Aila heaved a long trembling sigh as her vision returned to normal, and she felt surprisingly full. It must have been Cassius’ blood that satiated her desire for more; that burning sensation at the back of her throat was gone. Although if she wasn’t forced to stop, she knew her mind would still be fixated on drinking him all up. Thinking the words made her feel sick, and feeling the dried blood on her face and looking down at her hoody wasn’t making it any better.

But this was a part of herself she had to deal with now. With that thought, she slowly slid off the bed, staggering slightly and halting until everything was clear again. She headed back towards the walk-in closet, turning a right at the far where she glimpsed another door that led to the bathroom. Opening it, she saw the interior of the castle walls had not changed, but the chandelier highlighted the sombre mood lighting above a large copper bathtub that stood on a raised ground. The shower was one glass screen blocking a section of the wall with a jet shower all in a rose gold colouring. It was all very luxurious and chic, but she didn’t expect any less.

Though she was a little suspicious by the feminine décor and wondered if this might have been Amelia’s quarters or if Cassius had the interior design explicitly changed on the intentions of her arrival. She hoped that neither was the case, but she had a sinking feeling that it was. 

Aila stripped out of her clothes with a sigh, leaving them on the floor and locked the bathroom door. Aila didn’t think Cassius would try anything, but she felt better from doing it, putting that much-needed distance between them. Having a shower to rid her body of three days worth of sleeping and the blood she’d so easily consumed from another human. She stepped into the shower once the jets were on, and the steam started to cloud the glass. With the warm water cascading down her body, she closed her eyes and let her mind go blank for once.

Aila didn’t want to think about anything, just for a few minutes. She’d been through a lot, and the person who her heart called out for, longingly burning for his warmth, smell, and protective arms, wasn’t nearby. Now standing under the shower, alone, she let the tears fall down her cheeks. It was the only time she would allow herself to feel pathetic and weak because once she was going to leave the bathroom, she needed to harden herself against Cassius and this sire bond. 

With the tears streaming down her cheeks, she took her time washing her hair and body, imagining Damon was with her. But that seemed to make her feel worse, and the warmth she sought chilled her body even more as the sudden loneliness crept into her being. 

“I’m still here, you know,” Malia pointed out with a huff, though Aila knew she was trying to cheer the pair of them up. Her wolf was more agitated than her, but she was following Aila’s lead and didn’t try to take the reins and run back to Silver Crescent. 

Aila turned the shower off, stepping out of the shower; she wrapped a towel around her body and started to towel dry her hair walking towards one of the oval-shaped mirrors in front of the two sinks meant for couples. Her hands paused the towel on her hair as she stared at herself in surprise; the towel fell out of her hands which she instantly bent over to grab, smacking her head against the sink. 

“Argh,” She groaned, clasping her head and checking herself out in the mirror. The red mark that had formed from stupidly banging her head already faded, and she found herself staring again. She didn’t look real; her skin was utterly unblemished and slightly paler though not a sickly pale, the marks on her skin below her collarbone stood out more, making her smile gently at the little reminder of who she needed to stay strong for. But then she raised her eyes again to her face and opened her mouth, expecting to see her fangs. 

But her teeth were fine; there were no fangs. Aila wondered if Davian was the same. She kept staring and decided to test an idea out, though she hoped it wouldn’t ‘bite her in the ass’, and she went mad. All she needed to do was think about blood or sinking her teeth into-

Her fangs instantly grew before she could finish what she was thinking. Her eyes widened, and then she freaked out, seeing her eyes sparkling again with those red ruby specks scattered across her eyes like red stardust. They were beautiful, she had to admit, but it was a disturbing beauty that she never expected to see on herself. Even her hair, she’d noted, had more of a healthy glow without any brittle strands. 

“Ah.. but look, we are even prettier like this..” Malia winked, then slipped into the front seat of her mind, taking the reins and staring at herself fiercely. The red in her eyes dimmed back to her usual blue hues that then glowed before her wolf added, speaking aloud. “You’re the freakin Alpha Queen, own it and own what extra power and looks you have now.”

