"I see how you look at her" A tense silence hung in the air. It was thick and suffocating. Jaytee's eyes remained locked on the locket lying on the table, his mind reeling.
Adel took a step forward, her expression unreadable. "You need to listen to me, Matteo," she said softly. "You're playing a dangerous game with that human girl."
Jaytee clenched his fists. "Her name is Nora."
Adel's golden eyes rolled with annoyance, disappointment, and maybe even pity. "I don't care what her name is," she said. "She's a liability. And if you refuse to handle the situation, then I will."
Jaytee wasn't comfortable "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Adel exhaled, her voice turning cold. "If she talks, everything about you unravels. You can't afford that." She tapped a finger against the locket on the table. "I've already lost someone because of this kind of foolishness. I won't lose you too. I am a mother, I am your mother…. I won't stand here and watch that girl ruin you."
Jaytee's heart pounded. He knew what she was implying. "You will not touch her."
Adel tilted her head, her expression softening with mockery "I won't have to… if you kill whatever feelings you have for her."
Jaytee's jaw tightened. "I said stay away."
She smirked. "Or what? You'll fight me? You'll risk exposing what you are just to protect some girl who won't even look at you the same?"
A muscle ticked in his jaw. She wasn't wrong. Nora barely spoke to him now. It was only a matter of time before she made a decision that would change everything.
Adel leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "I could make it easier for you."
Jaytee stiffened. "What?"
She straightened, her fingers trailing against the edge of the table. "A vampire spell," she said casually. "I can make her forget everything she saw, wipe it from her memory like it never happened. She'll go back to her normal, human life, and you… you'll be free."
Something inside Jaytee snapped. "No."
Adel's eyes darkened. "Matteo… you can also do that."
"I said no!" He took a step toward her, his entire body thrumming with barely restrained fury. "You don't get to decide that. You don't get to take away her choices."
Adel's gaze held his for a long, tense moment. Then, she sighed, shaking her head. "You're a fool."
She turned toward the door, reaching for the handle.
"You should've never come back, Adel," Jaytee muttered.
She paused, just for a second, then left without another word.
Later that night, Jaytee sat on the edge of his bed, running a hand down his face. His thoughts were restless, tangled in the weight of everything Adel had said.
Nora would get hurt. That was what scared him the most.
A sudden knock at the door made his head snap up. His muscles tensed. It was late. Too late for a normal visitor.
He rose slowly, moving toward the door with caution. When he pulled it open, he barely had time to react before Adel pushed past him, stepping inside like she owned the place.
But she wasn't alone. Behind her stood a woman and two boxes. Different luggage.
Jaytee's breath paused. She was tall, and elegant, with deep, knowing eyes that mirrored his own. Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders in soft waves, and despite the years that had passed, Jaytee recognized her instantly.
His blood ran cold. His mouth opened, but no words came out.
Adel smiled slightly, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Well?" she said. "Aren't you going to say something?"
Jaytee swallowed hard, his voice barely a whisper. "Who is she?"
The woman stepped forward, her piercing eyes locking onto his. "My name is Ayda." Her voice was smooth, controlled, too controlled. Why had she come?
Adel folded her arms, leaning against the wall. "She's a direct spy from the clan,"
Jaytee's stomach twisted. He glanced at the luggage on the floor, then back at the two women standing in his doorway.
"I don't know why you've come…. But I'd like you to leave before things go out of hand," he said, his voice low.
Adel sighed, already looking tired of his defiance. "You're being reckless, Matteo."
Jaytee ignored her, turning his attention to Ayda. "If you think showing up here with bags and a pretty introduction is enough to convince me, you're wasting your time."
Ayda's expression didn't waver. "I didn't come to convince you," she said. "I came to warn you."
Jaytee scoffed. "Warn me about what?"
"Your father needs you," Adel cut in. "Things are worse than you think. Kobo has taken control, and Rico…."
Jaytee stiffened. "What about Rico?"
Adel hesitated, exchanging a glance with Ayda.
Ayda was the one who answered. "Your father is imprisoned, Matteo. And if you don't step in soon, he won't make it out alive."
The room felt like it had just dropped ten degrees. Jaytee's chest tightened. He hated his father and resented him for a lifetime of control and expectation, but the idea of him locked away, powerless, under Kobo's rule…
He exhaled sharply, pushing a hand through his hair. "Why should I care?"
Adel's eyes flashed with something unreadable. "Because you're his son, our son. And whether you like it or not, the clan is still your responsibility."
Jaytee let out a bitter laugh. "My responsibility? I haven't been part of that world in years. I left for a reason."
Adel's gaze darkened. "You left because you were weak and angry."
Jaytee's fists clenched. "No, I left because I didn't want to become him or you either."
There was silence. Then Ayda spoke, her tone quieter but just as sharp. "You can pretend all you want, Matteo, but you are him. His blood runs through your veins. You are the first of our kind that is special and you know that…the longer you deny it, the more dangerous this becomes."
Jaytee turned away, looking toward the window. His reflection stared back at him, he had pale skin, sharp eyes, the subtle shadows beneath them from lack of sleep. He was already losing himself in this mess. He wanted to be human, at least live like a normal person.
Adel's voice was softer this time. "I know what you're feeling."
Jaytee let out a humorless chuckle. "Do you?"
"Yes," she said. "Because I once felt the same way."
He turned, his brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Adel took slow steps toward the table, picking up the locket he had left there. She turned it over in her fingers, staring at it like it held ghosts of the past.
Jaytee's breath hitched. He had forgotten about it.
"You remember her, don't you?" Adel murmured, her voice laced with something softer, it was pain, maybe even regret.
Jaytee didn't want to answer.
Adel's gaze lifted to meet his. "She was your first love."
His throat felt tight. "Stop."
"She loved you," Adel continued, ignoring his warning. "But when she saw what you truly were, she couldn't handle it. The fear consumed her."
Jaytee squeezed his eyes shut, but the memories slammed into him anyway.
He remembered those memories, the way she screamed when she saw his fangs. The terror in her eyes. The way she ran, desperate to escape.
And the way her foot slipped.
His chest tightened painfully. "I said stop!."
Adel's voice was barely above a whisper. "She fell off that cliff because she was afraid of you, Matteo. And you think it'll be any different with this human girl?"
Jaytee opened his eyes, glaring at her. "Nora isn't the same."
Adel smiled, but it was cold. "They never are. Until they are."
A heavy silence settled between them.
Ayda was watching, studying him like she was analyzing every flicker of emotion in his eyes.
"She's right," Ayda finally said. "You're making a mistake by letting yourself get attached to this human."
Jaytee shook his head. "You don't know her."
"I don't need to know her," Ayda countered. "I've seen it happen before. Over and over. And it always ends the same way."
Adel placed the locket back on the table. "You think you're protecting her by keeping her close," she said. "But the truth is, Matteo, the closer she gets to you, the more danger she's in."
Jaytee's breathing was unsteady. "She's already afraid of you," Adel pressed. "You've seen it, haven't you? The way she hesitates, the way she doesn't look at you the same way anymore."
Jaytee swallowed hard. "Sooner or later, she's going to run," Adel said, her voice dropping lower. "And if she does, you know exactly what's going to happen." Jaytee's stomach twisted.
Was she right?
"You don't have time to think about this, Matteo."
He turned his head slightly, just enough to see her out of the corner of his eye.
Adel's gaze was unwavering. "You're coming home. Whether you want to or not."
He walked two steps closer to Adel, his mom, staring into her eyes with so much audacity, disagreement, and disappointment.