It's true. The first vampires we've seen are Ingrid and the other troops. Even as we barged into the place, no one came out to greet us. As I stated before, the castle gave off an eerie feeling like something was wrong. Now that Cal has brought attention to the lack of anyone, that sensation is creeping back down my spine.

"They come and go as they please." Ingrid shrugs. Perhaps her lack of interest has to do with seeing a lot of her comrades succumbing to their animalistic side before perishing. Or maybe she's just a stone cold bitch now. "They don't listen and we've had a hard time keeping them in check."

Alexei narrows her eyes. "So they're just out and about doing as they please? Do you know how dangerous that is? This clusterfuck of a situation has already exceeded anything I may have thought was happening. You haven't even provided numbers to just how many humans have been killed and turned, now the newborns are out doing whatever. They could have slaughtered a whole town for all we know."

I grab Alexei's hand to calm her down, hoping she'll take a deep breath and return to her senses. She shakes her head and scoffs, but doesn't pull away. Things are kind of up in the air right now, so I understand her intense emotions. This all just sounds like a recipe for disaster, like part of someone's plan.

Plan?

"What if this is what's meant to happen?" I speak before I can stop myself. "If this was part of someone's plan... then they're getting what they want. Maybe the goal is to kill two birds with one stone, both vampires and humans?"

"But why?" Ingrid counters. "Who and why would they do this?"

"Revenge?" Cal says, adding to the list of ideas.

"For what?" Alexei joins, pulling her hand away from mine to cross her arms. "We don't do anything worth getting revenge for?"

True, though it's not like Alexei has been here every second of every day. There's a chance something could have happened in her absence, causing someone to want to even the score. I hate to think of accusations, but we just don't know.

Ingrid huffs and moves away from the circle we've formed. She walks towards her room, rubbing her head. "My head is starting to hurt. There's just too much going on right now and I can't think, okay? I'm going to bed, you guys do whatever you want."

So, we decide to call it a night. Alexei, Cal, and I make our way back up. For me, it's not exactly ideal to be staying here, but finding a hotel - or even motel- is a fat chance around here. We'd have to drive at least an hour to find one. Instead, Alexei and I choose to find a room that's in good condition.

Unfortunately, that room just so happens to be Ameri's when she was still alive.

With dust covering the place, I can see the space hasn't been touched since her death. I can happily say that this is the best looking room in the whole castle. I'm sure that was true when she was alive as well. Either way, I'm just glad there aren't holes in the walls and a lack of scratches.

"I know you may be uncomfortable," Alexei starts, "but this is probably the only unused place in the castle."

"No worries, I understand."

Grabbing the blanket from the bed, I shake it out to clear the dust away. Without me having to say anything, Alexei goes and opens the windows which are covered by dark blackout curtains. I had completely forgotten that we arrived here in the day. The sun is still shining outside even though I feel like we've been here for ages.

When Alexei and I have somewhat cleaned up, we plop down on the bed. Taking in the moment of silence, we bask in it, stuck in our own thoughts. We've been told a lot today, more than I'm sure either of us expected. I think Alexei thought we'd come, fix the issue, then be done. But now that we've been told the full story, there's just way more to it than originally thought.

Shaking my head, I turn into the embrace of Alexei. Her comforting smell makes me feel somewhat better. Soon, with her tight hold on my body, I begin to fall asleep.

***

A dry throat wakes me up in the middle of the night. Next to me, Alexei sleeps on her chest, her head facing away and her hair sprawled on the pillow. Outside, the moon shines brightly, letting me know we've been asleep for hours. It seems the long months of construction has left us sleep deprived.

Getting up from the bed, I yawn and stretch before slipping my socks and shoes back on. All I want right now is a glass of water to help my scratchy throat. It's kind of uncomfortable, and I can't help but think it matches how wary I'm feeling.

I place a hand on my skin and walk out of the door. It's really quiet at the moment and I assume it's safe to walk out. When I reach the stairs, I hurry down and search around for the kitchen. Without even realizing that I know where nothing is, I've already welcomed myself into the maze that's this building.

