I wake up slowly, the haze of sleep lingering over me like a heavy fog. For a moment, I forget where I am, my mind still clouded with the remnants of strange dreams. But the warmth of Dante's arms around me and the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath me quickly ground me in the present. I'm still cradled against him, his body a solid, reassuring presence that keeps the lingering fog at bay.

Blinking against the dim light in the room, I stir slightly, feeling the dull ache in my neck and wrists where they bite me. The heat from their healing is gone now, replaced by a low throb that's more a reminder of what happens than actual pain.

I shift in Dante's lap, and his arms tighten around me instinctively. I can feel his eyes on me even before I look up to meet his gaze. His expression is unreadable, but there's a softness in the way he watches me—an intensity that both comforts and unsettles me.

"You're awake," he says, his voice low and deep, a rumble that I can feel more than hear.

I nod, my throat feeling dry. "How long am I out?"

"Not long," Lila answers from the chair by the window, her voice soft but alert. "Maybe an hour."

I glance around the room. Nikolai is still lounging across from us, but now he's reclined on his back, hands behind his head as if he's been patiently waiting for something—maybe waiting for me to wake up. His eyes flick to mine, and a grin spreads across his face.

"Feeling better, sweetheart?" he asks, his tone playful as always, though there's a hint of something more beneath it—something curious, maybe even cautious.

I swallow, trying to clear the dryness from my throat. "I... I think so."

But the truth is, I'm not sure how I feel. My body is still buzzing from the aftereffects of the feeding, and my mind feels like it's struggling to catch up. It's as if I'm hovering on the edge of something, but I don't know what.

Lila stands and moves toward me, her eyes soft and filled with concern. "You do well, Olivia. But you should take it easy for a while. The feeding process can be too much for some."

That's an understatement. I still can't quite shake the feeling of heat that burns through me when they heal my wounds, the intimacy of their touch, their presence. I feel like something's shifted inside me, like I'm different somehow.

Dante's arms loosen slightly, giving me the space to sit up if I want, but he doesn't let me go entirely. I can feel the quiet strength in his hold, and part of me doesn't want to move, doesn't want to lose the comfort of being wrapped in his warmth.

Nikolai's grin widens, and he leans forward slightly, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "You'll get used to it. Trust me, it's not always so... intense. Though I have to admit, you handle it better than most."

I manage a weak smile, but my mind is still swirling with questions. "What... what exactly happens? Why do I feel like this?"

Lila kneels down beside me, her expression softening. "Feeding on a human, especially in a situation like this, creates a bond—an exchange of energy. It's not just about taking blood. It's about the connection between us. That's why you're feeling so... heightened."

A bond. The word sends a shiver through me. It makes sense, in a way, but it's also terrifying. I've known since I get pulled into their world that nothing will ever be the same again, but I didn't realize how deep it could go.

"So... we're connected now?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. "Like, permanently?"

Dante shifts under me, his voice calm but firm. "It's not permanent… unless you choose for it to be. The connection will fade over time if that's what you want. But right now, yes. There's a bond between us."

The weight of his words settles over me, and I feel the gravity of what's happening fully sink in. I'm not just an outsider anymore. I'm tied to them in a way I never anticipate, and the idea of that is both comforting and terrifying.

Nikolai, always the one to lighten the mood, smirks. "Don't look so worried, sweetheart. It's not like we're going to start reading each other's minds or anything. Well Lila-" Lila shoots him a sharp look. "It's just... a link. You'll feel what we feel a little more, that's all."

A link. My thoughts race, and I try to grasp the full scope of what that means. I glance up at Dante, who's still holding me close, his eyes watching me carefully.

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"What do you feel right now?" I ask quietly, my voice steadying.

Dante doesn't answer right away, and when he finally speaks, his voice is softer than before. "Right now, I feel... protective. I feel your uncertainty. But most of all, I feel that you feel safe, and that's all that matters."

My heart skips a beat at his words, and for a moment, I don't know how to respond. I can feel that protection from him, like a warm shield around me. But there's more to it, isn't there? Something deeper that neither of us is ready to say out loud.

Lila stands and steps back, her gaze shifting between me and Dante. "You'll adjust to it, Olivia. You're part of us now. If you want to be." She gives me a confident smile and my heart skips a beat.

Part of them. The words sink in, and though I've been fighting it, I can't help but feel a strange sense of belonging. I don't know what that means for the future, but for now, I'm not as scared as I am.

Not of them, at least.

I don't answer the question hanging in the air. Instead I sit up a little straighter in Dante's arms, feeling the strength of his hold. "What happens next?"

Dante's eyes darken slightly, his expression turning more serious. "We lay low for now. You need rest."

I nod, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on me again. But this time, it doesn't feel as crushing. I'm still scared, still uncertain, but I know I'm not alone. For better or worse, I'm part of their world now.

And as I lean back into Dante's embrace, I can't help but think that maybe—just maybe—I'll be able to handle whatever comes next.

With them by my side.

The exhaustion settles back over me like a heavy blanket, and despite my racing thoughts, my body craves rest. Leaning into Dante's chest, I let my eyes flutter closed, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath me. The quiet murmurs of Lila, Dante, and Nikolai talking softly fade into the background as sleep begins to pull me under once again.

