Night’s Escape

AYA

Sleep eluded me. I lay there, eyes glued to the ceiling, feeling the air gradually chill. Night was creeping in.

Our time was dwindling.

Beside me, Alexander stirred, his lips brushing my forehead.

“We have to go,” he murmured.

I nodded, understanding the gravity of his words.

There was no need for further conversation. He sat up, disentangling himself from me and standing. I watched him for a moment, taking in his tousled hair, bright eyes, and long limbs.

He was a paradox of youth and wisdom, strength and vulnerability. He extended his hand to me, and I let him help me up.

Hand in hand, we descended from the mezzanine.

Anthony was stationed by the door, while Caroline was lightly snoring in a corner. Without missing a beat, Alexander started rummaging through our belongings, extracting the last of the herbs we’d gathered to conceal our scents.

Anthony rose, stretching, his gaze landing on the slumbering princess. I couldn’t help but wonder why he’d put up with her these past few days, given her knack for draining everyone around her.

Especially considering he’d known her at her worst, when she ruled the world without ever acknowledging him. Yet, his gaze held a certain warmth.

“I’ll wake her,” Alexander grumbled, heading toward his sister.

She was as delightful as ever.

Anthony positioned himself by the door’s cracks, peering out. I could hear the distant hum of humans, but no vampires yet.

“Aya and I will give you a five-minute head start. But probably no more than that. As soon as she’s safe, we’re wiping your scent off her, so you’ll be on your own. I’ll carry Caroline’s scent east,” Anthony said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Alexander nodded, his expression grim as he moved back toward me. His gaze swept over me.

“Find her after, when the fuss dies down. Take her away from them,” he instructed Anthony, his eyes still on me.

I frowned.

“I don’t need Anthony protecting me. I know Tom.”

I was certain Tom wouldn’t harm me.

“Anthony is a trained royal guard. I won’t have anyone else protecting you while I’m inside,” Alexander retorted, his eyes flashing with urgency.

“Alex,” I began, shaking my head as I stepped closer to him.

His expression softened instantly, and he pulled me into his embrace.

“Please, for me, love. I need to know you’re safe. I barely trust the man; this is already breaking me,” he pleaded, his voice low and intimate.

His hand caressed my cheek, tilting my chin up.

“Please, no matter what you hear, stay safe and stay away from here.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, spilling down my cheeks. I cursed under my breath.

But Alexander didn’t let me pull away. He wiped my tears, pressing a gentle kiss to my lips.

“Just fifty years,” I managed to say.

He nodded in agreement.

“Fifty years.”

“I’ll be waiting,” I promised, blinking back tears.

“I will wait for you.”

The look on Alexander’s face was one I’d seldom seen—pure joy intertwined with profound sorrow.

“I’ll see you again, Little Bird,” he whispered, pulling me into a passionate kiss.

He got ready swiftly. We swapped jumpers, and he stuffed the herbs into his clothes.

Before I knew it, I was heading toward the door. Alexander and Caroline would leave first, braving the last rays of the sun.

It would hurt, but they wouldn’t combust. Anthony and I would wait for the sun to set, then head east, hoping to pick up Tom’s scent along the way.

As I hesitated by the door, Alexander’s arm brushed against mine.

“It’s all right,” he reassured me.

“I’m not afraid, you know. Thank you, Aya, for everything. For pulling me out of those moments when I couldn’t see wrong from right, for your love and your forgiveness. For the endless nights we’ve shared.”

I turned toward him, burying myself in his arms.

“I love you,” he confessed.

“I love you,” I echoed, looking up into his icy gaze.

I could see the pain, the fear. His smile was sad, fractured.

I love you. The words echoed in my mind, but they didn’t seem enough to convey the depth of my feelings.

I knew he could sense it. I wasn’t hiding anything. My fear, my desperation, my hatred, my love.

I was a whirlwind of emotions. His icy gaze was the only thing keeping me grounded.

