I was dreaming again. Her voice kept echoing the same phrase over and over as I walked through an empty, stifling blackness.

  “Hello?” It echoes and fades, but her voice, whoever she is, continues to swirl around me. “Who are you?” I tried to stay calm.

  My heart beat fast as a drum, my pulse humming in my ears as I yelled, “What do I need to do?”

  “Hold on.”

  I growled in frustration. What did she mean? I started running again, hoping to find something in this black emptiness.

  There! The smallest pinpoint of light. I needed to go to it, to see what it was. I walked toward it, cautious of this new thing.

  “NO!” her voice rang out. Her voice held more than a note of warning.

  I stopped, nearly falling from the speed. I panted, “What do you mean, no?” If she knew something, then why wasn’t she telling me. “Why can’t I go toward that light?”

  “Do you want to live?” Her voice sounded insistent this time.

  “Yes,” was my simple, honest, insistent answer.

  “Then hold on!”

  ? ?? ?

  I woke up, hold on ringing in my head as if she had shouted it in my face. I groaned, still tired, and rolled to my side to get up. No matter my hydration or food intake, I was easily made dizzy by the smallest of movements, and sitting up was no exception. My hands held the edge of the bed, holding me in place as the world gradually stopped spinning.

  I heard voices in my living room. I went out to see Antun and Syla sitting on my couch. Syla shot up and gave me a hug as she saw me. “How are you feeling?” she asked with sincerity. In her eyes, I could see that she still blamed herself for so much.

  I gave her a weary smile and said, “The same.” She walked me to the couch, making me take her place as she went to the dining table to get herself a chair.

  Michael came out of the kitchen holding a tray of coffees. “Oh, you’re awake! I’ll make your coffee next, Drew.” He set the tray down on the coffee table, turning back for the kitchen. It didn’t take long for him to prep my mug and bring it out, handing it to me directly. His fingers brushed against mine as the mug was transferred, sending goosebumps up my arms. He saw and winked at me. I blushed.

  Antun face held surprise and he turned to me. “Are you guys…” he pointed between the two of us, leaving the question unfinished.

  My blush grew but I admitted as I glanced at Michael, “We’re figuring it out.”

  Antun nodded. “Called it. Totally knew this was going to happen.” He tipped back his mug, a satisfied, smug smile curving his lips.

  “What do you mean?” I tilted my chin down and gave him a sideways look.

  “I mean,” Antun started, rolling his eyes, “That you two were bound to end up together.”

  Both Michael and I started protesting that we were not so obvious, when Syla cut in.

  “As nice as that is, we do still have the problem of Nick to deal with. He is powerful, the most powerful vampire I know anymore. He had enough power to compel me. Thing is, it’s said that to compel is supposed to be a god-like power. I’m worried,” she paused, gathering herself, “That Nick will have enough power soon to be considered a god. He managed to steal some of your energy, Drew, so he’s definitely more powerful now than when we escaped. We’ll need to be smart about this.”

  We all nodded our agreement, but silence fell over us all the same. For long minutes, we sat with our thoughts, trying to puzzle out the problem.

  “We need to stop him, but how are we supposed to do that? We can’t just drain Seattle’s citizens; we can get mana from tons of people but then we’d have tons of people waking up drowsy after their mana was depleted, all confused, heading to the ER or the police because they thought they got jumped or something.

  “If there’s hundreds of people suddenly passing out in the streets, the authorities are going to take notice. We need to be careful in getting our mana. Michael,” Antun directed at him.

  “Which slaughterhouses do you frequent for your blood?” Michael told him and Antun nodded. “I know of a couple others. Anyone up for a drive?”

  We left my apartment, loading into Antun’s car on the street. We headed north and before long, I was asleep again.

  ? ?? ?

  I was in that darkness again, almost compressive in its weight. I bent down, trying to touch whatever it was that my feet were walking on, and I fell through as if the floor gave way. I was suddenly tumbling through the air, falling, screaming. “Do you want to live?” the woman’s voice asked.

  I screamed into the void, my limbs flailing, hoping to find purchase anywhere but not finding anything.

  She simply repeated her question, “Do you want to live,” in that firm, no nonsense tone.

  “Yes, I’ve already told you, yes!” I panicked. Why was I having these dreams of the voice? Who was she? Why was she speaking to me?

