29. Vasilik

Avalyn

It was evening and I was making sure that that the dinner was prepared when Dimitri strolled in and picked up a banana from the fruit basket.

"Do you know where Nikolai is?" I asked him. I hadn't seen him around or heard from him yet. I was worried.

He looked confused. "Not really. He didn't show up for a meeting either. I thought he was with you." He frowned and then his eyes fogged over as if he was mind-linking. A second later, Andrei materialised in the kitchen.

"Have you seen Nikolai?" Dimitri asked him.

"No. Wasn't he with you?" The words were like a punch to my gut.

"We just… got in a fight this afternoon," I murmured. "He left to get some fresh air."

"Avalyn, we have visitors," Sofiya said through the mind link. She sounded worried. "The front gate."

I immediately rushed out and the men followed. I met Sofiya and Vladimir at the front gate and saw four men approaching. I pulled my wolf forward to judge them. They were vampires and Sof was wary of them, but she wa