Austin glared at him, his anger still sharp and burning. He
stormed into the living room, Noah trailing behind at an unhurried pace,
observing as Austin opened a small case by the TV and pressed a button. Noah
hadn't expected compliance, but instead of the stakes halting their pursuit of
Seraphine, a thick, dark smoke began to billow out. A slow smile tugged at his
lips. He backed away, slipping into the adjoining room filled with chemicals.
His gaze landed on a mask hanging nearby. He grabbed it
without hesitation, securing it over his face before sliding behind one of the
cabinets. The smoke spread rapidly, creeping from unseen nozzles in the
ceiling. A failsafe, Noah assumed—something designed to subdue a vampire if
control was lost. Would it even affect him? He wasn't sure, but the dense white
haze did a remarkable job of obscuring his vision. Sound dulled, swallowed by
the gas. His mask blocked scent as well. Cut off from his senses, unease
settled in, but he reminded himself—he was dealing with a human.
A scientist, not a hunter. The smoke screen was deliberate,
calculated. A means of control. If Austin had released it, he had a plan for
what came next. Noah needed to anticipate it before the trap fully closed
around him.
Noah stood still, straining to hear through the suffocating
silence. Instinct flared, saving him from the blade aimed at his back. A hand
emerged from the smoke, syringe poised, but Noah caught it in a swift, decisive
motion, sending the syringe clattering to the floor.
A grunt of pain escaped Austin, close enough now for Noah to
hear. The man's persistence was maddening, as if he were guarding some secret.
What was behind that door he was so desperate to protect? Noah yanked the hand
closer, his grip shifting to Austin's throat as he dragged him out of the haze.
"For someone smart enough to invent all this, you're
remarkably stupid," Noah muttered, his voice low and cutting. He marched
forward, ignoring Austin's thrashing and muffled groans. The man wore a mask,
one clearly designed for visibility in the dark. Clever, but not clever enough.
Noah's fingers found his face, and a single punch silenced him. Austin crumpled
to the ground.
"You'd better stay unconscious this time," Noah said,
letting him drop. "What a pain."
Blindly, Noah felt his way toward the door. The thick fog
began to thin as he entered the hallway, faint spots of light piercing through.
Seraphine's voice reached him, sharp and frantic.
"Noah!" she screamed, her tone grating on his nerves.
"Shut up, I'm here," he snapped, stepping out of the fog.
The door hung ajar, its hinges twisted and broken. Seraphine had torn it apart
in her panic. He took in the scene, her bloodied form a testament to her failed
attempts to enter.
"Still can't come in?" he asked, his gaze sweeping over her.
She was worse off than before, her injuries proof of her relentless efforts—and
the price she'd paid for them.
"Are you okay? Did that jerk hurt you?" Seraphine's voice
was tight with concern.
Noah barely spared her a glance. "Worry about yourself," he
muttered, his focus shifting to the control panel mounted on the wall. He
flicked the red button Austin had used, watching as the vacuum system kicked
into action, sucking the smoke away in steady streams.
"Convenient." With a sigh, he pulled off the mask, inhaling
deeply. "Now, let's see."
Rows of buttons stared back at him, each one a potential
trigger for disaster. He hesitated, scanning the options carefully—pressing the
wrong one might unleash something far worse than smoke.
"Well, it shouldn't be a problem," he reasoned. "Most of
these traps are designed for vampires anyway."
His fingers hovered, selecting a small silver button marked
with a door icon. Seemed logical enough. He turned to Seraphine, nodding toward
the entrance. "Well, come in."
She stepped forward cautiously. Nothing happened. The stakes
remained motionless. A slow smile spread across her face, then she took another
tentative step. Still nothing.
"It finally stopped," she breathed, grinning. Confidence
renewed, she strode in. "Where's that jerk? I'm going to tear his throa—"
The ground beneath her split open.
Noah blinked. She hovered just above the chute, body
suspended, feet skimming air. Her ability to briefly fly had saved her, but the
sight left Noah slightly disappointed—he wouldn't get to witness her plummet
into the depths, impaled by silver.
He whistled, peering into the drop below. Deep. Bottomless.
Whatever fell in wouldn't be coming out.
"Help me," Seraphine snapped, voice tight with strain.
Only then did he notice them—the nearly invisible silver
wires, winding around her like a snare. One coiled tight around her throat.
Austin had accounted for a vampire's ability to jump.
Noah rushed back to the panel, abandoning caution as he
pressed buttons at random.
One sealed the chute shut. Another retracted the silver
wires.
Seraphine dropped in a graceless, silent heap.
