16. 15

15

Serina

I didn’t think staying in a house with them would be so normal .

I had spent the last week on antibiotics, laid up in bed while the guys tended to my every need. The only thing I did get to do was make my own pizza, which as Thorne showed me how to toss the dough, it did end up on Nox’s head, so I didn’t think they would let me do that again at the next pizza-popcorn party.

I didn’t ask them to help me. If anything, I tried to do everything on my own, but they wouldn’t allow it. Anytime I tried to do anything myself, I’d get caught and they would take care of it for me.

The pain was nothing but a lingering ache now, and as I walked downstairs, Bastian was going over things at his desk while I could see Thorne’s back, all his muscles flexing as he cooked dinner in the kitchen.

I wanted some fresh air. No, I needed it.

I hadn’t been outside in days, and even though winter was coming, it seemed like a nice night tonight.

I stepped toward the door, and Bastian didn’t look up from his work as he said, “Don’t run off, or I’ll have to chase you down.” He glanced up at me, and I rolled my eyes.

“Ay, ay, Captain,” I said, but the thought of him chasing me down and pinning me to a tree somewhere in the woods, like he did on the wall at the motel, did something to my insides.

It didn’t bring me fear like I thought it would. No, I didn’t fear that they would hurt me. Not anymore, or at least not as much as I should.

I walked out onto the porch. The leaves had gathered along the wooden planks, and the trees had shifted to dark reds and browns. The air was crisp, and I inhaled a deep breath when I suddenly heard a curse come from around the corner of the house.

I walked down the fenced porch and rounded the house. Nox was in the garage working on a black classic Camero that made a slew of memories cross my mind about my time with my dad when we would work on our vehicles to clear our heads.

I moved without thinking and crouched next to the car. Half of Nox’s body was underneath it, and I couldn’t help but admire the way his clothes hugged his body as he worked.

Fuck, what was wrong with me?

I cleared my throat. “Need any help?” I asked, and he rolled out from under the car, piercing me with his blue eyes and dark locks falling over his brow.

“You know your way around a car?” he retorted, and I nodded as he climbed to his feet. “Well, there's not much left to do. There’s a bolt I can’t reach to tighten; even the socket wrench doesn’t fit in the tight space.”

I grabbed the wrench from him and laid on the creeper to roll myself under the car.

It was hard to spot him amidst the car parts, but he reached in to show me where the bolt was. I easily tightened it for him before pulling back out. I stood, handing the wrench back to him smugly, and he rolled his eyes. He tossed it back into the box that was a mess of tools and turned to me.

“Wanna get out of the house?” he asked, and it sounded amazing. I was going to go crazy if I didn’t get out of this house soon. I needed to move, to hunt again now that I was feeling better.

“I’m pretty sure if I try to leave, Bastian will hunt me down himself. His words, not mine.” I shrugged.

“Well, there’s a difference between you leaving alone or leaving with one of us. He knows I’ll keep you safe,” he replied with that gloriously cocky bad boy smile.

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes at him. Could he tell I was going stir-crazy?

He walked over to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for me. I hesitated when I ran my hand over my thigh and found neither my gun nor stake were there.

The movement was so subtle, but one I knew Nox noticed as he watched me, waiting to see what I would do. I had never left anywhere without my weapons on me. No judgment showed in his eyes, and it was something about that that seemed to put me a little more at ease.

“If you’d like to go grab your weapons, little monster , be my guest. It doesn’t hurt to be careful,” he said, using the nickname they all seemed to have for me now.

“No, no, it’s fine. Let's go,” I said, walking under his arm to get into the car, trying to hide the tension in my muscles from feeling defenseless.

He shut the door and made his way to the other side, sliding into the driver’s seat. He then started the car and took off down the long driveway. Once we got on the main road, he leaned over, opening the glove box and pulling out three stakes before setting them in my lap.

“What’s this?” I raised a curious brow.

“Exactly what it looks like,” he retorted, leveling me with a side glance before returning his gaze to the road.

My eyes raised to look at him. “For?”

“Whatever your little heart desires, though I’d rather you not shove them through my heart,” he said with a grin. “I want you to feel safe around us, Serina. I know what we are makes that hard for you, but I want you to be confident that we won’t hurt you, and if that means you need your weapons to feel more confident, then you’ll have them.”

My icy heart thawed a little more at that.

All the little things that they did to make me feel more safe, more comfortable, made the cold that I had encased myself in slip further and further away.

