Chapter 7

The night felt heavier than usual. The mansion, though beautifully lit and bustling with servants during the day, turned eerily quiet after sunset. It was as if the walls whispered secrets to each other in the silence, and every shadow seemed alive.

I lay in bed, staring at the intricate patterns on the ceiling, trying to make sense of my life. Anna, my sweet sister, was far away. Was she safe? Did she miss me as much as I missed her? My chest tightened with the thought of her little voice calling out for me.

And Alaric.

I couldn’t get him out of my mind—the way his hands had held me, the heat, the sparks, the inexplicable pull. It wasn’t normal, none of it was, and yet my body reacted to him in ways that scared me.

I needed air.

Slipping out of bed, I pulled on a loose cardigan over my silk pajamas and wandered toward the garden. The moon was full, its silver light bathing the estate in an ethereal glow. I hugged the cardigan closer to my chest as I stepped outside, breathing in the cool night air.

The garden was as beautiful as ever, the flowers blooming in soft hues under the moonlight. I was halfway to the stone bench when I heard it—muted voices, sharp and hurried. I froze, straining to hear, my heart quickening.

“Move now,” a voice hissed from the shadows.

I whipped my head toward the sound, and my breath caught. Men. At least three, clad in black, were crouched near the outer wall.

Intruders.

My first instinct was to turn and run, but my feet seemed rooted to the ground. What the hell were they doing here? And where was security?

I crept closer, hiding behind a rose trellis, clutching the wood so hard my fingers ached. One of the men pulled out something—a gun. My blood turned to ice.

I needed to warn someone, anyone.

Before I could even move, a shadow darted from the opposite side of the garden. It was fast, too fast for me to process. One second the intruders were whispering; the next, a figure emerged from the darkness like a predator stalking its prey.

Alaric.

I barely recognized him. His suit jacket was gone, his white shirt unbuttoned at the collar, and his sleeves were rolled up, exposing muscular forearms. He moved with a deadly grace, his silver-grey eyes glowing eerily in the moonlight.

“Who sent you?” His voice was calm but laced with ice.

The men froze, their bravado crumbling under his gaze. “We... we don’t want trouble,” one stammered.

“Then you shouldn’t have come here.”

One of them lunged at him, knife glinting in the moonlight. My heart stopped.

But Alaric moved faster. Much faster than any human should. He sidestepped the attack with ease, grabbing the man’s wrist and twisting it until the knife clattered to the ground. The man screamed, but Alaric didn’t let go. With one swift motion, he flipped him onto the ground.

The second man aimed his gun. My breath hitched.

A gunshot echoed, but it wasn’t Alaric who fell. It was the intruder, his gun clattering to the ground as blood seeped from his shoulder. Alaric’s men appeared out of nowhere, armed and precise, taking control of the situation.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Alaric. He didn’t even flinch as the chaos unfolded around him. There was something primal in the way he moved, something not quite... human.

No, stop it, Vanessa. You’re being ridiculous.

But then he turned his head, and our eyes met. My stomach flipped.

“Come out,” he said, his voice cutting through the night like a blade.

I froze. How had he seen me? I was hidden behind the trellis, completely out of sight.

“Now.”

There was no point in arguing. My legs felt like jelly as I stepped out from my hiding spot, clutching my cardigan like a lifeline. His men glanced at me briefly before returning to their tasks, dragging the unconscious intruders away.

“What are you doing out here?” Alaric asked, his tone dangerously low.

“I... I heard something and thought—”

“You thought what? That you’d play hero?”

I bristled at his condescension. “I didn’t know what was happening. I just—”

“You shouldn’t have been out here,” he snapped, stepping closer.

“Well, maybe if you didn’t keep me locked up like a prisoner, I wouldn’t feel the need to wander around!” I shot back, my voice trembling with anger.

His eyes darkened, and for a moment, I thought he might yell. Instead, he closed the distance between us, his presence overwhelming.

“You have no idea what danger you’ve put yourself in tonight,” he said, his voice low and lethal. “Do you know what they would have done to you if they found you first?”

I swallowed hard, my defiance wavering. “I didn’t ask for this life,” I whispered.

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes—regret? Pain? But it was gone as quickly as it came.

“Go back to your room,” he said, stepping back.

“No.”

He stopped, turning to face me fully. “What did you say?”

“I said no,” I repeated, my voice shaking but firm. “I deserve to know what’s going on. You can’t just keep me in the dark while all of this”—I gestured to the bloodstained ground—“is happening around me. If I’m in danger, I have a right to know why.”

His lips curled into a humorless smile. “You think you can handle the truth?”

“Yes.”

He stepped closer, so close I could feel the heat radiating off him. “You’re in this mess because of your father’s mistakes. You’re here because I chose to let you live. Don’t confuse that with having rights.”

His words were like a slap to the face, but I refused to back down. “You’re a monster,” I said, my voice breaking.

“And you’re a fool if you think you can challenge me,” he growled.

I gasped as he grabbed my chin, forcing me to look up at him. The sparks from before ignited again, sending a jolt through my body. His silver-grey eyes bore into mine, and for a moment, the world around us disappeared.

“Stay out of my way, Vanessa,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “Your curiosity will get you killed.”

He let go abruptly, as if touching me burned him, and turned away.

“Take her inside,” he ordered one of his men before disappearing into the shadows.

Back in my room, I sat on the edge of the bed, my heart racing. My hands trembled as I clutched the cardigan to my chest, replaying the events of the night in my head.

Alaric was dangerous. I had no doubt about that now. But there was something else—something that made my skin tingle and my heart pound whenever he was near.