Cristian glanced over his shoulder, then back down at the album. “You haven’t looked at this yet?”
Atlas shook his head. “Bea made it as a gift for whenever I came home. She wanted to make sure I had my best pictures together so I could remember my deployment. Neither of us thought I’d be coming home after an attack. When I got discharged, I couldn’t handle looking at it, but I didn’t want to throw away something she’d spent so long on.”
“You’ve got a good eye,” Cristian said quietly, flipping through the pages. “Seeing these makes me feel like I’m back in Romania.”
“How long ago were you there?” Atlas asked, sitting down on the farthest cushion, close enough to talk to Cristian but not close enough to spy on the pictures without a concerted effort.
Cristian shook his head. “Don’t remember the year.” He made a face. “Don’t remember its name at the time either, actually. Father was busy with trade agreements and business deals, so Mother and I spent most of our time exploring and visiting old family friends. It was wonderful. Different, but wonderful. A lot of the places you photographed are familiar.”
“It’s strange,” Atlas admitted, “to think that we were both there, just separated by time.”
Cristian nodded and idly traced one of the photographs with his finger. He tapped on it once, twice, then said, “I wonder... I know most of these places. We still have friends over there too. I’m sure they’d be willing to help us...” He closed the album. “We should go there. It’s our best chance to learn more about the strigoi who attacked you. Once we know that, we might be able to understand what’s going on here too.” He tilted his head when Atlas didn’t immediately respond and asked, “What do you think?”
He didn’t know what he thought. Going back could break him completely, or give him all the answers he’d spent years searching for. He didn’t know if he was ready for Cristian to see him at his most vulnerable again.
But they’d never get a chance like this again. They were trying to prove a ghost story was real and one of their best clues was to return to a place they knew the strigoi had been.
“Makes sense. We’ll just need to be careful. I’m still on the clock, remember?”
Cristian’s expression shuttered, but Atlas didn’t have a chance to decipher it thanks to a knock on his apartment door.
“Atlas?” Bea called from the other side. “Are you in there?”
“Thank fuck,” he muttered and hurried to the door. He still had the presence of mind to check the peephole before opening the door. He’d never seen his sister rumpled before, but there was no other way to describe her current state. She glared up at him and prodded his chest with a finger. “Why didn’t you answer my calls?”
“Had a mishap with a river. Phone’s dead,” he said, gesturing her inside. “Why were you calling?”
She bustled inside. Cristian rose from the couch and gave her an arch smile. “Good to see you again, Beatrice.”
“Mr. Slava,” Bea said. She dropped a bag on the floor.
Their odd interac
tion distracted Atlas from the bag, until he realized he’d seen it before. A black duffel bag, exactly like those Cristian used to deliver blood to Nell. He swallowed and pointed at it. “Bea, what are you doing with that?”
The movement pulled up his sleeve and she eyed his wrist. Too late, he realized she’d spotted the bite marks. “I should be asking the same thing,” she said, glaring at Cristian.
He held up his hands. “Completely consensual,” he assured her.
“Bea,” Atlas said again, louder this time. “What the hell’s going on?”
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes, and he knew whatever she said next would break his heart. “Decebal sent me to collect you,” she said. “It’s time to leave town.”
* * *
Acknowledgments
Matt—Thank you for reminding me that high school me was valid to write about vampires. And thank you for talking me down from the ledge over and over again. Here’s to our new writing adventure!
Deidre—My continued thanks for the ideas, support, and encouragement you always give me when I suggest pursuing some bizarre new project. So grateful to be working with you!
Ronan—I hit the jackpot working on this series with you for one last hurrah. I’m still learning so much and your guidance is a blessing. Thank you!
The amazing staff at Carina—Thank you for answering questions, making my story into a real book, and helping me continue to make my childhood dreams of being an author a reality.
Kari, Kris, Emily—The chats, Zoom calls, and celebrations have made the intense writing of this book far less lonely. Can’t wait to see what you all think of it!
All the incredible m/m authors I’ve met and been privileged to celebrate with since the release of my last series—I am constantly amazed and humbled by the kindness and support of this writing community. It is a joy to log in to my social media feeds every day because I get to see all the incredible work you are all doing. Thank you for letting me be part of it.