The early morning dragged on inside Kara's house. The silence was broken only by the low hum of the refrigerator and Natalie's unsteady breathing. Outside, in the cold of the porch, Alice stood motionless like a gargoyle, her senses stretched wide as they swept the neighborhood for any sign of her sister.
Inside the living room, lit only by the faint glow from the hallway, Kara sat on the floor beside the couch where Natalie lay curled in on herself. The tea in Natalie's cup had gone cold, untouched.
"Nat…" Kara called softly, brushing a lock of hair away from her friend's face.
Natalie blinked, and for the first time in hours, the veil of terror and hypnosis seemed to lift from her eyes. She focused on Kara. The reality of what had happened at the mansion crashed down on her — but surprisingly, it didn't bring more panic. It brought clarity.
"I almost let her kill me," Natalie whispered, her voice raw.
"I wanted her to kill me, Kara. It was like… being high."
"That wasn't you, Nat. That was her. What she does… it messes with your mind."
Natalie took a deep breath, straightening on the couch. She glanced toward the covered window, knowing Alice was out there, protecting them.
"But we're here. We're alive. Because of you… and her."
"I'm so sorry I dragged you into this," Kara said, tears burning her eyes.
Natalie shook her head and pulled Kara into an awkward but fierce hug. "Shut up. You didn't drag me anywhere. I'm your friend. If there are crazy vampires after you, then there are crazy vampires after me too. We're a package deal, remember?"
Kara laughed through her tears, hugging her back tightly. The human warmth, the familiar scent of Natalie's shampoo — everything about it anchored her in the middle of the storm.
They pulled apart slightly, but stayed close. The moment was heavy with a raw intimacy born of survival. Natalie met Kara's eyes, then let her gaze drift down to her mouth. There was a confusion of feelings there — gratitude, fear, love, adrenaline.
On an impulse neither of them could explain, Natalie leaned in and pressed her lips to Kara's.
It wasn't a kiss of overwhelming passion, nor purely fraternal. It was a long, firm peck — a search for contact, for life, for something real in a world that had turned upside down.
When Natalie pulled back, Kara stared at her, wide-eyed. "Nat?"
Natalie blushed furiously, then let out one of her trademark nervous laughs. She gave Kara a light shove on the shoulder. "Don't get used to it, okay? And don't give me that weird look. We're not losing our friendship over a 'we're alive' kiss. Consider it… a reality check."
Kara smiled, shaking her head as the weight in her chest eased a little. "Reality check accepted. You're insane."
"I am. And you love it."
The moment of levity was cut short.
Kara's phone, lying on the coffee table, vibrated. The sound was like thunder in the quiet room. The screen lit up, casting pale light across the ceiling.
Unknown Number.
Natalie's smile vanished. Kara felt her stomach drop. She knew who it was.
Kara picked up the phone. Her hands trembled, but she slid her finger to answer and put it on speaker.
"Kara…" Rose's voice flowed from the speaker — crystalline, soft, dripping with that poisonous sweetness. "I knew you'd answer."
Kara glanced toward the closed window, thinking of Alice outside. "What do you want, Rose?"
A low laugh echoed through the phone. "I'm not calling my sister. I want to talk to you. The human who turned her world upside down."
"Get to the point," Kara demanded, trying to sound braver than she felt.
"I want to meet you. Just the two of us. We need to talk without Alice's 'mama bear' interference."
Kara frowned. "You tried to kill my best friend a few hours ago. Why would I meet you?"
"Because if you don't, I won't stop," Rose said, her tone shifting from playful to lethal. "Alice may be strong, but she can't be everywhere at once. I can take your parents in Florida. I can take Natalie when she goes to the store. I can turn your lives into an eternal hell, Kara. Unless…"
"Unless what?"
"Unless you come negotiate. I have a proposal. A way to end this and leave everyone… relatively intact."
Kara's chest tightened. The idea was absurd. Suicidal. But she looked at Natalie, curled up on the couch. Thought of her parents.
Thought of Alice outside in the cold, carrying the weight of the world. As long as Kara was the weak point, Alice would never be safe. Rose would never stop.
"Where?" Kara asked.
Natalie's eyes went wide. She shook her head frantically, mouthing a silent no.
"The abandoned park near the reservoir. Thirty minutes from now," Rose said, satisfied. "And come alone. If I so much as smell Alice nearby… the deal's off before it begins."
The call ended.
"You can't go!" Natalie whispered, clutching Kara's arm. "It's a trap! She'll kill you!"
"She wants to talk, Nat. If she wanted me dead, she would've broken in already," Kara said, rising as her resolve hardened. "Alice can't solve this by fighting. Rose is her sister. This only ends when I face what I started."
"Kara…" Natalie was crying now.
"Stay here. Lock everything. If I don't come back in an hour… call Alice."
Kara grabbed her parents' car keys from the counter. She put on her coat and headed for the back door that led into the garage, avoiding the front porch where Alice stood.
But Alice knew.
When Kara opened the garage door to leave, Alice was there — standing at the entrance, blocking the way. Snow settled on her dark hair. She said nothing. She only looked at Kara with those deep eyes that saw everything.
Kara rolled down the car window. "I need to do this, Alice."
"You're going to meet her," Alice said. It wasn't a question.
"I have to try," Kara held her gaze. "Trust me. Please. Stay here with Natalie. She needs you right now more than she needs me."
Alice glanced toward the house, where Natalie stood unprotected, then back at Kara. A storm raged in Alice's eyes — the urge to lock Kara away safely battling her respect for Kara's courage.
"If she touches you…" Alice began, her voice breaking.
"I'll come back. I promise."
Alice stepped aside, clearing the path. It was a silent farewell, heavy with fear and a love that hurt.
Kara accelerated into the snowy street, her heart in her throat.
The moment Kara's taillights vanished around the corner, Alice's expression changed. The mask of calm shattered, revealing the predator beneath.
She turned toward the house, focused her senses, and whispered to the wind, knowing Natalie wouldn't hear: "Stay safe, Nat."
Then Alice didn't return to the porch.
She ran.
She ran into the shadows, moving faster than any car, following Kara's trail. Promises or not, Alice would never let Kara face Rose alone.
The final hunt had begun.