The following morning, Mason and I go outside for his vampire test. I don't know if I want to be a vampire or not. It'll explain why I can mask my scent and what happened that day with Lucas. He said he smelled a vampire when I hid my scent.

"Mask your scent," Mason says as we stand at the entrance of a cave. We came to the cave at dawn just before the sun rose.

"Done," I say after I do it.

"Put your finger out."

I do as he says, and I wait for the burn to come, but it doesn't. I close my eyes to numb any pain if it comes. I slowly open my eyes to see why I didn't burn. My finger is glittering. I'm blown away.

"I'm like Edward right now," I say, grinning, thinking about the Twilight books. The author did an excellent job in a lot of things regarding the supernatural.

I walk out of the cave, still masking my scent, and bathe my body under the sun.

"You look magnificent," Mason says, smiling.

"I know. Did your daughter also glitter under the sun?"

"Yes, she did. I didn't want to tell you that's what happens, so you'd be surprised when you saw it."

"Does this really mean I'm part vampire?" I ask, walking back inside the cave.

"Yes."

"I can't believe it," I say, taking a seat on a rock in the cave. It was nice seeing my body glitter under the sun, but not because I'm part vampire.

"I understand how you feel."

"What do I do now?" I ask Mason because I can't answer that question myself.

I have a million thoughts going through my head. I don't know if me being a hybrid puts my life in danger or not. Both kinds don't like each other and would probably fight to have me.

I can walk in the sun the same way Originals can. I can mask my scent to make me undetectable as a werewolf. They might want to turn me into a lab rat. I must never tell anyone about this. I hope Mason doesn't. His daughter is a hybrid, so hopefully he understands. She must not be with him because he's keeping her somewhere safe. I can't imagine if word got out about this.

"Never tell anyone what you really are,." he whispers adamantly.

"I won't, and thank you."

"For what?"

"For keeping my secret."

"Anything for someone special like my little girl," Mason says with a soft smile. I'm truly blessed to have run into someone as great as Mason.

Later that night, Mason leaves to work with the hope of getting me a worker's ID so I can go in and see Mom. I want to go in first to check out the place before I plan how I'll rescue her. I can't help but wonder if she was kidnapped because of me.

Mason told me she's the vampire king's special prisoner. He doesn't allow werewolves to live more than a week in his prisons, but he's allowed Mom to live for months. I hope I'm wrong, and he kidnapped her for another reason.

I also think about Nate. I wonder how he's doing. I wonder if he's alive. I hope he's alive. I don't think I can live in this world without him in it. Once I find Mom, I plan to look for him. I hope he's doing well and not injured or in the hands of horrible people wherever he.

The following night, Mason and I set off to the castle. He was able to get me a worker's ID. We were worried the palace might not hire me as they weren't looking for a new worker. I'm lucky someone quit last night, so a spot became open. The castle is deeply rooted in the woods. Mason tells me only a few selected vampires are allowed there. The vampire king, Nickolas, is very private about his life. If a vampire has an issue, they report it to the council. The king only deals with matters that purely need his involvement.

Mason also tells me the king wasn't always as secretive and closed off from his people. It was after Nate's mother killed his brother, Leonardo, that he became distant. Becky really lost it after her mate died. At least this time, her reason for killing Leonardo is known to all. He's the vampire that killed her mate. Leonardo's mate was a witch. I think in the process of looking for Leonardo's mate, she killed every witch that came across her path.

That's why I can't lose Nate. I'll go mad if I lose him, just like her. We haven't completed the mating process, so I can't feel him through the bond, but I know I haven't lost him. I haven't felt our bond break—I know he's alive. I'd feel it regardless of if we completed the mating process or not.

I come back to my senses when I smell a massive amount of vampires. I'm about to shift and get ready for action but stop when Mason touches me.

"It's fine No one will hurt you as long as you mask your scent," he whispers in my ear.

"You're right. Forgive me, old habits. I'm used to being on the alert anytime I smell a vampire. It'll take a while for me to calm down when I'm around them."

"I understand."

***

"ID's please," the vampire at the castle gate says as Mason and I approach. He collects our IDs and checks them. I cross my fingers, hoping he won't smell the werewolf on me even though I'm masking my scent. "You can go in," he says, after what feels like forever. He opens the small gate for Mason and me to walk through. I let out a breath of relief once we walk past him.

