26. Sam

I’m lying in my bedroom’s bay window, my eyes fixed on the snowflakes that drift past, slowly painting the driveway a pristine white. The cold seeps through the glass, chilling my skin, but I barely feel it. I’m numb, inside and out, my heart frozen in the aftermath of losing Nik.

It’s been days, maybe weeks, since I last left the beach house. I’ve lost track of time, the hours blurring together in a haze of misery and despair. What’s the point of keeping count, when every moment is a reminder of what I’ve lost, of the love that’s been ripped away from me?

The buzz of Yule preparations fills the household, the excitement all but tangible in the air. The Deveraux witches are hosting a dinner party, and we’re invited—a summons that cannot be refused. But the thought of facing the world, of pretending to be happy and whole when I’m shattered inside... it’s almost more than I can bear.

Gavriil, of course, has made it clear that I have no say in the matter. No surprise there. My brother has become a tyrant, a man who demands obedience and compliance at every turn.

But it’s not the party that weighs on my mind, not the thought of facing the Deverauxs and their insufferable superiority. No, it’s the silence from Nik that cuts me to the core, the lack of any word or sign that he’s thinking of me, missing me the way I miss him.

Was it really that easy for him to move on, to forget what we had? How can he pretend that our love was anything less than extraordinary, a once-in-a-lifetime kind of connection?

Gods, I don’t think he’s having a hard time being apart. Not like I am, not like I’m drowning in the pain of his absence, suffocating under the weight of my own broken heart.

The creak of my bedroom door jolts me from my thoughts, and I hear a familiar voice call out, “Sam?”

I don’t look back, don’t want to see the pity in my friend’s eyes. “Mila,” I say, my tone dull and lifeless.

I’ve been keeping my distance from her ever since I got back from Brittany, ever since my world imploded in a fiery blaze of heartache and betrayal. She knows the reason, knows the role she played in tearing me away from Nik.

“Can I come in?” she asks, her voice tentative, unsure.

I want to tell her no, to scream at her to leave me alone with my misery. But I purse my lips instead, swallowing back the bitter words that rise in my throat.

“Sam...” she continues, and out of the corner of my eye, I see her ambling towards me, something green clutched in her hands. “I’m sorry about what happened...”

My head snaps towards her, and I fix her with a menacing glare, the anger that’s been simmering inside me finally boiling over. “Was it you?” I demand, my voice sharp and accusing. “Just admit it.”

I’m so certain she’s the one to blame, the one who ratted me out to Gavriil. It could be no one else. Only she knew where I was staying. Only she had the power to betray my trust so completely.

“No, of course not!” Mila pleads, her blonde curls bouncing as she kneels by my side, her eyes wide and desperate. “How can you think that of me?”

“Well, for starters, your brother was there,” I mumble, my tone aloof and distant. “I saw him first.”

“Sam, please believe me! It wasn’t me!” Mila grabs my arm, her fingers digging into my skin. “My sister, she was so worried that covering for you would get us into trouble with Gavriil. She must have called Dima...”

A frown furrows my brow, confusion warring with the anger that still simmers in my veins.

“I didn’t know a thing about Gavriil coming over to find you,” Mila continues, her words tumbling out in a rush. “I swear! Dima told me about it only after you returned to Paris!”

Her pink lips quiver, tears rimming her eyes, and I feel a flicker of doubt, a tiny spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, I’ve been wrong about her all along.

“Please, Sam,” she begs, her voice breaking. “Tell me you believe me!”

My expression softens, the anger draining away as quickly as it came. I take Mila’s hands in mine, the holiday wreath she was carrying falling forgotten to the floor.

“Oh Mila,” I whisper, my throat tight with unshed tears. “It was awful... It’s all a mess!”

I leap down from the window, falling into her arms, and she holds me tight, her embrace warm and comforting. And just like that, the floodgates open, and I’m weeping like I did when I left Nik, my body shaking with the force of my sobs.

“I love him, Mila,” I choke out, biting my lip to hold back the wail that threatens to escape. “And I’ve lost him forever!”

Tears spill down my cheeks, hot and bitter, a physical manifestation of the grief that consumes me.

“I’m so sorry, sweetie,” Mila murmurs, her voice soft and soothing. She pulls back, locking eyes with me, a tiny smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “Hey. Maybe you’ll run into him tonight?”

Her words spark a flicker of interest, a tiny ember of hope that refuses to be extinguished. “Tonight?” I ask, narrowing my eyes in confusion. What the devil is she talking about?

“At Deveraux Manor,” she explains, as if it should be obvious. But I’m still in the dark, my mind too clouded by heartache to make the connection.

“Huh?” I wrinkle my nose, wondering if Mila has finally lost her mind.

“At the Yule party?” she prompts, giving me a knowing look.

And just like that, it clicks. My eyes widen, my stomach dropping like a stone. “That’s tonight?” I gasp, my heart racing in my chest. Oh my fucking gods.

“Yeah...” Mila shrugs, as if it’s no big deal. But to me, it’s everything.

A glimmer of hope blooms in my chest, a tiny flame that refuses to be extinguished. I try to tamp it down, to keep my expectations in check, but I can’t fight the feeling that maybe, just maybe, this is the chance I’ve been waiting for.

The chance to see Nik again, to look into his eyes and make him understand how wrong he was to push me away, to shut me out of his life.

I love him, all of him, dragon and man alike. And I’ll be damned if I let him go without a fight.

“Gods, Mila! You’re wonderful!” I exclaim, leaping to my feet, a renewed sense of purpose coursing through my veins. “I’ll see Nik tonight!”

I swipe at my tears with the back of my hand, smearing black mascara across my skin. But I don’t care. Nothing matters but the possibility of being near him again, of feeling the warmth of his presence and the touch of his hand.

“Not looking like this, you’re not,” Mila teases, plucking the holly wreath from the floor and placing it on my head like a crown. “Come on. I’ll help you get ready.”

I sniff, feeling the heat of a blush rising in my cheeks. “You’re right. I must look dreadful. I gotta look fabulous for my dragon...”

Mila starts, her brow furrowing in confusion. “Your... dragon?”

My mouth goes slack, panic flaring in my chest. “Uh... That’s what I call him,” I amend quickly, scrambling for an explanation. “He calls me his Little Bear.”

A smile tugs at my lips, the memory of Nik’s endearment warming me from the inside out.

“Aw! That’s so sweet!” Mila coos, pressing a hand to her heart.

“Yeah.” I give her a brief smile, relief washing over me. That was close. Too close.

If my clan knew the truth about Nik, about the beast that lies beneath his skin... they would go ballistic. And Gavriil... gods, I don’t even want to think about how he would react. It would be a bloodbath, a war between our families that would tear the supernatural world apart.

But as Mila tugs me towards my closet, chattering excitedly about dresses and hairstyles, I push those thoughts aside.

Tonight, none of that matters. All that exists is the hope burning in my chest, the love that refuses to be denied.

Tonight, I’ll see my dragon again. And one way or another, I’ll make him see the truth.

That we belong together, now and always.

No matter what the world throws our way.