Mihnea had been blessed to witness the transformation.

Wolf to woman. Such a magnificent creature.

With Thana's head start, Yrsa had failed her mission. Both women were missing when Mihnea happened upon the crash site. The Council issued Mercedes had been pushed into the ditch, out of sight for most human eyes, but Mihnea was not like most people. If the scent of blood had not alerted him, the tyre marks and bullet scorches would have.

Now he held the tiny Fae in his grasp. He could easily take her back to his penthouse, but the Council would force him to place her in the holding cell, and her trial would resume. Perhaps The Nest would be suitable housing, though most of his kind would not be able to resist her delectable blood. The scent just about drove him wild. He could hear the thrumming of her heart in the vein of her neck as her head lolled back in his arms. Swallowing deeply, he averted his eyes. He would not taste a drop of her blood until she promised to free all his children from the eternal darkness. 

No, The Nest wouldn't do. 

His musings were interrupted by an incessant chirping at his side. Erithacus rubecula. European Robin. His body turned to face the tiny creature. It flitted from plant to plant, looking back curiously. Mihnea could recognise a particular magic coming from the bird. Very weak, but it was still there. 

Mihnea's eyes narrowed as he followed the robin's path. It was leading them towards the forest. From his studies of the country's maps, he was somewhere along the border of Malum and, hopefully, Invictus. 

Despite holding a healthy scepticism, the tiny creature thoroughly piqued Mihnea's interest, and he followed it into the shadowed woods. His night eyes spied nothing out of the ordinary: no patrolling Malum wolves, no wolves at all. It was odd that he couldn't scent them so close to their boundaries.

A clear path widened before the unlikely pair, and Mihnea kept his guard on high alert. Something strange was afoot, no doubt. They hadn't come across any witch magic. No human proof barrier, no traps. Nothing.

The bird twittered and preened on a low hanging branch next to a bend in the path. Mihnea rounded it cautiously, noticing the small woman stir in his arms. Visena coughed feebly and turned her face against his chest. Either the cool temperature or the scent seemed to bother her, and she twisted away from him. Mihnea held her steadfast while her body coiled and writhed.

"Visena?"

She didn't rouse from his jostling or his voice. He noticed the noises around them stopped; no robin song, crickets or even the whispering wind in the evergreens. The world stood still.

Mihnea lifted his gaze from the woman in his arms and froze at the sight before them.

From the apparent nothingness sprang a modest, well-loved cottage. Shingle roofing, stucco walls and a huge bay window seemed to wink at them under the rising moonlight. A worn porch wrapped around the lodging with hanging plants attached to each awning panel. Beautiful. Quaint.

Mihnea eased forward, noticing a dust-covered flat stone across the path as his shoes scuffed away the top layer of dirt. After closer inspection, he saw many stones were placed calculatedly, forming a wide circle around the home. Magic seemed to ooze from them, making Mihnea uneasy. Visena only stirred further. From her mouth came strange murmurings, growls and whines.

The ancient Vampire brushed his shoe against the closest white rock, and the Fae in his arms gasped. Her eyes screwed shut, and her heart beat frantically like a hummingbird's, pulse points fluttering visibly as the house affected her somehow. Mihnea couldn't decipher if it were good or bad. 

The robin appeared again and perched itself amongst a potted plant. Inside the ring of stones. It tilted its head at the Vampire as if to say, 'what are you waiting for?'

With a deep, pointless inhalation, the Vampire steadied his resolve. Then, holding Visena tight, he made the journey across the stone circle. Mihnea had only been standing within the ring for a moment when the Fae in his arms screamed. Her limbs flailed and struck Mihnea across the face. 

If any other person had laid hands on him, he would have drained them dry, but instead, he dropped her. Not entirely, though. His arms wrapped beneath her armpits and around her torso, keeping Visena upright, turning her body outward to prevent another head injury. Mihnea's ears were still ringing from the hit. He couldn't remember the last time he received such a powerful punch.

Visena's feet dangled uselessly before she finally seemed to regain consciousness. Mihnea realised this when the girl threw her head back into his sternum, causing an audible crack and responding with a pained, "Ouch."

Her feet kicked violently as she shouted, "Put me down. Put me down!"

The Vampire obliged and let Visena's body drop to the floor. Unlike a bag of potatoes, she twisted with lithe agility and landed on all fours. Her head turned, half shifted to growl at the Vampire when the realisation hit her. Her face morphed back into the lovely Fae, and she smiled brightly. "Mihnea!"

He would never usually ask anyone to call him by that name either. However, this girl seemed to be the exception for every rule the Vampire had ever made.

"What are you doing here? How did you find me? How did you find this place?"

Mihnea wasn't sure which question to answer first. "I followed Thana's trail at nightfall and found you near the forest unconscious. Then a strange bird led me here."

The answers seemed to disturb her. Visena's face twisted miserably, "I'm so sorry about Thana... She died because of me."

Mihnea struggled to hide his expression. "No child, she is not dead. Most likely, she is off feeding Yrsa to The Nest. Which may end up an issue for me later." He let his words die in his throat, mesmerised by the tension that melted off the small girl's body. Her smile was radiant. Visena threw her arms around the Vampire and squeezed tightly. Mihnea felt his joints pop from the tension, and he laughed lightly. "You are very strong, pet."

"So I've been told."

The two looked around the space wide-eyed.

"So... Do you recognise this house?" Mihnea sensed appearances were deceiving as he took in the simple structure.

"I dreamed of this place. My father trained me here. Darius." She seemed to test the name on her lips.

"I recognise the name." 

They walked towards the porch together, dust pluming after each step.

"Yeah, he was the Beta for Malum pack."

Mihnea paused for a moment with a frown. "Not originally."

Visena spun to face the Vampire with wide eyes. "What?"

"He was Alpha until his mate was murdered. Jasmine. She was a lovely wolf. I was sad to hear of her death."

"What happened to her?"

Mihnea cleared his throat uncomfortably as Visena's unfiltered despair made him feel things. "No one knew. Although I sense Zeir may have had a hand in it. After she died, Darius disappeared, and Zeir stepped into the position. When your father returned to the pack, he didn't claim his title. Instead, he stayed Zeir's Beta until he killed him."

Visena gripped her stomach and turned away from the Vampire. The pain appeared too much. Her fingers brushed the golden front door handle covered in grime and cobwebs, and she took a deep breath.

Home sweet home?

~~~

A/N

ooh lah lah. the revelations. 

But it makes sense considering how powerful she is that her father was an Alpha.

I'm hoping this chapter flows well because my brain is too tired to proofread anymore. 

Thank you so much for reading xx

Until next time <3

K