Chapter 9: Safehouse Surrender

Snow buried the mountains around Jake’s cabin deep in the wilderness of British Columbia. The storm outside erased roads and tracks, leaving the world quiet and distant.

Inside the cabin, the fire burned bright.

After Victor Kane’s viral accusations, the league had paused everything. News shows debated nonstop about whether two NHL players could really be vampires.

But up in the mountains, Alex and Jake focused on survival.

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Learning the New Life

Alex spent his days testing what his new body could do.

He could cross the cabin in a blur faster than a human eye could follow. He lifted heavy logs like they weighed nothing. His hearing caught the sound of snow falling off distant branches outside.

Jake watched carefully.

“Control matters more than power,” Jake told him. “Power is easy. Discipline keeps you human.”

The thirst was harder.

At first Alex used the blood bags Jake kept hidden in the cabin freezer. Later Jake took him hunting under the moonlight in the snowy forest.

Alex’s first hunt felt strange but natural.

When he finally drank, warmth and energy spread through him instantly.

“You’re adapting fast,” Jake said afterward.

Alex wiped his mouth and laughed quietly.

“Guess hockey training helps.”

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Nights by the Fire

The nights were calmer.

They sat near the fire, talking about things they had never shared with anyone else.

Jake told the story of how he became a vampire back in 1876 during a fight after an ice match in England.

“I woke up alone,” he said quietly. “Centuries passed before I stopped feeling like a ghost.”

Alex listened carefully.

“And now?” Alex asked.

Jake looked at him.

“Now I’m not alone anymore.”

Alex smiled.

“Good,” he said. “Because I’m not leaving.”

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The Hunters Arrive

Late one night, the cabin door suddenly burst open.

Five armed men rushed inside.

Hunters.

Alex moved first.

In a flash he disarmed one of them and knocked him unconscious before the man could react.

Jake fought two others with calm precision, knocking their weapons away.

Then Victor Kane stepped into the room with a crossbow.

“You monsters,” he said coldly. “Tonight it ends.”

He fired.

The bolt grazed Jake’s shoulder.

Alex reacted instantly, knocking the crossbow from Kane’s hands before he could fire again.

Within seconds the fight was over.

Most of the hunters ran into the forest.

One young hunter remained behind, shaking with fear.

“We were told you killed families,” the young man said nervously. “Kane said you were murderers.”

Jake sighed.

“He’s wrong,” Jake said. “Tell him to stop before someone really dies.”

The young hunter nodded quickly and ran.

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The Call from the League

The next morning the storm cleared.

Sunlight shone across the snowy trees.

Alex’s phone rang.

It was Brody from the Vancouver Grizzlies.

“Man, the team misses you,” Brody said. “The league wants statements. They’re reopening training.”

Alex looked across the cabin at Jake.

“The ice is calling again,” he said.

Jake nodded slowly.

“Then we go back.”

---

Back to the Rink

The war with the hunters wasn’t over.

Victor Kane was still out there.

But Alex knew one thing for sure.

Hockey was still their home.

And the rink—bright lights, cold ice, roaring crowds—might be the only place in the world where two vampires could still feel almost human.

“Ready?” Alex asked.

Jake smiled.

“Always.”

Outside, the snow began to melt.

And the season was waiting.