I stand there, frozen, Selene's words echoing in my mind.

You'll find out soon enough, little human.

The way she said it, like I was some kind of prey waiting to be hunted down, makes my skin crawl.

Dante still stands between me and the darkness where she disappeared, his shoulders tense, his hands balled into fists at his sides. I can tell from the way his jaw clenches that he's trying to control his emotions, but there's an edge to him now—a dangerous edge I haven't seen before.

For the first time since I met him, I wonder if I should be afraid of him, too.

"Who was that?" I ask, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to stay calm. I know Selene's name, but it's not enough. I need more.

Dante turns to face me, his eyes darker than I've ever seen them. "She's part of the old guard," he says quietly. "A powerful vampire from a faction we've been avoiding for a long time. But if she's here, it means the situation with the rogues is worse than we thought."

I swallow hard. "And she wants me?"

Dante's expression tightens, and he nods. "It seems so."

"Why? What does she want with me?"

He hesitates, the silence stretching long enough that I start to wonder if he'll answer at all. When he finally speaks, his voice is low, careful. "There's something about you, Olivia—something that's drawing attention from all sides. It's not just the rogues who want you. Selene and her kind have their own reasons, and I don't know if those reasons are any less dangerous."

That gnawing frustration builds in my chest, hot and heavy. "Why does everyone keep saying that? What am I supposed to be? I'm just… I'm just a journalist. I didn't ask for any of this!"

Dante's gaze softens, and he steps closer, his voice gentler now. "I know. And I don't have all the answers yet. But there's more going on here than we understand. You're important, Olivia—more important than you realize. We're trying to protect you, but there are things we don't fully know yet."

I let out a shaky breath, the weight of everything pressing down on me. I don't want to be important. I don't want to be at the center of some vampire war. But it's clear that I have no say in the matter anymore. My life, my choices—they've all been swallowed up by something much bigger than me.

Before I can say anything else, footsteps echo down the corridor behind us, and Lila and Nikolai appear, both looking tense. Lila's eyes dart between me and Dante, and I can see the worry etched in her features.

"What happened?" Lila asks, her voice urgent. "I thought I heard another voice."

"Selene," Dante says grimly, glancing at them. "She was here."

Nikolai's grin fades, replaced by something darker. "Selene? Well, that's not good news."

Lila's face pales, and she turns to me. "Are you okay?"

I nod, though I don't feel okay at all. "I'm fine. She didn't do anything, just… talked."

"She never does anything right away," Nikolai says with a bitter edge to his voice. "That's her style. She'll watch, wait, and when the time's right, she'll make her move."

"And we need to be ready," Dante says, his voice steady but hard. His whole body is still coiled with tension, but there's something else now—something simmering just beneath the surface. "We can't afford to let our guard down now."

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Lila steps closer to me, her expression full of concern. "Selene is dangerous, Olivia. She's been around for centuries, and she's not someone we can easily fight off. If she's interested in you, we need to figure out why. Fast."

I feel the weight of her words settling over me like a heavy blanket. Why me? Why am I so important to them?

"I don't understand any of this," I say, my voice cracking. "Why does it feel like I'm part of some prophecy or something? I'm just—"

"You're not 'just' anything," Nikolai interrupts, crossing his arms. "You've walked into a world where nothing is as simple as it seems."

His words sink in, and I feel a wave of exhaustion wash over me. I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask to be dragged into their war, their secrets, their world of darkness. But now that I'm here, I can't just walk away.

"We need to find out why Selene is after you," Dante says, his voice serious. "If she's involved, things are worse than we thought. The rogues are one thing, but Selene's power and influence could shift the balance."

I glance at him, and suddenly, everything about his tight, controlled posture feels wrong. Like there's something he's not telling me. Selene's words come rushing back: "Still holding onto that old guilt, are you?"

"What aren't you telling me?" The words slip out before I can stop them.

Dante meets my gaze, his expression guarded. "I've told you what you need to know."

"No," I say, my frustration boiling over. "You haven't. Selene knows you. She said something about guilt. What does she have on you?"

