Chapter 45

I woke up that night freezing.

At some point as I slept, the duvet shifted down, exposing my bare shoulders. My body had curled into a fetal position and was shivering in the chilled air.

I stretched out and sat up slightly, looking over to see the curtains blowing in the frigid breeze that wafted in from the half-open window.

That was not open when I went to bed, I thought.

In fact, I specifically remembered Luca lighting the fireplace to warm up the room before we got into bed.

He certainly wouldn't have cracked a window.

I turned over in the bed to see it was empty, the covers pulled back and the sheets laid bare where Luca had once slept. I sat up all the way to see that the fire had been extinguished and the bedroom door was slightly open.

Suddenly, I saw a dark figure move in the corner of the room and felt panic begin to set in.

"Luca?"

The shadow returned my question with a slow, deep voice.

"No"

My blood ran cold.

Jonathan stepped forward, the moonlight streaming in from the