Lyla hated the thought that she'd been so invested in Lennon. Now that it was done, she'd lost it. Walking away was better than being a mess in front of people she barely knew. Emotions poured out to the point where she made herself ill. While in the shower, washing away the pain, Lyla resolved that she was stronger than this. There was no point in mourning the loss of something that never really began. Her time was better spent elsewhere.

Feeling refreshed, Lyla dressed and ventured out of the bathroom. Eloise was returned to her placement by her mother's heart, tucked under the clothes and pressed to the skin. Lyla ran the brush through her hair, wondering if there would be an end to the madness. All she wanted was to live her life, not this nonsense.

With her hair tied into a tight bun, Lyla emerged from the bedroom. Ris gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Adley's gone for a run. Blow off some steam. I feel like raiding the fridge. Want to come with me?"

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"I wasn't really asking."

Lyla looked at Ris and then smiled.

"Okay, but just to the kitchen and back, alright?"

Merissa nodded.

Together they walked through the upper corridor and down the great stairs. Their appearance caught the attention of all the vampires in the great hall, watching as they walked down the stairs. Merissa noted that Lennon had not returned to his sycophantic position next to Charlton.

"Dear ladies, will you be joining the werewolf for a little moonlight jog?" Charlton called out.

"Not at the moment, hunger calls," Merissa said.

Lacing her arm into Lyla's, Ris pulled her along the hallway and into the darkness. The walls that ran either side of the great hall were tall arches done in the same sandstone. It was everywhere in this place, and Merissa hoped that when they got out of this place, she'd never see another building done in this stone again.

Merissa hated this place; it was filled with vampires that made her skin crawl. She'd met a lot of vampires over the years. Being Gamichee's adoptive daughter meant that they all knew her as if they were her best friend. She knew the difference between a vampire that meant well but was misguided and one that was just slimy. This place was filled with the latter.

Turning through the corridors, Ris did her best to remember the path to the kitchen. It was not easy; this place was like a labyrinth of corridors and doors to rooms. Some of those doors were just a small room with doors to more rooms. Merissa wondered if it was a trick to make the foolish lose their mind if they took the wrong door.

"Lost?"

Ris and Lyla stopped, looking to the corridor to the left of them. Lennon was leaning on the door frame, watching as they turned to face him. Merissa could see the kitchen behind Lennon. He drained a bag of blood, tossed it in the trash and stepped aside.

Lyla refused to look at him when she walked into the room, but Merissa did. She scowled hard, slapping Lennon even harder.

"You don't deserve her." she hissed softly. "And just so that you know, I'm going to take her now that you've given her up. You don't get a second chance."

"I was peaking out, Ris." he snapped, rubbing his sore cheek.

"Then you should have said something. You don't just walk away and expect everyone to be mind readers. It's too late, anyway. You've done damage that can't be fixed. As if she needs this after everything she's gone through. Could you be any more horrible? Find somewhere else to sleep tonight."

Lennon grabbed her arm before Ris could walk away.

"You don't get to tell me what to do, especially not in my relationship."

Merissa huffed.

"You don't get it, do you? You don't have a relationship anymore. When you walked through the wrong door, you ended it."

Yanking her arm out of his grip, Merissa leaned in closer.

"I hope he's worth it."

Lennon watched as Ris walked away. He didn't think for a second that Charlton was worth losing Lyla over, but he had information about his past that Lennon desperately wanted. Lennon hoped to say that to Lyla, but it was obvious that she wasn't interested in talking to him.

She walked out with her fangs in the bag, draining it quickly. Lennon could see the pain in her eyes, even if she avoided his.

"I just want answers." he said, hoping that she'd listen.

Lyla stopped by the trash can, momentarily looking at him. She didn't want to cave. Her mind was resolute and unforgiving. Merissa was right, she'd gone through enough, and this was more than unnecessary.

"Can we discuss it later?"

She thought about it, analysing what he was really asking her. He didn't want to talk about it now. He wanted to do it later, which meant that now, this little puppy would return to his master and beg for his attention, not hers. It made Lyla angry.

"You do as you please, Lennon. I think you made your thoughts about us pretty obvious, so I don't care what you do anymore."

Lyla pushed past him, delving into the darkness before he saw the tears. Merissa walked out of the cold room with a defiant and smug smile on her face. She tossed the empty blood bag into the trash as she passed him.

"Told you so." she cooed, then kept walking.