Alexander's POV

Kailiya and Antonio are waiting in my office when I return.

The tension between them is thick enough to choke on. Kailiya sits ramrod straight in her chair, her hands clenched in her lap, her red hair falling like a curtain around her pale face.

Antonio stands by the window, his usual composure cracked around the edges.

He looks older somehow, despite being an immortal vampire. Worn down by centuries and ...