-Arabella-Ronan has just thrown away five million dollars.I still can't wrap my head around someone spending so much money on a stupid stone. Just a few thousand dollars is the difference between someone being able to make a living or not, and Ronan has just spent a thousand times that on a chip in order to be able to track me. We drive back to the house in silence, Ronan messing with his phone and me staring out the window."I have to go meet my father. Finish storing your clothes and the groceries. And if you're done before I return, you can go to the library and wait," he says once we're at the front door.The car speeds away the second I close the door, and I let myself in.I've forgotten about the clothes, and now that Ronan has brought it up, I can feel the anger surging inside me again. Every single bag those people brought earlier today is from a luxury brand. I can't even fathom how much money he spent, and if he plans on taking me to parties wear

-Arabella-I can't believe we are on our way to Mercer House in the middle of the night. One phone call and Ronan got someone to open it for us, simply because I told him that's where I'd go if I had the chance.Even though I'm still angry that he made me spend three days alone and confined to that room, I feel my rage dissipating. He's at least trying to be nice, which is much more than I thought he would do for me. He has also overlooked the part of the contract that enables him to basically return me and put me in a position where I would owe him the money I would never have. We make it to the city in a few minutes, and Ronan steps out of the car first, extending a hand to help me out. For an outsider, we could be a normal couple given how attentive he's suddenly acting toward me.The red brick facade brings a smile to my face. It's been so long since I've been here, and the memory of my father threatens to bring tears to my eyes. "After you," Ronan says, gesturing

-Arabella-I suddenly wake up in Ronan's bed, and the room is dark except for a slit under the door. There are voices coming from downstairs, and I assume that's what tore me away from my dream.I instantly forget what it was, but I think I was enjoying it because I somehow feel…lighter. Like the cloud that has been hanging above my head these past few days isn't as gloomy or dark.Nothing has really changed; I'm still here and I still have to figure out what to do about those men's threats to my family, but I suddenly feel a little more hopeful.Ronan has shown me so many facets of his personality that I can't really make up my mind about him. I can't change the fact that he'll always be a vampire, and by nature, the cause of so many problems for humans.But…he can also be kind. Other than locking me up or ordering me around, he's been nothing but attentive and surprisingly gentle.Part of me thinks my mind has been unintentionally glamored by him, because I ju

-Arabella-I head downstairs and into the kitchen, intending to clean up the mess we left there, only to find Blanca had already done the work. A pan is sizzling with fresh eggs, filling the kitchen with its delicious smell."I was going to clean it," I say. "Thank you."Blanca only shrugs and resumes her work. She flips the omelet once and puts it in on a plate she set up for me on the counter.I wonder if Ronan texted her at some point after the egg incident."Thank you," I say again.I gobble it up in a few minutes and she finally smiles at me, though it's barely perceptible."How long have you worked for the Stewarts?" I ask, trying to make conversation. I don't know why, but I want Blanca to like me."Seventy years, give or take," she says with the faintest hint of an undistinguishable European accent in her voice, and I almost spit out the orange juice I'm drinking."Seventy? How…?"She looks at me quizzically. "What, you thought I was huma

-Arabella-After I pour hours into essentially stalking Grace's social media, the computer runs out of battery and it's gone dark in the library. Only the automatic garden lights shine through, and I stay there in the dark for a while, obsessing over her pictures.I have to believe that she's doing okay. Since I left, she posted a picture of us together at my high school graduation with a caption that says 'missing you,' and not much else. I don't recall if she had privacy settings before, or if she opened up her social media to everyone on the offhand chance I got access to the internet like today.I wish I could somehow tell her to close it back up. Those men knew too much about her and my mother, and until I figure out what to do about their threats, I have no way of knowing how much truth there was in what they said.The front door opens, and soon enough, Ronan walks into the library and switches on the light."What are you doing in here like that?" he says once