The thought of the fifty years that would separate us again was unbearable. His face was set in a grim determination that I despised.

He was resolved to endure his punishment alone, to keep me safe, to push me away. He was trying to make amends.

I could see it in his eyes. He was going back to face the music, taking his sister with him.

He was ready to accept any additional punishment the royal family chose to impose on him for his escape. And that wasn’t all.

He was prepared to face his family’s wrath for burning down their mansion, their grief over their father’s death.

They would blame him, and he was ready to shoulder it all. He was ready to bear that heavy load.

And he would do it alone, without me. It was his cross to bear, his years of mistreating others, of selfishness, of callous violence.

I could see it in his face. I knew this side of him. I loved this side of him.

His fingers traced a path down my face, slowly down my throat. I blinked back tears.

The thought of letting him go was shattering. I wanted to hold onto him and never let go.

Suddenly, Alexander’s gaze snapped to the horizon and his nostrils flared. We were out of time.

A thousand unsaid words rushed through me. Things I never said. Things I didn’t know how to say.

But our time was up. Alexander was already pulling his sister outside. The cool evening air rushed into the small cabin.

Caroline stumbled behind him, being dragged away. Alexander’s icy gaze met mine once, searing through me, promising everything and nothing, before he turned to run.

They vanished within seconds. Silence blanketed the landscape in their absence.

I didn’t realize I was shaking until Anthony took my hand. I looked up at him as he pulled me close.

“He’s the most powerful pureblood I’ve ever met. They’ll be fine.”

I couldn’t help but scoff.

“There are so many of them out there; even he can’t fight them all.”

“Trust him then,” Anthony replied.

I pursed my lips, staring at the horizon where Alexander had disappeared.

“Let’s go find Tom,” I muttered.

Anthony nodded and held my hand tightly.

“Stay close to me, Aya, and when I tell you, wipe every trace of his scent. I mean it. Carry none of him with you. They will come for you if you don’t.”

I blinked at him.

“I know.”

“I’m serious.”

“I know!” I pursed my lips. “I will.”

Anthony nodded sharply.

“Let’s go then.”

We plunged into the crisp darkness. The last rays of sunshine had just set, and the nearby town was alive with human activity. Our steps were quick; we moved fast, trying to put as much distance between us as possible, Anthony’s sword swinging from his hip as he led the way.

We avoided the coast, rushing toward the town in the opposite direction Alexander and Caroline had gone. As we ran, we stopped to rub their scent on every surface.

Soon, we slipped into the town. The heat of the day still radiated off the stone streets. Yellow lights lit up the dark streets, filled with humans still out to enjoy the warm summer weather.

Tourists lingered in the open shops, and locals hurried past us. Restaurants were filled with loud, happy voices, and shops were brightly lit, still attracting customers.

We immediately slowed our pace, dropped our gazes, hid our faces, and allowed humans to brush up against us, spreading the royal siblings’ scent even farther. Anthony even tucked small pieces of Caroline’s clothes from her suitcase into unsuspecting humans’ bags.

“This way,” he murmured, leading me through the throng of humans toward the east of the city. “I scented him near here last night.”

He took my hand, pulling me more quickly through the narrow streets.

The smells of human food, their sweat, and the salt of the ocean were overpowering, but I caught the faint scent of a turned vampire, of old iron stained with old blood.

“Anthony,” I warned, spinning around, trying to locate the source.

“Aya, run,” Anthony whispered, turning around and pushing me behind him. He hissed, baring his fangs as four dark figures pushed through the crowd behind us. They were dressed as locals, but their fine features and smooth movements gave them away far too easily.

I could tell they were old. Centuries older than me, maybe even Alexander’s age. These guys weren’t from Shahalia, and they weren’t bounty-hunting turned vampires either. They moved with a certain unity, clearly local Skotádi henchmen.

They belonged to a pureblood family about which I knew next to nothing, except that they’d been at odds with the Night family over land and titles for centuries. They were equally powerful, equally ancient, and equally brutal.

