We burst out of the building into the cold, rain-soaked streets, the night pressing in around us like a living thing. I don't know if it's the adrenaline or the sheer terror gripping my chest, but the air feels thick, heavy, as if the city itself is holding its breath.

Dante's grip on my arm is unyielding as he pulls me through the narrow alleyways, Lila close behind, her eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of movement. Nikolai, of course, is ahead of us, darting from shadow to shadow with a grin on his face like he's enjoying every second of this. I don't understand how he can be so calm—or worse, how he can find any of this fun.

"Where are we going?" I manage to ask, my breath coming in sharp, shallow gasps as I struggle to keep up with them.

Dante doesn't slow down. "Somewhere safe."

"Safe? You just said they're coming for me. How the hell is anywhere safe right now?"

Nikolai glances over his shoulder, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Relax, sweetheart. We've got this under control."

"Control?" I snap, my frustration spilling over. "What part of this looks like control to you?"

"Olivia, focus!" Dante's voice cuts through the chaos in my head. "Just keep moving."

We round a corner, and suddenly, the world feels too small. The alley is tight, the buildings on either side towering above us like dark sentinels. I can hear them now—footsteps pounding behind us, echoing through the narrow streets. Too many to count. And they're getting closer.

"They're right on us," Lila says, her voice low but urgent.

"I know," Dante replies, his tone tight.

My heart feels like it's about to explode in my chest, and for a split second, I wonder if this is it. If this is how I die—chased down in a rain-soaked alley by creatures I barely understand.

Then I feel it—a shift in the air, a prickling at the back of my neck. Something's coming.

Dante suddenly pulls me behind him, pushing me against the brick wall of the alley. His eyes flash, more dangerous now than I've ever seen them. "Stay here," he commands, his voice low and lethal. "No matter what happens, don't move until we tell you to."

"What?" I start to protest, but Lila is already in front of me, her hand on my shoulder, her expression fierce but calm.

"Trust us," she whispers, her gaze locking onto mine. "We'll protect you."

Before I can argue, they both turn, stepping out into the middle of the alley just as the first figures appear at the other end. My breath catches in my throat. There are at least five of them, moving with an unnatural grace, their eyes glowing faintly in the dark.

The rogues.

I don't know how I know they're rogues—I just do. The way they move, the hunger in their eyes… it's different from Dante, Lila, and even Nikolai. There's something more primal about them, more animalistic.

"Well, well," one of them says, his voice slick and mocking. "Look what we've got here. Playing protector, are we, Dante?"

Dante doesn't respond. His posture is rigid, every muscle tensed like he's ready to pounce at any second.

"You know why we're here," the rogue continues, stepping closer. He's tall, lanky, with dark hair slicked back and a grin that shows too many teeth. "Just hand over the girl, and we'll be on our way."

"No," Dante says, his voice like steel. "You'll leave her alone."

The rogue laughs, a sound that makes my skin crawl. "Brave words, but you and I both know how this ends. You can't protect her. You can't protect any of them."

I press myself harder against the wall, my heart thudding in my ears. Dante and Lila stand between me and them, but I can feel the weight of the rogues' gaze, like they're already calculating the easiest way to tear me apart.

"Enough talking," another rogue growls, stepping forward. "Let's just kill them all and take her."

The atmosphere shifts in an instant, crackling with tension. I can feel it—the violence, the bloodlust—it's like a living thing in the air, suffocating. My breath comes faster, panic rising in my chest. I don't know what to do, don't know how to fight this.

And then everything happens at once.

The rogues charge, moving faster than I can process. Dante and Lila spring into action, their movements so fast they blur, a whirl of limbs and flashing teeth. I hear snarls, the sound of flesh hitting flesh, and the sharp crack of bones breaking. I can't keep up—everything is moving too quickly, too violently.

My body locks up in fear, frozen against the wall as the chaos unfolds in front of me. I should move. I should do something, but I can't. I can't breathe, can't think. I'm just… stuck.

Then, out of nowhere, a hand grabs my arm, yanking me forward. I let out a yelp.