I cleared my throat, trying my best to bring back some of the ice. “Where are we going?” I asked.

“Out.” He glanced over at me. “No funny business; we’re coming back to the house afterwards.”

“Sounds like a great, boring time,” I drawled, running a finger down the stakes in my lap. One slipped into the floorboard, and I leaned down to pick it up, sliding a little something under the seat.

“Good,” he said, pulling a cigarette from his pack with his teeth before offering the pack to me. I took one, and he lit mine and then his.

I didn’t smoke regularly; I was more of a social smoker. Which, considering how antisocial I had been lately, it had been a while. But with the windows down, the wind flowing through my hair, music playing, and the sound of the engine, everything was just too perfect not to.

We drove for about half an hour, singing along with the windows down without a care in the world. You’d never know we were a Vampire and a monster hunter duo. The wind blowing my hair as we curved around all the backroads made my stomach flutter when I glanced over, and he was eyeing me with his hand on the shifter.

“Keep your eyes on the road,” I spat, but he only grinned.

“How can I? This view is much more appealing,” he teased, and heat flushed my neck.

I hurriedly looked away from him.

A few minutes later, he spoke again. “We’re here,” he said, pulling into a small pub parking lot.

The creak of the old pub's door was muffled by the conversations and clinking glasses wrapping around us when we walked in.

Nox glanced at me, a knowing twinkle in his eyes.

“Thought you might need a change of scenery,” he said, as if reading my mind.

“God, yes,” I exhaled, relieved to be out of the confining walls of that house for the past week.

The air was tinged with aged wood and spilled ale, an oddly comforting aroma that made the corners of my mouth twitch upwards.

Nox led me to the bar with an easy grace, ordering us a couple of drinks with a familiarity that suggested he'd done this many times over his long life. The bartender slid two glasses towards us, the liquid inside catching the dim light and casting amber reflections on the polished surface.

“Thanks,” I murmured, wrapping my fingers around the cool glass, feeling the condensation kiss my skin.

I took a sip of my drink, the liquid fire tracing a path down my throat.

“And thanks for getting me out of the house. I appreciate it,” I added, the words barely louder than the hum of conversation around us.

“I wish I would’ve got that on camera,” he jested, and I slapped his arm before taking down the rest of my drink. He chuckled. “Would you like to dance?” he asked, shifting the mood.

A small laugh escaped me before I could catch it.

“Me? Dance?” I shook my head, a self-deprecating smile pulling at my lips. “You haven't witnessed the full extent of my two left feet.”

“I have been alive for over a century,” Nox quipped, a playful edge to his voice. "I've picked up a thing or two about two left feet." He stood and offered his hand, his posture confident yet inviting.

“Is that so?” I raised an eyebrow, the challenge clear. But there was a warmth spreading through my chest.

“Trust me,” he said simply, and something in his tone tugged at me.

With a resigned sigh that was more theatric than genuine, I placed my hand in his. "Lead the way," I teased, allowing a sliver of excitement to seep through the cracks of my carefully constructed walls.

The rhythm of the music echoed around us in a mesmerizing symphony. I swayed awkwardly at first, hyper-aware of Nox's hand at my waist, guiding me with gentle pressure close to where my stake was holstered. His smile was infectious, and despite myself, I found the corners of my lips tilting upwards.

“See? Not so bad,” he murmured, his voice barely audible over the melody that filled the dimly lit pub.

I rolled my eyes at him, a playful gesture that belied the fluttering in my stomach. “Don't get cocky. It's the song doing all the work.” But as we moved together, something inside me softened, the rigid tension in my limbs unwinding.

His cologne lingered in the air between us, a rich blend of sweet primrose, mint, and bourbon. It was intoxicating, drawing me closer until I could feel the solidity of his body against mine. The contact should have been alarming. A Vampire too close—too intimate—but instead, it felt grounding, as if his strength could anchor the storm inside me.

For a moment, I allowed my head to rest against his chest, listening to the steady thrum of his heart.

My thoughts tumbled over one another, each one laced with a pang of longing for things I couldn't quite name. Contentment? Peace? Love?

The song came to an end all too soon, and the last note hung in the air. We broke apart, stepping off the dance floor amid applause and the chatter of patrons lost in their own worlds.

“Another drink?” Nox asked, a knowing twinkle in his eye.

“Always,” I replied, trying to shake off the vulnerability that clung to me like a second skin. The truth was, in that brief moment, I had tasted something sweet and terribly dangerous: hope.