  “Then hold on,” she repeated.

  “I’ve been holding on! I’ve been holding on so long that it hurts!” Tears stung my eyes. I cried, “Please, who are you?!”

  ? ?? ?

  We stopped by two different slaughterhouses and one farm. Each stop, one vampire would get all the blood. Animals weren’t missed like people. No ER visits, no police reports.

  The coppery, metallic smell of blood pervaded the car, making me more dizzy and nauseous than I already was. I asked Antun to pull over, the bile rising in my throat. I barely opened the door when I vomited all over the ground. I supposed I must’ve been more nauseous than I thought. We drove with the windows down the remainder of the drive, hoping that it’d pull some fresh air into the car for me as the smell didn’t bother the vampires one bit.

  I was grateful for that, and I would’ve been grateful for my sleep during the drive if it had been actually restful instead of chasing that damn voice for eternity.

  We pulled back up to my apartment building, Antun parallel parking in front of my building to drop off Michael and me. “Are you sure you two don’t need a chaperone?”

  I rolled my eyes but I could feel heat rising to my face. He winked at me, making me glare at him. He laughed and pulled back onto the street, leaving us on the sidewalk.

  We entered the building and never have I been more grateful for an elevator. Walking the stairs like I used to sounded awful, my legs complaining at just the thought. The elevator arrived at my floor and we walked to my door, my feet heavy as lead.

  I heard a hiss from inside, Husker, and my shoulders slumped as I unlocked the door. Husker ran into the bedroom, hiding under the bed like he had been the majority of the time since Michael had begun living with me.

  “You know,” I said, “You really could put your name on the lease, then you could help cover the rent.”

  He glanced at me, puzzled. “I was already planning on covering my half of the rent regardless, Drew. I don’t need to put my name on the lease. Unless you want me to?” He left the question hanging and I didn’t know how to answer.

  “It’s up to you,” I eventually said, feeling uncomfortable with the lengthening silence.

  I got Husker’s dinner ready, some kibble with bone broth, and he slunk out from under the bed to come eat.

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  I wondered what it was about vampires that made Husker so nervous. Was it just because they are dangerous or was there another reason? Exhaling heavily, I left the kitchen, intending to head to my room.

  “Drew,” Michael called. I stopped, turning my head to him. He walked up to me, stopping in front of me. “You were amazing today.”

  What? “What are you talking about? I slept most of the day in the car and I’m still tired.”

  He had a gentle smile on his face, his eyes soft. “You were out with us all day, tired as you were, and didn’t complain about it at all. You stuck it out, even when you were sleeping.”

  Hold on, hold on, hold on rang through my head at that last sentence.

  “I’m proud of you,” he finished.

  I felt a little embarrassed. “I really hadn’t done anything, and what would the use of complaining have been? But, thank you. I’m a little proud of me too.” And I was. It wasn’t an easy day, and I felt weary down to my bones. But I was finally home, home where I could collapse and rest in peace.

  I made to head for my bedroom, but Michael stood his ground. I gave him a questioning look, my head tilting to the side. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but then decided against it, turning to the side to let me by.

  Confused but too tired to give it any more thought, I walked to my room, practically falling onto my bed. Husker jumped up onto the bed, headbutting me as I lay there. I smiled and scratched the top of his head. He curled up by my chest and I could feel the rumbling of his purr, soothing and calming. I drifted off to sleep before I realized I was.

  ? ?? ?

  I was in that empty darkness again. It felt as if my senses were dampened, everything thick around me.

  The voice: “Do you want to live?”

  I was tired, too tired to ask questions. I weakly said, “Yes.”

  “Then hold on, Drew.”

  ? ?? ?

  My eyes flew open, I was instantly awake.

  She said my name!

  She had said something new, something different! Could I really talk to the voice and not just her echo? I was too wound up to fall back asleep just then. I sat up, disturbing Husker and he jumped off the bed.

  “Michael!”

  He rushed in, worry evident. “What is it, are you okay?”

  “The voice changed!” He looked confused so I backed up the story. I told him how I had been having dreams of that voice in the darkness and how she always said the same thing until today.

