I retrieve Elle’s vampire toxin dart she gave me. I hid it in the guest bedroom, and it’s still there when I dig it out. I tuck it into my pocket, making sure it can’t fall out.
It’s fucking ridiculous, but as I walk to the door of the balcony, I feel this insane confidence. I feel a sense of urgency. And why bother with the elevator, the lobby, when I’m ready to go right now?
I climb onto the ledge, and I leap from the balcony.
A wicked smile pulls at my lips as I land effortlessly on the sidewalk. I stand straight, assessing my body, checking for breaks, for fractures, hell, for bruises. But there’s nothing. I feel as fantastic as ever.
It’s a good thing it’s only an hour until dawn, the time when the city is the quietest. As I look up and down the street, I don’t see anyone who might have witnessed me doing something that should be impossible.
I step forward and blend into the dark.
The city feels different now.
The cool dawn air slides over my skin, crisp and refreshing, but it doesn’t sink into my bones the way it used to. I walk through the brightening streets of Manhattan, moving effortlessly, as if my body was built for this—because itwas. I have never felt safer in my own skin. My movements are fluid, every step precise, like I’ve always known exactly how to move.
I pass through the quieter edges of the city, where the river laps against stone embankments, the rising sun casting long shadows across the wet pavement. As the day breaks, I direction for buildings I know Ares owns. I do believe he was still working over the last week, taking care of everything Augustus left on his shoulders. Maybe there is still some logic in him and he will show up to work.
But as I ask at one building and then another, no one has seen Ares. I head to his office, but no one there has seen him either.
So, I keep looking.
Noon comes and goes. I don’t find Ares. The hour creeps past dinner time, and I still find no signs of him. He’s not answering his phone, it goes straight to voicemail, obviously dead. Evening sets on the city, and still, I can’t fucking find Ares. Darkness descends on Manhattan, but I continue my search.
The South Street Seaport is mostly deserted this time of night. The historic buildings, once lively, now stand as darksilhouettes against the skyline. It feels like the perfect place to hunt for a ghost.
Ares is looking for other vampires to kill. It’s the only conclusion I can come to. Felix. Beth. Mike. Luciano. All vampires. All people that Ares has ripped apart, even if he has no idea he did it.
So, where else might he be looking for other vampires?
The only other vampires I know are Sysco and Harry, and they’re well aware of the danger they’re in. Where else is Ares going to look for other vampires?
Dammit. And James, Ares’ assistant. I need to warn him to stay far, far away from Ares.
And Clementine. But I trust Florence will keep her safe at all costs.
But as I search for Ares, as I comb through every street I can think of, something prickles along the back of my neck.
I feel eyes on me in the dark.
I hear the sounds of breathing, faint, but there.
I realize I’m not alone.
A prickle of awareness climbs up my spine, a whisper of instinct. Someone is watching me.
I stop in my tracks. The air around me stills. I listen.
I turn my head slightly. "You can come out," I call out, even as every muscle in my body tenses, ready for anything.
There’s silence for five whole seconds. Then, from the shadows, a figure steps into the dim light.
Giovanni.
His dark eyes rage with conflicting emotions—confusion, paired with disdain. He studies me, his expression twisting.
He knows what he did to me. He knows I should be dead.
"Impossible," he breathes, his gaze dragging over my body. Sizing me up. Looking for proof that I’m real.