Noah crouched beside her, studying the damage the wires had
inflicted. His fingers tilted her chin upward, revealing deep, searing cuts
that were already knitting back together, smoke curling from the healing wounds
as Seraphine coughed.
Given enough time, those wires could have taken her head
clean off. Smart design.
"Why are you smiling? This hurts," she muttered, her voice
rough but steady now.
Noah gestured toward the bunker. "Look. I think we might
actually find something here that can kill you. Isn't that great?"
She leveled an unimpressed stare at the room, her expression
dark with unspoken emotion. "Unforgivable. You think I want to give that piece
of shit the satisfaction of ending my life?"
Noah shot her a look, indifferent. What did it matter?
"Doesn't change the fact that we need him to cooperate."
"Where is he?!" Seraphine surged to her feet, restless and
ready for a fight. She stepped into the living space, scanning for any trace of
Austin. Nothing. She spun, agitated.
"Be careful, Seraphine," Noah warned—just as a stake shot
from the wall, aimed straight for her.
She reacted instantly. Not only did she dodge the
projectile, she lunged forward, her fist crashing into the stake dispenser. The
wall crumpled under the force of her power. The machine shuddered, twisted
inward, and fell silent. No more stakes.
Noah exhaled, flicking his gaze toward the damaged wall.
"Efficient."
"Where is he!?"
Noah gestured toward the locked door. "Forget him for now.
Open that."
"What?" Seraphine's anger softened, her curiosity piqued.
"What's in there?"
"That's what I want to find out."
They approached the door together, Noah pausing to glance at
Austin sprawled on the floor beside the autopsy slab. Leaving him like that
wasn't ideal—he had a knack for slipping free—but Noah figured he'd deal with
him once the man woke up. For now, the door held his focus.
Seraphine knocked twice, as if expecting someone to answer.
"It's iron," she muttered, testing the knob. She flinched as it burned her
hand. "And silver."
"Can you break it?"
She shot him a helpless look. "I'm not Iron Woman. Can't you
find the key?"
Noah scowled. "You tore down the door outside."
"That was rage. I was worried about you." Her tone shifted,
sharp again. "Which brings me back to my point. Where is he?!"
Noah didn't stop her as she stormed into the chemicals room,
grabbing Austin by the leg and dragging him out. She hoisted him up, her grip
tightening as she prepared to sink her teeth into his neck.
"Vervain," Noah said absently, his mind still on the problem
of the door.
Seraphine froze, the memory of her bitter attempt to feed
from Austin flashing back. Her expression darkened as she shifted her grip,
ready to snap his neck instead.
"Don't kill him," Noah said, his voice steady. "I still need
to ask him a few questions."
"What questions?" Seraphine demanded, eyes sharp. "I doubt
he's going to tell you anything, not after all this."
Noah didn't respond right away. He stepped away from the
door and into the room, his voice calm but laced with something colder. "Maybe
I can convince him."
The smile that followed wasn't friendly. It was quiet, dark,
and full of intent.
Seraphine raised a brow but didn't argue. She hauled Austin
up and dragged him to the autopsy slab, dropping him onto it with a little too
much satisfaction. She got to work quickly, buckling straps over his wrists and
ankles—then, for good measure, added one around his neck.
"I can't wait to see his face when he wakes up strapped to
his own torture table," she said, grinning.
Noah opened the fridge, retrieving a blood bag. "Here," he
tossed it to Seraphine. "Taste for vervain before you drink," he warned,
knowing her impulsiveness all too well.
With her injuries, the last thing he needed was for her to
become another liability. Better to stick with what Austin had conveniently
stocked in his fridge.
Seraphine caught the bag mid-air, sniffing it cautiously.
She hesitated, sniffed again, then took a tentative sip. "Hmm, it's good!" she
exclaimed, her eyes glowing as she drained the bag with alarming speed. The
sucking sound grated on Noah's nerves.
"It's finished. Throw it away," he snapped.
She paused, staring at the empty bag as if noticing it for
the first time. "Ah, sorry. I must be ravenous. Are there any more?"
Noah sighed, his patience wearing thin. He grabbed another
bag and tossed it to her. Seraphine caught it with a grin, savoring this one
more slowly, as though trying to prolong the experience.
"It doesn't taste very good," she remarked, despite having
nearly inhaled the first bag. "Not nearly as satisfying as blood from the
vein."
"Are you quite done?" Noah's irritation was evident.
Seraphine blinked, startled. "What? What do you want now?"
"Wake him up." Noah folded his arms, leaning against the
glass wall that separated the computer station from the table room, his gaze
steady and unyielding.