Sighing, I begin to retrace my steps to go back to our temporary room. In the distance, I think I hear a clock ticking. I don't know if it's my imagination, but the sound grows louder and creepier as I continue to linger here.

A shiver goes down my spine as the feeling of eyes watching me creeps up. Hastening my steps, I hurry to the stairs. A breath of relief leaves me as I reach them, only for the wind to then get knocked out of me as someone grabs me by the back of my collar. Involuntarily, a squeal breaks from my chest as the perpetrator holds me up by just my skirt. A flashback of getting choked out by Ameri crosses my mind and my heart spazzes in fear.

"I knew I smelled something amazing." The voice that speaks is deep and scratchy. The man pulls me closer and buries his face into my neck, taking in a strong whiff before I feel his hot breath against my skin. "Delicious. I want it."

In the blink of an eye, fangs are buried into my neck. Things go silent for me as the shock takes over my body completely. I don't know if I make a noise at all, but I do know that my fight or flight instincts started to fail me as soon as I was grabbed. Am I screaming? Am I thrashing around hoping his grip will loosen? Am I begging for my life?

I don't know.

I can't even feel pain coursing through my neck. I'm only frozen. But one thing I'm sure of is that I'm slowly losing my ability to see, letting me know that I'll pass out soon.

"Get the fuck off of her!" That yell is the last thing I hear before I lose conscious.

***

With a groan, I lift up from my place on the bed. Opening my eyes, I turn my head and get surprised by the searing pain I feel in my neck. As I lift a hand to touch the wound, I feel bandages instead. I take a look around, wondering where Alexei could be. Typically, she would have been by my side. Though logically, she's probably dealing with the man who assaulted me.

Lifting up from the bed is a hassle as my limbs feel like jelly. I think the disturbance has caused some aftereffects. My head hangs low as I ponder over how this could happen to me again, and when I finally stand from the bed, I can't help dragging my feet to the door.

It's too silent when I open the door and step out. My breathing becomes heavy and fast, and sweat forms on my shaking hands. It seems it wasn't enough to be traumatized over the incident before, but something else had to happen to force me back into my state of fear.

It's better to brace myself and get over it. We didn't come here to play, but to find out just what's going on. So, with a deep breath, I head down the same steps as before. I didn't look outside before leaving the room, so I have no idea how much time has passed. And with it being so dark inside the castle, I can't tell if a new day has come.

Never mind that. I complete my final step before walking around to look for my mate. Once again, I find myself getting lost in this maze.

"Stupid," I mutter, facepalming. Naturally, mates form a bond and are able to communicate telepathically. That should've been done first. Though because we're always together, it slipped my mind.

Alexei? I call into our link and wait for a response. When there's no answer, I huff. Alexei, where are you?

What are you doing out of bed, Sophia-Grace?

Looking for you. Where are you?

There's a pause. I'll come get you.

Narrowing my eyes, I can't help but feel like she's reluctant to stop whatever she's doing. I fold my arms and wait. It takes less than a minute for Alexei to reach me. When she does, she grabs my face and pulls my mouth to hers in a deep kiss. For just a second, I forget why we're here. It seems like it's been a good while since we've shared an intimate moment.

"If you need something, always let me know," she commands softly. "Right now, it's too dangerous for you to wonder on your own."

"I'm sorry," I find myself saying. Tears well up in my eyes after encountering another near death experience. "That was so stupid of me."

Alexei shakes her head before kissing my forehead. "Just... let me know next time."

"Where is he?"

Another pause. She's trying to decide what she should tell me, if she should tell me. "There's something you have to see."

Grabbing my hand, Alexei pulls me down a few halls before we land at the kitchen. This is where I had tried to go last night and it seems I got lost properly. With how many turns we made, there's no way I would've found it.

Inside the area is Cal, Ingrid, and two unfamiliar faces. One of the unknown people is a man. He's sitting in a chair, tied up and with his head hanging low. I'm not sure if he's awake or even alive. That thought is answered as he lifts his head when Alexei and I step in. By the blood smeared on his mouth, I know this is him.

"The goddess," the perpetrator whispers loud enough to catch my attention. "She's here."

And all I can think is: this again?