Leonard rolled out of bed, the cool marble kissing his bare feet as he crossed the chamber and stepped onto the balcony. The night stretched endlessly before him, quiet and watchful, yet his mind was anything but still.
An image surfaced—unbidden, vivid.
Dydra.
The memory of her blood lingered, sharp and intoxicating. The way it had tasted when he had licked it from his finger the night she was injured. His jaw tightened.
Without warning, he moved.
One step—
—and he was no longer on the balcony.
He stood inside his hidden study.
The air was thick with dust and old secrets. Shelves towered around him, filled with ancient texts long forgotten by most. His fingers moved swiftly across their spines until one caught his attention. He pulled it free, flipping through its worn pages before stopping midway.
His eyes scanned the passage.
"The blood of darkness and light rids the unnatural crave of the demon's child."
Silence settled.
