His expression barely shifts. "I haven't started anything," he says evenly. "It was your…companions… who lunged first. I only defended my people. All I want is to talk."
Talk?Talk? While my people writhe in pain?
"Everyone—stop!" I shout, voice cracking with desperation. "Stop attacking. Just… don't fight. Please."
Astrid pauses mid-swing, her chest heaving, blade trembling in her hands. Darlene grins at her, smug and bloodthirsty, but doesn't press.
The wind stills. The moon dims back to its natural glow. One by one, the vampires stop writhing. Their skin, cracked andblistered, slowly begins to heal. Donna curls in a ball, panting. Tomas drags himself upright. Asher's breathing steadies.
Kayden rises last. His hands shake. Smoke trails from his body, the scent of scorched flesh lingering in the air.
He's snarling, vibrating with rage. "You fucking bastard," he spits, "I'll skin you—"
"Kayden," I hiss. "Don't."
His eyes flash to me, filled with fury and pain, and then to Darius, hatred etched into every line of his face. But he holds.
Barely.
I square my shoulders and meet Darius's gaze head-on, no longer shaking.
"Talk," I demand. "What do you want?"
"What I've always wanted," Darius says, voice rich and low. "You."
My breath knots.
He continues, "I've been looking for you—"
"Youhuntedme," I snap, stepping back like the words might burn me less if I say them first.
"Sage made it very clear she doesn't want you," Asher interjects, his stance deceptively relaxed, but I see it in his eyes—he's already calculating angles, looking for a way to win.
But there isn't one. Not here. Not against this.
"Yeah," Kayden adds with a scoff, voice cutting. "For such an ancient guy, you're real shit at taking a hint."
Darius doesn't even blink. His gaze doesn't shift. It's on me, fixed and unwavering, like the rest of them don't exist.
"I understand why you ran," he says quietly. "I know that's what you do when things get too intense. But you have to listen to me, there's so much you don't know—"
"Because youliedto me," I throw back, fury curling up from my gut. "Don't try to twist this. I've learned a lot since."
His eyes flick to the crystal necklace at my throat for a second, before meeting mine again, calm and steady, like nothing has changed.
"I can see that," he murmurs. "But you don't need it. Not for me. You never needed protection from me, Sage. I've never forced you. Not once. There are things I didn't tell you, yes, but there were reasons."
Kayden lets out a bark of laughter. "Nice little speech. Do you believe that spiel yourself, goat-boy?"
"Shut up, vampire," Darlene snaps, stepping forward, her twin blades now sheathed but itching for release.
Kayden glares. "Oh, I remember you. You're high on my list of people to killslowly."
"Try it," she purrs.
"Not now, Darlene," Darius says sharply. His voice softens again as he turns back to me. "Sage. My fierce, brilliant nymph. I'll make everything right between us, I swear it. Next week, we'll be in a resort in Bali or a secluded cabin in Switzerland, drinking hot chocolate, watching the spring rains roll in. You'll forget this little rebellion and this… small town barmaid fantasy. This isn't you. It's not who you're meant to be."
I stare at him, disbelief thick in my throat. "I don't want your luxury prisons, Darius. I want my own choices."
