Though everything I had learned still overwhelmed me, I got through the next week with my sanity intact. They wanted to wait a few days before we left to ensure that Edelnar wasn't trailing us. In the meanwhile, I had to prepare to leave.

The first order of business was to take care of my affairs back home before I left. And there was Sera.

Noel had informed me, with a dash of guilt, that they had used something called a “thrall” on Sera to make her believe she was ill the day of our first outing. They suspected she’d want to come along, and they wanted to spend time with me alone. Before Edelnar interrupted us, they'd planned to tell me everything.

I was too amazed that they had the ability to do this to get annoyed or angry—I still had a lot to learn about vampires and their abilities. Nonetheless, I wanted to tell Sera everything, but they insisted I would only put her in danger. So I begrudgingly agreed that they could use the thrall on her; Adrian told me it was akin to hypnosis in the human world. We would tell Sera that I had to cut my vacation short after learning of a family emergency, and I was leaving the country to take care of it. They would also wipe her memory of ever meeting the four of them.

I recalled the electricity that flowed through me when I first met them and studied them with vague suspicion.

"Have you—or will you ever—do that to me?" I asked. “Use a thrall on me?”

"Never," Adrian breathed, looking horrified.

“Besides, you're fae. We couldn't do that to you if we tried. And we wouldn't. We don't like doing it to humans; usually it's only for their safety,” Xavier said.

"We will be nothing but honest with you, cherie," Noel added. "You have our word."

I could tell they were being sincere, and relief washed over me.

I met up with Sera at a small coffee shop on the outskirts of New Orleans. After I told her my false story, Gabriel sat next to her, gently placed his hands on the sides of her face, and I watched in amazement—and with a bit of guilt —as Sera's eyes went dull, she nodded, and stood.

Without a word, she headed toward the door. Watching her leave, tears pricked at my eyes. I scrambled to my feet.

"Let me say one last goodbye," I said to the vampires. I didn't know when—or if—I’d ever see her again.

“Liana—“ Gabriel began, frowning.

“It’s OK,” Xavier said, scowling at Gabriel. “Say goodbye to your friend.”

I hurried out of the coffee shop after her.

“Sera!”

She turned, blinking at me in surprise.

“Hey,” she said, with a puzzled smile. "Shouldn’t you be on your flight to Europe?”

“I’m—I’m heading to the airport now," I lied. "I just wanted to say . . . goodbye. And I'll miss you."

"I'm sure you won't be gone long," she said, still smiling. "And you better stay in touch."

I knew I couldn't. Gabriel had said in no uncertain terms that anyone who’d had contact with me in the human world would be closely watched by Edelnar and other fae.

Without responding, I stepped forward to embrace Sera. Sera returned it, then pulled back with a casual wave, and walked away. I watched her go until she disappeared down the street.

As for my job, I called to tell my boss at the museum that I would be out of the country for a family emergency, and I wasn’t sure when I’d return. She cooed sympathetically and told me that my job would be here when I returned.

Would it be? I wondered, when I hung up. The vampires told me I'd be free to return whenever I wanted, but until the threat with Edelnar was gone, I'd have to be in hiding.

The vampires told me not to worry about my apartment; rent had been paid on it for the year. They told me this casually, and I looked at them in astonishment. How much money did they have? By the looks of their mansion . . . lots of it.

I settled into the mansion in the Garden District after Sera left; it wasn’t safe for me to stay in the hotel alone. I learned that it was built in the nineteenth century, it had five bedrooms and three bathrooms. If I wasn’t so dazed by all the supernatural things I’d just learned, I would have taken more time to explore and take it in. Xavier was dismissive of the home; he said it was nothing compared to the noble homes in Velar.

The vampires gave me space during the few days I spent in the mansion before our departure, for which I was grateful. I spent most of my time in the large guest room they had settled me in, pacing and second-guessing myself.

What if this was all a crazy dream? I wondered. What if I woke up back in my apartment in Pennsylvania and none of this had happened at all?

Some part of me still rebelled. Maybe I could go back home and pretend none of this had happened; that they had all mistaken me for some other woman.

