Deak traveled up the stairs, following the figure from his jaded past. His heart pounded as he reached a dark entryway and saw a female silhouette in front of the balcony. Deak moved forward cautiously; he prayed that he was mistaken and that this was all just a dream. Deak kept telling himself to turn around and go back to find Vita. But curiosity was getting the best of him.

Deak stood next to the door and sniffed the air; he caught a whiff of that unforgettable scent.

“Mit csinálsz itt? ( What are you doing here?),” he demanded.

The woman slid her arms back and forth on the top of the barrier before her. “Oh, how I’ve missed hearing that sexy Hungarian accent of yours,” she expressed.

“You should leave. There’s nothing here for you.” Deak snarled as his fists clenched. He couldn’t believe, after all this time, she would try to return to his life, after all that she had done to him, after everything she had ruined.

The woman laughed. “I don’t believe you.”

Deak stayed guarded and kept a reasonable distance away from the woman. “I have found my mate and have no intention of leaving her,” he swore.

The woman turned to face Deak, the balcony was dark, but he could still see her face. She looked the same as she did the day she walked out of his life those years ago. Back then, he would have done anything to get her back. But now he is glad she left him. He was happy to have left his old life behind and moved to the America’s to learn about his mother. He was pleased when he found his Vita, his mate. Vita was nothing like the woman before him and everything he needed in a mate.

“It’s over. Leave me and never come back,” he growled.

The woman started to move closer to Deak. Her dress was skin tight with a slit up to her hip. She had a swag to her walk like no other that caused her thigh to be exposed more than intended as she walked up to Deak.

Deak snarled as the woman got closer. He was relieved she no longer affected him; her spell on him was broken.

Rita stood with her hands on her hips as she lifted her brow and eyed Deak. “Oh, I plan to be here for a while. Stick around, 'cause the fun is just about to begin.”

***

Vita sighed as she kept turning to look for Deak. Where could he have gone to? She tried to text him, but the reception in the venue was spotty. Her messages kept coming back as failed to deliver. Vita bit down on her lower lip as her anxiety grew about where Deak could be.

Gretchen and Colson came back to the table. “Where’s my grandmother?” Gretchen asked as she took her spot at the table.

Vita shrugged. “I don’t know; I haven’t seen anyone in a while,” she answered. “Maybe she’s with your Uncle Zach and Ruby.”

Colson shook his head. “No, they’re heading to the table now, and Madeline is not with them.”

Zachary looked at the table with concern. “Where’s my mother?”

“We’ve all been asking the same question. No one knows where she is,” Gretchen answered.

Zachary paled when he heard that his mother might be missing.

Ruby pulled him down into his seat to calm him down. “I’m sure there is a logical explanation for this, and we will find out what’s going on. Logan was here earlier; maybe he knows something about your mom.”

Zachary looked at Ruby, confused. “Why would he know anything about my mother?”

Ruby pressed her lips together and waited. Was Zachary that obtuse about his mother?

Colson chimed in, “The guy has a thing for your mom.”

Gretchen elbowed Colson to stay quiet, but it did not affect him. Vita shook her head as she rested her elbow on the table and pressed her head against her hand.

Zachary looked around the whole table and felt stupid. He guessed that when it came to his mother, ignorance was bliss. “Ok, let’s see if we can find this guy.” Zachary offered as he got up from his seat, and Ruby followed him.

“Let us know what you find out, Ruby,” Vita told Ruby before she got too far from the table.

Ruby nodded that she got the message.

Just as Ruby and Zachary left the table, Tabitha and Marco walked up, and Deak came shortly behind them.

“Where have you been?” Vita asked in a harsh whisper.

Deak was not ready to talk about what happened or explain why he left her alone on the dance floor. “Can we talk later about this?”

Vita didn’t understand why he didn’t want to talk. She felt like he was again pushing her away and not letting her in. She nodded softly and sat quietly in her seat.

Esha made her way onto the stage and grabbed the microphone. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming out tonight to help us celebrate our fantastic city.”

There was a round of applause around the room.

“Now for tonight's winners on our silent auction,” Esha reported. Esha read off the list of women who volunteered to be bid on for a dance. “The lovely Vita will be dancing with the vampire king, Emil,” Esha announced.

Vita looked green as she heard her name be announced to dance with Deak’s childhood frenemy.

Deak placed his arm behind Vita’s chair and rested his elbow against the table as he leaned into his mate’s ear and said, “I believe you have some explaining to do.”

Vita’s heart raced as her eyes searched wildly around the room. Her eyes narrowed when she found the person that she was looking for. She stormed over to where Esha was standing and pulled her aside. “What is the meaning of all this?” Vita asked.

Esha looked at Vita with surprise as she slowly removed her arm from Vita’s grip. “I don’t know what you are referring to. You did volunteer to participate.”

Vita crossed her arms over her chest. “You told me Tabitha and Gretchen had volunteered too, but I didn’t hear you call their names.”

Esha looked down at the list of names on her list. “I did; that’s so strange; I don’t recall saying that. I do apologize if you feel I miss lead you. Do you want me to tell them you’ve pulled out, and the king must rescind his donation? After all, isn’t this all about the teens we are trying to help.” Esha manipulated.

Vita sucked in a breath and narrowed her eyes at Esha. “No, that won’t be necessary. But the next time you think about using your wily charms on me, remember who you are dealing with. You’re not the only one who can toy with other people,” Vita warned before heading back to her table and sitting down.

Deak continued to stare at Vita, who refused to look at him.

A man walked up to their table; Vita recognized him as the man who had asked her to dance earlier. “Vita, will you do me the honor and dance with me?” Emil smirked.