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‘—burned from the inside—’

We lock eyes. Definitely the hunters we’re looking for.

I drain the rest of my drink.

‘What’s the plan?’ I whisper.

‘Follow them,’ Theo says. ‘See where they go. Let them lead us to whoever they’re working with.’

I nod. The urge to move now is like an itch under my skin, but we wait. Theo leans back in his chair, finishing his drink like nothing of importance is happening around him.

It feels different this time. When the boys went vampire hunting in the past, it didn’t feel right, and I felt powerless. This time, I am the powerful one, and I feel strongly about eliminating a threat. I understand vampires are also threats, but no one should be hunting anyone. We can coexist, and it’s acts like this that start battles that end in unnecessary bloodshed.

Behind us, the conversation continues in clipped, low tones. They’re not amateurs. It’s clear they’ve done this before. Perhaps they hop through towns and Red Thorne happens to be their latest target.

‘There’s three of them,’ Theo murmurs, voice barely audible.

Eventually, there’s movement. Chairs scrape, their low conversation continuing as they gather their things. They’re all dressed in dark clothes with backpacks, filled with weapons by the sound of it. The weapons clink together as they stand. They look suspicious, but in Red Thorne, they sort of fit in with everyone around them.

When they leave, we wait a minute or two, and Theo catches my eye, offering me a slow smirk.

‘It’s on, Cupcake. You ready?’

‘Let’s do it.’

We exit through the main door and circle around to the side. The street outside is quiet; most people are indoors. The hunters are already a block ahead, moving fast, but not suspiciously so.

Theo falls into step beside me. ‘We’ll hang back just enough. Don’t lose them.’

‘Got it.’

We slip through the street, moving among the shadows. They cut down a narrow alley, past a row of shuttered shops. At the end of the lane, I see them pause, looking both ways, then they slip inside an unmarked door tucked between two buildings.

Theo stops short, one arm out, making me stop as well. Light footsteps follow us and we turn as Hunter, Raya and Cora appear. Wordlessly, Hunter passes me my crossbow and I secure it over my shoulder. Kian is off doing his own work tonight.

We exchange a look before silently nodding at each other.

Theo slips in first, his movement fluid and silent, guiding me in behind him. Cora next, and then Hunter follows, his expression unreadable, eyes scanning every shadow. Raya brings up the rear, closing the door behind us with a soft click.

The air inside is stale, filled with dust, metal, and old blood. The building is gutted. Stripped walls, cracked tiles, the smell of mould soaking into the floorboards. I resist the urge to gag; the smell is so strong, I can taste it.

‘They’ve been using this place for a while,’ Hunter murmurs. ‘Maybe they’ve been here longer than we thought.’

Theo crouches near the floor, running his fingers over faint scuff marks in the dust. ‘They’ve dragged bodies through here.’

Raya and Cora move ahead, stepping over broken glass. We reach the hallway. The doors are closed, but one at the end is slightly ajar, and a rancid smell drifts from it. Theo pushes the door open with two fingers. I gasp when my eyes land on multiple dead bodies pushed to the side and a vampire in chains, strung up from the ceiling.

The vampire looks young. Blood streaks down one arm where something’s been injected. Her eyes are glazed, but she’s conscious, just barely. Chains wrap around her wrists and ankles. Theo looks uneasy, his eyes moving to the injection marks that haven’t healed, probably getting a flashback to his own time in captivity. I don’t think either of us will be able to shake those memories for a long time.

Raya’s hands fly to her mouth, Cora’s face remains impassive as her eyes sweep the area, and Hunter curses under his breath.

Theo steps closer to her, moving cautiously, as if he’s approaching a wounded animal. ‘Hey,’ he says gently. ‘Hey, you with us?’

Her head turns an inch. Her lips are cracked. ‘Please …’ Her voice is barely a sound. ‘Don’t let them do it again.’

I feel sick.

Theo looks over his shoulder at us. ‘They’ve already poisoned her.’