Noah's jaw tightened. He knew vampire blood was being sold—some vampire hunting jobs even included special requests for live captures. He had always assumed it was purely for healing purposes.
But now, thinking about how Seraphine's blood had enhanced his strength, speed, and sharpened his senses, he wondered if there were other uses for it.
Noah pointed toward the distant cottage. "That is your house, right?"
Austin shook his head quickly. "No."
But there was no use lying. It was the only place visible for miles, and bleeding like that, Austin wouldn't return anywhere but his hideout.
"Good. We'll go there and see."
"There's nothing to see!!"
The sudden yell caught Noah's attention. Why was he shouting now?
"If you're after the girl, then take her and fuck off!"
Noah stepped forward, his movements deliberate, and kicked Austin square in the mouth with his boot. Austin gasped, collapsing to his side. Noah didn't stop—he pressed down on him and delivered a sharp punch to his nose.
"Talk to me like that again," Noah growled.
Austin's voice cracked as he scrambled to apologize. "No, no. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Don't hurt me."
But Noah's eyes caught something—Austin's hands were busy, darting upward. A flash of something thin—a needle.
Austin swerved it down, aiming for Noah's arm, but he had underestimated Noah's reflexes. When you fought creatures that could reach you before you blinked, sharp reflexes weren't just useful—they were essential. And Noah had them in abundance.
In the same motion, Noah pulled his hand back, shifted his weight, and smacked the side of his hand into Austin's throat. The impact was precise, knocking Austin out cold.
Only then did Noah look for the object Austin had tried to stab him with—a syringe.
So that was his weapon.
Seraphine groaned again, her voice faint but growing stronger. She was waking up.
Noah reached Seraphine, yanked down her torn dress to cover her body, and propped her up against his chest. Then, without hesitation, he slapped her face. Hard.
"Wake the hell up, Seraphine."
"Ow, ow—what the heck?" Her eyes blinked open in confusion, then narrowed into a glare. "Noah? Why are you hitting me?"
Her gaze shifted, noticing the blood nearby. Her eyes flashed, glowing faintly, and then she lunged toward Austin in a blur. She sank her teeth into his neck, but recoiled seconds later with a sharp cry of pain.
"Vervain! Ugh, my throat!" She stumbled back, hands clutching at her neck in agony.
Noah let out a short laugh, dry and cold. "Nice. Maybe I should start carrying it. Why didn't I think of that?"
She glared at him, her face twisted with pain. "Is this the time?"
"You're lucky I found you," Noah said, rising to his feet, sheathing his sword. His tone was blunt, devoid of any sympathy. "Or this perv would've had his way with your unconscious body."
"What?!" In a flash, she had Austin by the throat, shaking him, eyes wild. "What did you do to me?"
Noah stood still, arms crossed, his voice flat. "Ask him when he's not clearly incapacitated."
She glanced at Austin, her brow furrowing as if noticing his closed eyes for the first time. "Who the heck is this anyway?"
Noah's eyebrow lifted, his expression incredulous. "You can't be serious."
She turned to him, her face blank with that dumb, oblivious look he'd seen too many times before. Just how little of an impression had Austin made for him to be so completely forgotten?
Noah didn't bother explaining. "Let's go. Bring him along."
"Hm? Where are we going?" She looked around, her confusion evident. "Is this still Texas?"
"Where else would it be?" Noah was already striding ahead, his tone clipped.
"Wait up." She hurried to his side, carrying Austin like he weighed nothing more than a feather.
"So, what happened with your bounty hunter?"
"Killed him." She grinned, her tone almost too casual. "He was quite tough, but obviously not a match for me. He took my head off twice."
Noah's jaw tightened. "What did he want? Besides dragging you back to your family?"
She didn't answer. He glanced at her, catching the way she avoided his gaze, trying to act cool.
"Let me guess—you didn't ask."
He stopped walking, his patience snapping, and grabbed her by the shirt, pulling her close. His voice was low, dangerous.
"Seraphine, let this be the last time you keep anything from me. You got it?"
Seraphine laughed nervously, completely unbothered by the fact that her cleavage was showing with the way Noah held her. He noticed and let her go, his irritation simmering as he tried to cool his anger.
"It's not as if I kept it from you. Just, a few weeks ago I saw someone following me and suspected it was them."
Noah's jaw tightened. "That's why you followed me to my hunt."
"I actually feared my family would come along with them, but luckily they were just scouting."
"But you don't know that for sure," he said, his tone clipped, as if counting the words. "Seeing as you didn't even question the man."
"Right." She knocked at her head lightly, her expression sheepish. "He was just so strong that I didn't get the chance."
Noah's eyes narrowed. "More like it didn't even occur to you."
She laughed awkwardly, her discomfort evident.
Noah stepped onto the porch, his movements deliberate. He turned to meet Seraphine's still-glowing eyes. "As soon as we're done here, we're putting this town—and this state—in the rearview mirror. Just in case."
"Aw, too bad. I was starting to like it here."
Noah ignored her, his attention shifting to the door. It wouldn't budge, the material solid and unyielding—concrete steel, reinforced. A panel beside it blinked faintly, asking for a password or fingerprint.
"Huh," Noah muttered, his interest piqued. His voice dropped slightly, sharp with caution. "Seraphine, check for heartbeats."
