Aria's POV
The longer Viktor stayed, the quieter my mind became. After everything that had happened, I was exhausted from fighting myself. My thoughts had been racing since the ceremony, each one colliding with the next until I couldn't tell fear from instinct anymore.
But now, sitting in the dim light of my room with Viktor by my side, I could finally breathe.
"You're fighting too hard," Viktor said quietly, his hand still resting over mine.
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You're treating your power like it is your enemy."
I looked away. "I don't have a choice."
"You do." His voice was calm. "You're afraid of the vampire part of yourself because you think accepting it means losing Lydia."
My chest tightened. "She is already disappearing."
"That is because you're resisting. If you
