Stephan appeared in the room. One minute I was sitting in uncomfortable silence with Victoria, the next his presence hit me like a ton of bricks. My beast rose in me to greet the one that felt like home to us. We could smell him from across the room, like rainwater during a storm. The air around him was charged with power, mixing nicely with the musky cologne he was wearing. I took a deep breath to calm my confusing reaction to his presence, only succeeding in taking in more of his delicious scent.

Victoria gave me a strange look, one that I was starting to get used to by now from her. She shrugged her shoulders in a graceful dismissal of my behavior and stood.

“Stephan.” She inclined her head toward him in greeting. Had we been alone, she would have curtsied deeply, showing him the respect he deserved as her master. Since we were in public, she simply bowed her head, tilting ever so slightly at the end to expose her neck in a subservient gesture. “She’s acting very strange, even for her. You may wish to tread gently and retire to a less populated area.”

I couldn’t look at him. Embarrassment had me staring directly at the small of Victoria’s back the whole time they interacted, not even caring that she was talking about me as if I wasn’t sitting in the booth right next to her. I was having trouble containing my beast. She wanted to fling us into Stephan’s arms and rub all over him. She wanted the scent of home on us more than our next breath.

I couldn’t allow myself to do that. Not only was it completely, horrifically embarrassing, but it also felt like an utter betrayal to Raif. At my reminder of our mate, my beast calmed. She knew of him, felt his faint life force that lived inside us, but she wasn’t as aware of him as I was. She hadn’t been a part of me when I was with him.

I faintly heard Stephan dismiss Victoria. I watched as she sauntered away, hips swinging seductively in her miniskirt. He stood quietly at the side of the table, waiting patiently for my acknowledgement. I forced myself to meet his molten eyes. The shock I saw in their swirling depths surprised me.

“I’m really sorry to bother you. I didn’t know where else to turn. I need help.” My voice came out in a choked whisper. I didn’t want to be here. I wanted to be stronger than this. He nodded and folded himself gracefully into the seat across from me.

“Natasha, forgive me. I should have asked this of you before you left last time but was too caught up in my own thoughts. It was careless of me to leave you without any direction. Regardless, you are always welcome here, and I will do my best as the High Priest of Atlantis to help you. I ask you now—who are you mated with?” His eyes held mine. I could feel the power, the influence behind his words. Whether intentional or not, he was very manipulative. I felt the desire to tell him the truth about anything he wished to know, but it was a desire I knew I could ignore. His compelling voice didn’t work on me.

“You shouldn’t waste your power on me, Stephan. I came here seeking help. Whatever you need from me, just ask. I’m neither embarrassed nor ashamed. I’m mated to Raifuku Iochera, and I’m pissed as hell at him for not telling me a damn thing.” I leaned back in the booth, relieved at having said what had been on my mind for months.

“Have you changed yet?” he whispered so softly I could barely hear him over the noise of the pounding music.

“Yes. Quite a few times, actually. That’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. Can we go somewhere quieter? The music hurts my head.”

He nodded, signaling for one of his staff as he did so. A young man was at his side before his hand lowered. He was average height, had sandy brown hair, and light brown eyes, lit with excitement. He barely looked old enough to drink, but with how young Stephan looked, this guy could be thousands of years old and I wouldn’t have a clue. He didn’t feel like Stephan, though, he felt young, normal. He didn’t have the weight of decades past that Stephan and Victoria held on their shoulders.

“Yes sir?” He was eager to do his master’s bidding. I wondered briefly if it was because Stephan paid him well, or if it was because he fed off the kid. I let it go, knowing that it was none of my business who Stephan fed off.

“Please bring refreshments to my suite. Also, have someone gather Miss Natasha’s things and take them to her suite. Darling, where are your bags?” He never took his eyes from me, and I felt heat rush to my cheeks.

“I wasn’t sure of my acceptance here, so I rented a room at the same hotel as last time.” He stopped me with a slight nod and told the boy to gather everything from the hotel and bring it back. I pulled my key card out and told young man my room number.

The kid was off and running, glad to be of use. I shrugged, hoping Stephan would explain later. I was curious to know how he lived. Truth be told, I was more curious about his life than I had any right to be, and that bothered me.

He stood and smiled at me, holding his hand out in invitation. I took it, feeling nervous butterflies churning in my stomach and my beast sigh in contentment with finally having a connection to our homeland. We went through the crowd, people parting as we moved. He was as graceful as I remembered, his lithe body swaying seductively to the beat of the music. He led me to what I had assumed was a small janitorial closet by the bathrooms, typing in a code to unlock the door.

