Where was he, anyway? Hiding? Avoiding me because he knew what I’d do when I saw him?
Coward.
The anger propelled me forward, and I pushed out of the room, determined to find him.
My movements were steadier now, my body adjusting unnervingly quickly to its new reality.
The hallway was empty, the dim light flickering overhead. The smells of the inn assaulted my nose again, but something else stood out.
Something sharper. Metallic. Blood.
I froze, every nerve in my body screaming as I felt… something. A presence.
It wasn’t Gael.
I didn’t know how I knew that, but I did. The energy was different. Colder, darker.
It seeped into the edges of my awareness, sending a chill down my spine.
The air felt heavier, oppressive, as though the walls themselves were closing in.
My instincts sharpened, and I realized with dawning horror what I was sensing.
A vampire.
Not just any vampire. The one who’d attacked me in the shelter.
My feet moved on their own, silent and swift as I followed the presence.
It led me down the hall, past the empty front desk, and out into the narrow alley beside the inn.
The night was quiet, but not calm. Shadows clung to the buildings like they were alive, shifting and twisting with the faint glow of the streetlights.
And there he was.
The vampire stood at the edge of the alley, his back to me as if he were waiting.
My hands clenched into fists, nails biting into my palms. “You.”
He turned, a slow, deliberate motion that sent a fresh wave of anger and fear coursing through me.
His face was gaunt, his eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.
“Well,” he drawled, his voice a low rasp. “Look who’s finally awake.”
“What do you want?” I demanded, my voice steadier than I felt.
He smirked, his fangs glinting in the faint light. “You, mostly. Or rather, the mess you’ve become. Gael’s little pet project, hmm?”
I took a step forward, my body thrumming with energy I didn’t yet understand.
“If you’ve come to finish what you started, you’ll regret it,” I told him.
He laughed, the sound cold and mocking. “You’re new to this, aren’t you? Freshly turned, barely understanding what you are. And you think you can take me?”
“Try me,” I snarled.
He didn’t hesitate. One moment he was standing at the end of the alley, and the next, he was on me. I saw the flash of a blade.
