The music throbbed like a racing heart inside the Crimson Club, and Kimberly moved through the crowd with firm steps. Her eyes locked onto a girl with short blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, seated in a VIP section surrounded by other vampires. Her aura was different — a mix of restrained fury and newfound freedom.
Kimberly approached calmly, grabbing a glass of wine from a passing tray to keep up her cover.
"So, you're the famous Tory..." she said softly, stopping near the table.
Tory looked up, wary.
"And you are?"
Before the conversation could go any further, a tall, broad vampire with crimson eyes and bared fangs appeared beside Tory.
"Step away. She's none of your business," he growled.
Kimberly sighed, setting down the glass.
"There's always a tough guy ready to ruin a good talk."
The vampire lunged forward, claws aimed at her chest. Kimberly spun gracefully out of reach, drawing her pistols and firing silver bullets that ricocheted off the columns and struck the attacker. The club erupted into chaos — vampires screamed, some fled, others cheered, thrilled by the violence.
Kimberly leaped onto a table, kicking it toward the enemy. He smashed it to splinters with a single punch. She then drew her short sword, engaging him in a flurry of blows — steel against claws. Sparks flashed through the room, bottles shattered, the DJ fled while the music looped endlessly, creating a surreal scene.
With a precise strike, Kimberly slashed through the vampire's shoulder and sent him crashing to the floor. Before she could finish him off, Tory seized the moment and slipped through the side doors.
"Damn it," Kimberly muttered, sprinting after her.
She chased Tory through the neon-lit streets of Argun City, vaulting over alleys, boots skidding across rain-soaked puddles. The vampire was fast, but Kimberly was relentless. Finally, she cornered her in a narrow alley covered in graffiti.
"You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into," Tory said, raising her hands, her fangs glinting.
"All I know is your mother wants you back," Kimberly replied, drawing her guns.
They clashed. Tory moved like lightning — claw strikes flashing dangerously close to Kimberly's face. The half-vampire blocked with her sword and countered with sharp, precise shots, their fight a deadly dance of sparks and light.
Tory kicked off a wall, hurling herself at Kimberly and knocking her to the ground. The hunter rolled and fired mid-air, grazing Tory's shoulder. The metallic ring of the blade echoed down the alley as every motion felt choreographed by instinct.
In the end, Kimberly turned the fight around — a swift series of strikes disarmed Tory, pinning her against the wall with the blade at her throat.
"Game over. You're coming with me," Kimberly said between heavy breaths.
Tory panted, eyes filled with rage and sorrow.
"You don't get it! I ran away because my mother treats me like a pawn. All she sees in me is a tool to keep her power in the clan. I don't want to live like that — manipulating people, ruling through fear."
Kimberly's gaze didn't waver, the blade still pressing close.
"Then what do you want?"
"I want to live for myself. To choose my own path. To make mistakes, fall, rise again — but be mine, not hers."
A heavy silence hung between them. The bounty Sophie had offered echoed in Kimberly's mind — enough money for months of safety, new weapons, resources. Yet something in Tory's eyes made her hesitate.
At last, Kimberly lowered her sword, stepping back but keeping it ready.
"You really like making things complicated, don't you?"
Tory smirked faintly, exhausted but defiant.
"Or maybe I'm just showing you that you're not as heartless as you pretend to be."
Kimberly said nothing. The dilemma was clear: turn Tory in and profit… or help her and face unpredictable consequences.
That night in Argun City, for the first time, the hunter wasn't sure which path to choose.
Kimberly didn't take Tory back to Sophie. Instead, she diverted down the outskirts of the city, stopping at an abandoned warehouse — rusty, decayed, her usual safe house for long hunts.
Inside, the air was cold and damp, the only light coming from a few candles flickering atop a makeshift table. Kimberly shoved Tory into a chair and leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"So this is your plan? Lock me in some rotten hole until you make up your mind?" Tory taunted.
"I haven't decided if I'll take you back yet," Kimberly replied curtly, though doubt flickered in her eyes.
Tory smirked, sensing the cracks in her icy exterior.
"You don't seem like someone's attack dog. If you were, you'd have handed me over already. You know why? Because deep down, you understand what it's like not to belong anywhere. I can see it in you."
Kimberly stayed silent. Then, a voice crackled through her earpiece — Roberto's.
"Kim… are you out of your mind? Turning down that kind of payout? Mandy and I thought you'd be halfway back by now!"
"I know... my bad, some things happened around here and I was just kind of thoughtful.," Kimberly said, cutting the line.
Silence fell again — heavy, uneasy. But not for long.
The doors creaked. Glass shattered. The stench of blood and leather perfume filled the air. Five vampires — the same ones from the club — stepped from the shadows, eyes burning red.
"The insolent hunter… and the runaway princess. Two prizes in one night," the leader hissed.
Kimberly already had her pistols drawn.
"I've always loved surprise parties."
They charged. The warehouse erupted in chaos as silver bullets tore through the dark, ricocheting off pillars and bursting crates. One vampire dropped from the ceiling — Kimberly slashed upward, splitting him clean in two.
Another lunged from behind — but Tory struck first, plunging her claws into his chest and throwing him aside.
"Don't think I'm doing this for you," she snarled.
"Trust is built step by step, sweetheart," Kimberly shot back, kicking another vampire into a crate and finishing him with a double shot to the head.
The battle became a brutal spectacle. Kimberly spun between enemies, shell casings clattering on the floor. Tory moved like a phantom, exploiting blind spots and tearing through opponents. Together, they fought in a rhythm that felt instinctively synchronized — improbable, yet perfect.
The last vampire, the leader, lunged with fury. Kimberly parried with her sword, nearly overpowered. Tory leapt behind him, sinking her fangs into his shoulder, while Kimberly drove her blade through his chest. His body turned to ash.
Both women stood panting, covered in dust and blood. Kimberly wiped her blade clean with a scrap of cloth, eyes locked on Tory.
"This doesn't change anything. You're still coming with me. Your mother will find you at my hideout," she said firmly.
Tory clenched her fists but didn't strike.
"Then at least… negotiate with me. Don't hand me over like some package. You know she doesn't want me back out of love — it's about control, power. If you have even a bit of humanity left, you'll understand."
Kimberly didn't answer right away. She holstered her weapons, grabbed Tory by the arm, and pulled her toward the motorcycle.
"I'll think about it," she said at last, starting the engine.
Tory sighed, resting her hands around the hunter's waist as the bike roared down the dark roads toward Salt Blake.
In the cold wind of the night, both knew — their unlikely alliance had just begun.
But what would come next, neither could predict.