It opened, revealing exactly what I would expect in a janitor’s closet. Brooms, mops, and buckets lined one wall. A shelf with cleaning supplies lined another, and the third wall held a sink with a large drainage area in the floor. The door closed softly, leaving us in the tiny room with nothing but a swinging light bulb that threw strange shadows around the room.

“Stephan, what are we—” He cut me off with a smirk and a wink. It was as powerful as if he had slugged me in the kidneys. I wanted to jump on him, mark him as my own. The thought certainly didn’t come from my human side and had me shaking with its intensity. Thankfully, he turned to the wall with the shelves, did something I couldn’t see, and a hidden panel slid aside revealing a stairway behind. The stairs led up and down. Stephan led me upward, still holding my hand. The hidden door slid closed behind us, obliterating the pulsating sounds of the club.

The top of the stairs opened up into an average looking hallway with doors on both sides and one at the very end. We went directly to the door at the end of the hall. He opened it and stood aside, allowing me time to take in the room.

It was magnificent. The walls were painted a deep ocean blue. Silver and black sconces lit every two feet, creating a deep, mysterious feel. He had two plush chairs facing a flat screen television on one wall, two doors leading to what I assumed were a closet and bathroom on the adjacent wall, and across from the chairs was a large, king-sized four poster bed.

He gave me a minute to check it all out before directing me to the chairs. We’d just gotten comfortable when a soft knock sounded on the door, quickly followed by the same young man Stephan had spoken to earlier. He carried a platter with two glasses and two chilled pitchers, both with deep red liquid filled to the brim. I was impressed that he didn’t spill anything. I’d have had the plush beige carpets stained crimson by now.

“Your drinks, sir. I brought extra, thinking you’d be more comfortable with privacy. I hope I wasn’t too presumptuous. Would you like me to pour the first glass?” He carefully placed the platter on the small round table between us, hand hovering over the first pitcher in anticipation.

“Yes, thank you, John. You may assist Marcy for the rest of the night.” Stephan was careful to not look directly at John, so he missed the look of absolute bliss that crossed over his face at this new task. My seemingly endless list of questions continued to grow, causing my head to throb.

“Miss Natasha, your belongings are being retrieved. They’ll be deposited into your room, where they’ll be waiting when you’re finished here. If you need anything, just ask one of us and we’ll gladly assist.” I met his excited eyes as I thanked him. He looked back at me with eager intensity. He left without another word.

“What’s wrong with him?” The whisper left my mouth before I could think to censor myself. Thankfully, John had already closed the door.

“What do you mean?” Stephan replied, sipping his drink delicately.

“He’s very excited. No one’s ever that eager to do things for other people. It isn’t natural.” I lifted my legs into my chair, tucking my feet beneath me. I settled into the plush softness, prepared for a long discussion.

“You’ll find all my staff more than willing to meet any need you may have at any given time.” He drank deeply from his glass, refusing to meet my questioning gaze. Settling down in his chair, he crossed his ankles and changed the subject. Since he changed it to the subject I really wanted to talk about, I let him. “Tell me about what happened in Atlantis. Please.” I knew he added the please for my benefit. Taking a large gulp of my drink, grateful when I felt the familiar relaxing effects of the Dracula’s Vein course through me, I started talking.

I told him almost everything that happened in Atlantis, leaving out only the details of my intimate moments with Raif. He didn’t need to know those. It felt good to finally be able to tell someone what happened there, to finally be able to put into words my experiences of the mythical Atlantis. I talked for hours, elaborating on all the minute details of everything I saw, felt, and experienced in his homeland. While I talked, he sat back in his chair, sipping his drink and staring at a blank space on the deep blue wall. I wasn’t sure if he was listening or lost in thought, and I didn’t care. I wanted—needed—to tell someone about Atlantis, and he was the first person I’d been able to talk to about it.

When I finished, we both sat in silence. I chugged the remaining drink from my glass, thinking of my last day with Raif, my emotions warring between grief, anger, hope, and apathy. I replayed every moment we had together in my head, subconsciously releasing the barriers I didn’t know I’d placed to protect me from his essence. I could feel him again. It took me a moment to realize that the anger I’d been feeling wasn’t just my own; he was just as angry as I. I took comfort in that small connection to Raif.

I risked a glance at Stephan, who continued to watch the blue walls as if they would answer the riddles of the universe for him. It was a long while before he spoke again, ruining the peace I’d finally settled in. He turned his head, the anger swirling in his magnesium eyes startling me out of my tranquility. Belatedly, I realized he wasn’t searching for answers so much as trying to gather his thoughts.

“Raifuku has deceived you.” His voice rumbled with the anger of a turbulent sea.