The Chase for Her

ALEXANDER

I was hot on the trail of my sister, her scent leading me from the mountain and into the heart of the city. Mom had been hesitant about me going, but we were out of options. The Mcnoxnoctis men were closing in on our smoldering home, and we had mere moments to decide our next move.

“I’m leaving now,” I announced, smearing ash on my skin to mask my scent.

Jessica vehemently shook her head.

We all jumped at the sudden noise of a metal door swinging open. It was the entrance to one of the underground bunkers where the Mcnoxnoctis men slept, and the sound of them emerging reached our ears.

“Alex, you can’t,” Mom pleaded, her cheeks streaked with red tears.

The guards’ murmurs were audible; their shock at finding the manor reduced to ashes was clear.

“Tell them Caroline and I died in the fire with Dad,” I instructed in a hushed tone. Our pureblood hearing was superior to theirs, but I didn’t want to take any chances.

I straightened up, my gaze drifting down the hill.

“If they catch you, they’ll kill you!” Mom warned, her grip on my arm tightening.

I nodded, meeting her gaze. “Exactly. I can’t let that happen to Caroline. I’m going after her. You and Jessica should head to our house in Corfu. It’s the closest one. I’m sure the Mcnoxnoctis guards will escort you.”

The men were drawing nearer. I looked at Jessica and Mom—both smeared with ash, their clothes torn and dirty. Jessica was shaking.

I knelt down and held her shoulders. “I’ll come back for you, Jess. I promise.”

“Please don’t leave us,” she cried, her eyes brimming with red tears.

I quickly wiped them away, my ears tuned to the sound of the men ascending the mountain.

“I have to, Jess. I need to find Caroline and ensure her safety,” I glanced at Mom. “She’s never been alone in the world. She’s only ever known the manor, surrounded by family. She was too young before. She needs me.”

Mom nodded, her lips pursed. “Bring her back to us, Alex,” she whispered. “I can’t lose anything else.”

“I promise,” I hugged Jessica, squeezed Mom’s hand, and then slipped back into the tunnel just as the Mcnoxnoctis men came into view.

I moved swiftly and silently, listening to Mom’s voice narrating our deaths—mine, Dad’s, Caroline’s. I broke away from them and stealthily descended the other side of the mountain.

Caroline’s scent was easy to follow. She hadn’t done a good job of masking it.

~Stubborn, foolish girl.~

I had a hunch about where she was headed, given her last outburst. She’d likely start at the castle in France, the last place she saw the Mcnoxnoctis family.

But they could be anywhere.

Muttering a curse, I followed her scent into the bustling city, through labyrinthine streets, and into a train station. I nearly let out a scream of frustration. Boarding a train was akin to signing a death warrant. The Mcnoxnoctis family had men stationed all over the country, ready to catch any of us attempting to flee, and half the turned vampire population was baying for our blood.

I traced her path through the station and breathed a sigh of relief when I realized she had exited the building on foot. Not so foolish, then. She must have realized what I knew from the moment I decided to follow her—this journey had to be undertaken alone and on foot.

I found myself hoping that the Mcnoxnoctis family was still in France. Because if they weren’t, the next stop would be Alaska—and that was going to be a tough journey.

Sticking to the shadowy streets, I moved quickly and quietly, zeroing in on my sister’s scent, always alert for any vampires in the vicinity.

As a pureblood, I knew I could handle a few turned vampires, but I didn’t want word of my escape to spread. They wouldn’t find our bodies, so Mom’s lies wouldn’t hold up for long. Vampires were predictable—when they had a common enemy, they united effortlessly. I was fair game, and that was a precarious position to be in.

I followed her scent north, along the coast, pausing now and then to feed. She had done the same—likely growing stronger and faster with each meal.

As the sun began to peek over the horizon, I found myself seeking refuge in an old ruin. I dug a small hole in the ground and covered it with rocks and branches. It wasn’t going to be a comfortable sleep, but it was my only choice.

Tomorrow night, I’d have to find clean clothes and a place to shower. Caroline was moving fast, and she had a half-night’s head start on me.

By the time the next evening rolled around, I was seething.

I crawled out of my makeshift shelter, shaking off dirt and leaves from my already tattered clothes. My eyes glowed a fiery crimson as I scanned the horizon.

I was going to kill Caroline when I caught up with her.

Fueled by anger, I followed her scent, which had almost completely faded over the day. I ran north through Rome and found the basement where she had spent the day. The place was saturated with her scent, but outside, I couldn’t pick it up again. She’d masked it. Part of me was impressed. The other part was livid.

I grabbed the first human I saw, pinned her against the wall, tilted her head back, and drank deeply. When she was drained, I dropped her into the basement.

After wiping the blood from my mouth with the back of my hand, I launched myself into the night.

I couldn’t afford to waste time. With every passing moment, Caroline was getting farther away. Soon, I’d have to resort to tracking her the old-fashioned way—by talking to people who might have seen her.

I wanted to avoid that as long as I could.

I ran deep into the Tuscan countryside. The moonlight was bright, illuminating the rolling hills that stretched into the distance. I could hear the night animals, the insects at my feet, and the distant sounds of humans in their homes.

If her recent behavior was any indication, Caroline was after the new queen, Eleanor Ravn. But she also had a soft spot for big cities and fashion.

So, when I caught a hint of her scent near Florence, I wasn’t surprised.

