Hi all! I know you've been waiting for this.

First major point! I just reposted/edited the second half of Water, Acedia, and the epilogue (Jury). Brand new, you'll need to re-read those to be updated. Mainly Acedia and the epilogue.

Anyway, here's what I can tell you so far about this story's next and final part. Any future updates beyond this point will likely be made on my Wattpad profile. Potentially, as will any future parts of Heartbeat. Posting across the three platforms is a lot when I find small edits or such, so let me know if anyone has major qualms with this. I'll try to accommodate.

What to expect:

• Getting back to our roots - Part 3 will focus more on Alec and Saffiya

• Whether Part 3 will be continued in this story/book or a separate one is TBD.

• Updates will be infrequent and random.

• I don't know when the first update will be.

In Detail:

This story was never meant to focus on Razin and the Resistance. As such, in part three, that plot will take a backseat to the story's main focus: Alec and Saffiya. Part two was a lot of me trying to figure out how to balance writing what I knew would build the story the best and what I wanted to write.

Therefore, with the way my life currently works, I only have the energy and time to write what I want. And what I want to write about is Alec and Saffiya centered content.

Even still, my time and energy is limited these days in general. So, I do not expect updates to be any more frequent than they have been in the last few months, unfortunately. I love writing this and I adore all of you, and I love writing for you. I know this is one story of many, but I am so grateful for the time you spent reading it (in the hours when you probably should've been sleeping, let's be honest lol).

Also, I've gotten notifications for a lot of your comments and questions recently! I haven't had a ton of time but I am going to try and go back through those and answer whatever I can when I have the time to give them the attention deserved.

With all the keys on my keyboard,

Ro

And if you've scrolled this far, I have a small surprise cut chapter.

This is an unfinished and unedited part of a chapter from when the story was going a different way. Alec and Saffiya's relationship is a little further along than it is now at the time of this scene. Some of you might remember another unfinished chapter I posted a bit ago that was like this, (or maybe it's still a current chapter, I don't quite remember at this point).

Bolded words and phrases, particularly within [brackets] are undecided/would generally have a lot of reworking in my real writing process.

And because I want to focus on part three, I haven't gone through and edited it because this was specifically a scene that could only happen for Saffiya as a human.

Anyways, hope you enjoy!

~•~•~•~

I set the clean shirt down on the vanity, exhaling before unbuttoning my [art smock shirt, similar appearance to white button down]. I had barely finished the first button before Alec's hands slipped under mine, situating themselves on my hips. My eyes flickered up to him through the reflection in surprise. I hadn't realized he was in the room, or that he'd arrived. I watched him through the mirror as he pressed his toned chest against my back.

"Hi?" I said, suspicious of the indulgent patience in his demeanor.

"Hi," he responded casually in my ear. His breath tickled the nape of my neck, and I swallowed as my breath faltered. His [ruby] eyes met mine in the mirror, and I was held in place by them as his fingers gently collected my hair. He fisted it, twisting it up as if to tie it back. His stare remained fixated on me, even as he blew gentle air behind my ear. My eyelids fluttered.

His head lowered, gaze dropping as his lips gently brushed the side of my neck.

One of his hands slowly moved to my abdomen, pressing me closer to him.

I leaned back into him and breathed out playfully, "You're awfully [touchy/handsy] today."

"I am [frustrated]," he mumbled against my skin, leaving a [patient flurry] of tender grazes along my throat. He began to nibble between every few [kisses], as if seeking comfort.

"Caius has been driving me mad," there was a low rumble in his chest. "He is questioning every minuscule detail of the plan. [etc.]." So that's why he was giving off [restrained. patient vibes] right now.

He nuzzled his nose against the crook of my neck.

"And," his mouth arrived against the sensitive skin behind my earlobe, his teeth gently dragging and sending a shiver down my spine. His chest rumbled before his hands found mine, interlocking our fingers against my stomach, "I've had an unfortunate [realization]," he [murmured] huskily. I waited for him to continue, but when he didn't, I turned around in his arms, leaning back on the vanity.

"Are you going to share?" He nodded slowly, but I could see his jaw clench with the stress of his previous meeting. He braced his hands on the vanity, caging me in.

Suddenly, and yet at a [slow pace], his lips went not to mine but to my throat.

His lips [not sprinkled/not caressed, but] moved down my throat and below my jaw. The thin skin was an obvious temptation, for more than one reason in this moment.

