---
Nyah didn't sleep.
Not really.
She drifted in and out of it—restless, shallow fragments of dreams that dissolved the moment she tried to hold onto them. Every time her body relaxed, her mind dragged her back.
Back to the shortcut.
Back to red eyes glowing in the dark.
Back to the way death had leaned in close enough for her to feel its breath—
And then—
Him.
Adrian.
By the time the sun began to rise, Nyah gave up completely.
She sat up in bed, pushing her hair back with tired hands as she stared at the faint morning light creeping through the curtains.
Her room looked normal.
Everything did.
Mira was still asleep, curled under her blanket, one arm hanging off the side of the bed like she always did.
Peaceful.
Unbothered.
Unaffected.
Nyah envied that.
Because nothing felt normal anymore.
Not the air.
Not the silence.
Not even her own body.
There was a strange awareness now—subtle, but constant. Like something inside her had woken up… and refused to go back to sleep.
She pressed a hand to her chest.
Her heartbeat was steady.
Too steady.
Calm in a way that didn't match what she'd been through.
"…What is wrong with me?" she whispered.
No answer.
Only the quiet hum of morning.
---
By noon, Nyah was on campus.
Because life didn't stop.
Assignments still existed. Professors still expected attendance. The world didn't care that she had almost died.
She sat in class, staring blankly at the board while her lecturer talked about something she didn't register.
Her pen hovered over her notebook, unmoving.
Her thoughts were elsewhere.
They're hunting you.
The words echoed again.
Her grip tightened.
Why?
What did she have that made her worth hunting?
Nyah frowned slightly.
"And why did he say it like that?" she murmured.
Like it wasn't just random.
Like it was something… known.
Something important.
Something dangerous.
"Nyah?"
She blinked.
Looked up.
Her lecturer was staring at her.
"Would you like to share your answer with the class?"
Nyah froze.
"…My answer?"
A few students snickered.
Great.
She hadn't even heard the question.
"I—uh—"
"See me after class," the lecturer said flatly before turning back to the board.
Nyah sank lower in her seat.
"Perfect," she muttered.
---
She didn't stay after class.
The moment it ended, she grabbed her bag and slipped out with everyone else.
She needed air.
Space.
Time to think.
Instead, she got none of those things.
Because the moment she stepped outside—
That feeling hit her again.
That same, creeping awareness from the night before.
Her steps slowed.
Her eyes scanned the crowd.
Students passed by, laughing, talking, completely unaware.
Normal.
All of them.
But Nyah felt it.
Something wasn't right.
"…No," she whispered. "Not here."
Not in broad daylight.
That didn't make sense.
Did it?
Her heart began to race.
She turned quickly, heading toward a quieter part of campus, her pace picking up without realizing it.
Don't panic.
But her instincts were screaming now.
Louder than before.
She was being watched.
Nyah stopped abruptly near an empty walkway behind one of the older buildings.
Her breathing was uneven.
"Okay," she said under her breath. "If someone's there, just—show yourself."
Silence.
Nothing.
She shook her head.
"You're losing it," she muttered.
And then—
"Not quite."
The voice came from behind her.
Nyah spun around.
And her heart dropped.
Red eyes.
Not as bright in the daylight.
But still there.
Still wrong.
Still inhuman.
The same kind.
Her pulse exploded.
"You—"
The vampire smiled slowly, stepping out of the shadows.
"You smell even better in the daylight," he said.
Nyah's stomach twisted violently.
Her body reacted before her mind could.
She stepped back.
"No," she whispered.
"There's no point running this time," he added casually. "No one's coming to save you."
Fear shot through her veins.
Adrian.
Where was he?
Why wasn't he—
Stop. Move.
Nyah turned and ran.
---
Her feet pounded against the pavement as she sprinted across the campus, her breath tearing out of her lungs.
People shouted as she shoved past them.
She didn't stop.
Didn't think.
Didn't look back—
Until she had to.
A blur of movement cut across her path.
He was in front of her now.
Blocking her.
Too fast.
Impossible.
Nyah stumbled to a halt, her chest heaving.
"Please," she gasped. "Just—leave me alone."
He tilted his head, studying her.
"I would," he said softly, "but you're far too valuable."
Her stomach dropped.
"What does that mean?"
He stepped closer.
Nyah stepped back.
Her back hit a wall.
Trapped.
Again.
"Your blood," he said, his voice lowering. "Do you have any idea what it is?"
Nyah shook her head quickly.
"I don't know what you're talking about—"
"I think you do," he interrupted, his gaze darkening.
"No," she insisted. "I don't!"
He inhaled.
And then—
Everything changed.
His expression snapped.
His control broke.
Hunger flooded his face, raw and overwhelming.
"Oh," he whispered. "That's… even better than I expected."
Nyah's heart slammed violently.
"What—what is it?" she stammered.
He didn't answer.
Didn't need to.
Because the way he looked at her now—
It was worse than before.
Not just hunger.
Obsession.
"You're coming with me," he said.
Panic surged.
"No—"
He moved.
Too fast.
His hand shot out—
And grabbed her wrist.
The moment his skin touched hers—
Something happened.
A sharp, burning sensation shot through Nyah's arm.
She gasped, her body jerking violently.
"What—?!"
The vampire froze.
His grip tightened.
Then loosened.
Then—
He hissed.
And yanked his hand back like he'd been burned.
"What are you?" he demanded, his voice suddenly harsh.
Nyah stared at him, just as shocked.
