6

The night was alive with the sound of pursuit.

I could hear them—our hunters. Their footsteps were silent, but I could feel them closing in, shadows slithering through the darkened alleys of the city. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to run faster, but my body was still betraying me. Still adjusting. Still changing.

Lucian didn’t slow.

He moved like a phantom, leading me through a maze of twisted streets, his grip firm around my wrist. Too warm. Too strong.

I should have pulled away. I should have fought him.

But right now, he was the only thing keeping me alive.

We turned a sharp corner, and suddenly—a dead end.

A towering brick wall loomed in front of us, damp from the night air. The stench of the city clung to the walls—mildew, cigarette smoke, the faint metallic tang of blood.

I whirled around. “Lucian—”

“They’re too close,” he muttered, scanning the alley.

My breathing was ragged, but not from exhaustion. I didn’t feel winded. I didn’t feel tired at all. My muscles still hummed with restless energy, even as my thoughts tumbled into chaos.

A soft click echoed through the alley.

Lucian stilled.

So did I.

The scent hit me first—cold steel, gunpowder.

Then—a voice. Smooth. Amused.

“Well, well. Look what we caught.”

I turned slowly.

Two figures stepped out of the shadows.

The first man was tall, dressed in a long black coat. His golden eyes gleamed in the dim light, the same ones I remembered from the alley—the man who had attacked me.

The other was leaner, quieter. Dark eyes, unreadable.

My stomach twisted.

Lucian let go of my wrist. Slowly, deliberately, he stepped in front of me.

Protecting me.

The golden-eyed man smirked. “Lucian D’Arcy. Didn’t think I’d find you babysitting.”

Lucian’s stance didn’t change, but I could feel the shift in him. A predator’s patience, coiled and waiting.

“You should walk away,” he said coolly.

Golden Eyes let out a sharp laugh. “Now, why would I do that? The King’s been waiting for her. And you?” He tilted his head. “You’re not supposed to be interfering, are you?”

Lucian didn’t reply.

I swallowed hard. King? Who the hell was the King? And why was he waiting for me?

None of this made sense.

I took a step back. My foot scraped against loose gravel, and Golden Eyes’ gaze snapped to me.

His smirk widened.

“There she is,” he murmured.

A shiver ran down my spine.

He moved fast.

Too fast.

Before I could react, he was suddenly inches away, reaching for me—

Lucian struck.

A blur of movement. A vicious snarl ripped through the air.

Lucian’s fist slammed into Golden Eyes’ jaw, sending him flying into the brick wall with a sickening crunch. The other man lunged forward, but Lucian was faster—twisting, dodging, and grabbing him by the collar before hurling him aside like he weighed nothing.

I barely had time to process what I was seeing.

Lucian wasn’t just fast—he was lethal. Every movement was precise, controlled, a predator in his element.

And then—

Golden Eyes laughed.

A slow, rasping chuckle as he pushed himself up from the rubble, wiping blood from his mouth.

“Not bad,” he admitted, flashing fangs. “But you know how this ends, D’Arcy.”

Lucian’s expression didn’t change. “Do I?”

Golden Eyes’ smirk sharpened.

And then—the air shifted.

A sudden, crushing force wrapped around me, like invisible chains locking me in place. I gasped, my muscles freezing.

What the—

Golden Eyes lifted his hand. His fingers curled—and my lungs tightened.

I couldn’t breathe.

Lucian’s snarl ripped through the air. “Let her go.”

Golden Eyes tilted his head. “Make me.”

Lucian didn’t hesitate.

He moved like lightning—one second he was next to me, the next he was on top of Golden Eyes, fangs bared, a vicious snarl tearing from his throat.

The force around me vanished.

I collapsed to my knees, gasping for air.

Lucian’s voice was low, dangerous. “If you ever touch her again, I’ll tear your throat out.”

Golden Eyes grinned, unfazed by the threat. “Noted.”

Then—a blur of movement.

The two men disappeared into the night.

Lucian didn’t move for a moment, his shoulders tense, his fists clenched.

I struggled to my feet, my breath still uneven.

“What the hell was that?” My voice shook.

Lucian finally turned. His silver eyes met mine—calculating, unreadable.

“You just met your first vampires,” he said.

I swallowed hard.

“And?”

Lucian exhaled. “And they won’t stop coming.”

A chill ran through me.

I pressed a hand to my chest, still shaken from the feeling of invisible chains holding me down. “He—he did something to me. What was that?”

Lucian hesitated. Then—

“Compulsion.”

My stomach dropped.

My voice was barely a whisper. “He could control me.”

Lucian’s jaw tightened. “Not for long. You fought it.”

I had.

Somehow, through the panic, I had pushed back.

But what if next time I couldn’t?

What if next time I wasn’t strong enough?

Lucian must have seen something on my face, because his voice softened. “That’s why we need to keep moving.”

I clenched my fists.

I hated this. The running. The not knowing. The constant fear pressing against my ribs.

But I hated something else even more.

I hated that Lucian was right.

I needed him.

For now.

I exhaled shakily. “Where are we going?”

Lucian’s gaze lingered on me for a moment. Then he turned, stepping back into the shadows.

“Somewhere safe.”

I hesitated.

Then—I followed.

Because even though I didn’t trust him, even though I still didn’t understand what was happening to me…

I knew one thing.

Whatever was hunting me wasn’t finished.

And I wasn’t ready to die again.