We didn't wait long to act.
That very same day, we launched Plan B—our contingency strategy.
While the others remained focused on Mr. Georgio, I made a different choice.
I wasn't after Georgio.
Not anymore.
I was waiting for him—
the other man.
The one who had always lingered in the background.
The one who stirred a curiosity I couldn't explain.
As soon as I received the signal, I slipped from my hiding spot without a word and made my way to the private car bay.
Everyone thought I was tracking Georgio's exit.
They were wrong.
I was intercepting the man beside him. The one no one seemed to know by name.
The garage was silent, save for the soft hum of the overhead fluorescent lights. Their blue glow cast long shadows across the concrete floor.
Two sets of footsteps echoed faintly—no bodyguards, just the two of them.
Mr. Georgio walked a step ahead, absorbed in something on his tablet, muttering to himself.
But I wasn't watching him.
My eyes locked with his companion's.
Ocean-blue. Clear. Timeless.
He looked up the moment I stepped into the open.
Our gazes met—and held. No surprise. No hesitation.
He had expected me.
"Miss Leighton," he said smoothly, his voice both warm and unsettling.
"You've strayed from the script."
"So you did know," I replied, keeping my tone even, though my heart was pounding.
He tilted his head slightly toward Georgio.
With a single glance, Georgio stopped mid-sentence, turned, and walked away without a word. Dismissed.
Just like that.
It became painfully clear who was really in control.
Now it was just the two of us.
He looked me over with quiet interest before speaking again.
"Do I have something that belongs to you?"
"That's not it," I said, taking a cautious step closer.
"But I think you know exactly what I'm talking about."
A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
"Actually, I saw something different in you. You're not entirely human… but not immortal either. Not yet. But now... I know."
"So?" I asked quietly.
His smile faded.
"I want to see what happens when the world's most dangerous prophecy comes to life."
He studied me, gaze sharpening.
"You've already been marked three times, haven't you?"
My breath caught.
"How do you know that?"
"I just know," he said softly.
And there was something terrible and kind in the way he said it.
I hated how calm he was. How right he felt. Like he'd stepped out of a forgotten memory I never lived, but somehow remembered.
"What are you?" I whispered.
He paused, thoughtful.
"I am… still human. Just like you. But after everything I've seen… everything I've done… I don't know what I am anymore. Maybe something in between."
"But you still have a soul," I challenged.
Another pause.
Then a nod.
"Yes. And you will too—if you survive what's coming."
His words made my skin prickle.
"You know about the Prime Apex."
"I know of it," he said.
"But what no one tells you is that it's not just about bloodlines, marks, or rituals. Not entirely. It's about choice. The moment you decide to step into who you are—that's when the awakening begins."
"Why are you here?" I asked, voice low, uncertain.
He stepped closer, and the air shimmered faintly around him—like heat off pavement, like ancient energy without a name.
"Why? Maybe to remind you that not all immortals serve the same cause. And not all enemies show their fangs."
He leaned in slightly—close enough that I could feel his presence like static against my skin.
"Next time you see me, Leighton… don't hesitate. Ask me the question you've been afraid to say out loud."
I swallowed.
"What question?"
He smiled faintly.
"Something like… Do you need my help?"
I hesitated, then whispered, "Of course I need your help. I've been searching for you. But first… can I know your name? I can't keep calling you 'that ocean-blue-eyed guy' in my head."
A rare, sheepish smile broke across his face.
"Jade," he said simply.
"Jade," I repeated, trying to commit it to memory.
He gave a slight nod.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have an urgent matter to attend to."
"Wait!" I called after him.
"Will I see you again?"
He raised his left hand in a lazy farewell.
"Later," he said with a wink.
"You… can wait."
And then he was gone.
Later that night, I stood on the balcony, staring out at the forest beyond Vlad's mansion, replaying the encounter in my mind.
Xander's voice broke the silence.
"I can't believe you confronted him alone," he growled behind me.
"It was necessary," I replied, still gazing into the distance.
"He wasn't going to hurt me."
"You don't know that," Dylan said, joining us, his eyes stormy.
"You don't know what he is."
"I know he's not working with Georgio," I said.
"And I know… he's the one pulling the strings. Georgio is just a puppet."
Vlad stood by the open door, arms crossed, gaze thoughtful.
"You said he knew about the prophecy?"
I nodded.
"Not just knew. He understood it. And he said something else—something that stuck with me. He said the Prime Apex is about choice. Not just marks. Not just power."
A heavy silence settled over us.
"Could he be from an older order?" Oregon asked quietly.
"Maybe… something that predates the clans?"
"Possibly," Vlad muttered.
"If he's a human immortal living outside all known systems, then we're dealing with something we can't predict."
"We know one thing for sure," I said.
"He's not hiding anymore."
I looked down at my wrist, where the tattoo I received from Oregon shimmered faintly beneath my skin. It was warm now—alive. Reacting.
As if it had been… awakened by my meeting with Jade.
And that only deepened my curiosity.