(BLUE'S POV)
The grand hall went cold in an instant.
One second, it had been filled with laughter, happy tears, and the warmth of reunion. The next, the air felt sharp enough to tear through skin.
My mother stared at Victor like she'd seen a ghost crawl out of its grave.
"How… how are you alive?" she whispered.
Her caramel-brown eyes widened in horror, one trembling hand pressed tightly against her chest. "That's impossible. I watched you burn. I saw you turn to ashes…"
Nobody moved.
The silence felt louder than a scream.
Mason looked completely lost, and honestly, who wouldn't be? Mom had told me the last time we met, that the human boy I bit when I newly turned had died that same night. Burned to ashes by her own hands the next day. She'd sounded so certain back then. So absolute.
But the look on her face now told a different story.
Victor was undoubtedly that boy.
Which made no sense, because ashes weren't supposed to breathe.
