Nova shifted mid-stride, instinct overtaking thought. In the next heartbeat, Seraphine burst forward in a flash of white-silver fur.
She dodged two vampires, spun under another, and snapped the neck of one that lunged too close—but the moment she paused to fight, three more appeared. Then five. Then ten.
Seraphine realized too late that every second spent attacking only drew more of them. She bolted through the jungle, desperate, scanning for Xeon's scent—any lifeline.
But the shadows grew thicker, voices circling, fangs gleaming.
A ring of vampires closed around her, dozens deep. Too many. A set of claws raked her shoulder, hot blood hitting the dirt.
Seraphine growled and silver magic exploded outward, blasting twenty back. It didn't matter. Another twenty surged in.
That was the flash Xeon saw.
He sprinted through the brush just as Seraphine staggered, trapped on all sides.
Xeon:Seraphine, I'm here!
He launched forward at Alpha speed—and Seraphine, hearing him, seeing him in the chaos, sprinted low and fast, sliding beneath his leap as he collided with the front line of vampires like a falling star.
Xeon hit the swarm first—black fur rippling, eyes burning gold as he slammed into the nearest vampire. His jaws snapped around its throat, ripping its head off in one brutal wrench. He spun, claws tearing through another, shredding undead flesh like parchment.
A third lunged from behind, but Xeon twisted and tore its arm off at the shoulder, flinging the limb into the dark.
Jax's wolf crashed into the circle next—massive, black as obsidian, gold flickering in his eyes as he rammed two vampires so hard their bodies burst apart. He tore into the next, dragging it to the ground and ripping straight through its spine.
Rex's wolf followed, a towering black beast with molten-gold eyes, grabbing a vampire mid-leap and shattering it against a tree with enough force to splinter bark.
But the victory was hollow. Every dismembered corpse twitched, limbs clawing through dirt. Bodies stitched themselves back together faster than they could be ripped apart.
The horde kept coming.
The three black wolves moved instinctively into formation around Seraphine, snarling in unison, a living barricade of teeth and fury.
They tore. Bit. Ripped.
But nothing stayed dead.
Hundreds of vampires surrounded them on all sides, every undead eye locked on Seraphine. Then the canopy above shuddered, and something dropped lightly from the branches.
The Vampire King stepped into the clearing wearing a crown of bone and obsidian, his smile stretching too wide for something alive.
"Well," he purred. "At last… my Moon Princess."
Xeon immediately planted himself over Seraphine, hackles raised, teeth bared, a low thunderous growl rattling the earth beneath them.
The king's smile sharpened.
"Shift."
The command didn't come as a sound—it hit like a shockwave.
A pulse of corrupted magic slammed into the clearing.
Xeon dropped first, body convulsing as he was forced back into Fin.
Jax and Rex followed, the shift ripped out of them unwillingly.
Aeron and Hyran were slammed to the ground moments later by vampires who had captured them. Their magic seemed to be affecting them as well.
Seraphine was peeled back from the wolf form like a scream in reverse, collapsing into Nova. Fin's arms were around her before the shift had finished, pulling her back against his chest, shielding her body with his own.
But it didn't matter.
A dozen vampires surged forward at once.
Knives—curved, silver-black and dripping with venom—pressed against every throat.
Fin was forced to his knees with Nova held tightly against him, three blades aimed at her neck, not his.
Jax was shoved down beside them, a vampire yanking his head back by his hair.
Rex was dragged to one knee, two blades crossing at his throat.
Aeron was pinned with a dagger at the base of his spine.
Hyran's arms were twisted behind him, a blade laid across his jawline.
Within seconds, the five most powerful men in Varos were brought to their knees—disarmed, immobilized, and surrounded.
The Vampire King stepped close enough that Nova could feel the cold on his breath.
"Now," he whispered, lowering himself to eye level with her.
"Let us begin."
The vampire king's hand shot out like a whip, grabbing Nova by her hair and yanking her across the clearing, ripping her straight out of Fin's arms. She hit the ground hard and was dragged through dirt and leaves.
The five of them were forced to watch—blades pressed to their throats.
Fin roared, lunging, but the blade at his throat bit down. "DON'T TOUCH HER!"
His voice was pure Alpha command.
The vampire pressed harder, slitting his throat open.
Or so that's what should have happened. But before steel could kiss skin, Fin vanished.
Just—gone. A flash of white-gold light. A crack of displaced air.
He reappeared miles away inside Redmoon Palace—right where Nova had carved the rune earlier.
Fin stumbled forward, catching himself on one hand, fury exploding through him. The thin white-gold cuff on his wrist was blazing.
"NO—NO, NO, NO!"
"FUCK!" he roared, slamming his fist into the ground hard enough the stone cracked. He tried to mindlink but nothing happened.
He tried again but harder. The cuff flashed again, cutting the link off like a slammed door.
A forced tether-block.
A time-out he couldn't break.
Back in the jungle, Nova's heart dropped. She had no idea where Fin went—only that he was gone. She didn't show any expression on her face, noticing the vampire's looks of confusion.
No one understood what had just happened.
Before Nova could think, Hyran shouted something sharp under his breath, and a wall of fire ignited behind Rex. Rex tore his ring off and flicked it into the flames.
A molten dragon erupted from the fire, roaring and burning through vampires.
The King turned—just long enough.
Nova ripped an arrow from her quiver and drove it straight into his chest.
He didn't fall.
He exploded.
His entire body burst outward in a violent shock of crimson and ash, and every vampire within his radius—at least a third of them—detonated with him, raining dust across the clearing.
Nova was already on her feet, an arrow drawn and aimed at the vampire holding a blade to Jax's throat.
She didn't give the vampire time to process. She fired.
The arrow hit—and the vampire exploded, taking every vampire within reach with him. Flesh and ash scattered as the molten dragon roared through the clearing, burning whatever was left of their bodies.
Nova loaded another arrow instantly.
The last vampires—the ones with their blades still pressed against Aeron and Hyran—froze.
She drew the bowstring back. The threat was unmistakable.
"Drop. Them."
They obeyed immediately, blades clattering to the jungle floor.
Nova's eyes glowed silver, feral and cold.
"Follow us again," she said, voice low and lethal, "and I will end every last one of you."
She raised a gold shield around their group, bow still ready, her gaze never leaving the trembling vampires.
Above them, the molten dragon arced back toward Rex. Mid-air, its body folded and twisted into liquid metal, reforming as the ring. Rex caught it cleanly and slid it onto his finger, jaw tight, eyes still burning gold.
Rex's voice cut through their minds.
Rex: Tighten ranks. On me. Diamond formation. Move.
They moved instantly, closing around Nova at the center.
Alpha Redmoon's voice came into their minds.
Redmoon:Status report.
Rex: Primary threat neutralized. Proceeding toward artifact site.
Then Beta Fang's voice cut in—far too curious to restrain himself.
Beta Fang: Was it the arrows or the rings?
Aeron: Both. Arrows detonate vampires. The ring incinerates whatever's left.
Beta Fang: There is a very upset Alpha placing holes into my library rug. Status of the Queen's injuries?
Rex: Shoulder wound—bleeding but superficial. No major compromise. Nova, confirm.
Nova: Yes. No injuries.