SEEING RED.

Chapter: 75

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ALTAIR:

Days had passed since I last saw Talon, and the memory of waking up in his bedroom lingered vividly in my mind—the remnants of my unconsciousness from losing too much blood still fresh. Recovery had come swiftly; I returned before curfew, and the next morning, I felt as if I hadn’t lost any blood at all. I moved through the day with buoyant spirits, yet an undercurrent of longing pulsed beneath my composed exterior.

After classes that afternoon, a surge of anticipation coursed through me as I made my way to the training ground, eager to see my vampire again. But when I arrived—my stomach still pleasantly full from a hearty lunch at the Howling Hearth—I found only Murray waiting, his usual training gear in place. Talon was nowhere to be found.

As the training session unfolded, I feigned focus, but my mind drifted incessantly, circling back to thoughts of Talon. I pushed myself through drills, each movement mechanical, my heart heavy with his absence. T