With that said, she felt a shimmer of power course through her and Aila’s eyes transformed into brilliant golden hues. The golden irises of royalty. Her gaze lowered, and she noted the Moon Goddess’ blessing again. Malia was showing her the strength within her. She was right. She needed to be strong now and tackle whatever came her way. 

Aila needed to endure whatever Cassius put her through. It was going to be hard. But it was for Damon, for the pack and for her people. No matter how much her desire for blood as a vampire was, she needed to push through it and keep sane. She needed to gain Cassius’ trust, and that meant following through with his instructions, but she also needed to be alert around him. The bond was messing with her head, and it was hard to distinguish her real feelings towards him. 

“No matter what happens, Malia..” Aila flicked her gaze back to her reflection. “No matter what I do.. You NEED to bring me back. Remind me of who I am.”

With her jaw set and her gaze hardened, the glow of her golden hues still sparkling, her wolf agreed. “You don’t even need to ask me, Aila. We are in this together,” Malia replied confidently. She smiled, feeling the warmth in her chest from something that felt like a pinky promise to each other. 

Aila released her breath, and she glanced at her mate mark. Her hand stroking across it longingly then forced herself to close the barrier of the mate bond between her and Damon. It pained her to do so, but with all that had happened in one day, she couldn’t put her mate through her uncontrollable emotions. He shouldn’t have to bear with it. He shouldn’t have to deal with her disappearance in the first place.

But Aila couldn’t go back to him. Not yet. Not until she worked out what Cassius’ plans were. She didn’t know how long they were going to be separated, but the only thing that was keeping her sane about this was that he was surrounded by people that genuinely cared about him. Damon would be searching for her, of course, so it might not be as long as she thought. 

“Girl, Cass probs want world domination or something,” Malia snickered, although she was worried for them and the pack.

“He’s not some super villain!” Alia laughed, surprised at herself and possibly her sanity for laughing in such a situation. But she couldn’t keep wallowing around. That wasn’t like her at all.

With her sense of self back in place, Aila turned around with her shoulders pulled back and marched out of the bathroom and to the closet, finding a pair of jeans and a blouse. She set off and decided to get more acquainted with her new temporary home. She focused on the castle’s layout, deciding it was best she knew all the corridors and rooms. She just needed to think of herself as a prisoner like with the hunters, tiptoe around the ‘bad guy’, to which her bond was telling her he wasn’t a bad guy, and to gain as much information as possible from Davian.

Nodding along with her plan, Aila slowed down her steps when she heard some music blasting from a room across from her. Her hand hovered above the doorknob, but then she cleared her throat and opened the door. Aila inhaled sharply at the scene playing out before her. 

The scent of fresh blood wafted to her nose, making her heart frantically beat and her mouth go dry. The feeders from earlier were all scattered about the room, each with a bite mark or two on their skin, and in the middle of the women dancing sensually was Cassius. He wore a dress shirt again, but it was unbuttoned; his hair was dishevelled from where one of the women was clinging to him, kissing his neck, her hand in his hair. He was enjoying himself so much that he didn’t notice her.

Good.

Aila shook her head from the surprise that had raised her brows then started to turn around, not wanting to be a part of anything that was happening in the room. But as she clasped the doorknob again, she felt his presence before he made it known. 

“Aila. Join us,” Cassius’ velvety smooth voice called to her from behind her. A part of her wanted to join, wanted to please him, wanted to drink that blood.

Aila turned her head and almost jolted back from how close Cassius’ face was to hers. He lowered his gaze to her lips longingly then looked back at her eyes. Aila leaned forwards and placed her hand on his chest. “Thank you.. For the invitation. But I am full.” She held his gaze and opened the door before walking out of the door and leaving behind the temptation to drink more blood and lose herself. But seeing all those bodies and what that little party was going to turn into kept her mind sharp. 

She could do this.