Far from the deceptive calm of Princeton, in a forgotten underground chamber at the heart of the metropolis, the night pulsed to a different rhythm. The air below was thick, saturated with an intoxicating blend of incense, cigarette smoke, and the unmistakable scent of iron — fresh blood.
Rose lounged in a red velvet armchair, slowly turning a crystal glass between her long fingers. Muffled electronic music made the walls tremble, yet she seemed detached from the chaos, her attention fixed on the figure seated across from her, concealed by shadows.
"So it's true?" the figure said at last, voice low and curious. "Alice von Richter… the puritan… is involved with a human?"
Rose let out a short, humorless laugh. "Human, actually. A little university girl with wide eyes and a racing pulse."
"Well, damn…" The figure leaned into the light just enough to reveal a faint, amused smile. "She really doesn't waste time. She never did know how to resist."
Rose rolled her eyes, taking a sip of the scarlet liquid in her glass. "It's pathetic. Alice playing house, pretending she isn't a top-tier predator."
"And the Council?" The question hung in the air like a blade. "Do they know?"
Rose's smile vanished, replaced by something cold and sharp. "Neither the Council nor anyone else," she replied calmly. "Unless, of course… someone decides to talk." Her blue eyes pierced the darkness, the threat unspoken but unmistakable.
"And do you plan to?"
"Not yet." Rose leaned back, relaxed once more. "I have personal matters to settle with my dear sister. I want to see how far she'll go for this… passion. And I don't want a group of ancient bureaucrats ruining my fun too soon."
A third voice joined them.
Ruby — a vampire with fiery red hair and a crooked, irreverent smile — stepped closer, resting her elbows on the table. "How adorable. Family first, huh?"
Rose scoffed. "And you, Ruby? Don't you miss her? After all, Alice is the one who turned you. Doesn't it bother you to know that your 'mother' is trading eternity for a fleeting mortal?"
Ruby shrugged, glancing toward the dance floor where vampires fed openly from willing humans — living blood bags, intoxicated by music, chemicals, and desire.
"I miss her," Ruby admitted. "But I know that, somehow, she's happy. And if she's happy, that's enough for me. Unlike certain people who can't let go of centuries-old resentment."
Rose narrowed her eyes — then smiled, slow and predatory. "Wow. You bitch. Still… despite everything, I kind of like you."
Without warning, Rose reached out and seized a young human passing near the table, his glassy gaze searching for a bite. She pulled him into her lap with irresistible strength.
"Excuse me," she said lightly. "The conversation is lovely, but hunger… hunger doesn't wait."
In front of Ruby and the shadowed figure, Rose sank her fangs into the young man's neck. He didn't scream — he sighed, surrendering to the chemical ecstasy of vampiric saliva. Rose drank deeply, her eyes blazing crimson as she licked her bloodstained lips with sadistic pleasure.
"You really never change," Ruby muttered, shaking her head, without judgment.
As Rose fed, the mysterious figure in the shadows finished his drink in silence. He had heard enough.
Alice was vulnerable.
The secret was exposed.
Quietly, the spy stood and slipped out of the club, carrying information powerful enough to ignite a war.
Miles away, in the quiet of a university dormitory, Natalie sat on the edge of her bed.
The room was dark, lit only by moonlight spilling through the window. Her roommate slept soundly, her steady breathing the only noise.
Natalie stared at her own hands. They looked normal. Her skin felt normal. But the world…
The world was no longer the same.
She closed her eyes and saw it again — the image of Rose in the mansion. The speed. The strength. The absolute terror of being prey. And then Alice, at the hospital, drenched in blood, saving Kara.
"Vampires…" Natalie whispered to the emptiness. The word felt heavy. Unreal.
She stood and walked to the mirror, touching her neck. The skin was unbroken, but the memory of that near bite still tingled beneath the surface.
She should have been terrified.
She should have packed her bags, run, never looked at Kara or Alice again.
But staring at her reflection, Natalie saw more than fear.
She saw something far more dangerous.
Curiosity.
The normal world — classes, exams, routines— suddenly seemed gray. Dull. Out there, in the shadows, existed a world of power, immortality, and real danger. A world where Rose existed.
Natalie rested her forehead against the cold glass of the window, gazing at the sleeping campus.
She knew Kara and Alice had sealed a pact of love that night. But Natalie… Natalie felt herself standing at the edge of a very different abyss.
"This isn't over," she thought, shivering — not from the cold.
And without knowing it, Natalie was right.
The end of innocence was only the beginning of the fall.