus says.

I shake my head. “It’s just a lot to take in.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispers.

“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about,” I say, moving closer to him and wrapping my arms around his torso. “I’m just surprised that your sister andbrother-in-law are still alive.”

Someone taps my arm.

I turn to look at my friends. Their eyes are still a little glazed from the wine, but they look like they can’t wait to get the hell out of here. And honestly, I don’t blame them.

“We’re going home,” Gigi says. “Do you want to come with us?”

I shake my head. “No, I’m okay. Thank you for coming to see me.”

“Are you sure?” Ophelia asks, giving Klaus the side-eye. She’s always been suspicious of him and never bothered to hide it.

“I’m sure,” I say, hugging my three friends.

Alaric steps forward. “Let me drop you girls home.”

Gigi and Olivia wave goodbye and walk with Alaric, but Ophelia stays put. She watches Klaus through narrowed eyes.

“If you ever break her heart again, I will come for you,” she warns him.

Despite everything, I laugh softly.

“That’s not necessary, babe,” I say to her.

She gives him the universal “I’ll be watching you” hand signal before walking away.

“I like your friends,” Klaus says. “They’re very protective of you.”

I glance back inside the house. My friends left in a hurry for a reason. There haven’t been any more gunshots, but I can still hear the muffled screams of a man in agony.

“What is she doing to him?” I ask.

“Revenge,” Klaus says. “She’s been waiting her whole life for this moment.”

“I’m sure he deserves it,” I whisper.

Klaus looks at me, his eyes intense. There’s so much depth to this man. So much turmoil, so much pain.

He cups the back of my neck and leans down to crush his mouth against mine. He kisses me like he needs me for sustenance.

His mouth writes promises against my lips—of loyalty, trust, and everlasting love.

Our paradise is fractured by the scent of vanilla and nutmeg in the air. Every scent has a memory, and this one takes me back to the night when I found the diary. I had a feeling then that someone was in the room with me, hidden among the shadows.

I pull away from Klaus.

I see a figure in my peripheral vision. Black hair, long white nightgown, slender frame. It’s the girl from last night.

Klaus follows my gaze to the balustrade.

“Fuck,” he curses under his breath.