An angry blonde-haired man stood outside the club, a cigarette pressed between his fingers, smoke curling from his lips in short, bitter puffs. His jaw clenched, his eyes narrowed in frustration.
Julian didn't understand why the one girl he had wanted for years...Emily...still felt nothing for him.
He scoffed bitterly just as a young couple emerged from the back entrance of the club. Their laughter grated on his nerves. The pounding music behind him faded into dull vibrations.
Rolling his eyes, Julian flung the half-burnt cigarette to the ground and crushed it beneath his shoe.
"Hey!" he called out sharply.
The couple turned toward him, confused. Their smiles faded.
Julian approached, and as he neared, his irises shifted—glowing crimson.
"Kill her," he ordered the man coldly.
Compelled, the man turned to his unsuspecting girlfriend with a twisted, blank stare. The girl screamed and stepped back, but before she could flee, Julian darted forward, catching her in an iron grip.
"No running, sweetheart. Stay still."
His gaze locked with hers, and her body slackened, falling under his control.
With no remorse, Julian let go. Instantly, the compelled man pounced on her, hitting her violently. Julian watched with detached amusement, his eyes cold as stone.
"Jules." A voice came from behind.
He turned around, immediately recognizing her.
Sara.
She stepped forward, the same old smirk playing on her lips.
"Didn't know you were friends with Emily," he muttered sarcastically.
Sara rolled her eyes. "She's the key."
Julian froze. His usual smirk slipped for just a second.
"What?"
"The key to freeing them," she added casually, lighting a thin cigarette. The smoke clouded the air between them.
"Then why is she still alive?"
"Seems she's gotten on that devil's good side," Sara scoffed.
"Jealous much?" Julian taunted, his eyes narrowing again.
He couldn't believe it. Emily...the girl he thought he knew...was the key he'd been searching for all this time. He had spent years pretending to be human, hiding his true nature, all to find this answer.
"You won't get to her if Ethan's involved," Sara said with a knowing look.
"Then I'll just have to kill him first."
Without hesitation, Julian strode toward the human man still seated beside his battered girlfriend. In a flash, he snapped his neck.
The sound echoed like a crack of thunder.
"You're getting ahead of yourself again," Sara said with a half-laugh, watching him.
"You shouldn't be seen with me, Sara," Julian warned, his tone suddenly darker.
"Not when you're still pretending to be on Ethan's good side."
Sara tilted her head, eyes amused. "Don't forget, Jules... I took you in. You were a bleeding, wild little thing, barely sixteen and already talking about wiping out your kind."
⸻
Years Ago...
A wounded blonde boy limped through the foggy woods, blood trailing from his forehead. His clothes were torn, face pale, but his eyes still held defiance.
A carriage thundered past, narrowly missing him.
He didn't flinch.
But the carriage stopped. Slowly, it reversed.
A gloved hand slid the window open.
A beautiful woman with pale skin and violet eyes peered out, blowing smoke from a tobacco cigarette. She looked both regal and dangerous...her smile sharp, eyes calculating.
"What's a dying little beast doing walking these roads?" she asked, amused.
The boy only glared, silent.
"Hop in."
Suspicious, yet intrigued, he climbed into the carriage.
She offered him a bottle. He hesitated.
"I can't harm you," she said with an exhale of smoke.
"That's human blood. From a pretty maiden."
He stared at her, then took a deep drink, his throat parched with hunger. It was fresh, rich, intoxicating.
"What's your name, lad?"
"Julian."
She smiled. "Call me Sara."
From that day on, she nurtured him...trained him. Unlike others, Sara never judged his hatred of vampires, even though he was one. He wanted them all gone. She never tried to stop him.
⸻
Julian leaned against the doorway of the dining hall in Sara's mansion, his vampire hearing tuned into the conversation inside.
"You shouldn't tease Lord Ryder...so much," a woman laughed.
"Well, Ethan isn't exactly rushing into marriage," Ryder sighed.
"Even though Lady Sara would marry him tomorrow."
Julian's brows rose. But then—
The door swung open.
He froze. His senses had failed him. He hadn't heard the footsteps...unusual for a vampire.
A tall man with dark hair and piercing eyes stepped out.
"Your servant lacks manners, Lady Sara."
Sara glanced at Julian, who stood frozen, head bowed in shame.
"They're as mannerless as me, my lord," she said with a sly grin.
The man gave one last look at Julian, then walked off.
"Ethan!" another woman called after him, but he was already gone.
Sara's smile vanished. She turned to Julian.
"Excuse my guests," she said flatly.
The tone told Julian she was furious...she never called him by his name when she was angry.
"Take him down."
Two guards appeared behind him and grabbed his arms. Julian struggled, but they were stronger.
"Tie him."
Rope bound his hands roughly. Still, he stayed silent, gritting his teeth.
Then came the blow.
Sara took a long wooden rod and struck him across the back. Again. And again. The sound of impact and Julian's sharp groans echoed through the hall.
She didn't speak as she beat him. She didn't need to.
Julian understood.
He had failed her.