95

95

Sophia’s POV

There was silent footsteps.

I turned around on my bed, and it stopped for a moment, and then continued.

I woke up with a jolt, my senses screaming before my brain even had a chance to catch up. The room was dark and silent as I expected, but I knew I wasn’t alone. I could feel it—like a prickling on my skin, that made the hair on my back stand up. I had never whoever it was. And now that I was sitting up, the person had stopped moving.

Instinctively, my hand reached out for Ian, but the bed beside me was empty. He’s in his room, I remembered, a sudden rush of unease washing over me. He had left earlier, and promised to return to my room by morning.

The silence stretched out, thickening the darkness around me, and for a moment, I thought maybe I was just being paranoid. But then, there it was again. That feeling. Someone—or something—was here.

I held my breath, listening, straining my enhanced senses, but the room was eerily quiet. Too quiet.

And then I caught it—the softest of sounds. A shuffle. The tiniest shift in the air behind me.

I spun around, my body moving on instinct, and that’s when I saw him.

A vampire. He stood at the foot of my bed, his silhouette barely visible in the darkness, but his eyes—they glowed, a dull red that sliced through the shadows. Hungry. Predatory.

Fear gripped me instantly, but I pushed it down. There was no room for fear anymore. Not now. Not since I had become one of them.

“What do you want?” I asked, my voice low but steady. My heart hammered in my chest, but I kept my breathing even. The vampire didn’t answer, didn’t move. He was gauging me, trying to figure out if I was a threat.

A sharp, metallic scent filled the air, and I realized he had already fed tonight. I could smell the blood on him, fresh and overwhelming. He wasn’t here for food. He was here for something else—me.

Freya is dead, I reminded myself. Ian killed her. No one else should want to come after me.

But here he was. And by the look in his eyes, I knew he wasn’t here to chat.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” I warned, even as I slipped out of bed, my feet hitting the cold floor without a sound. My body was tense, every muscle coiled tight, ready to spring. I could feel the vampire’s gaze on me, watching my every move, but I didn’t back down. I couldn’t.

He tilted his head slightly, a slow, mocking smile spreading across his face. “You’re Ian’s little pet,” he said, his voice a low hiss that made my skin crawl. “I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.”

I felt a flicker of anger rise up in me, hot and sharp. Pet. That’s all they saw me as—an inconvenience, something that didn’t belong in their world. Just a human girl marked by the king. Except now I wasn’t human anymore, was I?

“I’m not his pet,” I spat back, my eyes narrowing. I could feel my fangs pushing against my gums, aching to break through, but I held them back. Not yet.

The vampire laughed softly, the sound cruel and full of disdain. “You’ll be dead by dawn,” he said, taking a step closer. “You should have stayed in your little human life, girl. Now, you’re nothing more than a mistake that needs to be fixed.”

The anger surged through me again, hotter this time, but beneath it, a cold dread seeped in. He’s stronger than me. I could feel it in the way he moved, the confidence in his posture. He wasn’t worried about me. He thought this was going to be easy.

But he didn’t know me. Not really.

“Who sent you?” I asked, stalling for time. My mind was racing, calculating, searching for any advantage I could use. But the vampire just smiled wider, his fangs glinting in the dim light.

“I don’t answer to you,” he said, taking another step toward me. “You’re nothing.”

In a flash, he lunged.

I reacted without thinking, my body moving on pure instinct. I dove to the side, just barely dodging his attack as he crashed into the spot where I had stood only seconds before. My heart pounded in my chest, adrenaline surging through my veins. He was fast—faster than I expected.

But so was I.

I was up on my feet before he could come at me again, my senses sharper now, more focused. I could feel the power moving through my body, the vampire strength that was still so new to me but already so familiar. I wasn’t the same weak girl I had been before. I wasn’t a victim anymore.

He came at me again, and this time, I was ready. I dodged his blow, spinning out of his reach and delivering a hard kick to his side. He grunted, staggering back, but recovered quickly. Too quickly.

“You’re going to regret that,” he snarled, his eyes glowing brighter, more dangerous now. His fangs were fully bared, his face twisted with rage.

“I already regret a lot of things,” I said, my voice cold. “But you won’t be one of them.”

He rushed at me again, and I met him head-on this time. Our bodies collided with a sickening thud, and for a moment, we struggled with each other, his strength against mine. He was older, more experienced, but I was fueled by something else—something raw and desperate.

I was fighting for my life. I wouldn’t let him kill me when I’ve barely e had enough time with Ian. With Jenny. With my family.

He tried to pin me down, his hands clawing at my throat, but I twisted out of his grip, slamming my elbow into his face. He snarled in pain, blood spraying from his nose as he stumbled back. I didn’t give him a chance to recover this time. I lunged forward, my hands grabbing at his neck, my fangs sinking deep into his throat before he could stop me.

The taste of his blood hit me like a wave, powerful and overwhelming. It was darker than human blood, richer, more potent. It flooded my senses, filling me with a rush of energy that made my head spin. I drank deeply, my body trembling with the intensity of it, the hunger that had been rumbling in my stomach, finally sated.

But then I stopped, pulling back just before I took too much. I wasn’t like him. I wouldn’t be like him. I’ve watched films where the vampires fed on their fellow vampires and it never ended well. I wasn’t going to be like that.

He choked, gasping for breath as blood poured from his wound, but I didn’t let go. My hands tightened around his throat, my eyes locked on his as I stared him down.

“I don’t know who sent you,” I said, my voice low and dangerous. It scared even me. “But you’re going to deliver them a message for me.”

He glared at me, his eyes filled with hatred, but he was too weak to fight back now. I could see the fear creeping into his eyes, the realization that he had underestimated me. He thought I was weak, but I wasn’t weak anymore.

“Tell them,” I continued, my grip tightening even more, “that if they come for me again, I won’t just kill them. I’ll make sure they never get the chance to rise again.”

And with one swift motion, I snapped his neck.

His body went limp in my hands, and I let him fall to the floor, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps. The room was silent again, the threat gone, but the adrenaline still pulsed through me, making my hands shake.

I stared down at the body, my mind racing. Who sent him? Why now?

My heart was still pounding in my chest, but something else settled in my stomach—a cold, creeping certainty that scared me so much.

This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

I guess this was what Ian was trying to tell me when he insisted that I shouldn’t come here and that he didn’t trust his people. Will this place ever even be safe for me?

I rose to my feet, kicking his limp body slightly before walking into the bathroom and standing in front of the mirror. My hair was rough and very tangled. There was a scowl on my face and my lips…my lips was still smeared with his blood.

I took off my night cloth instantly, standing under the shower and washing off all the sweat and filth. The adrenaline was finally wearing off and now my body was starting to ache slightly, and I was very tired. And shocked too.

I couldn’t believe I had taken on that man all on my own with barely any fear. But I guess Ian and Jacob’s fighting lessons were finally paying off.