^
"Riley," Emily called softly, her voice shaking.
Across the ballroom, Riley turned from her mysterious dance partner. She was smiling, breathless, clearly enjoying the moment until she saw Emily's face.
Something was wrong.
"We need to leave," Emily spoke.
Riley didn't question it. She nodded once.
"I'll find Gemma."
Emily waited quietly, the chaos of the night humming around her like distant thunder. The man Riley had been dancing with stepped closer, his sharp eyes locked on Emily.
"Are you alright?" he asked, voice smooth but watchful.
"Who are you?" Emily whispered, her gaze narrowing.
The man smirked. "Such a waste..." he murmured under his breath, as if amused. "Someone compelled you. I just wonder which vampire had the nerve to compel a human."
Emily blinked. "What did you say?"
He smiled again. "Your friend is here."
Riley returned with Gemma, who looked disappointed. "Seriously? Now? I was having fun."
"Gemma, let's go," Emily said firmly.
"Fine," she huffed.
Riley turned back to the masked stranger. "Guess I'm off then."
He stepped closer. "Don't forget me, love."
Then, with a sudden, innocent kiss to her lips,too brief to be real, too strange to be forgotten,he vanished into the crowd.
Riley touched her lips in shock.
⸻
Back in Emily's room, the air felt heavy.
Emily sat on her bed, her thoughts clouded. Riley sat beside her, watching her closely.
"What happened?" she asked gently.
Emily shook her head. "I don't know... It feels like something's missing. Like I forgot something."
Riley frowned, her eyes dropping to Emily's leg.
"You're bleeding," she said, alarmed.
Emily looked down. A fresh wound was on her calf, angry and red. She winced as she touched it.
"How...?" She didn't even remember falling.
"You must've gotten hurt outside. The garden was dark. Could've hit something without realizing," Riley said, already moving to grab the first aid kit. "Don't worry, it's small. Just needs cleaning."
As Riley gently dabbed the wound, Emily's thoughts were far away. The garden. The masked man. The red eyes. The... flower that withered at her touch.
None of it made sense.
"So," Emily smirked, "about that mysterious man of yours?"
Riley kept her eyes on the wound. "I don't know who he was. I don't care."
Emily raised a brow. "You sure?"
"I'm serious. He wouldn't even tell me his name."
Emily chuckled. "Maybe you'll see him again."
Riley rolled her eyes. "And maybe you'll run into your sexy stranger again. You still owe him a fixed car, remember?"
"Right," Emily sighed, staring at the ceiling. "What a night."
"At least Gemma behaved," Riley muttered.
Emily laughed. "A miracle."
⸻
Far from the soft safety of Emily's room, a car moved along a lonely highway. The night was dark, the trees unmoving, the world eerily silent.
Inside the vehicle, a man hummed to the radio. But as he turned a corner, his headlights flashed across a figure lying in the middle of the road.
"Whoa—" He slammed on the brakes and jumped out.
"Hey! Are you okay, sir?"
The man on the road lay still.
Cautiously, the driver stepped closer. Then—
Red eyes snapped open.
Before he could scream, the figure moved at inhuman speed, grabbing his neck with iron strength.
"It's going to hurt," the creature whispered.
Fangs emerged.
The scream was brief. The feeding was not.
Moments later, the man lay dead on the pavement, his face frozen in horror. The vampire wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and smiled coldly.
"Fun night," he muttered.
Then—
"I see you're enjoying yourself."
The vampire stiffened. He turned.
A tall figure stood at the edge of the woods, wearing a black mask. His presence made the air colder.
"Ryder," the vampire growled, clearly irritated.
Ryder removed his mask slowly, revealing sharp features and dead-brown eyes cold as stone.
His voice was low and commanding.
"Find Elijah and Delilah."
The vampire, Nate, flinched. "What do you want with those damn witches now?"
Ryder's eyes narrowed. In a blink, he was inches from Nate's face.
"You don't get to question me."
Nate stiffened. He wasn't stupid. Ryder wasn't just any vampire,he was an Original, one of the first. Ancient, deadly, and nearly indestructible.
"Fine," Nate spat. "Does Ethan know?"
Ryder looked toward the trees, as if bored.
"You're not worthy of asking me that," he said coolly. "Find them. Or you'll end up like this amateur."
He gestured to the corpse.
Nate swallowed hard. He knew what Ryder was capable of. Originals didn't need reasons to kill.
He watched Ryder walk away, hatred simmering in his heart.
But he wouldn't speak it aloud.
⸻
In a hidden bar beneath the city, where only vampires gathered, the atmosphere was loud and violent. Compelled humans stumbled around, laughing, bleeding, unaware of the danger around them.
At the far end of the room, a man sat alone, stirring thick red liquid in a crystal glass.
"Ethan," a voice called.
Ethan looked up, frowning.
"Santiago," he muttered, recognizing the man as he slid into the booth beside him.
Santiago waved to the bartender, flashing his fangs. "A glass, please."
"What happened?" he asked quietly.
Ethan didn't look up.
"I think I found her," he whispered.
"The lifespan?" Santiago asked.
Ethan nodded once. His eyes darkened.
All around them, the bar buzzed with noise. But no one heard those words.
Because when an Original didn't want to be overheard,no one could hear him.
Not even other vampires.