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“N one of that makes me feel good about going in there.” Isabel stood outside the door, which Sebastian had just unlocked with an old brass key. She crossed her arms not out of stubbornness, but because acting tough made her feel less afraid.

Sebastian hovered just inside the doorway, a concerned look on his face. “But we’re already here, dolcezza . I can’t send you back home now. And while I suppose you are free to wander the city instead, I can’t guarantee your safety that way.”

“I don’t want to stay out here, no. But I need a little bit of encouragement, not a reminder of how much more danger I’m in if I don’t go inside.

” She shivered and hugged herself tighter.

Sebastian’s face softened and he stepped back onto the cobblestone street.

He wrapped his arms around her, and despite her misgivings, she felt her muscles melt into his embrace.

“Sorry…I’m just a little nervous about what I have to do, and I guess I was trying to reassure myself by reassuring you.” He grimaced, guilt heavy in his cheeks and eyelids. “Let’s get in and get you to bed, okay? No one will bother you in my private quarters.”

She nodded a small nod and Sebastian walked the pair of them inside without releasing his embrace.

It was cold and dark, especially when the door clicked shut behind them.

Sebastian locked it and resumed holding her.

Everything was made of stone: the floors, the walls, even the ceiling.

Just like Sebastian’s castle, the passageway flickered with torchlight that gave very little warmth.

What struck her the most was the deafening quiet.

It felt heavy on her eardrums, like the silence was laying siege on her hearing.

Her own breathing sounded like roaring winds that she tried to still.

As they walked down the passageway, her shoes shuffled against the stone and echoed away as if announcing their arrival.

Her subconscious expected a rabid and snarling vampire around every corner, spiking her heart rate over and over.

It only took three or four turns for Isabel to feel completely lost. All the passageways looked exactly the same. If somehow this had all been a long-running trap, well? She was well and truly trapped now.

After what felt like forever, Sebastian stopped in front of an unassuming steel door. He pulled another key out of his pocket and inserted it into the lock. A loud click accompanied the key turning, and the door swung inward with a grating creak.

But inside was just a bedroom. Isabel scanned the room, taking in the little details. The paintings on the walls, the scattered brushes, and the half-finished canvas assured her that yes, this was Sebastian’s space. But the thick layer of dust over everything was off-putting.

“Sorry I haven’t cleaned my room in like four centuries,” he said, a sheepish smile gracing the corners of his lips.

“Let me at least get the dust off the bed so you can rest. It’s been a long day and I can only imagine it feels longer for you.

” Sebastian pulled the blanket off the bed and took it into the hallway, where he shook it vigorously and beat it against the wall a few times.

He did the same with the pillowcases, then remade the bed.

Isabel watched from the border of the dust zone, not understanding what she was feeling. She felt warmth in her stomach and a flutter in her chest watching Sebastian work so hard to make sure she was comfortable. She wanted to be close to him, while also being afraid of him.

The feelings only intensified when he shot her a bright smile and gestured to the bed broadly.

“Your bed, m’lady. You can rest and relax in here.

Nobody can get through that door without this key.

And even if they could, the laws of vampires still apply to private quarters.

As long as you don’t invite them in, none of the coven members can pass the threshold.

” He waved the key, then dropped it in his pocket.

She stopped in the doorway, eyes focused on what looked like a very plush and comfortable bed. “I can unlock the door from the inside, right? You aren’t locking me in an extra fancy dungeon so you can suck me dry later?”

“Yes, check the mechanism yourself. It’s fully intended to keep people out, not in.

” He waved earnestly at the door, which Isabel obediently examined.

It was a simple turn-style deadbolt which extended into a hole carved in the stone wall.

She turned the lock a few times until she was comfortable and closed the door.

Exhaustion fell over her like a load of bricks. Perhaps it was the call of the bed, or the relief of being in a safe space. She removed her shoes and collapsed onto the mattress. To her delight, it was even more comfortable than it looked.

“Are you going to be okay in here while I go talk to Victor?” Sebastian’s dark eyes focused intently on her, and Isabel found herself nodding.

“Okay. Oh!” He went to the closet and began rummaging around, occasionally tossing out the odd item.

“I swear they’re in here…I don’t remember using them back in Vernazza… Aha!”

He rose, holding a pair of gold chains with intricate charms attached.

One was a slender cat pouncing, and the other a dog crouching with its tail curled over its back.

Sebastian sat on the bed next to Isabel, who looked at the necklaces with curiosity burning in her eyes.

She reached toward them and he held them out, allowing her to take them.

It was the strangest thing; these looked so familiar. Through some instinct, she overlaid the cat on the dog. The cat’s back hips slotted perfectly into the dog’s stomach, its extended paws meeting the curled tail to form a heart.

“I see you figured out the first of their secrets already,” Sebastian said, his voice gentle.

“May I?” He extended his hand and Isabel placed the delicate chains in his palm.

After separating the charms, he placed the dog on his knee and opened the clasp for the cat.

He reached behind her and lay the necklace across her skin, and deftly closed the clasp.

The weight of the charm pulled it down where it would settle just between her breasts if she were to put it under her shirt.

He smiled and traced the chain with his finger, his skin barely brushing hers as the finger trailed down her collarbone.

She felt her arms erupt into gooseflesh and her heart rate jumped.

He stopped with the cat pendant between his thumb and forefinger.

“This was made by my sister, Agatha. As was this one.”

He picked up the dog pendant and took her hand, gently placing it in her palm and curling her fingers around it.

“Stroke the cat’s back with your other hand,” he said.

Isabel raised one eyebrow, but took the cat pendant from Sebastian and ran her finger along its back.

In her other hand, the dog pendant grew warm.

Her spine straightened in surprise, and the vampire laughed. “Now give the cat a squeeze.”

She did so, and what felt like an electric shock from the dog startled her.

She instinctively tossed the dog necklace into the air, and Sebastian caught it with inhuman speed.

“They’re communication necklaces! I gave that to you on our wedding day…

the intention was when we were apart and you missed me, you could stroke the cat’s back and I would know.

And if you were in danger, you could squeeze it and I would come as fast as I could. Mine works the same way.”

He ran his finger down the dog’s back and she felt the warmth from the cat soaking through her shirt. “This way, you won’t actually be alone while I go speak with Victor. I can be anywhere in the keep in seconds. So if you need me, you just squeeze the pendant and I’ll be at your side.”

Isabel looked down at the gift and felt a smile spring unbidden to her lips. “That makes me feel much better. Thank you.”