Author's note: This is from Seraphina's point of view

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I found my situation extremely frustrating.

I'm not a vampire. Why did I end up craving blood? OK. It's not like I suddenly developed an appetite for blood, but taking in vitality makes me feel full. Fresh blood is brimming with vitality, so it's the perfect thing to keep me going.

I was quite confident that my current state is due to whatever Aldus did when he brought me here from London, but without knowing what exactly he did, I had no ideas how to go about reversing it.

Krob said that my father sealed my ability, but just sealing it shouldn't cause this backlash.

Maybe it wears off in time. Oh, God! What if it gets worse!?

To be honest, I didn't know how many more abilities I could handle.

Another idea popped into my mind. If my father could lock my ability to release vitality, then there is a chance that I can lock this one also. It's safer to put a restriction than to try untangling what Aldus did.

Once I settle matters here and Duke wakes up, I will focus on fixing myself. Until then, I needed a workaround.

There was nothing good in taking the vitality out of other creatures. But then… isn't that just feeding? How is that different compared to eating a steak or chicken wings? A living creature died so that I can eat. A glass of blood from a grown human won't kill him.

Maybe I'm overthinking all this.

My mind was a complete mess, and I felt like the whole world was against me, including my body.

The only solace I found was in the who was sleeping next to me.

I looked at Duke's relaxed face and I caressed his cheek with my fingers.

"Duke, can you feel this?", I asked. "Can you hear my voice? Do you know I'm by your side?"

He looked peaceful.

Duke was right next to me, but I was lonely. I really wanted him to open those endless blue eyes and to hug me and kiss me and to tell me that everything will be alright.

I knew that Duke waited for me for three long years, and I hoped that this is not his payback.

Three. Long. Years.

He was in London, tracking news with me in it, and the only thing he had was the Soul Echo that allowed us to be together even though we were apart.

I froze as an invisible lightbulb lit up above my head.

That's it!

Soul Echo!

Technically, he was sleeping, and that was perfect for me to connect with him.

How come I didn't think of that before?

I pushed down my excitement and took a few moments to adjust my mood.

I held Duke's hand and moved my fingers between his. He didn't move. Normally, his fingers would interlace with mine naturally, and the fact that he didn't respond, made me sad.

"Hold on tight, love.", I told him. "I'm coming to get you."

This was more of a pep talk for me than for him, but I still hoped that he can hear me.

I kissed his cheek and settled next to him, allowing the darkness to consume me as I focused on Duke's presence.

Seconds melded into minutes, and I lost track of time as nothingness consumed me and I found myself in deafening silence.

Did I do this right?

I had a feeling of the firm ground below me. My steps made no sound.

It took me some time to identify the scent of the pine trees mixed with the ocean which told me that I'm in the right place.

There was only one problem: where is this?

Soft breathing came from my right and my eyes widened at the sight of a massive black wolf.

It was just an outline, but I saw him clearly.

He was curled up and sleeping. Was he a clue to untangling the mystery and waking up Duke?

I was not sure if it was a good idea, but I ended up approaching the animal. There was nothing else in this boundless darkness anyway and he wouldn't be here randomly.

I circled around the wolf, to see him better from every angle, and I was surprised to see a child sleeping next to him.

The wolf was curled up around a boy who couldn't be more than five years old.

As much as I was happy that I found something (or someone), this was different than what I expected.

I was going for the Soul Echo, to reach out to Duke and convince him to wake up, but I found a wolf and a child. Both sleeping. Now what?

The boy was cradled between the wolf's front leg and the belly, and I could see his nose scrunching before he stirred.

Did the boy pick up my scent?

"Hey…", I called softly.

The boy's lashes fluttered for a moment and then he looked at me.

I smiled at the sight of familiar blue eyes that I grew to love in the last eleven years.

"Are you Mateo?", I asked.

His eyes narrowed at me, and he asked in an adorable childish voice, "Who are you?"

"I am a friend.", I responded. "Do you know where this is?"

The boy shook his head, indicating that he doesn't know where we are, and then he observed me intently.

I could see from his gaze intelligence and curiosity. Yup. That's my Duke.

I took a moment to process the situation.

I was definitely inside Duke's mind, and this was kiddo-Duke, which made me wonder… is this massive black animal Duke's wolf?

What if I wake him up? That could solve the whole Duke-doesn't-have-a-wolf problem, but at the same time, I had no way of predicting the consequences.

I pushed those thoughts away. My priority was Duke, and everything else can wait. Let's not complicate things further. This was not the time or place for experiments.

"Do you know how to get out of here?", I asked the boy.

His adorable small eyebrows came together in confusion. "Out? Where?"

"There is a world outside with people who are missing you.", I responded.

The boy pushed himself into a seated position. "Missing me?"

The voice was not so baby-like, and I took a double-take to ascertain that the boy now looked about ten years old. In a blink of an eye, five years passed for him.

Amazing!

I had no idea what's going on, but something told me that this should be a good thing. It was like I'm stirring Duke into reality where he was becoming aware of various things, and his appearance reflected it. Or at least I hoped that's the case.

I didn't have proof if this was the right thing to do, but my instincts told me to keep going in that direction.

I had a feeling that if I remind Duke who he is and where he belongs, he will wake up and come back to me. Preferably in his twenty-something edition, and not like a child.

"Yes, Mateo.", I confirmed. "Do you know who you are? Do you remember people that might be sad if you are not with them?"

I was talking about me, but Mateo as a child would probably think about his parents.

Ten years old Duke was lost in thoughts with his brows furrowed, and our surroundings changed.

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