Pemberly landed on the window sill as the two women stepped behind a hidden passage. He needed to get into that room before it closed. He flew quickly to the roof and down the first chimney he saw, hoping it was the right one to take him straight into the library. Pemberly was relieved when he had chosen wisely. He zipped through the opening, across the room, and through the gap with just a string of his wing. Pemberly landed on the top of the bookcase to rest and catch his breath. His brows furrowed as he looked around the room and didn’t see the two ladies.

“Where could they have gone?” he asked himself.

Pemberly felt a breeze behind him and turned to find where the draft had come from. His mouth dropped as he looked over the expanded room and said, “What did I get myself into?”

***

Vita woke up to the ringing of her phone resting next to her from the nightstand. Vita groaned as she attempted to grab the blasted thing without having to open her eyes. She smiled when she felt the rectangular shape in her hand and pulled it close to her ear when she answered, “Hello.”

“Vita? It’s Amanda.”

Vita’s eyes popped open, and she slapped her forehead. She had forgotten to call Amanda back after her long talk with Deak.

“Amanda, hey, I’m so sorry I haven’t called you back,” Vita told her.

“It’s fine; I just needed to talk with you about what I’ve discovered.”

Vita sat up and shook Deak awake so that he could hear too. “What is it?” Deak groaned.

Vita nudged him with her elbow before returning her attention to Amanda. “What did you find?” Vita asked.

Amanda started with finding a vampire still lurking around the house and how her heat had started, which triggered her to have a mysterious dream about a woman in a coffin. “She looked almost identical to you,” Amanda admitted.

Vita sucked in a breath. Who was this woman, and what was she after?

Amanda continued about the book, the pendant, and the hidden space that turned out to be a maze of wonder.

“Do you think Deak knows anything about the book or amulet?” Amanda asked.

Deak shook his head as he listened to small girl talk about the secret room. A part of him wished he was home and discovering the room with her. The room was a link to their ancestry and lineage.

Vita had an idea. “Amanda, maybe you should try to do a blood-linking spell.”

“I’m not sure how to do that; remember, this is all new to me.” Amanda reminded.

“It’s a simple chant and a few drops of your blood. If the book is connected to the coven, your blood should help you find it.”

Amanda nodded as she listened to the words she needed to recite in a particular order. Thankfully the spell rhymed and was easy to remember. “Okay, I will let you know when I find the book and what secrets it holds,” Amanda confirmed before ending the call.

Vita placed her phone back on the nightstand and turned to cuddle up against Deak. He winced and purred at the touch of his mate. It was pure torture to have something hurt so much yet feel so good all at the same time.

“Deak, do you think this woman is one of our ancestors?” Vita asked.

Deak kissed Vita’s head before answering, “Could be; we just have to see what the book tells us.”

“I hope it’s something good,” Vita admits.

Deak sighed and wished for the same.

***

Tabitha woke up with the worst headache. Most of last night was nothing more than a blur to her. Marco walked into the room with bottled water and some headache medicine.

“You’re awake,” he said as he placed the water and pills beside the bed.

“What happened last night?” Tab asked as she rubbed the temples of her head.

“Do you want the truth, or a lie to you to make you feel better?” Marco asked as he sat down next to her on the bed.

Tabitha grimaced as she pulled the covers over her head and said, “I don’t like the sound of this.”

Marco smirked as he watched his mate squirm underneath the covers. When ready, she peeked her head out of them and said, “Alright, tell me the truth.”

Marco sighed as he relayed the night to Tabitha and finished with how she spoke to Ruby.

“I did what?” she screamed into her covers.

Marco nodded his head in confirmation.

Tabitha felt horrible; she couldn’t believe the words she said. “I guess I made a mess of things,” she admitted.

Marco nodded in agreement. “So, what are you going to do about it?”

Tabitha shrugged as she brought the covers back over her. Admitting she was wrong and apologizing for her actions was something Tabitha didn’t like to do.

A knock was heard at the door; Tabitha lowered the blankets and asked. “What is it?”

Marco left to answer it, allowing what he ordered, leaving Tabitha to question what was happening.

Tabitha breathed in the savory smell as the cart was wheeled into the hotel room. She sat in bed and waited for Marco to bring her breakfast in the bedroom, but never came.

Tabitha’s brows furrowed as she got out of bed and into the living room. Tabitha pouted as she moved to the couch and sat next to Marco. “Why didn’t you bring the breakfast into the room for me?”

Marco looked at her with a lifted brow. “You think I’m going to award your bad behavior?”

Tabitha winced at the harshness in his voice. She admitted that she wasn’t acting like herself, but he didn’t need to give her a hard time.

Tabitha reached forward to grab a muffin, and Marco smacked the top of her hand before she could grab it. “Marco!” she exclaimed as she pulled back her hand. The tap didn’t hurt it just stung her and surprised her simultaneously. “Why did you do that?”

“That is what you are doing to our friends and family. You are lashing out at them, and it hurts,” he told her.

Tabitha rolled her eyes at the lesson he was trying to teach her. She leaned forward and tried to get the muffin again; this time, she could grab it, but then Marco squeezed his hand on her, forcing her to squish the muffin, and it fell apart.

“What was that for? That was a good muffin,” Tabitha huffed.

“So are our friends' hearts, and you are hurting them with your hurtful words. You are verbally abusing them, and they don’t deserve that.”

Tabitha didn’t understand what was happening with Marco; why was he acting like this?

“What is going on with you? I thought you were enjoying us going out and having a good time. It’s finally about us and not someone else.”

Marco turned to his mate and answered, “Not if it’s going to change who we are and treat the people we love like they’re nothing.”

He got up from the couch. “You can finish breakfast; I need to go out and get some fresh air." Then he left Tabitha alone to think about the damage she had caused.