When Tristan left, the front door clicking shut behind him, I slumped against the kitchen counter and took a deep breath. The bottle of blood I’d been sipping on sat untouched at my side, which didn’t go unnoticed by Breyona or Giovanni.

“You feel like death, and I’m not talking about how exhausted you are.” Breyona commented, her voice laced with worry. “Did something else happen?”

Clutching the bottle in my hand, as though it’ll somehow give me the courage to break the news, I mumbled, “This