"I don't—"
A blur.
A shift in the air.
And then—
He was there.
Adrian.
He appeared between them so suddenly it felt like the world had snapped.
His hand clamped around the other vampire's throat.
Hard.
Lifting him slightly off the ground.
The air turned cold.
Sharp.
Deadly.
"I warned you," Adrian said quietly.
Nyah's breath caught.
She had never heard his voice like that.
There was no calm now.
No restraint.
Only danger.
The vampire struggled, gripping Adrian's wrist.
"You don't own her," he snarled.
Adrian's eyes darkened.
"No," he said. "But you don't get to touch her."
The words hit something deep in Nyah's chest.
Something unexpected.
Before she could process it—
Adrian moved.
A sharp motion.
A sickening crack.
The vampire went limp.
Nyah flinched.
Adrian released him, letting the body drop to the ground like it meant nothing.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Breathless.
Nyah stared.
Her heart pounded.
Her mind struggled to catch up.
Adrian turned slowly.
His gaze found hers.
And for a moment—
Everything else faded.
The world.
The fear.
The chaos.
It was just him.
Watching her.
Checking.
"Are you hurt?" he asked.
The question was quiet.
But it held something else this time.
Something… tighter.
Nyah shook her head quickly.
"No. I—no."
Adrian stepped closer.
Nyah's breath hitched instinctively.
Not from fear.
Not entirely.
He stopped in front of her, his eyes scanning her face, her arms, her neck.
Searching.
Making sure.
Nyah felt it.
That attention.
Focused.
Intense.
Dangerous.
"…You shouldn't be here," she said softly.
His gaze flicked back to hers.
"And yet," he replied, "I was."
Nyah swallowed.
"You followed me?"
"Yes."
The answer came without hesitation.
Her heart skipped.
"Why?"
A pause.
Then—
"Because I knew they would come."
Her chest tightened.
"You knew?" she whispered.
"Yes."
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
Adrian's jaw tightened slightly.
"You wouldn't have listened."
Nyah opened her mouth—
Closed it.
Because… he wasn't wrong.
That only made it worse.
"You don't get to decide that for me," she said.
His gaze held hers.
"No," he said. "But I decide whether you live or die."
The words should have scared her.
And they did.
But not in the way she expected.
Because beneath them—
There was something else.
Something protective.
Something… personal.
Nyah shook her head slightly.
"You keep saying things like that," she murmured. "Like I belong in this… whatever this is."
"You do."
The certainty in his voice made her chest tighten.
"I don't even know what I am," she said.
Adrian went still.
For a moment, something flickered across his expression.
Conflict.
Gone almost instantly.
"That," he said quietly, "is exactly the problem."
Nyah's pulse quickened.
"Then tell me."
Silence.
Tension.
Then—
He reached for her.
Nyah froze.
His hand stopped just short of her wrist.
Like he was hesitating.
For the first time.
"…May I?" he asked.
The question caught her off guard.
He was asking.
Not taking.
Nyah swallowed.
Then nodded.
"…Okay."
His fingers closed gently around her wrist.
And everything changed.
Nyah felt it immediately.
A strange warmth spread through her arm, not painful—but intense. Like something under her skin was reacting to him.
Adrian stilled.
His grip tightened slightly.
His eyes darkened.
"…This," he said, almost to himself.
Nyah's breath caught.
"What?"
He looked at her.
Really looked this time.
Like he finally understood something.
Something dangerous.
Something irreversible.
"Your blood," he said quietly.
Nyah's heart pounded.
"What about it?"
A pause.
Then—
"It's not human."
Silence.
The world seemed to tilt slightly.
Nyah stared at him.
"…That's not funny."
"I'm not joking."
Her breath hitched.
"That's not possible."
Adrian didn't argue.
Didn't explain.
Just watched her.
And somehow—
That made it worse.
Nyah pulled her hand back.
"No," she said, shaking her head. "No, that doesn't make sense."
"It doesn't have to."
Her chest tightened.
"Then explain it to me!"
"I can't."
Frustration flared.
"Or you won't?"
A beat.
Then—
"Both."
Nyah let out a sharp breath, running a hand through her hair.
"This is insane," she muttered. "All of it."
"Yes."
She blinked at him.
"You're agreeing with me?"
"I never said it wasn't."
Despite everything—
A small, disbelieving laugh escaped her.
And for a moment—
Just a moment—
Something softened in Adrian's expression.
Barely there.
But real.
Nyah's breath caught.
Because that?
That was the first time he looked…
Human.
And it made something in her chest shift.
Dangerously.
---
"You can't stay here anymore," Adrian said after a moment.
Nyah frowned.
"What?"
"They'll keep coming."
Her stomach dropped.
"…Because of me."
"Yes."
She looked at the body on the ground.
Then back at him.
"This is my life," she said quietly. "My school. My home. Mira—"
"They'll use her."
The words hit hard.
Nyah froze.
"What?"
"If they can't get to you directly," Adrian said, "they'll go through her."
Her chest tightened painfully.
"No," she whispered.
"Yes."
Nyah shook her head.
"I won't let that happen."
Adrian stepped closer.
"You don't have a choice."
Her heart pounded.
"Then what do I do?"
Silence.
Then—
He held her gaze.
"You come with me."
The words landed between them.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Nyah's breath caught.
And for the first time—
The fear wasn't just about the vampires hunting her.
It was about him.
Because going with Adrian—
Meant stepping fully into his world.
And something told her—
There would be no going back.
---