I plunged into the city as the sun began to set, walking down the cobblestone streets, trying to pick up her trail again. It grew stronger near an old church.

I rounded the corner, ready to confront my sister.

Instead, I found a young woman—clearly drunk—passed out on the pavement. She was wearing one of Caroline’s jackets. I clenched my jaw in frustration.

The scent of her blood was overpowering. I realized it was because she’d cut her lip on the hard concrete.

Without a second thought, I attacked.

She was still unconscious when I lifted her head and sank my fangs into her soft skin. I drank slowly, deeply, savoring the warmth of her blood and the strength it gave me.

I could only imagine Caroline was doing the same.

Part of me wished I’d never find her—to let her live her life. But the other part knew she wouldn’t have much time left.

I pulled away from the girl. Her heartbeat was barely audible. It would stop soon.

She still hadn’t woken up. The sun was almost up, and the air was getting hot. I needed to find shelter quickly.

I licked my lips and started to stand—then I felt movement behind me.

I spun around and found myself face to face with a turned vampire as he dropped down from the rooftops above.

He looked at me, his bright red eyes gleaming, his lips pulled back in a wide grin, revealing his fangs. He was a bit shorter than me, and I could tell he wasn’t that old—maybe less than three hundred.

His modern clothes smelled strongly of wine.

“Care to share?” he asked in thickly accented Italian.

I bristled.

No turned vampire had ever dared to ask me to share a meal before.

I hissed, stepping into the moonlight, locking eyes with him. I could feel his resolve falter as he took a step back, his brow furrowing.

“Are you a pureblood?” he asked, his eyes widening.

“Fuck off,” I growled, lifting the human.

“You are a pureblood,” the turned vampire mumbled to himself. Then he frowned. “You look a little off, dude. Do you need a place to stay for the day?”

“I told you to ~fuck off~,” I hissed, lifting my chin, my eyes glowing bright crimson, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. My family may not have been royalty, but as a pureblood, I had power over the turned vampire in front of me.

I could feel it. He was backing away slowly.

Then he hesitated, nervously running his fingers through his hair. “I gotta ask…” He hesitated. “You’re not Alexander, are you? We heard the prince had escaped.” His eyes narrowed at me, a sudden unease creeping into his expression.

Damn it.

The Mcnoxnoctis guys must have doubted Mother and Jessica’s story. Which meant they were about to start a manhunt—for both Caroline and me.

“No, that’s not Alexander,” a gentle voice echoed from the shadows.

The smell of blood and the turned vampire had concealed her arrival. I barely noticed her until she stepped into the moonlight.

And then, for a fleeting moment—everything inside me froze.

I gasped for breath. My body stiffened. My mind went blank.

Aya.

It felt like the earth had shifted, like I’d been hit by something far more potent than a punch. My vision narrowed, focusing solely on her—her long, dark hair flowing over bare shoulders, her golden skin glowing in the silver light.

The soft fabric of her dress moved with her body, hugging curves I had once explored with my hands, with my lips. She moved as if she had all the time in the world, slow and purposeful, the sway of her hips utterly heart-wrenching.

My mouth turned dry.

Eyes that had once gazed at me with affection. Eyes that now held something much colder.

A shiver ran through me, something deep and instinctual. My body still ~remembered~ her. It recalled every secret moment, every whispered word, every time she had unraveled beneath me.

And despite everything, despite the years, despite the anger I could feel emanating from her—some twisted part of me still desired her.

A wave of guilt washed over me.

Because she ~despised~ me.

I could feel it like a tangible entity between us—a simmering, unspoken rage.

She was the same. And yet, she wasn’t.

The gentleness I remembered was gone. In its place was something hardened, unyielding. The air around her hummed with restrained power, the kind that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

I had spent years convincing myself I didn’t care, that the past was behind me—that I could forget her.

But in this moment, every suppressed emotion surged to the surface.

Shock. Yearning. A pull so intense I wanted to reach for her, even knowing she might snap my hand off.

And pain. A deep, unhealed wound that throbbed as if it had been ripped open anew.

Her scent hit me next, and for a moment, I thought I might lose my balance. It was the same intoxicating blend of dark spices and something rich, something dangerous, something unmistakably ~hers~.

It sent memories flooding back—whispers in the dark, fingers tracing patterns over skin, a voice that had once said my name like it meant something.

My hands clenched into fists at my sides, trying to ground myself.

Now, she was a stranger.

Or worse—she was my adversary.

I barely noticed the turned vampire anymore. My world had narrowed to just her. The way the soft fabric of her dress hugged her curves, the way the moonlight highlighted her fangs, the way she was looking at me now.

Like I was insignificant.

Like I was beneath her.

She took a measured step forward. My body reacted before my mind did, tensing, waiting—unsure if I was supposed to flee or surrender.

Her voice, when she finally spoke again, was barely audible. “I should have done this years ago.”

I didn’t even have time to react before her fist collided with my face.

Pain radiated through my skull, and before I could brace myself, I was airborne—crashing into the wall behind me. The stone splintered under the impact.

And then she was on me.

Her fangs exposed. Her hands clutching my collar.

I could still feel the phantom touch of her lips on my skin, but now, they aimed for my throat—for a far more lethal reason.

My chest heaved. My vision blurred.

I had no idea if I wanted to fight her or pull her into me and destroy us both all over again.