I return to my room and change. It’s comforting wearing my own clothes once more. Just simple shorts, and normal t-shirt. Even though my entire world has been turned upside down. Even though my insides are all inside out.

It’s Rafael who waits for me outside my suite. To my utter shock, he looks perfectly normal once more, wearing clean clothes, no signs of blood, and no cuts all over his body.

“Vampires heal quickly?” I ask as I follow him to the elevator. I stand beside him uncomfortably.

“Yes,” he answers stiffly. I have a feeling the King growling at him earlier has put him on edge when it comes to his interactions with me. “Even more so with the aid of human blood.”

“Oh,” is all I say around the tightness in my throat.

We plummet through the belly of the casino. Down and down until surely we’re below ground level. Finally, the elevator slows, and then the doors open.

It’s nearly pitch black as we step out. It’s a long hall and only a single light is on the wall at the far end of it, probably fifty yards away.

Down the dim hall, I follow Rafael.

He walks to the middle of the hall and produces a set of keys. He unlocks a door, and holds it open for me.

A rush of cold air brushes over my skin as I step inside. If possible, it’s even darker in here. I barely make out the shape of stairs descending down into roughly carved earth.

Down and down we walk, until finally we hit level ground.

It’s a dungeon.

The space that opens up isn’t particularly large. There are five prison cells that break off from the central space. A man sits in a chair in one corner, but darts to his feet when he sees us.

“Take a five minute break, Harris,” Rafael says.

The man nods and sets up the stairs.

“Logan?”

Through the dark, my eyes search. They land on the furthest cell.

Eli climbs up from the ground, grabbing the bars.

“I’ll just be at the top of the stairs,” Rafael says, tucking the keys into his pocket. “Not that you can, but don’t try anything.” He turns and walks back up the stairs, leaving Eli and I alone.

Hesitantly, I take a step forward.

“Why are you here, Logan?” Eli asks. His voice is concerned, confused.

“Cyrus…the…the King,” I say. My thoughts are a swirling, racing, confused mess. “He wanted me to understand. To show me what all of this…what it really means.”

He shakes his head, letting it drop. “I’m so sorry, Logan. This shouldn’t have happened. It should have been so much further down the road. I failed you, and I’m sorry.”

I finish crossing to the cell, grabbing one of the bars. “What…what does that mean? Eli…Cyrus has said these things, and now, I don’t think I really even know who you are.”

Eli looks up, and there’s pain and regret written all over his face.

“I was sent to Colorado sixteen years ago,” he says. He hesitates, and I can see him debating this, telling me the truth. But he swallows once and then says, “By your mother.”

My brows furrow and my hands are ice cold.

“She wanted to protect you,” he says. Something softens in his voice when he speaks about my mother. “She knew that one day Cyrus would go looking for you, would find you, but she sent me, so that I could delay that day for as long as possible. And I failed. I am so, so sorry, Logan.”

“Why?” I whisper. “Why would she think Cyrus would come looking for me? Cyrus is crazy and scary, but why would she be so worried about him finding me?”

Rath, because I realize now, that’s who he’s always really been—this entire time—shakes his head and lets it fall once more. “It doesn’t…it doesn’t even matter now. You’ll die, and everything you were will probably be gone and your mother and I will just have to accept it.”

My chest hurts. And I’m angry. I feel betrayed.

“None of that makes any sense,” I say through clenched teeth. “Everyone just keeps speaking in riddles, being vague and so damn mysterious.” I smack the bar in my frustration, but all it does is hurt my hand. I turn away so he won’t see the angry tears rushing into my eyes.

“I want to protect you from this life for as long as I can,” he says, resolved. Even he hardly believes his words. “To keep that weight from your shoulders until the last possible moment.”

I shake my head, as one of the tears breaks free. I wipe at it angrily.

“I’ve thought of you as family for years, now,” I say. “You were always there. Always had my back. Were always so caring.” My voice grows hoarse. “But it was all a lie. Family doesn’t keep secrets. Especially not of this scale.”

His mouth opens and closes, but still, he won’t tell me the truth.

“You know,” I hiss. “You know exactly what is going on. But you keep your mouth shut. You keep Cyrus’ secrets. You keep Alivia’s secrets. You just let me run around with the King, looking like a complete fool.”

I turn and head toward those stairs.

“Cyrus will kill me,” I say, pausing. “He’s incredibly anxious to do so. So, you’ll be released, I promise. But I can tell you this.” I hesitate, because the words are going to break me. “I won’t bother you anymore once you’re out. I realize now that sometimes you can’t even trust those closest to you. You can’t trust someone you don’t even know.”

I turn, and I walk back up those stairs.