Dante's jaw tightens, and for a moment, I see the flicker of something in his eyes—regret? Anger? I can't tell. He opens his mouth to respond, but then closes it, clearly unwilling to dive into that part of his past.

Lila steps in, her tone calm but insistent. "We should move. The safe house isn't going to be safe for much longer."

"Move?" I ask, panic creeping into my voice. "To where?"

"We need to leave the city," Dante says, his tone more urgent now, as if Selene's presence has rattled him more than he'll admit. "Get far enough away that Selene and the rogues can't track us down."

Nikolai raises an eyebrow, his usual smirk returning. "A road trip? Sounds fun."

I glare at him, but my heart is pounding too hard for me to respond. There's a knot of fear tightening in my chest, and I don't know how to shake it. Selene's face lingers in my mind—her calm, predatory smile, the way she looked at me like I was something she already owned. It terrifies me in a way that I haven't fully processed yet.

But one thing is clear: I can't run from this.

I don't know what makes me say it, but the words slip out before I can stop them. "I want to know more."

Lila looks at me, almost annoyed. "More?"

I nod, my frustration spilling over. "Yes, more. You've been stringing me along with half-truths and cryptic warnings since the moment we met. I need to know what's going on. What does Selene want with me? What aren't you telling me about her—and about you?"

Dante's gaze flickers, something unreadable in his eyes, but he stays silent. It's Lila who speaks, her tone sharp and to the point. "We don't have time for this right now, Olivia. Selene could be watching. The longer we stay here, the more dangerous this becomes."

"That's not an answer," I snap, my voice trembling with anger. "You can't just keep dragging me deeper into this without telling me anything! I deserve to know—"

"We've told you enough," Dante cuts in, his voice firm but restrained, like he's trying to keep his emotions in check. "Right now, all that matters is getting you out of here alive."

"And what about after that?" I challenge. "I can't keep running forever."

"Then we'll figure it out when the time comes," Dante says, his tone hardening. "But not now."

I take a step back, feeling a wave of cold dread wash over me. It's like a wall has come down between us—between me and the truth—and no matter how much I push, they won't let me through. There's something deeper going on, something they're hiding, and I'm not sure whether it's because they don't trust me… or because they don't trust themselves.

Nikolai's voice breaks through the tension, light and mocking. "Don't worry, darling. The mysteries will unravel eventually. They always do."

I glare at him, my frustration bubbling over. "That's not good enough."

"Right now, it's all you're getting," Dante says sharply. "We don't have the luxury of explanations. We need to move."

His jaw clenches, and I can tell he wants to say more, maybe even to reassure me, but he stays quiet, turning away to scan the shadows. Whatever Selene's presence has stirred up in him, it's clear he's not ready to confront it—let alone share it with me.

I take a shaky breath, the weight of the situation pressing down on me. It's like I'm sinking deeper into a darkness I can't escape from. And the worst part is, I'm still blind to the full scope of what's happening around me.

"Fine," I mutter, my voice tight. "But I'm not done asking questions."

Dante glances at me, his expression softening for just a moment. "I know."

Dante doesn't wait for another argument. He moves decisively toward the entrance of the tunnel, gesturing for us to follow. "Let's go. We'll figure out the next steps once we're far enough away."

Nikolai falls in line with a lazy stride, as if the danger doesn't bother him in the slightest. I trail behind, feeling the knot of frustration and fear tightening in my chest with each step. No one says anything else as we move through the underground, the tension between us thick and unspoken.

But one thing is clear: they're keeping secrets. And whatever those secrets are, they could be the difference between life and death for me.

I glance at Dante one last time before we step into the underground room. His face is set in stone, and the dangerous edge I noticed earlier is still there, just beneath the surface. Whatever guilt or history Selene dredged up in him, it's eating at him. And I can't shake the feeling that, when the time comes, it could tear everything apart.

As they gather their things, readying us to leave, my mind is already racing.

If they won't give me the answers I need, I'll have to find them myself.

Because I won't be kept in the dark forever.