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"Come on, darling, time to move," Nikolai says, his voice close to my ear. He pulls me away from the wall, guiding me through the melee with an ease that makes my head spin. "This way."

I barely manage to keep my feet under me as Nikolai drags me down another alley, away from the fight. My mind is racing, trying to make sense of what's happening, but all I can think is that we're leaving Dante and Lila behind.

"They need help!" I shout, stumbling as I try to keep up with Nikolai's pace.

"They'll be fine," he replies, his tone light. "They're tougher than they look."

We dart through another narrow street, and I glance over my shoulder, expecting to see the rogues right behind us, but all I hear are the distant sounds of the fight still raging. My lungs burn, my legs ache, but I don't dare stop.

Suddenly, Nikolai pulls us into a side door, slamming it shut behind us. The building is dark, musty, and eerily quiet compared to the storm of chaos outside. I collapse against the wall, gasping for breath, my whole body trembling.

"Why did we run?" I ask, still panting. "What about Dante and Lila?"

Nikolai shrugs, leaning casually against the door. "They're handling the rogues. We needed to get you out of there."

I stare at him, incredulous. "So you just left them?"

He chuckles, that infuriating smirk never leaving his face. "They'll catch up. Don't worry."

I don't know whether to believe him or not. But right now, I don't have the energy to argue. I slump against the wall, my mind spinning. Vampires. Rogues. A fight to the death. And somehow, I'm still alive.

For now.

Nikolai watches me, his expression unreadable. "You handled that pretty well," he says after a moment. "For a human."

I shoot him a glare. "I didn't do anything."

He grins. "Exactly. You didn't get in the way."

Before I can respond, there's a loud thud against the door, and Nikolai's grin vanishes. His eyes darken, all trace of amusement gone. "Stay behind me," he says, his voice low.

My heart leaps into my throat. "What's happening?"

The door shakes again, and then, with a deafening crash, it bursts open.

And standing there, framed in the doorway, is a rogue vampire, blood dripping from his mouth, his eyes gleaming with hunger.

Nikolai steps forward, his posture shifting, ready for a fight. "Looks like we're not done yet," he mutters.

And before I can even blink, the rogue lunges.

The rogue slams into Nikolai with terrifying force, their bodies colliding in a blur of speed and violence. The door rattles in its frame from the impact, and for a split second, all I can hear is the sound of snarling and the crunch of fists against flesh.

I scramble backward, my heart racing so fast it feels like it might burst out of my chest. Every instinct in my body screams at me to run, but my feet are glued to the floor. I can't tear my eyes away from the fight, from the sheer brutality of it.

Nikolai moves like a predator, his usual cocky smirk replaced with a snarl as he meets the rogue head-on. He's fast—faster than I've ever seen anyone move—but the rogue is just as quick. They're locked in a vicious dance, trading blows with a speed and strength that's impossible to comprehend.

The rogue lets out a feral growl, his teeth bared, and lunges at Nikolai again. Nikolai sidesteps, grabbing the rogue by the neck and slamming him into the wall with a sickening crack. The force of it shakes the entire room.

I gasp, backing further into the corner, pressing myself against the wall. My pulse is roaring in my ears, drowning out everything else.

"Olivia, stay down!" Nikolai's voice cuts through the chaos, sharp and commanding. He doesn't look back at me, too focused on keeping the rogue at bay, but the warning is clear.

The rogue thrashes in Nikolai's grip, a guttural snarl ripping from his throat as he claws at Nikolai's arm. He's stronger than he looks, and for a moment, it's like Nikolai is struggling to hold him down.

I take a step toward the door, trying to figure out if there's anywhere I can run, but then I hear it—the faint sound of footsteps outside. More of them. My blood turns to ice. We're trapped.

"More are coming," I whisper, my voice barely audible.

Nikolai slams the rogue into the wall again, his face a mask of frustration. "Then we'll handle them," he growls through gritted teeth, not bothering to glance at me. "But first—"

Before he can finish, the rogue suddenly twists in Nikolai's grip, his strength catching Nikolai off-guard. With a surge of power, the rogue shoves Nikolai backward, sending him crashing into the floor. The rogue is on him in an instant, his fangs bared as he goes for Nikolai's throat.

