LOGINAlanza’s POV
"I am not a piece of porcelain, Luciano," I muttered, though my voice lacked its usual bite.
Getting Dr. Lexy to sign my release papers had been a marathon of stubbornness. It took an hour of bargaining and a solemn vow to let Libbie haunt my apartment twice a day for vitals and blood draws before he finally caved. Now, as we navigated the hallway of my building, Luciano hovered close enough to catch my shadow. He was clearly vibrating with the urge to scoop m
Alanza’s POV"I am not a piece of porcelain, Luciano," I muttered, though my voice lacked its usual bite.Getting Dr. Lexy to sign my release papers had been a marathon of stubbornness. It took an hour of bargaining and a solemn vow to let Libbie haunt my apartment twice a day for vitals and blood draws before he finally caved. Now, as we navigated the hallway of my building, Luciano hovered close enough to catch my shadow. He was clearly vibrating with the urge to scoop me up and carry me, his eyes darting toward every corner as if a stray vampire might leap out of the drywall.He hated that I refused to hole up in the Alpha Lodge. To him, this apartment was a glass house. To me, it was the only place that still smelled like my life, even if the lobby was currently crawling with grim-faced men in suits who looked like they belonged at a high-stakes funeral. Their presence was stifling, but I took the win. I was home.The moment the door clicked shu
Alanza’s POV"You finally decided to join the living," Sombra said, her mental voice echoing with a heavy yawn.I blinked against the harsh fluorescent light of the hospital room. My mind felt like it was wrapped in wet cotton. "I must have passed out.""You didn't just pass out," she corrected. Her phantom tail flicked against my consciousness. "You dropped mid-sentence while talking to Luciano. He nearly took a nurse’s head off because she didn't sprint into the room the second he hit the call button. The man has no chill."I let out a soft, tired huff. "I’m almost glad I was asleep for that. I don't think I had the energy to manage his temper.""You were running on empty, Alanza. Blood loss will do that. They hooked you up to a bag of the red stuff overnight. You look less like a ghost now."I sat up slowly, testing the weight of my own limbs. The world didn't tilt or spin. The blurred edges of my vision had sharpened, a
Lucia’s POV"Is someone there?"My own voice sounded like it belonged to a stranger. It was thin and cracked, barely rising above the rhythmic tapping of water hitting the floor.Plink.Plink, plink.The sound was uneven. It grated on my nerves, drilling into my skull until my teeth ached. I tried to shift my weight, but a sharp, hot flare of pain exploded across the left side of my face. I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut, though it didn't matter. The world was already pitch black.I remember the vampires. I remember the coldness of their skin and the way the air seemed to die around them. My heart hammered against my ribs as the memory of the attack rushed back. I reached up to touch my throbbing cheek, but my arms didn't go far. Metal cinched tight around my wrists, followed by the heavy, industrial rattle of iron.I pulled harder, and the sound echoed off stone walls. My pulse spiked. I wasn't just in the dark. I was restrain
Alanza’s POV"You look like you've been through a war," Luciano said, his voice cracking as he stepped into the hospital room.The heavy doors hit the wall with a bang, sent flying by the sheer force of his entrance. He didn't wait for a greeting. He moved like a storm, his hair messy and his clothes rumpled, eyes scanning every inch of me. He looked at the thin hospital gown, the plastic tube snaking into my arm, and the pale state of my skin. Only when he reached the side of my bed did his frantic energy fade. His shoulders dropped, and the tension in his jaw finally snapped."Luciano," I whispered.I reached out my hands. I wasn't sure how we stood after our last fight, but the moment he saw my gesture, he didn't hesitate. He ignored Sombra, who was watching from the corner with a sharp gaze, and sat on the edge of my mattress. He pulled my hands into his and leaned down, pressing a warm kiss against my forehead."Are you okay? Really okay
Alanza’s POV"Tell me you saw where they took her," Karlos barked, his voice cutting through the ringing in my ears.I couldn't answer. I just stared at the empty space where the air still felt cold from that creature's presence. I wanted the monster to come back. I’d take a swarm of them, a whole army of those pale devils, if it meant they brought Lucia back with them."Alanza! Look at me!"Karlos’s face was a blurred mask of panic, shifting in and out of the moonlight. I tried to focus, but he looked like an oil painting left out in the rain. My lungs felt like they were full of glass shards."The vampire," I forced out, my voice a jagged wreck. "He has her. He just... took her."Karlos’s eyes blew wide. For a split second, the raw agony on his face made him look like he’d been gutted, but he slammed a mask of cold neutrality over it. He wasn't fooling me. The way his jaw corded and his shoulders locked told m
Alanza’s POV"You are making this much more difficult than it needs to be," he says. His tone is smooth, carrying a hint of genuine disappointment rather than rage. "I really wanted to take my time and enjoy this, but it looks like I have to finish my meal in a hurry instead."The lack of anger makes me shiver. To him, my life and my desperate struggle are just minor schedule delays. He does not see me as a person. I am a snack he has to bolt down before leaving.He bites down. When his fangs pierce my skin, the world turns into a white hot blur of agony. It is not just a wound. It feels like someone poured liquid fire into my veins. The ache goes so deep that my bones feel like they are vibrating. I stretch my mouth wide to scream, but my lungs refuse to work. I cannot pull in a single breath.As the pain peaks, a wave of fake warmth washes over it. It is a hollow, sickly sweet ecstasy that tries to drown the hurt. My mind wants to chase that feeli
Alanza’s POV"You actually picked up," I say, my voice sounding smaller than I intended.A heavy ceramic plate slides across the table, landing in front of me with a dull thud. Lucia has loaded it with a mountain of mixed greens, grilled chicken, and enough shredded cheese to
Alanza’s POV"I think my eyelashes are actually sore," Lucia mumbled into her pillow.I didn't answer right away. I was too busy watching her alarm clock bounce across the hardwood floor. She had swiped it off the nightstand with a limp, pathetic sort of aggression. I tried to
Alanza’s POV"Hit the dirt again, recruit," London says, his voice as dry as the gravel under my cheek.I don't move. My face is pressed into the grit, and the copper taste of a split lip fills my mouth. Every breath feels like swallowing hot glass. Beside me, Lucia is a heap
Alanza’s POV"You don't need to check in every hour, Luciano," I said into the phone, my thumb hovering over the end-call button.He sighed on the other end, a sound full of that protective weight he always carried. I didn't wait for his rebuttal before hanging up. Following L







