Vampires on the Hunt

ALEXANDER

As Caroline and I approach the cottage, we spot Anthony and Aya outside. They’re engrossed in a conversation about an antique sword that Anthony is examining. Aya seems genuinely interested in what he’s saying.

I try to suppress the green-eyed monster within me. Caroline insists there’s nothing going on between her and Anthony. I’m not entirely convinced, but I also don’t believe anything is happening between Anthony and Aya.

They seem to be just friends. Still, I can’t help but feel a pang of jealousy when I see her smile at him—a smile that fades the moment she catches sight of me.

Anthony sheathes the sword. “Good talk?” he inquires.

Caroline nods, casting a glance in my direction. “Probably the longest conversation we’ve had in over a hundred years,” she murmurs.

Aya’s eyes are on me. She rises, brushing her hair back, and walks toward me. As soon as she’s within reach, I pull her into my arms.

She stiffens slightly but eventually wraps her arms around my neck, burying her face in my chest. I plant a kiss on her head.

Caroline walks past us, hesitates, then turns around. “Aya,” she calls out.

I tense up, shooting her a wary look. Caroline and I have just cleared the air between us, but I’m not sure I trust her around Aya yet.

Aya, however, pulls away from me to face Caroline. I keep my arm around her waist, holding her close.

“I just wanted to say, thank you,” Caroline says softly.

Aya looks surprised and cautious. “For what?” she asks.

Caroline seems a bit embarrassed. “Well, there are probably a lot of things. You’ve put yourself in danger for me, you haven’t tried to kill me despite how I treated you in the past. But mostly, thank you for loving my brother. He really needs you. I haven’t seen him happy in a very long time. And that’s thanks to you. So thank you. For that. For loving him.”

If vampires could blush, Caroline would be beet red.

Aya is taken aback. She nods quickly, looking up at me. “He doesn’t make it easy,” she confesses. “Sometimes I just want to smack him.”

Caroline grins. “He is very smackable.”

“I think so too!” Aya agrees.

I grunt in response.

“But he is worth it,” Aya adds softly. “He’s always been worth it.”

I tighten my hold around her waist, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Caroline smiles and turns back toward the cottage, where Anthony greets her with a wide grin. “We should get going soon,” he says. “They will be on our scent.”

“Where are we going then?” Caroline asks, turning to me.

“Back to Mother and Jessica,” I reply firmly.

Caroline scowls. It’s clear she hasn’t changed her mind, but for now, she doesn’t seem willing to risk our lives for her pride.

“That works for me,” Anthony chimes in, and I’m relieved we’re on the same page.

***

We don’t have much to pack, except for Caroline. She has a whole bag with her and a change of clothes for the weather.

I keep my arms around Aya as we watch Caroline decide on a pair of shoes and style her long hair into a braid, then pile it on top of her head. Anthony idly spins his blade on the ground, seemingly accustomed to Caroline’s antics.

By the time Caroline is ready, it’s well past midnight. Anthony and I agree to head straight south, toward Marseille, though we doubt we’ll make it the whole way.

We move swiftly, leaving the dense forest behind and entering France’s more arid, dry landscapes.

***

Jessica and Mother are in Corfu, having headed in the opposite direction from Caroline and me. This means we could either travel down through Italy and cross over to Corfu, or take the longer route, cutting across northern Italy and moving south through Croatia, Albania, and Montenegro.

Italy is swarming with vampires on the hunt for us, those who’ve traveled in hopes of picking up our scent. But some powerful pureblood families control large parts of Croatia and Albania.

And then there’s the Skotádi clan, who rule Greece. Given what my family did to them three centuries ago, they’d be more than happy to see us decapitated.

My grandfather’s reign was a curse I couldn’t shake off. His thirst for power had been unquenchable ever since my great-aunt Elizabeth had relinquished the crown to him.

I racked my brain but couldn’t come up with a single positive thing he’d done during his thousand-year rule.

I stole a glance at Caroline, trailing behind us, her face set in a stubborn scowl. She craved the crown, the authority that came with it.

Would she have been a good ruler? A few weeks ago, I would have said no without hesitation. She was self-centered, power-hungry, and could be downright mean.

But now, as I watched her trying to strike up a conversation with Aya, I found my opinion wavering. She was still so young, and she’d experienced so much pain.