A scream rips from my throat before I can stop it.

Nikolai, quicker than I thought possible, flips the rogue over, and with a swift, brutal motion, drives a fist into the rogue's chest. There's a sickening crunch, and the rogue lets out a gurgled cry before going limp, his body collapsing to the floor in a heap.

I stand there, frozen, my breath coming in shallow, panicked gasps. My mind is racing, trying to catch up with what I just saw, but nothing makes sense anymore. Nikolai just killed him—just like that.

Nikolai stands, his breathing ragged, wiping blood from his lip with the back of his hand. He glances down at the body, then back at me, his eyes dark and unreadable. "That's one," he mutters.

"One?" I repeat, my voice barely a whisper.

He steps toward me, his expression softening slightly as he takes in my wide-eyed terror. "Hey," he says, his voice low, almost gentle. "You're okay. I told you, we've got this." He's covered in blood splatter that made the statement feel like a joke, but not the funny haha kind.

"I-I…" I try to find words, but they stick in my throat. The weight of everything is crashing down on me all at once—the fight, the rogues, the fact that this is my life now. I'm not okay. I'm so far from okay.

Before I can say anything else, the door crashes open again, and I instinctively flinch, expecting another attack. But this time, it's Dante and Lila, both of them covered in blood, but very much alive. Dante looks furious, his eyes blazing with anger, while Lila's face is grim but calm.

"We need to go," Dante says immediately, his voice tense as he takes in the room—the dead rogue, Nikolai standing over the body, and me, shaking in the corner. "There are more coming."

"I know," Nikolai says, brushing off the dust and blood from his clothes. "We've had a bit of fun ourselves."

Lila rushes over to me, her hands gentle as she grabs my shoulders, pulling me out of my frozen state and up from the floor. "Olivia, you're alright," she says softly, her voice steady and soothing. "But we need to move. Can you walk?"

I nod numbly, though I'm not sure if my legs will actually work.

"Good," she says, giving me a quick but reassuring squeeze before turning to Dante. "What's the plan?"

Dante is already moving, his face set in a determined scowl. "We're going underground. The safe house beneath the city. The rogues won't be able to find us there."

"Underground?" I ask, my voice shaky. "There's a safe house… under the city?"

"There's a lot you don't know about our world," Dante replies, his tone clipped but not unkind. "But now isn't the time for explanations."

He grabs my arm, his touch firm but not forceful, and pulls me toward the door. Lila is close behind, her eyes scanning the darkened street for any signs of movement. Nikolai follows, grinning despite the tension.

We slip into the night, moving swiftly through the rain-soaked streets. The city is eerily quiet now, the storm having driven most people indoors. But the weight of the danger still hangs in the air, thick and oppressive.

I stumble along behind Dante, my mind still struggling to process everything. The adrenaline is wearing off, leaving me feeling shaky and vulnerable. I can't believe I'm still alive. And I can't believe that this is my life now—fleeing from vampires, hiding in safe houses, trusting people I barely know to keep me alive.

We duck into another alley, and Dante leads us toward an old, rusted grate embedded in the ground. He pulls it up with ease, revealing a narrow stone staircase leading down into the darkness.

"This way," he says, already descending into the shadows.

I hesitate at the edge of the stairwell, my stomach twisting in knots. Everything in me screams that this is a bad idea—that I shouldn't follow them into the dark. But what choice do I have?

Lila steps beside me, her hand on my arm again. "It's safe down there," she says gently. "We'll protect you."

I nod, though I'm not sure I believe her. Then, with a deep breath, I step onto the stairs, following Dante into the darkness below.

Nikolai grins as he watches me descend. "Welcome to the underworld, darling."

I have no idea what's waiting for me down there, but one thing is clear: there's no going back now.

And as the grate slams shut above us, sealing us in, I realize just how deep I've fallen into their world.