In the middle of the night, a cool breeze whipped into our room and I was barely awake when Alvena was swooped from her bed and forced to change quickly.

I almost attacked had I not recognized the golden green eyes of the shadow.

"Quickly!" Lucien whispers as he tosses me a cloak and scoots the large cabinet from the wall.

After feeling around the wall for some time, a click sounds in the darkness and a passage of stairs unfolds itself.

The cabin hadn't been moved for centuries that a cloud of dust dropped to the floor the minute we walked in. Still, we braved through it, all the while covering our faces from inhaling too much.

We knew we were getting close to the outside when the temperature began dropping dramatically. After all, it's insanely cold by the Border with snow covering the ground like grass in the spring.

"Good," our guide sighs in slight relief as we step out of the tunnel and onto the snow. "The snow stopped."

I turn to Lucien, expecting some sort of explanation for the sudden up-and-go. But that's just probably me wanting to understand everything.

His usual way of feeding me information and waiting for me to understand has spoilt me to underperform in these situations.

"Take Alvena and head to the Border. I already removed my guards from their stations so Emberwind's passage is all yours. This should buy you some time," Lucien states almost too calmly.

I nod robotically.

"If she gets hungry, feed her some of your blood."

Half of me expected him to follow that statement with a joke. But that never came.

Maybe I'm just not ready to accept that everything is happening so fast. That he is letting us go. So fast.

"What about you?"

Lucien ignores my question as he turns to Mistress.

"Make sure you make it to the Border. Be careful."

Alvena tiptoes and plants a gentle kiss on Lord of Emberwind's pale cheek. With a slight nod, I put on my hood and follow after her.

"Evelyn!"

I stop at the slight sound of my name.

"Don't turn around, Evie," Alvena mutters under her breath. "You'll just make it harder on him."

Mistress's orders are obeyed and we hurriedly trudge through the knee-high snow with the searchers hot on our tail.

We keep advancing. We walk some, run some, and then walk again. Alvena's speed is snail-like, but her perseverance is admirable. It'll be nice if that were enough.

Unfortunately, the vampires after us specialize in hunting prey and excel in these environs.

If I'm right, it's about time.

"Mistress, we must part ways now."

She doesn't ask any questions. Maybe she figured out that I can only bring her this far.

"Evie, if you get the chance, please help me look after Nero."

"I will," I say without hesitation. She needn't tell me. "My loyalty is sworn to the family."

Alvena turns to leave, but decides to add one more thing. "If Niko asks about me, can you not tell him?"

"If Master asks, I will tell him everything," I respond instantly. "I serve Master above anyone else."

"I see..." Alvena trails off sadly.

"But I will turn around and head back now. I will not know where you go from here on out."

I feel uneasy leaving my defenseless mistress alone in this ocean of white, but it's the only way. It's the only chance to return her smile. It's what Master wants—for her to be happy again.

She looks at me wide-eyed. A droplet falls from her eyes as she throws her arms around my neck and squeezes me as tight as she could with her human strength.

"Evie, thank you for everything!" she cries as her hot tears dampen my clothes.

"We vampires are forbidden to pass the Border separated by the Infinite River," I hint as I take off my coat in exchange for hers. "Good luck," I whisper in her ear before turning around and running in the opposite direction.

The snow begins to fall just in time to cover our tracks. This should make it harder for the Hunters to locate Alvena.

If things play out correctly, they should pick up her scent on the cloak that I'm wearing and come after me first.

And soon enough, a fellow vampire enters the radar, followed by another, and then another.

With all my willpower, I ran from them.

When they eventually caught up, I fought them with all my strength.

When I went down, I knew I completed my task. Alvena should've enough time to escape.

After that, I don't recall anything until I reawakened back in the meeting hall of Argid Castle. The maid ordered to observe me kept a good distance away. Only when I tried to stand up and fell back down from the chain around my foot did she dare scurry away to notify the masters.

Right before anyone showed up, Morwenna snuck in and fed me some blood from a tiny pouch as London and Adrian stayed on the lookout.