We go inside the massive castle. We walk to the kitchen to find some food to take down with us to the dungeons. Vampires don't need food but still have taste buds. Mason told me the only reason they have a kitchen is for when the vampire king has human guests around.

We lie to the guards, saying it's time for Mom to eat.

"Hi, Mason. How are you doing today?" the guard in front of the dungeon says. Luckily, Mason's good friends with the him. He will allow me to enter without making a fuss.

"I'm doing well. How are you doing, Sam?" Mason asks.

"I'm good. You must be here to give the prisoner in cell 201 her food."

"Yes."

"Open the tray," he says, and Mason does as he asks. He checks the tray for sharp objects. Once he's sure that there is none he clears us to go in.

"Thank you," Mason says, walking into the dungeon. I follow him, but Sam halts me.

"You can't go in," he says, using his hands to block my path. I look at Mason, panicking.

"Why can't she go in, Sam?"

"I don't know her, so I can't let her in."

"She's the new girl in the kitchen. She's here to learn how to feed the prisoners. She'll be the one in charge of feeding them soon."

"Alright," he says, removing his hands.

"Thank you," Mason says before we walk away from Sam.

Once I feel we're a good distance away, I release a breath I was holding. He had his eyes fixed on me, and I was worried the entire time that he might see through my façade.

"I was worried for a minute he wasn't going to let me walk in."

"Me too. Luckily for us, he did."

"Yeah," I say, walking with Mason inside the dungeon. The place isn't lit properly, so I decide to switch to my werewolf eyes. Before I can do that, Mason stops me.

"Don't use your werewolf eyes. It'll make you a werewolf, and they'll smell you in here."

He's right. To use my werewolf eyes, I'd have to unmask my scent.

As we walk deeper, I start to smell something familiar. I found her. I walk faster toward where I can smell her scent.

"Here we are," he says, stopping in front of a cell.

I smell her scent mixed with blood and dirt. She must not have bathed in days. I don't even want to imagine the horrors she must've faced these past few months.

"Mom," I say, with tears forming in my eyes. I haven't seen her yet, but I can hear her heart beating inside as I stand in front of the cell. I'm so happy I finally found her.

"Elizabeth, is that you?" she says, rushing to the front of the cell.

"Yes, it's me," I say, with tears of joy streaming down my face. I put my hand through the bars, but before I can pass it through properly, it burns me.

"Don't touch the cell," Mom warns.

I look at Mason, confused. I'm still masking my scent, so I'm still a vampire. Silver should not burn me.

"Mason, did you see that?" I ask, wondering if he might know why I got burnt.

"I did. I don't know why you got burnt. You're not supposed to," I'm about to reply to him when Mom interrupts me.

"What are you talking about?" she asks, cornered

"Nothing, Mom," I don't plan to keep the fact that I'm a hybrid a secret from Mom, but I don't think this is the right time to tell her.

"I'll go and be on the lookout while you talk," Mason says and walks away.

"Thank you," I say to him before he walks away.

"How are you? Don't answer that. I'm sure you're not fine. I'm so sorry it took me this long to get here. Please forgive me."

"I'm fine, my dear. There's nothing to apologize for. I know you must have worked hard to look for me. I'm even wondering how you got here."

"It's a long story—" I get interrupted as I hear waves crashing. I heard the same thing the day Ekaterina arrived when Nate and I were captives.

I turn toward where I hear the water coming from and wait for her to arrive. The portal opens, and I expect to see Ekaterina walk out of it. Instead, tears of joy weld up in my eyes as I watch my mate walk toward me in fast strides.

"Nate!" I say once he's in front of me. I place my hand on his face to ensure he's real and I'm not dreaming.

"Elizabeth," he says, placing his hand on my face.

Nate bends his neck and captures my lips in a kiss. Yes, Nathanial kissed me. The kiss starts off a little sloppy because I wasn't expecting it, but I close my eyes and enjoy the feel of his lips against mine. I kiss him with the same passion as he kisses me. I move my hands from around his neck and pass them through his hair. I feel his arms around my waist, and for that moment, I forget everything in the world and just enjoy kissing my mate. We break apart once we're both out of breath.

"I missed you," Nate says, smiling with his forehead against mine.

"I missed you, too," I say, smiling.