ʺthe Contractʹs Null And Void, By The

But All I Could See Was Her. No Skill Of Mine, No Artist Anywhere, Could’ve Immortalized How Gorgeous She Was. It Was Impossible To Believe She’d Ever Had Any Doubts About Her Body. The Firelight Shone On Her Skin, Golden And Perfect, Making Her Look Like Some Radiant Goddess Of Legend. I Wanted To Kneel Before Her And Offer Eternal Obedience.

Didn’t Understand Love? Was She Crazy? If She Only Knew What I’d Sacrificed For Dimitri, What I’d Done To Be Where I Was Now . . . All For Love. She Was The One Who Couldn’t Understand. Love Wasn’t A Fling In A Back Room At A Party. It Was Something You Lived And Died For.

Sydney Sighed And Stood Up, Smoothing Her Rumpled Clothes With Dismay. ʺi Need A Coffee Shop Or Something.ʺ ʺi Think I Saw One In A Cave Down The Road,ʺ I Said. That Almost Got A Smile From Her

She Says You're Not Awake Until You're Actually Out Of Bed And Standing Up.

Our Gazes Locked, So Much Passing Between Us. In Those Moments, I Wasn't In A Tent With Him, On The Run From Those Who Regarded Us As Villains. There Was No Murderer To Catch, No Strigoi Trauma To Overcome. There Was Just Him And Me And The Feelings That Had Burned Between Us For So Long.