103

103

Jacob’s POV

I leaned back against the cold stone wall of the balcony, the vampire realm’s crimson sky glowing faintly above. It was late, but I couldn’t sleep. Something had been eating at me for days now, and I had a feeling it wasn’t just my own nerves. Ian had been acting strange, more closed off than usual, even for him.

The phone buzzed in my pocket, and I smiled when I saw Jenny’s name flashing on the screen. The worry in my chest left me briefly. She had her way of making all my worries disappear.

“Hey, troublemaker,” I answered, my voice softer than usual.

“Troublemaker? Me?” she shot back, a teasing hint in her voice. “That’s rich coming from you, Mr. Mysterious. What’s going on? Why are you still awake?”

I sighed, rubbing my hand over my jaw. “I could ask you the same thing. Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” she said with a sigh. “Just… thinking. You?”

“Same.” I stepped away from the wall and walked to the railing, the vampire realm stretching out before me. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about Ian. Something’s off with him, Jen.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and when she spoke again, her voice was serious. “What do you mean? Is he okay?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, frowning. “He’s been weird lately. More… distant. Not that Ian’s ever been Mr. Sunshine, but this feels different. I think something’s bothering him, but he won’t talk about it.”

Jenny was quiet for a moment, probably thinking it over. “You think it’s about Sophia? Maybe something’s happening with her?”

“That’s what I thought at first,” I said, tapping my fingers on the railing absentmindedly. “But he hasn’t said anything about her either. Not in the way he usually does. I don’t know, Jen. I feel like something bigger is going on.”

“Well, why don’t you ask him?” she suggested, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

I chuckled softly. “You don’t just ask Ian. You know how he is. He keeps things locked up tighter than a vault. But… maybe I will. I’m getting tired of the silence.”

Jenny’s laugh came through the phone, light and teasing. “There’s the Jacob I know. If anyone can get him to talk, it’s you. You’re probably the only person on this planet he’ll actually open up to.”

“Maybe,” I said, though I wasn’t as sure as she seemed to be. Ian and I had always been close, but that didn’t mean he shared everything with me. Especially when it came to things that troubled him deeply.

“Promise me you’ll check on him?” Jenny asked, her voice softer now. “I hate the idea of him going through something alone, even if he’s too stubborn to admit it.”

I smiled at her concern. “I’ll check on him. Don’t worry.”

After we hung up, I made my way through the stone corridors of the castle, the torches cresting a little light in the hallway. Ian’s room wasn’t far, and when I reached the tall wooden door, I hesitated for a moment before knocking.

“Come in,” Ian’s voice called from the other side.

I pushed the door open to find him sitting by the window, staring out into the night. His expression was unreadable, but there was a tension in his shoulders that made me certain I was right—something was bothering him.

“You busy?” I asked, stepping inside and closing the door behind me.

He glanced at me briefly before turning back to the window. “Not particularly. What’s on your mind?”

I leaned against the doorframe, crossing my arms over my chest. “Actually, I was going to ask you the same thing. You’ve been acting… off.”

Ian didn’t respond at first, his gaze still fixed on the windows. For a moment, I thought he wasn’t going to say anything at all. But then he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

“It’s nothing,” he said, but it seemed like he was even trying to convince himself of that.

“Bullshit,” I replied bluntly. “I know you, Ian. Something’s eating at you. What is it?”

He finally turned to look at me, his expression guarded. “It’s… complicated.”

“Try me,” I said, stepping closer. “Look, I know you don’t like to share your problems, but I’m your brother. You don’t have to go through whatever this is alone.”

Ian was silent for a long moment before he sighed again, running a hand through his hair. “It’s about Sophia.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What about her?”

“Lyanna,” he began, his tone hesitant, “she said something. Something that’s been… bothering me.”

My curiosity piqued. “What did she say?”

“She suspects…” Ian trailed off, his jaw tightening as if the words themselves were hard to say. “She suspects that Sophia might be from an ancient vampire lineage. One that disappeared a long time ago.”

I blinked, the meaning of his words sinking in. “An ancient lineage? What the hell does that even mean?”

“I don’t know,” Ian admitted, his frustration evident. “Lyanna didn’t give me many details. She just… hinted at it. And now, I can’t stop thinking about it.”

I frowned, pacing the room. “Why wouldn’t she tell you everything? If she has information about Sophia’s past, shouldn’t you know?”

“That’s what I thought,” Ian said, his voice tight. “But Lyanna is… cryptic. She said she needed time to dig deeper, to be sure. She asked for my permission to investigate, and I gave it to her.”

I stopped pacing and turned to face him, my mind racing. “And how do you feel about all this? I mean, if it’s true…”

“If it’s true, it changes everything,” Ian said, standing up and walking over to the window again. “I’ve been trying to protect her, to keep her safe. But if she’s part of this ancient lineage, there are forces at play that I can’t even begin to understand. Forces that might be beyond my control.”

I crossed my arms, trying to process everything. “So, what now? We just wait for Lyanna to find out more?”

Ian nodded, though he didn’t seem particularly happy about it. “There’s nothing else I can do for now. But it’s been… eating at me. I’ve spent my whole life trying to avoid the politics, the power struggles, the ancient bloodlines. And now, I find out that the woman I care about might be tied to all of it.”

I raised an eyebrow at the word “care.” Ian wasn’t exactly the type to talk about his feelings, especially not when it came to Sophia. “You care about her, huh?”

Ian shot me a look, though there was no point in denying it. “I care about her more than I should. That’s why this is so hard.” He paused, and then added so quiet that if I wasn’t paying attention, I wouldn’t have heard him. “I’m in love with her.”

I nodded slowly, understanding how he felt. “Look, I don’t know what Lyanna’s going to find, but whatever it is, we’ll deal with it. You’re not alone in this, Ian. I’ve got your back, and so does Sophia.”

Ian’s gaze softened, and for a moment, the tension in his shoulders seemed to ease. “Thanks, Jacob. I appreciate that.”

“Just don’t keep me in the dark next time,” I said, giving him a pointed look. “We’re in this together, whether you like it or not.”

Ian smirked, the smallest hint of amusement in his eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

We stood in silence for a while, the consequences of the conversation between us. There were still so many things we had to figure out, so many questions that we had no answer to. But for now, at least, I knew I wasn’t the only one carrying the burden.

“Let me know when you hear more from Lyanna,” I said as I turned to leave. “And try to get some sleep. You’re going to need your strength for whatever’s coming.”

Ian nodded, though I could tell his mind was still miles away. Whatever Lyanna had uncovered, it had shaken him more than he wanted to admit. And if it had shaken Ian, it was enough to make me uneasy too.

“You can’t tell Jenny or Sophia about this though,” he murmured just as I was about to step out of the room. “This is confidential, between me, you and Lyanna. You know that right?”

I sighed, staring at him for a moment and contemplating telling him it would be better for him to tell Sophia, but then I just nodded. “Between us,” I agreed.

As I walked back to my own room, Jenny’s words echoed in my mind: If anyone can get him to talk, it’s you. I might have gotten Ian to open up tonight, but the truth was, I had no idea how deep this thing went.

Whatever this ancient lineage was, it was only the beginning. And I had a feeling we were about to find ourselves in the middle of something much bigger than any of us had bargained for.