Nyx
"They found us."
The moment he said those words, the entire atmosphere changed. The room suddenly felt smaller. Darker. Dangerous.
Another scream echoed through the building.
Closer this time. Followed by footsteps.
Fast. Too fast to be human. My stomach twisted. "What's happening?" I whispered.
He didn't answer immediately. His eyes were fixed on the door, sharp and alert like he was listening to something I couldn't hear yet.
Then…
A loud crash shook the hallway outside.
My heart nearly stopped.
"Stay behind me," he ordered.
Before I could respond, the lights above us flickered violently. Once. Twice.
Then the entire room went dark.
For one terrifying second…
Silence.
And then…
A growl. Low. Inhuman.
Right outside the door. Cold fear crawled down my spine. "What the hell was that?" I breathed. Adrian stepped slightly in front of me. "Trouble." Not helpful. At all.
The metal door suddenly slammed inward with a deafening bang. I flinched back instantly. A man stepped inside slowly.
No….
Not a man..Something else. His eyes glowed faintly red in the darkness, and blood stained the sleeve of his black shirt. A vampire. My entire body tensed instinctively. The stranger's gaze landed on me immediately. And he smiled. That smile made my skin crawl.
"Well," he said softly, "there she is." Every instinct inside me screamed danger. I stepped backward without thinking. The vampire noticed. "Aw," he mocked lightly. "She's scared." His voice turned ice cold. "You shouldn't be here." The stranger looked amused. "And yet I am." The tension between them felt suffocating. Like one wrong move would destroy the entire room. My heartbeat pounded painfully in my ears. I didn't understand what was happening…
But I understood one thing clearly. These people weren't friends. The stranger looked back at me again. His expression shifted slightly. Curiosity. Interest. "Hm," he murmured. "She really is alive." He moved instantly, blocking his view of me. That tiny movement told me everything. He was protecting me. "She goes with me," the stranger said calmly. His eyes darkened. "No." The single word sounded more dangerous than shouting. The vampire laughed softly. "You're seriously willing to start a war over her?"
War?
My breath caught.
What am I…?
"She doesn't belong to your side," Adrian said coldly. The stranger tilted his head slightly.
"That's not your decision to make." The air in the room suddenly became unbearably heavy.
Even I could feel it. Power. Real power.
And it terrified me.. Before I could process anything else.. The stranger's eyes flickered toward me again.
And suddenly…
He moved. Fast. Too fast. One second he was across the room.
The next…
He was right in front of me. I gasped, stumbling backward. But before he could touch me…
He grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the wall hard enough to crack it.
The entire room shook. My eyes widened in shock.
What the hell…
"Touch her again," Adrian said quietly, deadly calm, "and I'll rip your head off."
Silence. Even the other vampire stopped smiling.
For the first time…
I realized something terrifying. Adrian wasn't just dangerous. He was far more powerful than everyone else in this room.
The stranger slowly raised his hands in surrender, though amusement still lingered in his eyes. "You've changed, Adrian."
Adrian shoved him away violently.
"Leave." The vampire straightened his shirt calmly. Then his gaze found me one last time.
And the look in his eyes sent chills through my body. "See you soon, Nyx."
And then…
He disappeared. Gone.
Like he was never there. Silence filled the room again. Heavy. Tense. My breathing was uneven as I stared at the empty doorway. "What…" my voice shook slightly, "…was that?" Adrian didn't answer immediately. His jaw was tight. Expression unreadable. Almost angry.
Then finally…
"The beginning of your real problems."