"It's already 12:30 a.m., thirty minutes past midnight and I still can't locate the fucking grave.

Just how deep did these assholes bury her? Were they trying to hide a body or dig to the Earth's core?

I know, I know. You're probably wondering what the hell a woman in her late twenties is doing in a cemetery, covered in dirt, and digging up graves like it's a normal Friday night.

And no, I'm not a gravedigger............"


I had three fucking rules. Just three. And sure, no problem with the undead—until me and my brilliant fucking stupidity decided to break every single one.

**Rule one**: Don’t remove the necklace.
**Rule two**: Don’t talk to him.
**Rule three**: For the love of all things holy—don’t open the fucking cage.

Simple, right? Apparently not. I shattered them. One by one. Like an idiot playing with a loaded gun.

And now?
The most dangerous vampire in existence is free.
Two others are hot on my tail.
And I have no idea what the fuck I’ve gotten myself into.

I don't know how long I was asleep. I don't know how long I slept. Minutes, hours—maybe just a breath. All I know is that I woke with a violent jolt, my chest twisting in on itself as if invisible hands were crushing my heart. It wasn't a normal ache. No, this felt like something primal, something tied to the deepest part of me—like a warning.


I had gone to sleep warm, full, tucked against my dragons who snored like boulders rolling in their dreams. I'd felt safe. Content even.


I was. Perfectly fine. Warm, exhausted, snuggled between three dragons who acted like giant heated blankets with wings. But now—now this pain was slicing through me so violently I had to press a palm over my heart.


My heart throbbed in panic, pulsing with a cold dread.


Chapter 143 - Ache Only a Mate Can Cause