CHAPTER 6

SELENE

I edged around the corner, my back pressing against the cold brick wall as I inched closer to the dead end, every instinct screaming that this was it. Nowhere left to run.

My eyes darted across the filthy ground until they landed on a jagged piece of wood—maybe a broken doorframe, maybe just splintered debris. I didn’t care. I snatched it up, my grip tightening around the rough edges just as the four vampires rounded the corner.

One of them let out a low whistle.

"Well, well. Look at that. She’s found herself a little toothpick."

The others chuckled, their sharp grins splitting too wide, too inhuman.

"What’s the plan, sweetheart?" another mocked, his glowing eyes gleaming with amusement.

"You really think you’re gonna take us all down with that little twig?" one of them mocked, a slow, cruel grin stretching across his face.

"Go on then, slayer. Let’s see you try."

"I’m warning you," I said, forcing steel into my voice even as my pulse pounded in my ears. "I’ve already hurt—maybe even killed—one of your monster friends back in that hellhole. He probably didn’t think I had it in me either."

I tightened my grip, refusing to let them see my fear.

"Yeah?" another sneered, tilting his head like a predator toying with its prey. "And look where that got you. Hope you saved a little fight, sweetheart—’cause you’re gonna need it."

"Stay back."

"Cute," one of them snarled, his fangs bared in a hungry grin.

"There are four of us, little human," another taunted, taking a slow step closer. "And one of you."

"You might get lucky, might even scratch one of us with that little twig before we rip it out of your trembling hands." His smile widened, fangs glinting.

"But then what?"

I swallowed hard.

Fuck. He’s right.

"Then the rest of us will have our fun," another purred, running his tongue over a sharp fang.

"And trust me, darling, you won’t like the way we play."

Think, Selene. Think. Do something. Do something!

Before my mind could come up with a plan, one of them lunged.

Instinct took over. I swung the jagged piece of wood as hard as I could, and the splintered end connected with his temple in a sickening crunch. A rusted nail, half-buried in the wood, punched straight through his skull. His red eyes widened in shock—just for a second—before his body went rigid.

Then he started to decay.

His skin grayed, cracking like burnt paper, his veins blackening beneath the surface. His mouth opened, a choked sound escaping him, but before he could do more than stagger back, his body crumbled. Bones, flesh, everything—collapsing into ash right before my eyes.

I gasped, stumbling back.

Holy shit. I just—I just—

The other three vampires froze, their amusement evaporating in an instant. Their glowing eyes widened, their bodies going rigid as something primal slithered beneath their shock—something dangerously close to fear.

"The fuck—" one of them hissed, his gaze darting between me and the pile of dust at my feet as if his mind refused to process what had just happened.

"She killed him!" another snarled, his fangs bared, but the usual arrogance in his voice had fractured, replaced with disbelief. "A human—a fucking human—took down one of us?"

"This is a joke, right?" the third muttered, his voice laced with unease.

"There’s no way—"

I tightened my grip on the wood, my breath coming fast and shallow.

"Stay back, you fuckers," I warned, lifting the weapon between us.

"I swear, I’ll do it again."

The leader, or at least the one who seemed to be in charge, stepped forward with a lazy, self-assured smirk. Slowly, he pulled back his coat, revealing a long, gleaming sword strapped to his side.

"You’re not the only one with a weapon, darling," he drawled, unsheathing the blade in one smooth motion. The metal caught the dim alley light, its edge wickedly sharp.

I glanced down at the broken piece of wood in my hand, then back at his sword. My lips curled in annoyance.

"Show-off," I muttered under my breath.

He chuckled, twirling the weapon with practiced ease.

"Oh, this?" He tilted his head mockingly. "This is just for fun. We don’t need blades to tear you apart."

The other two vampires chuckled darkly, their glowing eyes hungrily tracing my form.

"But first," the leader continued, his voice dipping into something even more insidious, "we have a little unfinished business." His gaze turned predatory, raking over me in a way that made my stomach turn.

"We can fuck you dead or alive, sweetheart. Your choice."

"Fuck you," I spat, gripping my makeshift stake tighter.

Laughter erupted around me, echoing off the alley walls like the sound of rusted chains clattering together.

The leader sighed, popping his tongue.

"Defiant to the end. I love that." His lips curled, but there was a flicker of something else in his eyes—something wary.

Then his expression turned impatient, his gaze darting toward the mouth of the alley as if expecting a shadow to materialize.

"Enough wasting time. We need to move now before Prince Darius realizes his little pet is missing. If he finds out—" He cut himself off, jaw tightening.

"No. We end this before he ends us."

"Yeah," one of the others muttered, though his gaze flickered nervously around the alley, as if expecting a shadow to lunge from the darkness. "Once we’ve had our fun and drained you dry, we’ll toss what’s left in the gutter. Or better yet—burn you to ash. No body, no evidence... nothing for him to find."

His voice was laced with cruel amusement, but there was an unmistakable edge of fear beneath it—

"Let’s get this over with," the leader muttered. "We’ve already wasted enough time on this one."

And then they moved.

Like snakes uncoiling, they lunged as one.

I swung my wood out in desperation, managing to slam it into one of their ribs with a satisfying crunch. But it wasn’t enough. Hands grabbed me from behind, an iron grip locking around my throat, yanking me backward. My weapon was ripped from my grasp and flung into the darkness.

I kicked out wildly, but my struggling did nothing. My captor tightened his hold, his arm squeezing around my neck like a vice.

Pinned.

Trapped.

The leader smirked as he stepped closer, his fingers already undoing the fastenings of his trousers. "I go first. No arguments."

"Fine, I’ll go second," another shrugged.

"The fuck? I get last?" The one holding me groaned in protest.

"Shut up and do your job," the leader snapped, stepping forward.

I thrashed, kicking out, but the arm around my throat only tightened, choking the air from my lungs.

"Now, now," my captor purred in my ear, his breath rank with something old and rotting.

"Play nice, or this gets rougher."

Panic surged through me, raw and blinding.

"Stop!" I gasped, my voice ragged.

"Stop! Someone—help!"

The leader let out a low, gruff laugh, his grip tightening as he loomed over me.

"No one in this city gives a damn about your screams, little lamb," he sneered.

"We’re all rotting in the dark. What’s one more atrocity in an endless eternity of sin?"

His cold hands gripped my body, fingers curling around the waistband of my pants, ready to rip them down—

And then something whistled through the air.

A blur. A glint of silver.

The dagger struck before I even registered what was happening, sinking deep into the back of the leader’s skull with a sickening thunk.

He froze.

His body went rigid, his hands instantly pulling away from me. A stunned silence stretched across the alley as he staggered back, fingers twitching toward the handle protruding from his head, as if his brain hadn’t yet caught up with the fact that he was already dead.

And then—just like that—he collapsed into dust.

"What the—!" the vampire holding me snarled, his grip momentarily loosening.

"The fuck?!" another hissed, spinning toward the source of the attack.

I gasped for air, chest heaving, as my wide eyes darted to the alley’s entrance.

There, standing amidst the swirling steam and shadows, was a towering figure.

Massive. Unshakable. A monster more terrifying than the ones who had just tried to devour me.

He stepped forward, the heavy sound of his boots echoing against the pavement. The dim alley lights barely touched him, but what little they revealed sent a violent shudder through my captors. A sleeveless vest stretched over broad shoulders, dark trousers clinging to powerful legs, and those boots—black, brutal, made for crushing bones.

I couldn’t see his face. Didn’t need to.

I already knew.

Prince Darius.