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23

Maxine

“You sure they’re gonna show?” Leah had her back to a crumbling column, grey paint peeling back from the brickwork beneath.

I glanced up from the dusty windowsill I’d been leaning against, my voice echoing down vacant corridors. “They’ll be here.”

In an effort to avoid any prying eyes should this meeting go badly, I had chosen the location carefully. Which was why we were holed up in an abandoned power plant in the Brookfield Waterfront. The space was cavernous and silent, save for the distant drip of water somewhere in the rafters. Grey light filtered through broken panes, illuminating swirling motes of dust.

Outside, the city bustled on in blissful ignorance under a haze of angry rain clouds.

Leah nodded once, but she shifted from foot to foot, betraying her anxiety. I couldn’t blame her. My stomach churned with a similar dread, my body thrumming with tension.We’d set the trap, arranged the bait, and now… all we had left to do was to wait.

Jordan and Hunter were hidden somewhere around the building, keeping watch from the shadows. They were primed to rush in if things went sideways, but for now, it was just Leah and me in the dim, hollow room. The chill in the air seeped through the thin fabric of my clothes, but it was nothing compared to the icy sensation of dread forming sharp shards in my gut.

“Are you ready for this?” Leah eyed me warily, edging closer.

I forced a wry smile and turned to her. Even in the dingy light, her eyes were warm, the faint lines of worry around her mouth emphasizing how tired she must have been. Still, she radiated a comforting presence, one that made this ruined building we stood in feel a little less foreboding.

“Not really,” I admitted, letting my hand drift to her waist. “But I’ll have to be.”

We lapsed into brief silence. Shadows loomed around us, and the wind outside kicked against a rusted shutter that clanged eerily through the bowels of the abandoned building. Then, through the smudged window, a smear of motion. A car—sleek and black—rolled down the empty parkway, engine too quiet for this part of town.

I felt their presence. I felthispresence. My stomach plummeted.

Leah’s grip on me tightened, her eyes widening as she caught the motion outside, the faint scuff of tires on gravel. I reached into my pocket for my phone, sending out a signal to Jordan and Hunter. “This is it.”

After a quick, frantic kiss, Leah stepped back, swishing up coal dust. I angled my body toward the open doors, shielding Leah as best I could without making it obvious. The less attention on her, the better.

As footsteps echoed ominously in the corridor beyond I clenched my fists, summoning every ounce of courage I could muster, and sent a silent prayer to whatever god watched over the damned that we would all make it out of there alive.

The footsteps drew closer and then, there they were. Thomas, Eve and Therio—my family. Lithe and poised, impeccably dressed, their eyes gleaming with arrogant certainty. My stomach churned at the sight of them, my mind flashing back to countless nights spent under their scrutiny.

But the dread curdled into outright terror when I spotted the silhouette that followed in their wake: Gregor.

He was as I remembered—tall, blond, ancient beyond reckoning, with a dangerously poised stillness that marked him as one of the most formidable vampires I’d ever encountered. His bloodshot eyes swept the dusty interior, immediately narrowing on me. I heard Leah’s inhale catch as he tilted his head, a predatory smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

My father, Thomas, was first to speak, his voice echoing in the eerie silence. “Maxine. Dramatic, as always.” He spread his arms like he was welcoming us to a dinner party. “But I see you’ve managed to stay alive and… in questionable company.” His gaze flicked briefly toward Leah, contempt radiating from his eyes.

“Dad,” I said, forcing every muscle in my body to remain taut but collected. “Mom.” I nodded sharply at Eve, who carried herself with icy grace, lips pursed in obvious disapproval. Therio, my brother—ever the sycophant—gave me a condescending smirk.

Leah was silent at my back, the hush broken only by the distant drip of water and thebang-bangof a loose shutter in the breeze. I could feel her fear, her anger. I lifted my chin, hoping my parents couldn’t see the slight tremor in my fingers.

Gregor finally stepped into full view. He paused to breathe in the stale air before speaking, his voice unsettling in its smoothness. “So, the prodigal bride returns.” His eyes locked on mine, and I fought the urge to recoil from that piercing, icy blue. “Shall we end this charade?”

The corners of my mouth tightened. “Yes,” I croaked, hating how unsteady I sounded. “Let’s end it. I invited you all here because I’m done running.” I had to force out the last words, each syllable tasting of bile.

My mother lifted her chin in a show of triumph, casting a smug glance at Thomas. Therio rolled his eyes like he was bored already. And Gregor—he simply smiled, that chilling curve of his lips like a slash across his face.

“We have no time for games.” My father eyed me coldly, ringed hands clasped in front of him. “You understand that if we sense you’re tricking us, your little human,” his gaze cut to Leah, “dies first.”

I clenched my jaw, refusing to glance Leah’s way. “No tricks.” I kept my expression neutral. “And as for Leah, she did what you asked and she did it well. You should be thanking her, not threatening her life.”

My mother sniffed with disdain. “Well, after all this time, you’re finally seeing reason. Honestly, Maxine, what a waste of everyone’s time.”

I bristled internally but I let them revel a moment longer, my stomach knotting at their smugness.

Gregor stepped forward until he was alarmingly close, moving like smoke and shadows.