It was not a large body of water, which made it ideal for our purposes, and while trees surrounded us, none covered the lake, and I could see the moon reflected in its surface.

“I used to love this place,” said Sorin.

“Used to?”

“We would swim here. Daroc, Adrian, our friends,” he said with a note of longing in his voice. “That was a long time ago.”

I tried to imagine that world for a moment, but there was no reason because it no longer existed.

“Violeta, you can dismount,” I said, needing her to slide off the horse so I could too. With some effort, she managed to get her feet on the ground and I followed.

Then we approached the lake, staring into the still water. Behind us, light flared, and I turned, finding that Sorin had lit a torch he had managed to stick into the ground.

“To keep warm,” he said when he saw us looking. “I’ll be in the trees, watching…not watching you all…standing guard, I mean.”

I tried not to smile. “It’s okay, Sorin. We know you like men.”

He scrubbed the back of his neck and then shifted, flying into the dark.

Ana, Violeta, and I each took a side and began removing our clothes. Behind me, Sorin’s torch still blazed, but I could feel none of the warmth as I slipped out of my cloak. The cold was brutal, and as I exposed each part of myself to the night, I felt even more dread at the coming ritual.

Once we were naked, we entered the water, stepping on sharp stones and slipping on slimy sand until we were waist-deep. I looked across to Ana, who did not seem to mind the cold. Her arms were at her sides, and her hair fell over her shoulders, covering her breasts. Violeta stood hunched, arms crossed over her chest.

“Ready?” Ana asked.

I was not sure but I nodded.

She closed her eyes and I followed, letting my arms rest on the water, palms facing up. I took a deep breath and allowed every part of my body to relax as I exhaled. I felt heavy and grounded and focused on nothing beyond me and the water touching my skin. I was surprised by how easy it had been to come to a place of peace within me so quickly, given how agonized I had felt up until this point, but that peace was quickly shattered by a familiar, vicious growl.

An aufhocker was nearby.

“Sorin?” I called, my eyes still closed, trying desperately to hold on to the calm that had entered my body, but I already felt as though I was vibrating, my adrenaline spiking.

“I’ve got everything under control,” he called, though another growl joined the first, and the sounds of Sorin fighting filled the hollow.