She’d lost her status, her friends, her home, and essentially her family. Because she was right—we hadn’t been there for her. We hadn’t been there for each other.

I had been on the brink of letting the sun burn me on that balcony, not thinking of her or anyone else. Yet, they were my family, and I had thrown myself into this reckless mission to find her.

We had lost each other. The thought of her witnessing Father’s death made me wince. I despised the fact that she had to see that, and I despised him for burdening her with it.

He had given up decades ago, let himself waste away, and forced us to watch. He probably thought it wouldn’t affect us. Like me, he probably wasn’t thinking of us either, just lost in his own suffering.

Despite his watchful gaze, Anthony seemed to be a good influence on her. I didn’t buy it when she claimed there was nothing more than a professional relationship between them.

It was clear something was happening. And he seemed adept at calling her out on her crap—much like Aya was for me. Both Caroline and I were better people when we were brought down a peg.

Anthony was a few steps behind me, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword as he scanned the area behind us. So far, we’d only heard a few vampires in the distance; none seemed to be following us yet.

But it was only a matter of time. When our eyes met, I signaled for him to move up.

He acknowledged with a quick nod and fell into step with me. Aya watched us, her eyes filled with caution.

“We won’t make it to Marseilles by this morning,” Anthony murmured. “I know a place in Aix-en-Provence.”

I nodded. “We’ll have to move unpredictably after that; hopefully, we could reach Como Lake by tomorrow.”

“Before I ran into Caroline in Florence, there were already groups heading north, searching for you. The north of Italy will be swarming with any vampire who wants a taste of fame or vengeance,” he said, raising his eyebrows at me pointedly.

“News travels fast,” I muttered.

“The same day the mansion burned down, rumors had started,” he confessed. “It was being watched.”

“How did you find Caroline in Florence?”

“I was in Pisa when I heard the rumors, and I remembered her love for fashion—that and the fact that she and Jessica had lived in Florence. I figured she might be there. I was surprised to see her, though—just out in the open.”

“She was a walking target.”

“But she didn’t know that,” he murmured. “She didn’t realize the actual impact of her little escape. Not until last night, I believe.”

I glanced back at my sister, trying to engage Aya in a conversation about curtains. Aya seemed very confused. At least Caroline was trying.

“She’s never had to face any type of consequences in her life,” I muttered.

Anthony smirked. “And you have?”

I hated how much his tone made my blood boil.

“I have.”

“You know—” He paused. “I always believed that you didn’t deserve her.”

“Trust me,” I gritted through clenched teeth. “I’m well aware I don’t deserve her.”

Anthony nodded. “The thing is, and I’ll deny this if you ever ask me, you seem to make her happier than I’ve ever seen her. She told me about your time together and free. And I honestly didn’t believe her. I couldn’t imagine you like that. I’ve been around your family a long time, and I’d never seen you act like that—until last night.”

I barely cast him a glance, my gaze trained on the dark horizon. I could barely hear the vampires trailing us; they were keeping their distance. I imagined the bloodbath from last night had served as a warning.

Hopefully, it would be enough to keep them far enough away from us to get to Corfu. I wasn’t sure if we’d be that fortunate.

I glanced back at Aya, her hair neatly pulled back into a long braid. Her delicate neck and soft cheeks were exposed. But something was noticeably absent—the familiar jingle of her earrings.

During our travels, when she wasn’t in danger of ripping off human heads, she’d always been thrilled to explore every market we came across to pick out a new pair. I realized years ago that I still found myself pausing in front of jewelry stores or stalls, contemplating which pair she’d like best.

I never actually bought any. Yet, I couldn’t break the habit.

“Alexander,” Anthony’s voice broke my train of thought. He was pointing toward the horizon.

I could sense them. A group of turned vampires was spreading out before us, aiming to block our path.

I unsheathed my sword. A wave of worry washed over Aya, but it was quickly replaced by resolve.

“They’re just turned vampires,” I reassured her in a low voice.

“I can’t detect any specific militia,” Anthony chimed in. “Just randoms.”

“We can handle that,” I said, a grin spreading across my face.

Anthony chuckled, his old sword gripped tightly in his hand.

“After you, Your Majesty,” he teased.

“Asshole,” I growled, before hurling myself at the first turned vampire foolish enough to think he could challenge me.

He was dead before he even hit the ground, and I was already sinking my fangs into the next one.