I can hear how afraid they are by the eradicate pounding of their hearts in their chests. They are most likely defying orders to come and see me. For that, I'm grateful.

But they disappeared as soon as footsteps were a corridor away.

Seeing Master stepping into the room first puts my heart at ease. However, something heavy weights it down as outsiders trickle in.

I must have caused deep trouble for Uncle Dietrich, Valerie, and the Pureblood Killua to all grace me with their presence. However, no matter where I look, Nero is nowhere in sight.

Master's expression is grim. He tries to hide behind his blank demeanor that he executes well even when Nero was taken away, but for once, he is struggling.

"Lowly Disabled bitch! How dare you run away! Moreover, you dare attack the vampires sent to track you and that human slut do-"

"Uncle."

Master sends the older Dietrich a deathly glare, something I've never seen before. This immediately silences Uncle Dietrich and puts him back in place. Valerie also takes a step back as Master approaches me.

"Evelyn," his beautiful voice calls as he leans down a little to meet my gaze. "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

"Master," I greet. "Your heartbeat is uneven."

His blue eyes stare sorrowfully down to the floor, ashamed that the truth hit him harder than he wanted to show.

"How dare you speak to your Master that way!" Uncle's barks.

"Valerie, please take Uncle and wait outside," Master orders.

Lady Dietrich wanted to protest, but anyone could tell that Master wasn't in the mood for disobedience of any sort. So she reluctantly escorted herself and the elder out, leaving her husband and unrequited love with me.

As soon as the two step out, Master bends down and breaks the chain bounding my foot to the column pole.

"Where is she?" he asks, not bothering to mask the concern in his voice.

"Master, I am sorry."

"Evelyn, I am in no need of an apology. I just...please just...tell me where she is."

"I do not know," I reply.

"Alvena must've ordered you to keep it a secret. But if you consider me your master, you must tell me."

I repeat my previous answer. Master steps away to control his unforeseen aggravation while Lord Killua comes up and places a frail hand on my shoulder before flashing his eyes.

"Answer all questions with the truth," Lord Killua orders. "Where is the human Pureblood bearer?"

"I do not know," I say, meeting him at eye level.

Perhaps it's because I'm comfortable with Purebloods, but I feel no need to back down. Not after he took away Nero.

It takes some time, but they eventually figure it out. I'm immune to compulsion.

Under any other circumstances, the Master I know would've praised me or inquired more of this unique quirk. But this doesn't to catch even the slightest of his interest.

Instead, more so that I expected, he is distraught.

"Please Evelyn, tell me where Alvena is," Master says in desperation. "If we don't find her soon, she'll be in danger."

I remain quiet as I notice small creases ruining Master's otherwise flawless complexion. And I suddenly get struck with this strange feeling of uselessness.

My inability to tell him anything because of my lack of knowledge really highlights my incompetency to serve him well. For that, I am embarrassed.

So again, I only answer with another truthful, "I do not know."

"Then where did you last see her?" Lord Killua questions with unmatched calmness.

The last image burned into my mind was a small figure wearing an oversized cloak standing alone.

"In the middle of nowhere in the snow."

"How did you know the way around there?" he asks.

"When my family discovered I was Disabled, my father petitioned access to the Border."

Lord Killua nods after putting the pieces together. It's not uncommon for parents to drown their Disabled children in the Infinite River. Though it's not allowed, the protocols to stop it are close to none.

In fact, the Infinite River is home to a number of corpses that are impossible to count. The fascinating thing is, no physical body that has fallen in have ever been found. Thus, its name for its infinite mysteries.

The Pureblood asks a few more irrelevant questions to satisfy his curiosity. He seems much more intrigued by my immunity to his powers than he is invested in helping find Alvena.

Admitting that he won't be of any assistance, Lord Killua excuses himself, finally leaving just Master and I alone.

"Evelyn, I'm going to ask one last time." Master looks at me hopefully, as if truly believing that I would be more willing to talk now that we're alone. "I only want to protect her. Where is she?"

I will surely regret this, but I end up looking Master straight in the eyes.

"You can't. That's why I helped her leave."