Epilogue

Three years had slipped away, and sometimes it felt like time had passed in the blink of an eye. Other days, it felt like a lifetime ago.

It still amazes me that I somehow managed to escape the cycle of death that once seemed so inevitable. There were moments I had been sure I wouldn’t survive, and yet, I was, standing on the other side, a different person but still whole.

I hadn’t heard from Giovanni since everything had ended, despite asking Alex about him more times than I could count. Alex, and even the others, seemed determined to keep the truth from me, perhaps to protect me from any lingering darkness.

But I could feel it, deep down—I knew Giovanni had faced the consequences for his actions. Whatever fate had met him, it was just. The silence only confirmed what I already suspected: his suffering had been immense.

The cure for the rogues and vampires still hadn’t been found. Some of them, the ones who had been captured, perished in their cells over time.

The food they were g