1. Chapter 1

Rowan

A sh. That's all that remains of Darick Drake. Ash, and bittersweet memories.

"Oh, my God. What have I done?" I stare at the smoking pile on my bedroom floor, my hands still sizzling with residual magic. The acrid scent of burning flesh fills my nostrils, evaporating the lingering sweetness of the moments we just shared.

His hands. I can still feel them on my skin. But I stop that thought in its tracks.

Mia!

He had pictures of Mia on his phone. My mind reels, torn between the memory of his touch and those damning images of my missing sister.

"What have I done?" I whisper again, my voice breaking. I rub my face with a shaking hand, trying to figure out what to do next.

Gran!

She's the only one who can help. With trembling fingers, I reach for my phone.

"Pick up. Please pick. up!" I'm breathless as I hear the call dialing through. I need help. I need answers. But most of all, I need to know what to do.

I just murdered the vampire I was falling for.

Bullshit! You weren't falling for him .

The ringtone on the line ends abruptly as my grandmother answers the call. "Rowan! How lovely to hear from you, sweathe—"

"Gran!" I cut her off, my voice choked. "Gran, I need you!"

"Rowan?" She's immediately alert. "What's going on?"

"I- I can't discuss it over the phone, Gran. Please…I just need your help."

"Where are you?" she says without hesitation.

"I'm…I'm at home."

"I'm on my way." The call ends. God, I love Gran. No demands or interrogations. I sag onto the chair in the far corner of my bedroom, staring ahead in mute disbelief. The smoke has wafted away, but the stench still lingers. It makes my mouth dry. Leaves my stomach roiling.

I'm still there, wrapped in a bedsheet, when Gran arrives just minutes later. She lets herself in and stands in the doorway of my bedroom, taking in the scene.

Our eyes meet. Mine are tortured.

"I killed him," I whisper. Gran sucks in a breath, looking around us before hurrying toward me. "I killed him, Gran!" I bury my face in my hands just as she reaches me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. And then I weep. Gran says nothing for the long moments it takes for me to compose myself again. Then, leaning back and sinking onto her haunches in front of me, she looks into my face.

"Let's go over this, shall we?" Her voice is firm but soothing.

I pull in a deep breath and nod.

"He was here. Darick?" she asks, although I'm sure she knows the answer.

I nod again. "Yes." The word comes out hoarsely.

"And you were…together…?" She looks over at the bed and then back at me. This question doesn't need to be asked either. I'm still naked beneath the sheet.

Once more, I nod, unable to find the words to tell her that I just spent the past hours having sex with my sister's abductor.

Gran purses her lips. "You're going to need to tell me what happened, Rowan."

I pull in a deep breath. "We…we…" I shoot another look over at the bed. "After we…did…you know…" Shit . How do I say this to my flipping grandmother ? "After we did it , we were talking. And he got a message on his phone. I looked at it." I try not to choke on my next words. "It was Mia, Gran! He had pictures of Mia on his phone."

Gran's expression shifts in an instant. "You're sure?"

"Absolutely. Her face was perfectly clear. And…and…she was chained, Gran. Like an animal!" I shudder as I remember Mia's eyes staring back from those images. "The message said…said, ‘ This one might be more to your taste . ' " I'm fighting back tears again. "They've had her all this time, Gran. And they're feeding from her!" The chill I feel seems like it's sunk into my bones. Like I'll never feel warm again.

Gran sinks onto the floor, oblivious to the fact that she's getting dirt on her pristine white trousers. She rubs a hand over her face and remains silent for a time, thoughtful.

"What do I do now, Gran?" I whisper. I've never faced anything this traumatic before. My mind can't process it.

Gran's eyes meet mine, filled with concern. "This is…complicated, Rowan. The repercussions could be severe."

"Repercussions?" My stomach twists.

"Once the others find out…the covens…the vampire clans…" She shakes her head. "There's going to be trouble."

My eyes fly wide. "But he had pictures of Mia! Surely they'll understand?"

"It's not that simple," Gran interrupts, her voice gentle but firm. "Darick was a powerful figure among the vampires. His…disappearance won't go unnoticed. The Conclave will want answers. And as for the vampires… They may want retribution."

My breath catches in my throat. "Retribution? But I didn't mean to—"

"Intent doesn't always matter in these situations, sweetheart. Things are already so tense, and the covens…" Gran trails off, her brow furrowed.

"The covens?" I prompt, dread building in my chest.

Gran sighed. "Some will see you as a hero, others as a liability. This could cause a rift we can't afford right now."

Oh, God. This is worse than I could ever have imagined. "But Gran, I—"

"What the hell is going on in here?" A familiar chittering interrupts me. Poppy is on the windowsill, her tiny eyes taking in the scene. Her little nose twitches, then crinkles in distaste. "Well, well," her tone is dry, "I go off and leave you unsupervised for one night, and suddenly there's vampire dust everywhere. Honestly, Rowan, can't you keep anything alive?"

"Poppy, this is serious! I just—"

"Just incinerated your vampire boyfriend. Yes, I can see that. Smell it, at any rate." Poppy flicks her tail dismissively. "And here I thought your magical failures couldn't get any more spectacular. Bravo."

"That's enough, Poppy," Gran chides. She turns back to me. "We need to act quickly. First, we need to clean up this…mess. Then, we need to contact the coven elders before word spreads."

I swallow hard. "Word?"

"We're not going to be able to keep this quiet, child." Standing slowly, she puts her hand to her back and grimaces as she stretches. It makes my chest tighten. I've made my grandmother feel her age today.

"Okay," I reply, knowing that she's right.

I watch numbly as Gran starts to clean up the ash. I feel sick.

"Come on, Rowan. We need to get this sorted quickly," Gran says, her voice gentle but firm. "I can't use magic to…to dispose of a body…without creating a ripple that the others might pick up."

I nod, forcing myself to move. I self-consciously pull on a robe before joining my grandmother, straightening my bedclothes and sweeping up…the remains. As we work, Gran outlines our next steps.

"We'll need to contact the Coven Conclave immediately. This…incident could have far-reaching consequences."

"What do you think they'll do?" I ask.

Gran sighs. "It's hard to say. But we need to control the narrative before—"

A sharp knock at the door cuts her off. We freeze, exchanging panicked glances.

"Rowan? Are you alright?" Mom's voice filters through the door. "We saw smoke coming from your cottage."

"Shit," I mutter under my breath. Gran gives me a pointed look.

"Just a minute!" I call out, trying to keep my voice steady. I turn to Gran, panic rising in my chest. "What do we do?"

"We can't hide this from them," Gran says firmly. "They're going to find out, eventually. Better it comes from us."

I nod, taking a deep breath as I head to the front entrance. I open the door to find Mom and Dad standing there, concern etched on their faces.

"What's going on, sweetheart?" Dad asks, his eyes scanning the room behind me.

After a moment of hesitation, I step back, letting them in. The scent of smoke leads them straight to my bedroom, and I trail in their wake, trying not to wring my hands. Their eyes widen as they take in the scene – the hastily made-up bed, the pile of ash, and Gran's grim expression.

"Oh, Rowan," Mom breathes, her hand flying to her mouth. "What happened?"

I open my mouth, but no words come out. How do I even begin to explain this?

Gran steps forward, placing a steadying hand on my shoulder. "We've had an…incident," she says carefully. "It seems Rowan's powers have manifested in an unexpected way."

Dad's eyes narrow. "What kind of incident?"

I take a shaky breath. "I…I killed someone. A vampire."

The silence that follows is deafening.