It was three in the morning when the sound of thick paper scraping against hardwood shattered the apartment's silence.
Kara was asleep in the bedroom, drained by the emotional chaos of the day. Alice, however, sat in the living room's armchair, lights off, watching.
She didn't need light to see the heavy, yellowed envelope slide beneath the front door.
Alice didn't move right away.
She felt the energy coming off it — not just paper, but ancient magic, authority, and threat. She listened for footsteps in the hallway. There were none. The Council's messenger moved like smoke.
When she finally stood, the red wax seal felt cold and heavy in her hand. A dragon crest was stamped into it.
She didn't need to open it.
The sentence had arrived.
Wednesday morning brought a pale, gray light that matched the mood inside the apartment.
Kara woke to the smell of coffee — but the air felt heavy, stripped of its usual warmth.
Alice sat at the kitchen table, the envelope already opened in front of her.
"It came," she said flatly.
Kara sat down, her pulse racing.
Alice unfolded the parchment. The handwriting was elegant, old-fashioned — like something written with a quill.
"Alice von Richter and Kara Sullivan.
The Council of Elders hereby summons you to a Judgment Hearing.
The Law of Secrecy has been broken.
The Balance has been disturbed.
You are to present yourselves at the Fortress of Brașov, Romania, this Friday at midnight."
Alice turned the page toward Kara.
The signature at the bottom wasn't ink.
It was blood.
Dried, dark, and still pulsing faintly with a sick, unnatural vitality.
Kara touched the paper and shuddered.
"Romania… Dracula's homeland."
"The origin of everything," Alice said. "They want to judge us at the birthplace of our kind. It's symbolic. And it's a show of power."
"We've got two days," Kara said, forcing herself to stay calm. "We need tickets, documents—"
"I'll handle the logistics," Alice cut in, already pacing. "You need to prepare your absence from the university. Family emergency. Mono. Whatever makes you disappear without questions."
As they built their lies, the weight of reality settled in:
They might never come back to that apartment.
Across the city, the morning felt very different.
At Ruby's isolated house, the smell of bacon and eggs filled the sleek kitchen. Ruby hummed softly as she set a plate down.
"Eat up, sweetheart," she said, smiling at Natalie, who shuffled in wearing one of Rose's oversized shirts.
Natalie sat, rubbing her eyes. Her human hunger was fading, replaced by something darker — but the routine still felt comforting.
"Thanks, Ruby. You didn't have to—"
"Rose asked me to," Ruby winked. "Said you need 'energy' after a bite hangover."
Before Natalie could reply, Rose walked in.
She looked radiant — like she'd slept for a decade. Black silk flowed around her as she stepped behind Natalie's chair, kissed the top of her head, then brushed her lips against her ear.
"Morning, little predator," Rose murmured. "Sleep well… or dream about me?"
Natalie blushed, shivering.
"A bit of both."
Rose laughed and stole a strip of bacon from Natalie's plate. Then her expression turned serious.
"We need to do something today," she said. "Something annoying, but necessary."
"What?" Natalie asked.
"We need to talk to Alice and Kara," Rose sighed. "The Council isn't messing around. If Albert showed up, this is real. I don't like my sister, but I don't want her head on a spike either. And… I think you want to see Kara."
Natalie set her fork down, guilt tightening in her chest.
"She hates me, Rose. I said some awful stuff."
"She's human. Humans forgive — it's one of your flaws," Rose said, stroking Natalie's shoulder. "Let's fix this like family."
Ruby wiped her hands on a towel.
"I'm coming too. Someone has to make sure you don't kill each other before the Council does."
By afternoon, the sky threatened rain.
Alice loaded two large suitcases into the trunk of her car. Kara followed with a backpack.
"I think I got everything," Kara said. "Passports, cash—"
"Let's go," Alice said, slamming the trunk shut. "The sooner we're gone, the better."
A sleek black car suddenly turned the corner and skidded to a stop behind them, blocking the exit.
Alice moved instantly, pulling Kara behind her, shoulders squared, a low snarl in her throat.
The driver's door opened.
Rose stepped out, hands raised — half peace offering, half mockery.
"Relax, big sis. We're not here to fight."
Natalie climbed out of the passenger seat. She looked different — paler, sharper, dressed in dark clothes Kara didn't recognize. Ruby emerged from the back.
"What do you want?" Alice demanded.
Kara stepped forward. Her eyes met Natalie's.
Silence stretched between them — hurt battling with friendship.
Natalie took a hesitant step.
"Kara… we needed to talk. Before you leave."
Kara touched Alice's arm gently.
"Let's go upstairs. Not out here."
Alice hesitated, glaring at Rose — but nodded.
The apartment felt too small for the tension inside it.
Alice and Rose stood on opposite sides like rival generals. Kara and Natalie sat on the couch, leaving space between them. Ruby leaned against the door.
"Did you turn us in?" Alice snapped. "Did you call the Council to get back at me?"
For once, Rose didn't joke.
"Do you really think I'd do that?" she said quietly. "I hate you for leaving me, Alice. But I'd never hand one of us to them. The Council doesn't forgive. I didn't want you dead. I just wanted you to see the world my way."
Alice searched her eyes. No lie.
"If it wasn't you… then who?"
"I don't know," Rose admitted. "But it wasn't me. And when we're there, remember — my blood is your blood."
Kara turned to Natalie.
"You're… different."
Natalie smiled sadly.
"This is who I am now. Rose showed me another path. I know you think it's wrong. But I'm not scared anymore. I'm not alone."
"I never wanted you to feel alone," Kara whispered, taking her cold hand.
"I know. But Alice protects you from the world. Rose taught me how to face it." Natalie squeezed her hand. "That place you're going — Romania — it's dangerous. The Council fights dirty. Alice is strong, but they're ancient. Please… take care of her. And yourself."
"I will," Kara promised.
Ruby cleared her throat.
"Okay, emotional hour's over. Practical problem: last-minute commercial flights to Romania are a nightmare. And airport security doesn't love… extra baggage."
She glanced at Alice's hidden weapons.
"I've got contacts," Ruby said, pulling out a card. "Private jet. Leaves in two hours from a Jersey airstrip. No scanners, no questions. Straight to Bucharest. From there, you drive to Brașov. My treat."
Alice stared at her.
"Ruby… thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," Ruby grinned. "Just come back alive. The world would be boring without you."
Two hours later, wind whipped across the private runway.
The jet was ready.
Rose and Natalie stayed in the car, watching through tinted glass. No words — just a heavy, silent goodbye.
Alice paused at the stairs and glanced back. She gave Rose a brief nod — acknowledgment, and a fragile truce.
Kara squeezed Alice's hand.
"Ready?"
Alice looked at her — fear in her eyes, but resolve stronger.
"As long as I'm with you… I'm ready for anything."
They climbed aboard.
The jet lifted into the gray sky, vanishing into the clouds — bound for the ancient land where blood began, and where their future would be decided.