9

The hotel hallway was quiet when Adrian stepped out of the elevator, the low hum of distant music trailing faintly behind him. The night had fully matured—still young by vampire standards—and the sharp, cold breeze brushing against his skin brought a sour reminder of what he was supposed to do tonight.

He needed his tenth.

He needed one more virgin.

And yet, hours earlier, he had failed again.

Now, after the encounter with Jenna—who had openly named her price, flaunted her arrogance, and triggered both his annoyance and his fascination—Adrian felt the tight coil in his chest refuse to loosen. All he could think about was her scent. Her blood. That rare, undeniable purity that rang like a bell inside his vampire instincts.

A virgin.

A real one.

He found her.

Yet… he couldn’t bring himself to finish the job.

Not yet.

Adrian pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled hard through his teeth. “Fuck… why am I hesitating…?”

The door to his penthouse suite clicked shut behind him as he entered. The moonlight filtered softly through the large windows, illuminating his sharp features—pale skin, darker veins, and eyes that glowed faintly crimson when the hunger rose.

His hunger was rising now.

Jenna’s perfume and the lingering trace of her pulse clung to him. He hated that it felt… tempting. Hated that it felt too close to the feeling he had whenever Emily was near.

“Emily…”

His jaw clenched, and he shook his head violently. “No. Not now.”

He couldn’t think about her—not when his mind was a battlefield of instinct versus intention. Emily’s scent was different, addictive in a way even he couldn’t describe. And he feared if he saw her tonight, in his unstable state, he would—

He didn’t want to finish that thought.

Adrian paced the room, raking a hand through his hair until his breaths came in shallow bursts. He needed to hunt. He needed to kill. He needed blood.

Yet tonight, for the first time since becoming a monster, Adrian felt hesitant. The hesitation itself made him furious.

“What’s wrong with me?” he muttered, slamming his fist against the marble wall hard enough to crack it. “Why can’t I treat Jenna like the others? She’s just another sacrifice. Just a body. Just blood.”

But his voice trembled.

He was lying—and he knew it.

There was something about Jenna’s eyes.

Something about her words.

Something about her stubborn resistance that scratched at his curiosity.

No. He refused to care.

But there was another reason—one he kept trying to bury:

Jenna smelled similar to Emily.

Not identical.

Not in purity.

But in… intensity.

Something was off. Something felt wrong. But he couldn’t identify what.

Adrian groaned and turned away from the window, grabbing his jacket with sharp, angry movements. “I need to hunt something. Anyone.”

He stormed out.

---

THE BAR — 11:48 PM

The quiet thrum of the hotel nightclub buzzed softly beneath dim neon lights. The crowd had grown from earlier—couples grinding on the dance floor, wealthy men slipping bills to waitresses, and women laughing too loudly with a desperation that matched the alcohol in their glasses.

Adrian walked through the entrance like a shadow.

And instantly, several heads turned.

His presence was magnetic—too perfect, too dark, too alluring. He could feel the hearts of women quicken around him. Their scents wafted like sweet perfume. A buffet of human life-force.

But he ignored them.

His gaze locked on Jenna immediately.

She was seated at the bar, nursing a glass of whiskey with furrowed brows, lips pressed tight. Her long sleeves were rolled up to her elbows now, revealing faint bruises she had probably tried to hide earlier. Her ponytail was loosened, giving her a slightly disheveled look.

A struggling woman with a pretty face and empty wallet.

He’d seen many.

But she wasn’t blending into the crowd tonight.

He could smell her.

He could hear her pulse.

Steady. Pure. Tempting.

Adrian walked closer and sat on the stool beside her, though he left enough distance to avoid alarming her.

“You ran away earlier,” he said with a faint smirk.

Jenna didn’t look at him. “I didn’t run. I walked.”

“You stormed away.”

“I walked fast.”

Adrian chuckled. “Fair enough.”