He led me back to the bar, ordering another round of drinks. Briefly, I watched him interact with the bartender, his charm effortless and disarming. It was easy to forget, in those mundane interactions, the depth of his true nature—what he was capable of.

“Be right back,” he said, slipping away toward the restroom, leaving me with the warmth of his touch still lingering on my skin. It was strange just how quickly the human heart could become entangled, as fragile as spider silk.

I leaned against the bar, cradling the fresh drink he had provided. My eyes drifted across the room, taking in the sea of faces.

The pub's warmth faded into a dull background noise as my gaze sharpened, homing in on figures that didn't quite match the humans around them. There was something about their posture, the way they held themselves apart from the pulse of life in the room. Three, maybe four Vampires were mingling among the crowd, their eyes too keen, their smiles a shade too predatory.

A flicker of excitement, a thrill I hadn't felt since my last hunt, shivered through me. It was the kind of feeling that reminded me of who I was.

And then it happened: One of them detached himself from the group, slinking toward the exit with the stealth of a shadow melting into darkness.

“Need anything else?” It was the bartender, looking at me expectantly, probably wondering why I hadn't touched the drink Nox had ordered for me. I flashed him an absent smile, murmuring something about just waiting for someone, but my focus was already slipping out the back door along with the Vampire.

Without a second glance at the place where Nox would return to find me gone, I slid off the stool and followed the trail.

The alley was dimly lit, the perfect setting for what I intended. As the Vampire paused to light a cigarette, his back to me, I seized the moment. My steps were silent, my movements precise—moves I knew all too well.

In one fluid motion, I slammed him against the brick wall, the stake in my hand pressing sharply against his chest. I shoved it in, millimeters from his heart. His cigarette dropped, the ember dying out on the wet pavement as his shocked eyes found mine.

“Do you know anything about John Velika’s death?” My voice was hard, demanding yet eerily calm.

The vampire stilled, calculating his slim chances against the weapon I wielded with such confidence. Fear mingled with the faint aroma of tobacco, creating a scent unique to these creatures when faced with the end of their immortality.

His laughter caught me off guard, a low, mocking sound that rasped against the chill of the night. “Oh, you must be his daughter...”

The vampire's eyes, a pale imitation of life, scrutinized my face as he gasped for breath, each one laced with pain from the stake I held pressed into his chest.

“Definitely his daughter,” he wheezed, the corners of his mouth lifting into a cruel smile. “Your eyes give you away. I thought you were dead.”

Anger flared within me, hot and unyielding. “What do you know? Tell me.” My words were a snarl, teeth clenched as I shoved the stake in just a fraction more, threatening to pierce his heart.

He growled, the sound animalistic and filled with spite. “Sorry, can't.” His voice was strained, defiance lacing through the agony.

I felt the pulse of my own heartbeat thundering in my ears, a reminder of the living fury that drove me. I would pry answers from him, even if I had to pull apart his undead soul, one splintered fucking fragment at a time.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” a voice drawled from the dark, as slick and cold as ice on pavement.

I snapped my head to the side, my gaze locking onto the silhouettes of three Vampires who'd emerged from the dimly lit pub. My heart skipped a beat, not from fear but rather the kind of weary irritation that came from one too many encounters with the same old enemy.

I was so tired of not getting the answers I wanted.

I hadn't even heard them approach. All my senses had been so zeroed in on the vampire pinned against the wall, on his taunts and his knowing smirk, that I'd let my guard down. Rookie mistake.

“You know,” I said, my voice steady despite the adrenaline that was now sparking through my veins, “I'm getting really tired of you guys.”

With those words hanging in the air, I shoved the stake the rest of the way through the Vampire's heart. His eyes widened, a brief flicker of surprise, and then dimmed forever.

I yanked my stake free with a wet squelch, the finality of it resonating deep within me. Yet there was no time to savor the victory or to mourn another creature's passing. I spun on the balls of my feet, slipping into a fighting stance as naturally as breathing.

“Let's dance, pretty boy,” I murmured, half to myself, half to the predators circling me. The first Vampire lunged, and I met him head-on.

My body was a blur of motion, of instinct and training as I parried and struck. The taste of victory was bitter on my tongue. The Vampire came at me, all fangs and fury, but he was nothing more than a stump I needed to step over.

I took him out with a swift, calculated move that left him crumpling to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. I spun for the next one, but I was too slow.