Anthony stood between them and me, but I could see their eyes darting toward me, then scanning past me. I growled at them, drawing their focus. They’d been following the scents of Alexander and Caroline, and it wouldn’t be long before they realized they’d been duped.

“Give them up and we’ll spare your life,” one of them murmured in accented English, his voice cutting through the low hum of the crowd.

“You’ll have to catch us first,” Anthony retorted, his grip on his sword tightening. I could feel my muscles bracing for a fight, and I took a deep breath, taking in their scents. They were warriors, but there were others nearby too.

We were gradually drawing more attention. The trap we’d set was about to be sprung, and much sooner than I’d anticipated.

The one who’d spoken hissed, revealing his fangs.

“Our lord knows of you,” he addressed me. “Tell us where he is.”

“I’d rather die,” I spat back.

His lips curled back in a snarl. “That can be arranged.” He nodded to his companions and hissed in fluent Greek, “They’re just a distraction. Kill them both.”

They moved with such speed that I could barely keep up.

But Anthony was somehow quicker. His sword whirled out in an arc, slicing through the nearest one’s stomach and blocking another’s attack.

The blood hadn’t even hit the cobblestones when the third one vaulted over Anthony and landed behind me. His beefy hand reached for my throat. I ducked just in time, sliding under his arm and rolling to the side. Anthony and the second henchman were a blur, their swords clashing violently.

The heavy scent of the first attacker’s blood filled my nostrils. He wasn’t dead, but he wasn’t getting up anytime soon—his guts spilling out.

I rolled out of the way of the third attacker’s sword just in time to see the leader lunging at me. My heart stuttered, but I kept my emotions in check. I couldn’t let Alexander sense my fear. He could probably still feel me, and I needed him to escape. Besides, I wasn’t scared.

The past few nights of running and fighting had taught me more than any training sessions could have. I had been helpless when the Shahalias had taken me. I refused to be that way again.

I wasn’t a seasoned warrior, and I wasn’t quick or skilled with a blade, but I knew how to play mind games, and that had been crucial lately.

I took a deep breath and leapt. I landed on the leader’s shoulder and pushed off, grabbing the side of the building and pulling myself up onto the roof. Seconds later, the third one was behind me. I dodged his jabs, his blade slicing through the air, barely grazing my skin.

He grunted in frustration as I leapt again, off the side of the building and into the alley behind. He was hot on my heels as I took off running. I could hear Anthony still battling the second attacker and the leader. He was holding them off, but I didn’t want to leave anything to chance.

I jumped up another building and spun off before the attacker could get me. He was catching on to my pattern.

The next time I tried to run up the side of a building, my attacker was quicker, leaping into the air ahead of me. But I launched off the wall sideways. I grabbed his shoulders with my hands and threw him down onto the ground with me. Before he could react, I curled over his neck, biting deep and tearing his head clean off. Bright blood splattered against the cobblestones.

I was up and running back to Anthony before his head had finished rolling.

By the time I darted back into the street, Anthony had finished off the second attacker and was engaged with the leader.

They barely registered my approach, but the rich scent of the third attacker’s blood on me caught their attention. The leader’s gaze snapped toward me as I hurled myself at him. His sword came up to block me, creating an opening for Anthony. Before he knew it, the leader’s head was rolling on the ground, and I was landing in front of his swaying body.

Anthony only grinned at me as he wiped his sword on the vampire’s shirt.

Around us, I could feel the turned vampires closing in. A flash of crimson eyes in the darkness, a flicker of movement on the nearby rooftops. We were rapidly being surrounded.

“I think we’ve got company,” I whispered, my breath hitching.

Anthony’s face was a mask of tranquility, but the flare of his nostrils gave him away.

“Guess we’d better get going, huh?”

Without another word, we took off, our feet pounding the pavement.

The soft echo of footsteps trailed behind us, a chilling reminder that we weren’t alone.