The old library was exactly as Leona remembered it, frozen in time like a relic from another era. Dust motes danced in the afternoon sunlight filtering through tall windows, and the smell of old books filled the air. The renovations had never started, leaving the building in a state of suspended abandonment.
Lucas was already there when she arrived, sitting at one of the reading tables with books spread around him. He looked up when she entered, and something in his expression softened.
"You came," he said.
"You doubted I would?"
"A little." Lucas gestured to the seat across from him. "Your father grounded you. That usually means something."
"My father doesn't control everything I do." Leona sat down and looked at the books scattered across the table. "What are these?"
"Research. Everything I could find on vampire lore, ancient rituals, supernatural bonds." He slid a particularly old tome toward her. "I'm trying to understand what we're up against. And what's happening to us."
