Stepping into my apartment, I was met with silence, and for once, I relished it. No counsel orders, no battles, no endless demands.
Just a moment to breathe.
I had enough time to shower and have a quick bite before I had to head to the whispering woods with the other two.
The woods stretched for miles, dense and foreboding, the name well earned. The trees whispered with voices that weren’t the wind, shadows moved where no light touched, and the creatures that lurked within weren’t familiars—they were wild, untamed, and most weren’t fond of intruders.
Most people knew better than to set a single foot inside.
For weeks now, something had been pulling me toward the woods. An invisible thread, constant and unrelenting. I’d found myself at the edge more times than I cared to admit, staring into the endless darkness.
Shaking off the thought, I stripped in the bathroom and stepped under the scalding shower, pulling out my hair tie. Heat seeped into my sore muscles, forcing the tension from my shoulders, but it wasn’t enough to wash everything away.
Layers of dirt and dried blood swirled down the drain—leftovers from a long night of hunting down the vampires lurking where they shouldn’t be.
I reached for my bodywash, only to stop dead in my tracks. The familiar sandalwood scent was gone, replaced by something… sickeningly sweet.
Cherry and vanilla.
Fucking Ronan.
“That asshole,” I grumbled, glaring at the damn bottle like it personally wronged me.
I dropped a dollop of the sickly sweet bodywash into my palm and scrubbed it over my skin, forcing myself to breathe in thescent. Despite how much I hated it, the damn thing didn’t smell that bad. But it didn’t matter—this was about principle.
A loud bang on the bathroom door pulled me out of my thoughts.
“Hey, Dar, I’m heading out for a bit. Daleyza is in her room,” Drew called.
Not on my watch.
I shut the water, snatched a towel, and wrapped it around my hips before pulling the door open—hard enough to rattle the frame. Before he could take another step toward the front door, my hand shot out, gripping him like iron, my fingers digging in with a bruising pressure he wouldn’t forget.
Damn, I can’t control my strength.
My brother and sister might be twins, but Drew looked more like me than Daleyza. Same ash-blonde hair, though his was cropped shorter, and same hazel-green eyes. He was shorter than my six-foot-two frame, leaner, with less muscle—because unlike me, he never trained. He didn’t want to become a hunter.
He didn’t want this life, and I don’t blame him. It can be lonely, as Hunters, when we train, we are away from our family for a long time, and the choice to have children is taken away from us.
We are basically soldiers, dedicated to protecting the realm, especially those of us higher up the chain, carrying the weight no one else can. I signed up because I hated the bastards who tore my parents from me. Because if I couldn’t save them, then I sure as hell was going to protect the family I had left.
Relationships aren’t allowed either; we must stay loyal and focused, being a Veilguard.
“You’re not going anywhere,” I said. “You’re staying here. With her.”
Drew jerked his arm from my grip, scoffing. “I love her, but I have a life, Darian.”
He turned for the door. I moved faster.
The door slammed shut with a crack that echoed through the hallway. The frame trembled.
I stepped in close, lowering my voice. “You won’t have a life if something happens to her.”
His eyes widened, but I didn’t stop.
“None of us is here tonight. We have to stay in the Whispering Woods till we have searched the whole place. That means you’re it. I don’t care what plans you had. You’re staying. End of discussion.”
Drew's jaw clenched, but I saw the flicker of hesitation in his eyes. He knew better than to push me.
