"Vivienne?" Laura repeated the name. "Who was she?"
Nikolai stood up abruptly and walked to one of the small windows. Lightning flashed across his face, turning his profile to silver for a brief moment. The muscles in his jaw tightened as he stared out at the storm.
"Not who you should be asking about," he said finally.
Laura set the journal aside and rose to her feet. "Then who?"
For a long moment, only the sound of rain filled the silence between them. Then Nikolai turned to face her, his eyes darker than she'd ever seen them.
"My mate," he said. "The one I never speak of."
The words hung in the air like smoke. Laura felt a strange tightness in her chest. "You had a mate?"
"Her name was Elizabeth." His voice was soft, almost gentle—so unlike the Nikolai she knew. "Daughter of Alph