But my gut instincts told me this was all very real. And Edelnar didn't seem to be the type of man—the type of creature—who would give up.

And I was drawn to Xavier, Noel, Adrian and Gabriel. I couldn’t deny the magnetic pull I felt toward them. I was still determined to get to know them better before making my decision about this bond, but I suspected that the powerful attraction would always be there.

When I wasn’t pacing in my room, I plied them with questions I still had about their time in the human world. I asked Noel why on earth he had a French accent. He explained they had taken on certain attributes to make themselves seem more human when they were in the human world. Noel had visited France many times and loved the language; he decided that would be his trademark here, and it stuck.

They had come up with the tech company story together; it seemed the most feasible reason as to how young men such as themselves had so much wealth. Even their names were picked to make them seem more… human.

"These aren’t your real names?" I gasped.

"They are," Xavier insisted. "But in Velar, vampires—and fae—especially highborn ones, have many names."

"What are they?” I pressed. “Your full names?”

“Acanthine Dardanos Xavier Reva,” Xavier replied.

“Lanre Durante Eanos Adrian,” Adrian said.

“Batraz Laches Noelanar Abena,” Noel said.

“Gabriel Elouan Clidnol Doirend,” Gabriel added.

“And these are shortened versions,” Noel said, with a wink.

I stared at them, eyes wide.

"And . . . me? Do you know my full name?" I asked.

"We've known it since we discovered you’re ours, cherie,” Noel said, his voice turning husky, and warmth spread through me. He stepped forward, touching the side of my face, and the warmth turned into a fiery heat.

“Liana Adrastea Dineaora Oisinar,” he murmured. “Our mate.”

He dropped his hand, and my breathing returned to normal. I repeated the name to myself and blinked back tears. Liana Adrastea Dineaora Oisinar. It was who I was. Who I truly was.

"Have we upset you?" Adrian asked, frowning with concern.

"No. It's just—I’ve gone my whole life not knowing any of this," I whispered, sinking down onto the couch.

"It will take time," Xavier said gently.

After a lengthy silence, I asked them more about Velar; what it looked like, the people there, the languages, the culture. But they told me to be patient; it would take months to explain everything about Velar. I’d just have to see it for myself. Gabriel insisted it didn't look too different from this world—it was just more compact.

"I think you'll like it there," Adrian added. "We hope you do."

They told me there were people in their home who could teach me about my kind and how to use my magic. I had tried unsuccessfully to recreate whatever I'd done with Edelnar, but it was no use. Apparently my life had to be in danger to use magic until I was trained how to use it.

Before I knew it, it was time to leave.

We left New Orleans to head to one of the many swamps that surrounded the city. They had a small boat tied to a dock, waiting for us.

Xavier steered the boat out to the middle of the swamp. I looked around, stunned.

“This is the gateway?” I asked, looking around at the desolate swamp. It hardly seemed like the gateway to a supernatural world.

“Yes,” Noel said, amusement dancing in his eyes. “I was surprised when I first arrived as well. But it’s the perfect location. We can’t have nosy humans getting accidentally sucked into Velar.”

Xavier stopped the boat in the center of the swamp.

I stood. I couldn’t see the gateway, but I could feel it. A swirling vortex of wind that hovered above the muddy waters of the swamp. The force of the wind whipped my hair around my face and chilled my skin.

“We just step into it?” I asked nervously.

“Yes. But don’t worry, we’ll hold onto you,” Adrian murmured. “Have you ridden a rollercoaster?” At my nod, he continued, “It’ll feel just like that. But it’ll only last a second—and then you’ll be in Velar.” Where you belong. He didn’t say the words, but I could read them in his eyes.

Adrian took my right hand, Xavier my left, while Noel and Gabriel stood closely behind me.

I looked up at my vampires. Their eyes were warm with assurance. I didn’t know what lie ahead for me, but I was grateful they were at my side. My companions. My protectors. My . . . mates.

"Are you ready?" Xavier murmured.

My heart thundering, I nodded.

Together, we stepped off the boat. The air around us increased, and the vortex of wind sucked our bodies forward, out of my world . . . and into Velar.