66. Roads, Shadows And Unfinished Thoughts.

Adrian – POV

The car moved smoothly along the road.

I sat at the back seat, my body leaned slightly against the leather, my hands resting on my thighs. The driver said nothing, as always. He never did unless spoken to. That silence suited me.

Caleb sat beside me.

The city passed by outside the tinted windows, lights flashing, buildings rising and falling like shadows. I watched them without really seeing anything. My mind was elsewhere.

Too many things were happening at once.

Too many things were wrong.

“The vampires attacked a club last night,” Caleb said finally, breaking the silence.

I shifted my eyes toward him.

“Which one?” I asked.

“The one near the east border,” he replied. “A human club. Loud place. Easy target.”

I clenched my jaw slightly.

“Casualties?”

“Blood loss. Panic. Mass deaths.” He paused. “We caught a few of them.”

That caught my attention.

“In the night?” I asked.

“No,” Caleb said. “In broad daylight.”

I frowned.

“That's still a trend?.”

“They’re getting bold,” he said. “Or careless.”

I leaned back again, my eyes returning to the window.

“Vampires don’t move like that unless something is pushing them,” I said slowly. “They don’t expose themselves unless they’re desperate or ordered.”

Caleb nodded.

“That’s what worries me,” he said. “This isn’t random.”

The car slowed slightly as we passed a junction.

“We need to continue doing something about it,” Caleb added. “Before things get out of hand.”

“I know,” I said. “I’m already working on it.”

He didn’t ask how.

He knew better.

Silence settled again, but it wasn’t comfortable. It was thick, heavy, filled with things left unsaid.

After a while, Caleb spoke again.

“Matthew sent word,” he said. “He wants to see us.”

I sighed quietly.

“I know,” I said. “That’s where we’re heading.”

Caleb glanced at me, studying my face.

“You’re not happy about it,” he said.

“I never am,” I replied. “Matthew always sees too much.”

“And says too little,” Caleb added.

I didn’t respond.

My thoughts drifted, against my will, to Lucy.

To her words.

To the way she looked at me like she had already won... I felt more anger.

“I’ve accepted her,” I said suddenly.

Caleb’s head turned sharply toward me.

“Accepted her?” he repeated.

“Yes,” I said calmly. “For her purpose.”

I didn’t look at him when I said it.

“For the ritual,” I continued. “For the blood eclipse. For whatever role she and her father want her to play.”

Caleb was quiet for a moment.

“Be careful , they're dangerous,” he said finally.

I let out a short breath.

“I know.”

“No,” he said, firmer now. “You don’t.”

I turned to him.

“For someone to go that far,” he continued, “to do whatever she did… that kind of determination doesn’t come from nowhere.”

I said nothing.

“Either she’s dangerous,” Caleb said, “or the person backing her... Her father is. And Rowan is dangerous.”

The words settled heavily between us.

“I can handle it,” I said.

“That’s what worries me,” Caleb replied.

I looked away again.

The road ahead curved gently, leading us out of the busier part of the city.

Then, without planning to, the words slipped out.

“I dreamt of Rose.”

Caleb stiffened.

I could feel it even without looking.

“She was in danger,” I said quietly. “I don’t know how. Or why. But it felt real.”

I finally turned to him.

“I’m going to track her, to know where she is.” I said. “After we’re done with Matthew.”

Caleb surprised me.

He didn’t argue.

He didn’t question it.

Instead, he nodded slowly.

“That’s good,” he said.

I raised an eyebrow.

“That’s new,” I said.

He gave a small shrug.

“If finding her will calm you,” he said, “then do it.”

I studied him.

“You don’t think I’m wrong?” I asked.

“I think,” he said carefully, “that your mind is already breaking under everything else.”

He met my eyes.

“And you need one thing that makes sense.”

The car began to slow.

Ahead, Matthew’s villa came into view.

Tall gates.

White stone.

Too quiet.

I straightened slightly.

“Whatever happens in there,” I said, “stay alert.”

Caleb nodded.

Always.

Caleb – POV

Watching Adrian these days felt like watching a storm form.

Quiet at first.

Controlled.

But heavy.

The kind that destroys things when it finally breaks.

He stared out the window most of the drive, lost in his thoughts. I knew that look. I’d seen it before, years ago, when everything first started to fall apart for him.

The vampire attack worried me, but Adrian worried me more.

When he said he had accepted Lucy, I knew he was lying to himself.

Not about accepting her.

But about why.

He was trying to control the chaos.

Trying to place everything into neat boxes.

Lucy for ritual.

Rose pushed away.

Duty above emotion.

That kind of thinking always ends badly.

When he mentioned dreaming of Rose, something shifted in him. His voice softened. His eyes darkened.

He cared.

No matter how much he denied it.

Supporting him wasn’t about agreeing. It was about keeping him grounded.

As the car pulled into Matthew’s villa, I felt the weight of what was coming.

Truths never came gently from Matthew.

And whatever he would say next…

Would change everything.