  A contemplative look washed over Michael’s face as I told him. “I had dreams of Nikola’s voice too but it was different from what you’re describing. Do you think someone might really be talking to you in your dreams?”

  “I don’t know,” I let out a frustrated sound and took a deep breath. “But it feels important.” I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something just out of reach, like I had the puzzle pieces but couldn’t get them to fit right.

  Michael poured a mug of coffee, adding cream and sugar, and handed it to me. I savored the warmth in my hands and the wonderful smell that soothed my soul. I looked up to see Michael looking at me, that thoughtful look still on his face, as if he were as puzzled by the voice as I was, but contemplating something else as well. “What is it?” I asked, wondering where his intensity was coming from.

  “I was just thinking, how are we going to face Nikola again? Will just drinking tons of mana make us strong enough to have a fighting chance, or…”

  He let his sentence drop off, but I knew what he meant. I was worried too. Sure, we now had three vampires if Syla was willing to help, and it seemed that she was, but was that enough?

  “I couldn’t help but feel like Nikola didn’t use all of his skills during the fight. Like, we’re vampires; we can fly at super speed, him even faster than Antun and me. Why didn’t he use that at all until the end?”

  He raised an excellent point, why hadn’t he flown?

  “He’s a very powerful vampire, Syla said powerful enough to be able to compel her…” I chewed on a hangnail, thinking. It appeared that Michael was having as much luck as me in figuring out a theory – zero.

  I finished my coffee, rinsing the mug before setting it in the sink. Michael was behind me, waiting to rinse his mug. I turned around, blocking the sink.

  “Wait a sec. The hypnosis he used was to trap me the first time. He used it again to make me… cooperative. But why?” Michael stood there, again as confused as me.

  “And he hypnotized you without even meeting you, and immediately. It’s always taken at least an hour or so of time spent around someone else before I could hypnotize them. Like with Kelsey, when you found me. If we hadn’t been on a long date, I wouldn’t have been able to do it. But he did. How?”

  “Have you ever asked Antun about his hypnosis powers, how they work?” I gave.

  “No. That’s a good place to start, isn’t it?”

  He pushed past me, making me move to the side. I watched as he rinsed and set down his mug, but my focus was on the questions tumbling through my head. There were just too many things that weren’t adding up about Nikola. Was he just too prideful to use them, thinking Antun and Michael weren’t worth the effort? Or maybe there was a cost to having that much power.

  Despite the caffeine, the mental drain had me yawning.

  “Do you need to lie down again?” His concern was genuine, his posture somewhat at attention as if he was ready to help me at any notice.

  I groaned, so frustrated with my body. “I think so. Argh, I’m so sick of this! I don’t know how people with chronic illnesses do it, I’m starting to get depressed.” Michael opened his arms, an invitation for a hug if I wanted it. I nodded and he approached, wrapping me in his arms.

  He smelled of musk and citrus, a perfect combo. I wished I could bottle it up as my head rested against his chest. Where there should’ve been a thump-thump, there was only silence. I looked up at him as I pulled away, and our eyes met.

  If I wasn’t so tired… Maybe I would’ve kissed him, or asked him to stay…

  I sighed and stepped away, walking toward my bedroom. Michael didn’t say a word as I pulled the covers down and got back into bed.

  ? ?? ?

  I’d had enough. Something needed to change or I’d go insane. Besides the awful fatigue, the dreams with the voice had continued. The blackness didn’t change, just empty and frightening. With no sense of space, I felt claustrophobic, feeling like invisible walls were going to press in around me.

  “Do you want to live?”

  I huffed, “If I change my answer, what will you do?”

  Silence.

  I waited for an answer, figuring I had nothing better to do in this damned dream. I sat down on the invisible ground, looking around the vast, empty darkness, wondering if maybe I could see something if I looked hard enough.

  I peered into the distance, my eyes squinting. There! A pinpoint of light, so far away that I could never hope to reach it. I got up and walked toward it anyway, wanting to make the voice say something different.

  It felt like hours of just walking with no progress. I was starting to wonder if the darkness was a treadmill when the light began to grow brighter. I ran toward it, willing it to grow.

  Please, please!

  I needed that voice to do something, anything!

  “Do you want to live?” It finally asked, the voice urgent.

  In defiance I yelled, “I don’t know! If this is what living means now, I’m not sure I want it anymore.”