She sighed and finally turned her head slightly. “What do you want now, Adrian?”

He raised a brow. “You learned my name.”

“You showed your freaking bank balance to me. I’d be stupid not to remember the name attached to that absurd number.”

“You mean the one-million-dollar balance?”

Her lips twitched. “Try eight million.”

Adrian smirked. “So you were paying attention.”

Jenna scoffed, then frowned deeper. “Are you one of those men who get off on being worshipped? Because if so, you chose the wrong person.”

“No,” he said quietly, “I’m the type who prefers honesty.”

Her eyes flickered, just a bit. “Then stop stalking me.”

“You came back to sit where I was,” he reminded her calmly. “Doesn’t seem like you want to avoid me that much.”

Her cheeks reddened—but she rolled her eyes again. “Coincidence. I like that damn sofa.”

Adrian tapped his finger on the bar table gently, then leaned in—not too close, just enough. “Then why did you come closer when I stared at you for ten minutes?”

Jenna stiffened.

Her heartbeat spiked beautifully.

Adrian’s lips curved in satisfaction.

“I—I thought you were judging me,” she muttered.

“I wasn’t.”

“You were staring like a creepy psychopath!”

Adrian laughed softly—too smooth, too attractive. “Maybe I was just admiring the view.”

Jenna inhaled sharply and looked away.

Interesting.

This time, Adrian spoke with a softer tone. “Jenna… why do you need one million dollars?”

She froze.

All at once, her bravado crumbled.

And for the first time, Adrian saw the real her—fearful, desperate, barely holding herself together.

“…My mother is dying,” she whispered.

Adrian’s expression didn’t change, but something cold settled in his chest.

“She has late-stage cancer,” Jenna continued. “The treatment she needs isn’t covered by any insurance, and the waiting list for charity is too long. I’m the only one who can help her. And every day I fail, she gets worse.”

Her fingers tightened around her glass until her knuckles whitened.

“I’ve been rejected by every job. Every loan. Every investor. Everyone.”

Her voice cracked.

“And now I’m… losing her.”

Adrian looked at her. Really looked.

Before tonight, he would have brushed it aside. Human suffering meant nothing. He was a predator. A monster. A hunter.

But as Jenna trembled beside him, Adrian felt—

Conflicted.

“This money isn’t for me,” Jenna whispered. “I don’t care about luxury. I don’t care about men. I don’t care about sex. I just need to save her.”

Silence stretched between them.

Adrian leaned back, suppressing the urge to curse out loud.

Why did she have to tell him that?

Why did she have to be the one virgin he felt morally repulsed to kill?

He swallowed hard. “Jenna.”

She stared at him with exhausted eyes. “If you’re not going to help, then please don’t waste my time anymore.”

Adrian’s jaw clenched so tightly it hurt.

He reached into his pocket.

Pulled out a black metal card.

He placed it slowly on the bar counter.

“Give me your number,” he said darkly. “And don’t disappear.”

Jenna blinked. “Wh—why?”

“Because,” Adrian murmured, eyes glowing faintly crimson, “I don’t like unfinished business.”

She hesitated, fear and hope warred in her expression.

Then she exhaled shakily and extended her hand.

He took it.

“Jenna,” she whispered. “My name is Jenna.”

Adrian smiled faintly. “I remember.”

Their fingers intertwined for a moment.

A moment too long.

But then—

Adrian felt a snap inside his senses.

A warning.

A ripple of danger.

Someone else in the club…

another vampire.

Watching him.

Watching Jenna.

Adrian’s eyes narrowed, and he slowly turned toward the corner of the bar where a man in a dark suit was seated—frozen in stillness, eyes glowing amber.

A vampire slave.

And he was staring directly at Adrian.

The man smirked.

Adrian’s blood ran cold.

This was not coincidence.

Someone had found him.

Someone had found Jenna.

And someone…

wanted them both.

The hunter had become the hunted.