- - - - - -

The room around me seems to blur, becoming soft and distant. My body feels weightless, drifting in and out of consciousness, but the warmth of Dante's arms around me keeps me tethered, secure. The residual heat from their healing still lingers in my limbs, making me feel warm, almost hazy, like I'm floating between sleep and wakefulness.

But something stirs me from the edges of sleep—a soft sound, almost like a whisper, followed by a faint rustling nearby. My eyelids flutter open, though I'm still caught in that sleepy haze, and at first, everything is blurred, indistinct.

I shift slightly, blinking against the dim light, and that's when I see it—Nikolai, standing close to Lila, his expression more serious than usual, his playful grin softened into something else. His hand is resting on her arm, his thumb brushing her skin in a way that feels surprisingly tender for him. And then, before I can fully register what's happening, he leans in, his lips pressing softly against hers.

For a moment, I'm not sure what I'm seeing. My sleep-addled brain can't quite make sense of it. I blink, trying to clear the fog, but the scene before me is real. Nikolai is kissing Lila, and she's kissing him back, her hands resting lightly on his chest as though this is something familiar, something they've done before.

A flush of confusion rolls through me, but it's not just confusion—it's something else. Something unexpected, something I can't quite place. I shift again, but my body feels heavy with sleep, unable to fully wake.

Nikolai pulls back slowly, his gaze lingering on Lila's face for a moment before he turns toward Dante, who's still holding me. There's a spark of something in Nikolai's eyes—a mischievous glint, but also something deeper, something serious, almost reverent.

Before I can fully process what's happening, Nikolai steps closer to Dante, who tilts his head up slightly in acknowledgment. My breath catches as Nikolai leans down, brushing his lips against Dante's in a kiss that is equally soft, but with an intensity behind it. The kind of intensity that sends a shiver down my spine.

I should be startled by what I'm seeing. But as I lie there, half-awake in Dante's arms, watching the scene unfold, something inside me shifts. I realize, in that moment, I'm not confused. I'm not unsettled. Instead, there's a different kind of heat building in me—one I can't deny.

I'm definitely into it.

It's a strange realization, one I wasn't expecting. But as I watch the way Nikolai's hand rests gently on Dante's shoulder, the way they move together, so familiar, so natural, something clicks inside me. I feel my heartbeat quicken, but it's not out of fear or confusion. It's something much deeper, something primal.

I'm not jealous. I'm drawn in.

Dante pulls back from Nikolai, his eyes flicking to mine, catching me awake. For a second, I'm worried that he'll say something, but he doesn't. Instead, there's a softness in his gaze, an understanding, like he knows exactly what I'm feeling. He knows I saw, knows I'm watching, and yet he says nothing.

Nikolai smirks, the usual mischief in his eyes, but there's a glimmer of something warmer, something knowing. "You're awake, sweetheart," he says softly, almost teasing, but not in a mocking way. It's like he's welcoming me into something I didn't know I was already part of.

I blink, still feeling the aftereffects of sleep, but something compels me to joke, maybe to ground myself in the strange reality of what I've just witnessed. "You're handing out kisses, and I'm left out?" I say, half-smiling, my voice a little weaker than I intended.

Nikolai raises an eyebrow, his smirk widening into a full grin. "Left out? We can't have that, can we?"

Before I can fully process what's happening, Nikolai moves closer, his hand brushing lightly against my cheek as he leans down. His lips meet mine in a kiss that's surprisingly soft, more gentle than I would have expected from him. There's heat in it, yes, but also a tenderness that catches me off guard.

My heart stutters in my chest, and I melt into the kiss, letting the warmth of his touch sink into me. It's different from everything I've experienced with them so far—more personal, more intimate. My pulse quickens, and I feel the connection between us, the strange bond that's formed, intensify in that single moment.

When Nikolai finally pulls back, his grin returns, playful but with a spark of something deeper. "Better?" he asks, his tone light, but there's an edge to his voice that tells me he knows exactly what I'm feeling.

I blink, momentarily speechless, before managing a small laugh. "Yeah, better." I squeak out. Dante's arms tighten slightly around me, a quiet reassurance, and I feel myself relax into him, the strange tension from moments ago melting away into something warmer, more intimate. I don't fully understand what's happening, but I don't need to. There's something unspoken in the air, something that connects us all, and for the first time since this whirlwind started, I don't feel like an outsider. I feel like I belong, like this is where I'm supposed to be—right here, in the center of it all.

Lila smiles softly from where she stands, her eyes warm and understanding, as though she expected this, knew this moment would come. She sits down beside me on the bed, her hand resting gently on my arm. "You're not alone, Olivia," she says quietly, her voice a soothing balm. "We're in this together. All of us. If you want to be."

I glance at her, at Nikolai, at Dante. The air between us is charged with something I can't quite name, but it's not uncomfortable. It's... comforting. Right.

And as I lean back into Dante's embrace once more, the exhaustion pulling at me again, I let myself fall back into that warmth, into their embrace, knowing now that whatever this is, whatever we are, it's something real. Something that connects us all in ways I'm only just beginning to understand.

For the first time in a this crazy string of events, I'm not afraid of what comes next.