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And there it was. I figured Hadrian’s network of spies would have discovered me eventually. But just how long had Hadrian known my whereabouts in Chicago?

I shrugged, doing my best to look bored. “You know me. I gave up hunting shifters long ago.”

Half smiling, Hadrian pointed a finger at me. “As elusive with words as you are with your place of residence. Perhaps a more direct question will provide more direct answers. Have you run into any shifters in Chicago?”

“The chances ofrunning intoshifters anywhere is high,” I retorted. “They’re all over the place. But I haven’t actively sought them out. Let me ask you something: How long have you known I’ve been laying low in Illinois?”

Hadrian snorted. “The prodigal son returns home and starts asking questions.” He shook his head andtsked at me. “You don’t have such privilege, Julian. Tell me. Why did you come back?”

The question hung like smoke in the air. It was the one I’d been dreading the most.

I kept my expression solemn. “You know precisely why I’ve returned. To be honest, I thought I’d be fine in solitude again. I was wrong.”

Hadrian crossed his arms and put a finger to his lips. “You desire to rejoin us, and yet you hate the idea of hunting shifters. I find that strangely paradoxical, don’t you?”

I chose my words very carefully before speaking. “I don’t revel in their deaths like most vampires, but I’ve come tobelieve that while our goals might be different, they do intersect.”

Hadrian eyed me like he could see through me, like he’d found some flaw in my responses, and for a heartbeat, I was terrified I’d let something slip.

“You still hope to bring your witch back from the dead?” It was more of a statement than a question.

I inwardly relaxed but bristled at the condescending mention of Alice all the same.

“You’ve got to stop living in the past, Julian. People die—every day, actually. And none of them ever come back. The magical power to bring people back to life is a fable to keep fools like you hanging on to a thread of hope.”

“I can’t let go, whether it be a rope or a thread,” I declared. “I will help you in your hunt if it means I might run into other witches.”

A dark laugh erupted from Hadrian’s mouth. “And will you kill them if they refuse to help you? Will you act as a vampire should?”

I didn’t hesitate. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Our eyes locked, and Hadrian stepped slowly toward me until our noses nearly touched.

“No,” Hadrian muttered.

Julian blinked. “‘No’ what?”

“No, you may not rejoin us. You abandoned us when we needed you. I should kill you now for your betrayal.”

I wanted to lash out, to kill Hadrian and do Caesar—and the world—a favor. But I knew that would be a futile attempt. The brief brawl with Marguerite outside was proof enough that a fight between vampires was a lengthy task, and Hadrian wasfar more powerful than she was. Not to mention that every vampire in the school would be alerted. My life would be over in minutes.

So, instead, I let the sorrow I always kept inside seep into my usually stony features. “Then you’d be doing me a favor.”

Hadrian tilted his head back, pressing his tongue into his cheek as he studied me like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You…would accept death with open arms?”

I sighed, giving in to the woe I’ve been struggling to shove down for so long. “I’ve been living half a life for over a hundred years. Death would bring me a freedom I’ve waited a long time for.”

Hadrian’s eyes narrowed. “And you’ve come here purely out of selfish reasons? To hunt down a shifter or witch with the power to aid you in your quest to resurrect your long-lost love?”

I knew this wouldn’t be enough for Hadrian, but it was a start. “I have…other goals as well.”

Hadrian’s eyebrows raised. “Like what?”

“I seek to hunt down and eliminate the Dracul line of dragon shifters.”

Hatred for the royal dragon line was a constant dull simmer in my chest despite the fact that I’d spent the last seven years aiding shifters. I realized that last statement held more truth than I’d expected.

I found my hands clenching at my sides, the muscles in my arms tight, and my nostrils flaring. Of all the things I’d been through, the worst was because of Marguerite Dracul.