SAGE
"Were you planning to leave her there?" I asked, my voice calm, almost conversational.
The woman’s body which laid on the ground idly, had her eyes glassy, lips still parted in that final, silent scream. Her skin was pale as chalk, all color drained, veins dark beneath the surface like ink bleeding through paper.
For a moment, I just stared at her—at how fragile she looked, how easily life slipped away from flesh. Then I sighed.
With a small flick of my wrist, the earth trembled beneath her. Roots slithered aside as soil loosened and parted, forming a hollow grave. The ground accepted her silently, swallowing her whole. When it closed again, there was no trace of her—no blood, no struggle, no witness.
I reverted my attention to the vampire, who stood a few paces away, licking the last of her blood from his lips. His smirk was sharp, fear slipping away–or pretending to, the kind only creatures like him could wear—half mockery, half hunger.
He shrugged, eyes gleaming like garnets in the moonlight. "Would have made a fine message, don’t you think? A drained corpse at the colony’s border—panic would spread like wildfire. Fear is the best disease for the living."
I tilted my head, studying him. He wasn’t wrong. Chaos was always the fastest way to weaken a region. And lately, fear has been ripe enough to harvest.
I couldn’t help the small smile that curved my lips. "It would help the mission," I murmured.
He caught that smile and misread it, of course. Vampires always did. They thought everything revolved around them.
But I was smiling because I wondered if Adam had gotten the news yet—about the attacks, the disappearances. He must still think his pretty barrier protected his people. I almost laughed. The same barrier he believed would save them was the one I’d soon be getting rid of.
The vampire stepped closer, his grin widening. "You smile like that, and I’ll think you approve of me."
I raised a hand before he could take another step. "Don’t."
He stopped immediately, his grin faltering just slightly. I let the silence stretch between us before I asked, "Do you know who I am?"
His gaze sharpened. Then, slowly, he nodded. "Of course I do. You’re infamous among my kind. You and your queen."
"Infamous," I echoed, the word rolling off my tongue like smoke. "That’s a generous way of saying cursed."
He chuckled, low and husky. "Names change, but the scent of power doesn’t. You reek of it, Sage. It’s why some of my brothers whisper your name even now."
"Your brothers?" I asked, arching a brow. "How many of you are here in this region?"
His lips curved into a sly, knowing smile—one that told me more than any number could. "Plenty."
I clicked my tongue, feigning annoyance, though my thoughts were already racing. Plenty. Enough to turn the colonies into ghost towns within days if left unchecked. Too bad most of the innocents wouldn’t survive long enough to understand what hit them.
Maybe I should just kill Adam and his entire bloodline and be done with it. That would end this charade faster than any covert mission. But that would also mean turning against the plan—and against the vampire king who wanted this region bled dry before dawn’s next rise.
I chose silence instead. After all, the people here weren’t saints. Their hands were as dirty as ours—only difference was that we didn’t pretend otherwise.
The vampire shifted his weight, his gaze sliding down my neck. When he spoke again, his voice was softer, almost reverent. "Your blood smells different," he said. "Stronger. I’ve never craved anything as much as I crave you right now. Just a taste..."
He took half a step closer, eyes glinting with desire that wasn’t human.
A snarl tore from my throat before I could stop it, the sound low and dangerous. "Try it," I said, my magic stirring beneath my skin. "And I’ll burn your tongue from your mouth."
The look on his face—shock mingled with reluctant amusement—was almost satisfying. He raised both hands in surrender and backed away.
"Temper, temper," he murmured. "You could’ve just said no."
"I did."
He smirked, though his tone shifted, curiosity creeping in. "Do you even know why your blood calls to us, little witch? Do you know what you are on the inside?"
The question made something twist in my chest. I hated that he could see the flicker of uncertainty in my eyes. I didn’t answer him. I didn’t owe him that.
Instead, I lifted my chin and gestured toward the forest edge. "Leave," I said coldly.
He held my gaze for a heartbeat longer, his smile fading into something unreadable. "One day," he murmured, stepping back into the shadows, "you’ll want the truth. And you’ll come looking for me."
"Unlikely," I replied.
He laughed—a hollow, echoing sound that faded with him into the dark. When his presence finally vanished, I let out a slow exhale I hadn’t realized I was holding.
The forest was quiet again. Only the whisper of wind through the leaves and the faint hum of crickets filled the air. I turned, brushing dirt from my hands, and began making my way back toward the town. The faint glow of the colony lights shimmered in the distance, teasingly close.
I could almost smell the hearth smoke from the houses, hear the faint murmur of people beyond the walls. Safety, for them. Pretend safety.
I was steps away from leaving the forest when something cold and strong wrapped around my arm.
I reacted instantly. Magic burst from my palm, a whip of blinding energy lashing out. But whoever it was blocked it—a shimmer of dark energy colliding with mine midair, snapping like thunder. The grip on my arm loosened but didn’t vanish.
I spun around, eyes narrowing.
He stood there, tall and calm, unbothered by the surge of power between us.
My breath caught before I could stop it. He was... striking. Not in the polished, charming way Raul was, but in a way that seemed carved from shadow itself.
Long black hair cascaded down his back, glinting faintly under the moonlight. His skin was pale but not lifeless, his eyes dark as midnight, sharp and unreadable. Power rolled off him in quiet waves, the kind that didn’t need to be shown to be felt.
My mouth opened slightly, a question forming, but I didn’t need to ask it. I knew that energy—knew that darkness that seemed to move like a living thing around him.
The man I had seen when I had entered the quarters for the first time. The fellow who had shrouded himself with darkness.
Isla had given me adequate information on the fellow I had never seen fight.
Darius.
The opponent I was meant to face tomorrow. The one they called the shadow-borne. The one no one had seen in training, who’d skipped the races entirely.
And here he was.
"Enjoying the night, are we?" His voice was deep, cool, threaded with quiet irritation.
I straightened, jerking my arm from his grasp. "You shouldn’t sneak up on people," I said, keeping my tone steady.
He looked me over once, gaze sharp. "You shouldn’t be out here alone."
"I can handle myself."
"I saw that," he said dryly. His eyes flicked toward the spot where the vampire had stood moments ago. "You let him go."
"That was the idea."
His expression hardened. "You play with monsters and think they won’t bite you?"