Alex froze.
The page trembled in his hands, Marcus's precise handwriting dancing like firelight as his heart pounded behind his ribs. Liam's name was written on nearly every sheet spread across the desk, stamped and annotated, dissected and catalogued like he wasn't a person at all—like he was prey.
The words still burned: Dangerous. Unpredictable. Do not engage without backup.
"I asked you a question," Marcus said, voice colder than winter frost. "Why are you in here?"
Alex looked up slowly. "You lied to me."
Marcus stepped inside, calmly shutting the door behind him. "About what?"
"Liam," Alex spat. He held up the paper. "You've been tracking him for years. Watching him. You called him a subject."
Marcus didn't flinch. "Because that's what he is. He's not—"
"Don't," Alex snapped. His voice shook, but not from fear. "Don't you dare say he's not human."
Marcus took a long breath. "He's a vampire, Alex. A Daywalker. That makes him a threat."
"He saved me," Alex countered, fists clenched. "More times than I can count."
"He's also royal," Marcus said. "You think he's just here out of love and teenage hormones? You think the Vampire King doesn't know where his heir is? This isn't a high school crush, Alex—this is a war."
Alex's voice dropped. "And what am I? Am I just another threat, too? Another file?"
Marcus hesitated.
That single second was louder than a scream.
Alex stepped back, paper still in hand. "You were going to kill him. Weren't you?"
"I was going to protect you."
"That's not the same thing."
Marcus crossed the room in three strides, gripping the edge of the desk. "You have no idea what you're messing with. Liam's father killed half of my squad in one night. We have treaties, rules—"
"Then why does it feel like you're the one breaking them?" Alex whispered. His stomach turned. "You knew what I was. What I'm becoming. That mirror—those people—none of it surprised you."
Marcus's jaw tensed. "I suspected. Your mother... she was special. She had Veilborn blood. I thought you might inherit some of it, but not like this. Not this strong."
Alex blinked. "You kept that from me. You kept everything from me."
"To keep you safe."
"No. You kept me ignorant. So you could control me."
Marcus's voice softened. "Son—"
"Don't," Alex said again, backing toward the door. "You don't get to say that right now."
He turned and left, heart hammering, the file still clutched in his hands.
—
The air outside felt colder than before.
Alex didn't know how long he walked. Hollow Ridge blurred past him, a sleepy town tucked under layers of history and blood. Streetlights buzzed like insects. Dogs barked behind fences. And still he walked, file pressed to his chest like armor.
When he reached his house, the lights were off.
But his bedroom window was open.
He climbed the tree out of habit, slipping inside as quietly as possible. And there—sitting on the floor, flipping through a worn book on vampire rituals—was Liam.
Alex nearly collapsed in relief. "You broke in again."
Liam glanced up, half-smiling. "Technically, I climbed in. Very gentlemanly."
Alex crossed the room and dropped the file on the bed.
Liam's smile faded. "What's that?"
"Everything my father knows about you."
Liam reached out slowly, flipping through the pages. The annotations. The sketches. The kill orders. "He's thorough."
Alex sat down next to him. "He was going to kill you."
"Probably still is."
"You're not afraid?"
Liam looked up. "I'm terrified. But not of him."
"Of what then?"
Liam didn't answer. He just reached out and took Alex's hand. Their fingers laced without hesitation.
Alex stared down at them. "We're in so much trouble."
"I know."
"And you're a vampire."
Liam smirked. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
"It's not." Alex turned to him. "But it complicates the whole 'bringing you home to meet the family' part."
Liam leaned in, eyes glowing faintly in the dark. "Guess you'll just have to run away with me."
"And leave Harper?" Alex said. "She'd kill us both."
"Fair."
They fell into silence.
Then Alex whispered, "I think I'm scared of myself."
Liam's expression softened. "Why?"
"Because I don't know who I am anymore. My dad hunts people like you. My blood opens doors. I saw myself—another version—and it terrified me. What if that's who I become?"
Liam pulled him closer. "Then I'll remind you who you are. Every day. Every time you forget. I'll be there."
Alex didn't answer with words. He leaned in and kissed him.
It started slow. Sweet. But then Liam cupped his jaw, and Alex moved forward, and suddenly they were kissing like they were running out of time. Like the stars outside were about to fall and this was the last chance they had.
Clothes stayed mostly on, but hands wandered. Touches turned into trembles. Breath hitched. Laughter mixed with gasps as Alex nearly fell backward off the bed.
"You okay?" Liam chuckled, steadying him.
"Graceful as ever," Alex muttered, cheeks flushed.
"You're perfect."
Alex looked at him. "You mean that?"
Liam kissed his knuckles. "Every bit."
They lay there, tangled up in each other, the world momentarily distant.
Outside, the wind stirred again.
Inside, two hearts beat in fragile rhythm.
The war would come.
The monsters would rise.
But for tonight, Alex wasn't the Door.
He was just a boy. In love.
And Liam was the one thing that made sense in all the chaos.
—
At 3:14 AM, a phone buzzed.
Harper.
You both alive?
Alex typed back: Barely.
Cool. Don't die. I've got a lead on your mom. Call me tomorrow.
Alex stared at the message.
Then turned to Liam.
"I think we just found the next door."
To be continued...