77. Daylight Teeth.

Rose’s POV

Morning air always made my chest feel lighter.

That was why I came to the woods.

Not because I loved running. Not because I was strong. But because the quiet helped me breathe. The trees didn’t judge. The wind didn’t ask questions. The ground didn’t look at me like I was strange.

I walked deeper into the woods, my shoes brushing against dry leaves. My arms swung naturally at my sides. I focused on my breathing. In. Out. In. Out.

That was when I heard it.

A low sound.

Rough.

Broken.

Like someone was choking.

I stopped walking.

My heart skipped once.

Then again.

It sounded human.

A grunt. A strained breath. Pain wrapped inside it.

I turned slowly, my eyes scanning the trees.

“Hello?” I whispered.

No answer.

The sound came again.

I swallowed.

Every instinct told me to walk away. To mind my business. To turn back and pretend I heard nothing.

But my feet moved on their own.

I pushed past thick bushes, branches scratching my arms. The sound grew clearer. Closer.

Then I saw them.

A man.

Pinned against a tree.

His body was shaking. His hands twitched weakly.

And a woman—

Her mouth was on his neck.

My brain froze.

She wasn’t kissing him.

She wasn’t helping him.

She was biting him.

Her lips were stained red.

Blood dripped down her chin.

The man’s knees buckled.

I stumbled back, my hand flying to my mouth.

Flash.

When I was almost attacked by vampires that Adrian saved me.

Now, the bar.

The strange stares.

The way they looked at me like I didn’t belong.

Flash.

The night I barely escaped...Adrian.

The fear. The chase. The hunger in their eyes.

My chest tightened.

“No… no, no…” I whispered.

How?

How were they out in the morning?

I had always thought—everyone thought—that vampires only came out at night.

The woman lifted her head.

Her eyes were red.

And then I recognized her.

My breath left me in a sharp gasp.

She worked for Damien.

She was always around him. Quiet. Pale. Cold. Watching.

My legs shook.

My vision blurred.

I stepped back slowly.

I needed to leave.

I needed to run.

My body didn’t respond fast enough.

Panic slammed into me like a wall.

My hands trembled.

My breathing broke apart.

“Move,” I whispered to myself. “Move, Rose.”

I turned—

And collided with something solid.

Strong.

Warm.

A hand gripped my arm.

I screamed.

Damien’s POV

Blood was still warm on my lips.

The human had struggled more than usual. It annoyed me. I hated when they fought too hard. It made the feeding messy. Loud.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand as I moved through the woods.

Then I smelled her...her strange smell.

My steps halted.

Rose.

My heart did something strange.

Fast.

Sharp.

I used my speed.

The world blurred.

And there she was.

Frozen.

Her face pale.

Fear pouring off her in waves so strong it hit me like a punch.

She turned—

Straight into me.

I caught her before she fell.

Her scream cut deep.

Too deep.

I looked down at her.

Her eyes met mine.

And I knew.

She knew.

Her gaze dropped to my mouth.

Blood.

Her breathing became uneven.

Her pupils widened.

I had been careless.

For the first time in centuries, I had been careless.

Rose’s POV

It was him.

Damien.

His hand was on my arm.

His mouth—

Blood.

Fresh.

Red.

My mind cracked.

“You…” My voice shook. “You’re—”

He didn’t answer.

Another wind rushed past me.

The woman.

She stood behind him now.

Her eyes locked onto mine.

My knees gave out.

The world tilted.

My heart pounded so hard it hurt.

Vampire.

He was a vampire.

The man from the bar.

The man who hired me.

The man who carried me home.

My head spun.

My breathing became shallow.

I tried to pull away.

I couldn’t.

My body stopped listening to me.

Fear swallowed everything.

My chest burned.

I couldn’t breathe.

I collapsed.

Damien’s POV

She fell.

Her body went limp in my arms.

“No,” I breathed.

This wasn’t how I wanted her to know.

Not like this.

Not with blood on my mouth and death in the air.

The woman stopped beside me.

“She saw,” she said calmly.

I ignored her.

I stared at Rose’s face.

She looked fragile.

Small.

Human.

And for the first time in my long life, something twisted painfully in my chest.

She was terrified.

Of me.

I had seen fear before.

Thousands of times.

But this—

This was different.

Because I cared.

I clenched my jaw.

And now she saw me as a monster.