Valine was abruptly yanked from her peaceful slumber by the shrill sound of the phone ringing.

"Argh," she grumbled, her hand blindly reaching for the device. Who could be calling someone at this ungodly hour?

Blinking away the remnants of sleep, she realized that Dimitri's side of the bed was empty. He must have left early again. With a sigh, she answered the phone, her voice still heavy with drowsiness, "Hello?"

Her grogginess quickly dissipated as she heard the voice on the other end, sending a shiver down her spine. There was no mistaking that wicked, chilling tone. She abruptly stood up, her feet touching the cold floor.

"Good morning,...