Without warning, the cruel grip of cold fingers curled around my ankle, yanking me back into reality with a force that sent a shockwave up my leg. The world spun, and suddenly, I was airborne, thrown like a ragdoll against the unforgiving brick wall.

My head connected with a sickening crack, stars exploding in my vision before darkness tried to claim me.

“Serina!” Nox's voice was a distant echo in the fog that filled my mind. Blood trailed down from my brow, warm and slick against my skin.

When I blinked away the blackness, I saw him. Nox moved like a storm personified as he dispatched another of my attackers without so much as a falter in his stride. He was a force not to be reckoned with.

The last Vampire, cornered and desperate, snarled at Nox.

“Nox, what the hell—” His words were cut short by the brutality of Nox's hand plunging into his chest. With a motion both elegant and horrific, he tore out the Vampire's heart, silencing him forever.

I tried to push myself upright, the alleyway spinning, and then Nox’s hands were on me. His breaths came in heavy bursts, panic lacing each inhale as he looked upon me with eyes that held nothing but concern.

“Are you okay?” His voice was rough with emotion, the tremble betraying the cool exterior he always projected.

I should've felt relief, should've leaned into his strength, but trust was a fragile thing. Instead, I found my own hand lifting the stake with a shaky resolve to press against the solid wall of his chest.

“How did he know you?” The question was but a whisper, a plea for an explanation. My heart hammered against my ribs.

“I’m not going to lie to you, Serina. If I could tell you, I would,” he said, and I dug the stake in a little, drawing blood. “Are you going to kill me?” he murmured, meeting my gaze.

Palpable energy hung between us, thick and charged.

I couldn’t trust him. He was keeping things from me, and if he was, they all were. But he had also killed them and saved me, again . Why?

The air felt heavy, as if every breath we took drew us closer, the space between us narrowing with each passing moment.

“Serina, I meant what I said that we would never hurt you,” he swore, and just from the look in his eyes I knew he was telling the truth.

But fuck, now I knew there were things they were keeping from me.

His gaze, intense and unwavering like a fire, bore into mine, creating a bridge that spoke volumes in the silence. It was a dance of desire and distrust.

Reckless… So fucking reckless .

He brought one of his hands up to cup my cheek, his gaze never leaving mine. My stake never moving from his chest.

The only space between us was the wedge of the wood.

“If this is how I go, it’s worth it,” he whispered against my lips.

I was stunned for a moment, unable to move, to think as he readied to close the space between our bodies.

Was he willing to stake himself to prove a point to me? Or try to kiss me?

Ever so softly, he moved his hand to the back of my head to place his forehead against mine, the stake already starting to dig further into the skin of his chest.

And then he eliminated the space between us. I had to drop the stake to prevent it from hurting him further, and I did. I didn’t know why I did, but I fucking did. I should kill him for keeping things from me. Kill all of them.

But if I ever wanted to find out the truth, I would need him— them alive.

Time seemed to suspend, and the world around us fading into the background. His fingers traced the curve of my jaw, sending a cascade of shivers down my spine. There was a subtle intensity building, a magnetic pull that drew us closer with each passing heartbeat.

The softness of his touch, the mingling of our breaths, the power of his gaze peering into my fucking soul as if he knew me.

He didn’t kiss me, but his body was flush against mine and his lips were only a breath away. As if he only wanted to prove his point that I wouldn’t kill him. The ruthless Serina Velika, dropping the stake, letting a Vampire near her, touch her, breathe her air.

It was a brave gamble, but he had won.

I fisted at his chest, gripping his leather jacket to push him back. I needed space. What the hell is happening to me?

“Is something wrong?” he asked, his voice breathy, his eyes closed.

I placed my feet back on solid ground and used the wall to steady myself before I spoke. “Yes,” I murmured.

“What's wrong?” he whispered.

“I-I don’t know… I don’t want whatever that was,” I stumbled through my lie. A part of me wanted everything—all of him. Hell, maybe even all of them as I thought about it.

But I couldn’t be with him. No, I couldn’t be with any of them. How could I?

Especially not now… Not now that there were things they were keeping from me.

He didn’t look even the slightest bit disappointed as he whispered, “Yet…” against the shell of my ear before he backed all the way off of me from the wall.

He turned and started walking back in the direction that we parked the car. It took me a minute to gather my bearings, letting the breeze cool my heated skin.

I’m fucked , was my last thought before I started following Nox back to the car.