105

Lyanna’s POV

It was well past midnight when I finally set down the ancient tome I’d been poring over for hours. My small apartment, hidden deep within the outskirts of the vampire realm, was illuminated only by the flickering light of candles. I preferred it that way—shadows and silence, with only the occasional crackle of the fire for company. There was something calming about the stillness of the night, a kind of solitude I found comforting.

Most vampires sought out fame, wealth, and prestige, especially those on the Council. But I had never cared for that life. I had my own corner of the world, filled with books, spells, and the kind of secrets that could shake the foundations of everything the Council stood for.

Tonight, though, the peace wasn’t comforting. It was thick, heavy with tension.

Ian had come to me again earlier, his usual composed self unraveling slightly at the edges, something I hadn’t seen in him for centuries. He didn’t have to say much. I already knew what was bothering him—Sophia, and what I had told him about her.

He tried to hide it, but I knew Ian well enough to see through his defenses. She wasn’t just another human girl he’d taken a liking to, or one of the other girls he had fallen in love with. No, Sophia was something far more dangerous, and if my suspicions were right, more dangerous than even Ian could comprehend.

I pulled the leather-bound tome closer, flipping through brittle pages that hadn’t seen the light of day in centuries. It was a family record—an ancient lineage of vampires that had disappeared from the world so long ago that most believed them extinct. The family name had been wiped from all known history, but fragments remained, hidden in places only witches like me could access.

And there, on a page near the middle, was the name I had been looking for, written boldly in cursive.

Anderson.

I stared at the name, the blood in my veins pulsing with a mixture of excitement and dread. Excitement, because I was finally getting closer to the answers, and dread, because I knew exactly what those answers meant. Could it be a coincidence? Or was Sophia, the girl Ian had so recklessly marked, connected to this ancient bloodline?

The pieces were beginning to fall into place. Sophia wasn’t just a girl Ian had saved on a whim. She was part of something much larger, something much older. And if I was right—if her blood truly belonged to this lineage—it could mean that the prophecy I’d long dismissed as folklore was real.

But I couldn’t tell Ian everything. Not yet. There was still so much at stake at the moment.

I stood up, stretching my stiff legs as I moved toward the window. The air outside was still and cold, with the moon being the only source of light right now, illuminating the surroundings of my house.

I wasn’t worried about being attacked by anyone or something of that sort. I was one of the most powerful witches here, and I have a spell no one could break woven around my house. I was already as protected as I could be.

I had been alone for most of my life, choosing the path of a witch over the temptations of power and control that the vampire realm thrived on. My family, who have been dead for a while now, had been witches too—strong ones, but they had fallen to the same greed that consumed most beings of power. I had learned from their mistakes. I had learned that power was best kept secret, hidden in the shadows where it couldn’t corrupt.

But now, I found myself drawn into the very power struggles I had spent my life avoiding. Because of Ian. Because of Sophia.

There was a knock at the door, and I sighed, knowing who it would be before I even opened it.

Ian stood there, his expression unreadable but his eyes said it all. He was impatient. Of course he was. I’ve never known Ian to be a patient guy. He didn’t like waiting for answers.

“Come in,” I said, stepping aside as he entered, his tall figure seeming to fill the small room.

“You’ve found something,” he said, not bothering with pleasantries.

I nodded, gesturing for him to sit. “I have, but it’s not simple, Ian.”

His eyes narrowed slightly as he sat down across from me. “What do you mean?”

I leaned against the table, crossing my arms. “Sophia’s bloodline… it’s ancient. Older than even you, older than the Council. There are records of a family—vampires—that disappeared centuries ago. But I found a trace of them. And I believe Sophia is connected to them.”

Ian’s face remained stoic, but I could see the tension in his jaw. “Connected how?”

“That’s the part I’m still uncovering. I don’t know if it’s nothing more than a coincidence, but they even share last names,” I said carefully. “But this family wasn’t just any vampire family. They were powerful, possibly the most powerful. And if I’m right, Sophia carries their blood.”

Ian’s silence was telling. He wasn’t one to believe in legends or myths easily, but this was clearly disturbing him.

“What does that mean for her?” he asked finally, his voice quieter than before.

I hesitated. “It means she could be the key to powers we don’t fully understand. Powers that might be dangerous, not just to her, but to you, to all of us.”

Ian stood abruptly, pacing the small space of my apartment. “You’re telling me I’ve brought something into this world that could destroy it?”

“I’m saying we don’t know what she’s capable of,” I replied, trying to keep my tone calm. “And that’s why I need to investigate further. I need time, Ian. Time to dig deeper, to find out the full extent of what her lineage means.”

He stopped pacing, turning to face me. “How long?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “These things… they take time. The Council already suspects something. They’ll want answers sooner rather than later.”

Ian’s gaze hardened at the mention of the Council. “The Council can wait. I’m not about to let them dictate how this plays out.”

“You may not have a choice,” I said, meeting his gaze evenly. “If they find out that Sophia is tied to an ancient bloodline, they’ll see her as a threat. You know what they do to threats.”

He didn’t respond, but the silence that followed was heavy. I could see the weight of it all pressing down on him—the responsibility, the danger, the questions. For centuries, he had lived as a king without truly embracing the role. Now, everything was being thrust upon him, and he had to figure not only his own world but the human world as well.

After a long moment, he spoke again. “Dig as deep as you need to, Lyanna. Find out everything you can.”

I nodded, watching him as he turned to leave. Just before he reached the door, I called out, “Ian?”

He paused, looking back at me.

“Be careful,” I said softly. “I don’t think this is going to end the way you want it to.”

He didn’t respond, just gave me a curt nod before disappearing into the night.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the empty doorway. The weight of what I had uncovered pressed heavily on my chest. I had seen countless battles, betrayals, and power struggles in my lifetime. But this felt different. It wasn’t just about power. It was about something far older, far more dangerous.

I looked back at the tome on the table, the name Anderson staring back at me from the page. The secrets of Sophia’s past were buried deep, but I would find them.

I only hoped I could do so before it was too late.

I eyed the name one more time, before deciding that I could use a break. I closed the door and locked it before turning around and walking to my kitchen. I picked up a mug and poured myself some water.

As I took a sip, my mind kept going to Sophia’s heritage. She and I weren’t particularly very close, but she has become family too, and I couldn’t bear to see her hurt over something that she had no control over, like this one. She is such a cute and beautiful soul. I wasn’t sure that I could handle anything happening to her.

Gods. I ran my hands through my hair and set the mug on the table. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe I couldn’t have told Ian what I was suspecting in the first place.

God. Maybe I shouldn’t be digging up the past. Because… because…if this past was as dangerous as it was already seeming, Ian would raise hell on anyone who tried to hurt Sophia.

He would let the realm burn to protect her. And that couldn’t happen.