It was still unclear whether Austin had been working alone. Opening this place blindly would be too risky—he wasn't about to get jumped.
"I can't hear anything," Seraphine said, her tone neutral.
Noah clicked his tongue in irritation, thinking she was messing around. "Really listen."
"I am, really. There's just something blocking me."
Noah's eyebrows shot up. Interesting. Austin's usefulness was increasing.
"Bring him here."
Seraphine stepped onto the porch, dropping Austin's heavy frame beside Noah. Without hesitation, Noah took the man's hand, first trying his thumb, then his index finger.
The door responded instantly.
"Welcome back, Austin," it said in a monotone voice.
Noah smirked but didn't reach for the door handle. Caution was second nature to him.
He turned to Seraphine. "Open it."
Seraphine gave him a look. "Why?"
Noah didn't answer, just stepped back.
She sighed and pulled the door open.
Pa, pa!
Two stakes shot straight at her, but her reflexes were faster than Noah's. She caught both mid-air, gripping them tightly in her hands.
"Ah! A stupid trap!" she laughed.
Noah exhaled, but before either could react further, another stake fired—this one hitting her square in the chest.
It burst through her heart.
Seraphine's body jolted violently, the impact sending her flying off the porch.
Noah dodged her airborne form, watching as she crashed gracelessly onto the fence, limbs slack.
She went completely unconscious .
Casually, Noah approached her, pulling the stake from her chest in one smooth motion. "You always tell me to be cautious, yet you remain the most stupid vampire I have ever seen."
He left her where she lay and turned his attention to Austin, grabbing him from the floor and hauling him up into the house. If any more traps were triggered, Austin would bear the consequences of his own paranoia.
But nothing happened.
The traps remained inactive.
Noah quickly figured out why—it wasn't about strangers. It was about heat.
Seraphine's temperature, like any vampire's, was unnaturally low. That must have triggered the defenses.
Smart.
Noah took in his surroundings. He stood in a hallway, and now, for the first time, he realized—the interior of the cottage wasn't wood or brick. It was reinforced iron.
Austin knew what he was doing. And judging by the setup, he had been doing it for years.
Noah adjusted Austin's weight on his shoulder as he moved through the space. He wasn't weightless—Seraphine had lifted him like nothing—but Noah felt it.
First things first, he needed a place to drop him.
Noah stepped into a room that resembled a living space, and the lights blazed to life—so bright, vampire eyes would have burned under the intensity. The glow had a metallic sheen to it, likely some kind of silver lighting. Smart.
He smiled faintly and dropped Austin onto a chair. The man couldn't be trusted, so Noah reached into the pouch at his waist, pulling out a rope usually reserved for Seraphine. Looks like it was Austin's lucky day. He secured him tightly, double-checking the knots before stepping away.
Then, he began his exploration, careful not to trigger any traps. Many of them didn't activate—likely designed to target vampires. As if Austin had so much faith that humans couldn't be a problem for him. Too bad for him, he didn't think of me.
The layout was simple. The first room—the living area—held a cot for sleeping, a few sofas, a TV, and a small kitchen at the corner with a counter and side stools. Basic. Functional.
The next room was entirely different—an engineering space . A flat table stood in the center, reminiscent of an autopsy slab, but lined with silver belts meant for restraining vampires. Cupboards lined the walls, filled with bottles labeled with names and symbols. Noah recognized vervain, mercury, lead—but some were unfamiliar, marked only with letters and question marks.
He'd question Austin about them once he woke up.
Then, there was the fridge—no food, just rows of blood bags, some labeled with blood types, others stored separately in a lower section, marked specimen blood . Vampire blood, most likely.
Finally, he turned to the computers. Some screens showed data, others displayed security feeds—including one aimed at the outside.
Noah spotted Seraphine on the screen, beginning to rouse.
Noah left the room and approached the final locked door. This time, it wasn't a fingerprint lock, but a padlock. He scanned the area, inhaling deeply. He could smell it.
As he crouched down, a bat swung at him, slamming into the door. Noah quickly rose and punched Austin's chin, sending him flying upward. In one swift move, he grabbed Austin's arm, twisted it behind his back, and pinned him to the wall.
"Hey Austin, good you're awake. I've got a few more questions for you."
Austin snarled, struggling with everything he had, but Noah's size and strength overwhelmed him. To make a point, Noah slammed Austin's head into the iron wall. Blood splattered as Austin's nose cracked.
Austin went limp, but Noah wasn't letting him rest. He slapped him across the face.
"Wake up. This is not the time to fall asleep. Let's open that door."
Austin, barely conscious, managed to rasp, "Fuck you."
Noah's expression hardened. "Yeah, not quite the answer I was hoping for." He moved to slam Austin's head again, but Austin's broken voice stopped him.
"Wait! Wait. Listen to me, damn it."
Noah hesitated, but before he could respond, Seraphine's voice cut through the tension. "Damn it, Noah, they keep coming."
The trap was keeping her from entering.
Noah wanted to ignore her, but Seraphine's shouting was relentless, grating on his nerves. He sighed sharply, motioning to Austin with a tilt of his head.
"Get that disabled. And don't act smart—I won't be lenient a second time."
Austin hesitated, his lips trembling as he glanced toward the door. Noah's glare was enough to make him move, his steps slow and cautious.