98

98

Sophia’s POV

I stepped through the portal with Ian at my side, the strange, electric hum of vampire magic fading behind us as we entered the human realm again. Everything was just as it had been before, but I wasn’t. The air felt different, like it wasn’t quite enough for my lungs anymore, but I breathed it in anyway, letting the familiar scent of the forest wrap around me. It was weird that we entered the realm through a stone, and we were stepping out of it through a blanket. It was good to be back, even if the weight of everything that had happened in the vampire realm still clung to me like a shadow I couldn’t shake.

Ian glanced at me, his eyes softening. “You okay?”

I nodded, but the truth was, I wasn’t sure how to feel. There was too much going on in my mind. I remembered Freya’s death all over again, the council’s eyes always watching and judging, the fact that someone had gotten into my room and had successfully tried to kill me.

“Yeah,” I murmured, giving him a tight smile. “I’m just… glad to be home.”

Ian pressed a kiss to my temple. “You don’t have to pretend with me, Sophia. I know it’s a lot. Take your time.”

I leaned into him, sighing and forcing myself to relax. But despite everything we had been through – that I had been through—I just wanted something familiar, something normal. And right now, that meant one person: Jenny.

“I think I’m going to call Jenny,” I said, pulling out my phone. “I’ve missed her.”

Ian nodded. “Go ahead. I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

I smiled, and stepped away to make the call. The phone rang twice before Jenny’s excited voice came through the line.

“Finally! I thought you’d fallen off the face of the Earth or something! Where have you been?”

I laughed, the sound feeling foreign after everything that had happened. “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”

“Well, you better tell me. Coffee? At home? Now?”

“Absolutely.”

The apartment was my safe haven. It was easy for me to pretend as if I hadn’t just gone through some terrible shit when I was here with her. She hugged me the second I walked through the door, squeezing so tight I thought I might actually need to catch my breath—if I needed breath like a human anymore.

“God, I missed you!” she said, pulling back to look me over. “You look… well, you look different. Like, glowing.”

“Uh, vampire thing, I guess.” I gave her a half-smile as we settled on the couch. “It’s been… a lot.”

Jenny handed me a steaming mug of coffee, and I took it gratefully, feeling the warmth spread through my hands. It should be burning, but it wasn’t. “Tell me everything,” she demanded, leaning forward, her eyes wide with curiosity.

I hesitated for a second, wondering where to even start. But I couldn’t exactly tell her about the political power struggles of the vampire realm, the council who hated me, or how I’d killed a vampire in my sleep. She’d flip out. I didn’t even know where to start. It was too much.

“Things in the vampire realm are intense,” I said slowly, deciding to start small before I moved on to the bigger issues. “I learned a lot about Ian’s responsibilities as king, and I met the council.”

Jenny’s eyes widened. “The council? Like… the vampire bigwigs? Were they scary?”

I laughed, though there was no humor in it. “You could say that. They’re not exactly my biggest fans. In fact, I think they might want me dead.”

Her face paled, her brows furrowing slightly. “Wait, what? Are you serious?”

“Yeah, but Ian’s handling it. For now.” I shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant, which was turning out to be a really hard task. “It’s just a lot to take in, you know? The fact that they want me dead because…I’m a liability…a baa y vampire. The whole being a vampire thing isn’t as glamorous as it sounds.”

Jenny snorted. “I never thought it was glamorous. But you’re immortal now, right? That’s gotta be cool.”

“Cool, yeah.” I took a sip of coffee, letting the warm liquid ground me. “It’s just… everything is different. I’m different. I’m still trying to adjust after all these months, but sometimes it feels like I’m not even me anymore.”

Jenny’s expression softened, and she reached out to squeeze my hand. “You’re still you, Soph. Vampire or not. You just have more… bite now.”

I rolled my eyes at the pun, but I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips. Jenny and her ways of making me feel like things could be normal, even when they were anything but.

“So,” she said, leaning back with a smirk. “You and Ian… still hot and heavy?”

I felt a blush creep up my cheeks, and I was grateful that vampire skin didn’t flush as obviously as it used to. “Yeah, we’re… good. It’s complicated, though. With everything going on.”

Jenny gave me a knowing look. “Complicated? Or are you just overthinking things again?”

“Both,” I admitted. “I mean, he’s literally the king of vampires. And I’m just… me. It feels like there’s this whole world he’s part of that I’ll never really fit into. I mean, he has to marry one of those vampire hot chicks thag can reproduce, and I’m just…me. I can’t.”

“Please.” Jenny waved a dismissive hand. “You’re Sophia freaking Anderson. You can handle anything. And Ian? He’s crazy about you. If anyone can fit into that world, it’s you. Plus you don’t know about the birth thing yet.”

I wanted to believe her. I wanted to believe that Ian and I could just be together without all the baggage that came with it. But every time I thought we might be okay, something else happened—a vampire attack, a council threat, a freaking hunter attack.

Jenny must have seen the doubt in my eyes because she sighed and set her mug down on the coffee table. “Look, I’m not saying it’s gonna be easy. But you’ve already been through so much together. If you really love him, you’ll figure it out. And if anyone can kick a vampire council’s ass, it’s you.”

I laughed at that, the sound more genuine this time. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ve just got to take it one step at a time.”

“Exactly.” She grinned. “And in the meantime, you’ve got me. And we’re still our normal best friends, I mean, as normal as it gets when your bestie’s a vampire.”

I smiled, feeling lighter than I had in days. “Yeah, of course.”

Jenny raised an eyebrow. “So, what’s next? Vampire realm drama aside, what’s on your mind?”

I took a deep breath, thinking about everything waiting for me—the council, attempted murder on me, the vampire hunters and the person aiding them. But for now, sitting here with Jenny, I didn’t want to think about any of it. I just wanted a moment to breathe, to feel like things were okay. Even if they weren’t.

“I don’t know yet,” I said slowly, “I’m going to try to get back to normal. Or at least as normal as I can. Spend more time here, in the human world. With you. Not like I ever plan on going back to the vampire realm anyways.”

Jenny’s grin widened. “Good. Because I’ve got a lot to catch you up on. Jacob and I have been… well, let’s just say things have been heating up.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Heating up? How exactly? I mean, I know you guys are together, but?”

Jenny leaned in, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Well, I’m not going to spill all the juicy details at once, but let’s just say that vampires have some serious stamina.”

I burst out laughing, the sound echoing through the apartment. For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt like myself again. Despite everything that had happened in the realm, Jenny was still here being normal, and that meant something. It made me feel normal too.

“Okay, okay,” I said, wiping a tear from the corner of my eye. “We’ll trade stories. I’ll give you some of the vampire gossip, and you can tell me everything about Jacob. What exactly have you too been doing when we were gone?” I asked with a laugh.

Jenny wiggled her eyebrows. “Trust me, a lot of things. But trust me, my stories are way more exciting than yours.”

I grinned, feeling lighter and even happier than I have been in a lot of days. “We’ll see about that.”

“But for real, though,” Jenny said, moving closer to me. “Are you okay?” She asked. “I know you’ve been through…a lot when you went there.”

“It’s fine,” I murmured. “I’m okay.”

She pulled me into another hug. “I’m glad you’re okay,” she murmured against her hair.