As I followed Mr Grigori close from behind I couldn't help but fidget with my fingernails. I'm almost certain that he's planning to kill me. Why wouldn't he? He's already threatened to do so before if I didn't agree to take care of Stefan. So, what's to stop him from doing it now?

If anything, it's to be expected. Not only did I risk exposing Stefan's secret, but I also caused the death of Atticus.

I guess it really is my fate to never be free...

...

I could still turn this around. If I try to make a run for it then perhaps, I can escape. After all, my stamina isn't something I should underestimate.

As I leaned back onto my foot and readied myself to run, I was taken aback by Mr Grigori's next words. "We're here." He said in a solemn voice.

Ah, there goes my grand escape!

As Mr Grigori slowly opened the stiff bolted door to the cellar, I felt myself go tense. This is it. He's going to kill me in his torture dungeon I just know it!

As I marched along to my death, I clenched my eyes shut in fear as I braced myself for the worst.

"Why are you closing your eyes?" Mr Grigori asked. "I simply wish to speak with you alone."

Yeah right, that's what the murderer says before they lock the door. But taking what he said into consideration, my curiosity was peaked.

The cellar wasn't all that sinister like I expected it to be. From what I could tell, there were no torture devices to be seen. Only racks of wine bottles among countless wooden crates. It's just your typical storage unit.

As Mr Grigori sat on one of the crates, he gestured for me to do the same opposite him. I complied. "As you are probably already aware, Stefan isn't a normal boy."

"That much I gathered," I replied bitterly with a twitching eye. "Normal boys don't drain people of their blood."

Mr Grigori nodded his head solemnly at my words. "When I first saw Stefan, he was freezing to death in the streets. My wife Sorina felt bad for the boy, so she suggested that we take him in."

Oh. I didn't expect him to open up about his wife. Based on what I was told it's a touchy subject for him. "Your wife sounds kind..."

"Perhaps too kind." Mr Grigori slowly scratched the lid of the crate with his fingernails. "She tried her best to give him a normal childhood, and to an extent... it worked."

The darkness that protruded from Mr Grigori's body slowly faded away. Instead, all that was left was a dejected man. "The first time Stefan went missing, Sorina was nowhere to be found either."

I felt myself fear for the worst as Mr Grigori took his time to continue with his story.

"A couple of days later, Stefan returned home alone. But the boy I once knew was long gone. He stood there in the doorway on that thundering night covered in blood. Ever since that night, he refused to speak another word..."

Mr Grigori dug into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. As he held it close to his face, I could hear his breathing get louder. "The search party that we sent out for Sorina found her after three days." The broken man proceeded to look me dead in the eyes. "She was mauled to death in the forest."

No... Stefan couldn't have...

"How can you continue to raise him after he did all that?" I asked in a trembling voice.

Mr Grigori leaned back on the crate. "Sorina saw something in him. She told me that it's important that we never let harm come to the boy." Mr Grigori took his spectacles off and cleaned them with his handkerchief. "Since I trust in my wife, I swore I'd continue to raise him, but this time in secret."

As Mr Grigori put his handkerchief back into his pocket, he leaned forward with both elbows planted into his lap as he pressed his forehead into his hands. "That way no one else will get hurt." Mr Grigori said in a low voice. "At least that's what I thought until Atticus..."

I hesitated before I made my way towards Mr Grigori. I gently placed a hand on his shoulder in an act of consolidation. "I am terribly sorry for your loss."

Without looking at me, Mr Grigori leaned in further to his hands. "I knew he wouldn't make it. A single bite from Stefan is infectious. It only takes a couple of days to fully transform into a vampire."

As I looked at Mr Grigori thoughtfully, I slowly retracted my hand. "I take it that Johnathan is actually here to observe Stefan's vampirism?"

"He says a cure might exist. But I have my doubts. The only thing I'm certain of is that..." Mr Grigori's voice trailed off before he looked at me with another serious look. "You are someone special to him. I don't know how you cured Stefan's muteness, but I'm glad that you did it in any case."

I'm not so sure of the answer either. I believe Stefan only started talking as we spent more time together. Perhaps he needed to find the right person to open up to?

As Mr Grigori stood up from the crate, he slowly walked towards the cellar stairs. "Those men who came to check on my boys... They are most likely looking to kill anyone of Stefan's kind." As Mr Grigori slowly turned his head towards me one last time, he showed a sorrowful expression. "So please, teach him how to be human."

Once I returned to my room, I felt completely drained of all my energy. I had hoped to have been gone from the castle by this point. But now I've been guilt-tripped into staying indefinitely.

Normally I would prioritise leaving, but how can I after hearing what Mr Grigori went through? First, he lost his wife and now his son. I feared what would happen if he sank into further despair...

As I stared out at the black night sky, I felt myself almost compelled to open the window. This... isn't something I'd usually do. I hate the cold more than anything, so why would I invite the chilly night's air into my room?

Despite my inner protest, my body refused to obey as I dragged my feet towards the white frame. As I slowly went to pull on the handle, I felt a tugging at my apron.

"Don't do that, Vana!"