  “Do you want to live?” it thundered.

  Grrr, what the hell?!

  I screamed, “No, I don’t!”

  My steps slowed down. Did I mean that? Was that how I truly felt? No, surely not, that had to be the depression talking, not me. But I was tired. Tired of all of it. The only good thing recently was having Michael come to stay.

  Michael. His smile.

  My parents. Mom’s laugh. Dad’s care.

  Husker. My boy.

  I couldn’t leave. I stopped running, but the light seemed to still be getting closer. Something told me that if I wanted to live, I needed to run away from that light. I turned, my legs barreling away as fast as they could carry me.

  The light was getting closer, faster.

  I yelled into the darkness, my feet pounding on the invisible ground. “Hello, random voice, a little help here?!”

  The response came, “Do you want to live?”

  I howled, “Yes, yes I want to live! Please, help me!”

  I felt a cool hand close around my wrist as I ran.

  “Then come,” she said.

  I was whisked to a beautiful place, panting and disoriented. It was a clear, gorgeous night. The sky was clear and full of stars. I was standing on a large balcony of some sort, with dark red roses climbing one wall. I went to the railing, looking out at a gorgeous view of the sea. I looked down; this terrace seemed to be built right above a sharp cliff. Far below, water churned around jagged rocks. The moon reflected off the water, looking as if it had sat in the sea, half of the moon above the water. The view was spectacular and it seemed to stretch on for forever.

  “Hello.”

  I jumped back and fell, my feet clumsy and tangling. A woman was standing there, pale with long, black hair falling smoothly down the middle of her back. She wore a flowing black gown, plain at first glance, but if you really looked closely, it was as if the fabric was made of pure shadows. Her brows arched gracefully above her silver eyes. She wore a dark red lip, so dark it looked nearly black in the moonlight. Her skin was so pale that she had an unearthly glow about her face.

  I was stunned into silence.

  Whoa, she’s gorgeous.

  “Who are you?” I asked. She just smiled and turned to go into the room beyond. “Wait!” I shouted, climbing to my feet as fast as I could. She stopped and turned around, a lovely smile on her face.

  “Do you want to live?” There was no mistaking it, it was the same voice!

  I was so shocked that I simply answered, “Yes,” as I stared at her.

  Her smile grew warmer and she walked toward me. She walked until she was right in front of me, her silver eyes shining, smile gleaming. I wanted to trust her. Her voice, her presence – everything told me I could…

  Wait, are those… fangs?

  Her shining eyes told me that I could trust her anyway.

  “Then hold on, Drew.” She pushed me – and I plunged off the edge, wind tearing past my ears. The wind rushed past me, and for one terrifying second, I felt… free?

  ? ?? ?

  I sat up panting and out of breath, having just nearly hit the rocks at the bottom of the cliff. My eyes darted around the room as I came back to the present.

  Who was that? There was no mistaking her voice, it’s the same person. What is she trying to get me to understand? Why the hell did she push me? It was a rather rude way to wake up.

  I heard the key in the lock click and Husker dove under the bed. Surely he should’ve been used to Michael by now. But perhaps he sensed something I didn’t.

  Michael walked in, having just finished a day at the office. “Hey, you’re up!” he said with pleasant surprise. “How are you feeling?”

  My fingers trembled, the memory of her silver eyes clinging to me like a chill. “I don’t know, just had the craziest dream.” I relayed to him what had happened in my dream, from the light to the strange woman, skipping my depressive crisis. I didn’t want him to worry about me, and it was hopefully a short-lived feeling anyway.

  He scratched the back of his head, brows bunched together. “That does sound pretty crazy. Do you think–” Michael’s phone rang. My heart instantly sank to my stomach. “It’s Antun.”

  Michael’s eyes met mine before he answered with a, “Hello?” I couldn’t hear what was said, but Michael’s face grew grave, his eyes leaving mine in his shock. “We’ll be right there.”

  He hung up. “Syla’s gone, Antun can’t find her anywhere.”

  The adrenaline hit. I flung the covers off, swinging my legs, my eyes going straight to my shoes at the door. I grabbed a pair of socks, slipping my feet into them as fast as I could, followed by my shoes. We rushed to Michael’s car, then we were off to Antun’s.

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