My head fell to the side, and his lips latched onto the exposed skin. A soft sound escaped me, and his mouth disappeared just as quickly. I had no time to recover; his breath tickled the skin beneath my ear as he murmured, "When you are no longer human, your skin will be unbruised, invulnerable. Blood vessels filled with venom."

"That's kind of the point."

Alec hummed, grinning, "I will miss the evidence of my...affections on your body."

He stepped away from the vanity, walking backward and bringing me with him as I bemoaned teasingly, "so, [you'd like me to spend/I spend the last of my weeks] as a human, looking like a harlot."

He smirked and took a step into my space, "I thought you might say that." I stepped back automatically, expecting him to move with me. The move, instead, tripped me onto his bed. [fix transitioning, build up]

My heart leaped inside my chest. The pressure of something cold had claimed land over my stomach. I pushed myself up on my forearms as his fingers traced over my skin and took over my previous task, undoing another button on my shirt. His eyes [flickered] to mine, and he smirked when he saw me watching. His lips cherished mine, easily convincing me to move further back on the bed until his body covered mine. He parted to let me breathe and soft lips found their place on my neck. Cold hands reappeared on my stomach – under my shirt.

"Ale—" I started to question him suspiciously when his hand quickly squeezed my side and his name became a giggle.

He smiled smugly against my skin, leaving a trail of [kisses] down my collarbone, and paused at the top of my sternum, where my shirt had lowered thanks to his playful teasing.

His eyes found mine. He was breathing just as heavily and as purposefully as I. I swallowed, eyes darting between his eyes and his mouth. His hand moved to the collar of my shirt, and my breath hitched as he undid the top button. He heeded every detail he could about my reaction, every darting thought, emotion, and concern that passed through my eyes. He pressed his mouth to mine with intent before his mouth ghosted down my jaw, pressing an open mouth kiss to my clavicle and lowering to my chest.

He explored slowly, almost painfully slowly. I had a vice grip around his wrist beside me. Kissing down the center of my chest twice more. His breath teased my [skin], sending my nerves ablaze [until] he settled at the flesh that was just short of the bra I wore. His tongue traced along the curve of the fabric, before he blew lightly on the skin. I squirmed under him, whining with an impatience I was previously unaware of.

"You are such a—" I breathed out, but trailed off as he slipped me a devilish grin.

His hand found my side, squeezing and catching me off guard as I [gut response laughed]. Alec took advantage of my break, sealing his lips on my chest.

My body arched into the feeling of his touch alone. A sharp intake of breath escaped me, and Alec growled against my skin, furious at the interruption. But more greatly [vexed] that he was too busy to capture the sound with his own mouth. So, when a small whine left me shortly after, he refused to lose it.

I welcomed his lips, my hands cradling the sides of his face to keep him close. I felt the pressure of his fingers against my abdomen, trailing up.

Alec pulled away. I frowned [perplexed/in confusion], realizing he'd re-buttoned the shirt, but I was only given a quick kiss before he was casually standing on the other side of the room.

Not seconds later, Jane opened the door without warning. Despite our distance, we were given suspicious looks.

"Animals," she accused.

Alec rolled his eyes and moved to greet his sister before instantly returning to stand beside the bed. He placed a hand on my shoulder blade, his fingers dropping to play with my hair before giving her a cheeky response with an underlying irritation: "Your timing has always been notable, Sister."

"As much as I am loathe to separate you two, Aro has requested your presence, Alec. And Saffiya, Caius would like to see you as well."

"Why does Caius—"

Jane shrugged and turned around, disappearing behind the door.

Within a millimeter of a second, Alec gently pushed me back onto the bed, his lips returning to mine and a hand squeezing my hip.

"Now, Alec."

The boy groaned at his sister's distanced order, collapsing on the bed beside me.

I laughed, moving my hair back and bending over to kiss his lips briefly before he could distract us again.

I stood and returned to my previous task, unbuttoning my shirt to replace it with the one that lay forgotten on the vanity. As I shrugged it off, I saw two light red marks on my sternum, right at the curve above my breast. I ran my fingers over the colors. True to his implied word, there was no reasonable happenstance where anyone would spot his [handiwork ew/not mark].

And then he was behind me, leaving another kiss on my shoulder.

"My human," he growled against my skin, eyes piercing mine through the mirror.

I turned to smack him, and he dodged my hand, zipping out of the room.