Page 1

Chapter

One

E nzo

I pulled on my arms and legs, but I was pinned to the wall like a butterfly in an insect collection. The cold stone of the church wall dug into my back, ancient plaster crumbling at my struggles. Cold gripped me from within, freezing every muscle, every nerve, until even my immortal blood turned to ice in my veins. The magic holding me felt like thousands of invisible needles piercing my skin, each one a point of searing cold that spread deeper and deeper.

Not even my vampire strength could break me free. The tang of incense still lingered in the air, a holy scent now corrupted by the metallic stench of battle blood—both from the fight and Valentin. He was strapped on the altar like a sacrificial lamb, his blood seeping out like tar, feeding Balthazar’s spell with every drop. I nearly choked on the sulfurous reek that always accompanied Balthazar’s magic. Shattered stained glass scattered across the floor in a kaleidoscope of colored shards, moonlight catching each piece like fallen stars.

All I could do was watch and listen, waiting for the slightest mistake so I could escape. The sounds of our earlier battle still echoed in my mind, though now the church was deathly quiet save for the creaking of old wooden pews and the whisper of the night air through broken windows.

But I wasn’t the only one in the Demon Balthazar’s insect collection. To my left, the mafia kings, Trystan, and Keir, hung suspended in transparent prisons. Trystan remained trapped in his wolf form, his silver fur matted with dried blood, eyes glazed with pain. Beyond them, pressed against the cavern wall, Dimitri Dragan and his mate writhed in their own transparent cells, their faces contorted in silent agony as Balthazar’s magic pulsed through the crystalline structure.

We are all his prisoners, trapped in this desecrated sanctuary.

And powerless to stop him.

Balthazar raised his arms and shouted, “ Tenebris antiquis, potentia daemonum, animae damnatae, mergemus in carne mortali. ”

Black smoke rose from the floor stained with Valentin’s blood. It split into two streams, each pulsing with the head of cobra as they shot toward Vlad and Petar. Their jaws snapped open in perfect synch, throats working convulsively as the smoke forced its way inside them.

Their bodies contorted, backs arching at impossible angles as the smoke disappeared into them. Bones cracked and reformed under their skin. Blackness flooded their eyes like spilled ink; they slowly burned away until only a deep, wet crimson remained. Dark energy radiated from them like a toxic heartbeat, each throb making the air heavier with corruption. The stone floor cracked beneath their feet and reeked as the very air grew thick and oily with malevolence. Whatever demonic power Balthazar had channeled into them, it wasn’t mere strength—he’d carved them into gateways for something that should have stayed buried in the darkest corners of hell.

Balthazar’s eyes caught the candlelight. “Everything aligns perfectly for my plan.”

Angelo glared, hatred flaring in his eyes. “Your plan? What plan?”

“The one to tear down Serenity’s father.” Balthazar’s smile split wider, showing too many teeth. “He corrupted Dracula’s deal. A betrayal I haven’t forgotten. Now his own daughter will be his punishment.”

My mind raced. Deal? What deal?

“I’d never do that.” Serenity squared her shoulders, trying to look brave, but her hands shook.

“Ah, but you will.” Balthazar’s eyes gleamed with ancient malice. “Vlad, my friend…you may proceed.”

All this time, we’d thought we were safe. The Aeternum Stone kept Dracula at bay while he’d been right under our noses. The glamour masking his true identity had been perfect. Who would suspect Costin Tarus, the dignified headmaster of Red Rose Academy, was actually Dracula himself, the First Vampire and our sworn enemy?

Vlad stalked over to Angelo, his eyes blazing blood red.

My chest tightened as I struggled against the spell, but it was as if I was stuck to fly paper. Every muscle strained until sweat dripped down my temples, my magic crackling uselessly against Balthazar’s bonds. Angelo and I were more than brothers—we’d fought and scraped to build our family, saved each other countless times.

He’d been the one who had turned me during the Italian plague, who held me as the fever burned through my human life and birthed me into darkness. Who taught me to hunt, to survive, to hold onto my humanity even as the bloodthirst raged. Four centuries of trust and love, shattered in a single moment. And now I could only watch, ensnared by magic that mocked my immortal power. Vlad threatened to inflict unspeakable torments on Angelo, who had given me eternal life, promising a symphony of pain we had once conducted ourselves.

When Vlad’s mouth opened, his fangs weren’t just extended—they dripped with something black that sizzled and smoked where it hit the floor, leaving pockmarks in the stone. His hand locked around Angelo’s throat and he sank his fangs into Angelo’s flesh. Angelo jerked violently, his hands clawing at Vlad’s chest, muscles straining with desperation. But Vlad stood immovable as stone, unperturbed by Angelo’s struggles.

I summoned on every ounce of my strength, desperate to help Angelo but remained a living statue, frozen in place.

“No!” Serenity’s desperate scream shattered the air in the church. “Stop!”

Balthazar flicked his hand, and the world crystallized. Even Vlad froze in place, his chin dripping with Angelo’s blood, his red eyes fixed in a sneer that revealed his sharp, bloodstained fangs.

“If you want to save your precious vampire, you must come with me, Serenity.” Balthazar’s voice was full of mock sympathy.

“Let him go.” Her voice cracked. “Don’t let Dracula hurt him. I beg you. I’ll do anything.”

“Tell you what I’m willing to do.” Balthazar circled her like a wolf stalking wounded prey. “I’ll unfreeze your lover boy and allow him time to get away from Dracula. But then you have to promise me you’ll come with me willingly. Otherwise—he’s dead.”

She couldn’t possibly believe Balthazar? Lies dripped from the demon’s mouth as naturally as blood from a wound.

Serenity stared at Angelo, her expression changing in subtle ways only immortal eyes could catch. I noticed the flicker of doubt in her eyes, the slight trembling of her lower lip as she considered Balthazar’s offer against her better judgment. Then something hardened in her gaze—a decision fading into resolve. Her shoulders straightened as she made her choice.

“I want to say goodbye to him.”

“By all means, please do.” Balthazar’s smile promised horrors to come.

“Unfreeze him.”

Angelo’s head twitched slightly—just enough movement to show Balthazar had loosened his hold but not enough to break free. The rest of us were still pinned to the wall.

Serenity pressed her palms against Angelo’s chest. Her skin turned an ethereal blue as she drew on her power. She was probably trying to help Angelo, but her power paled compared to the demon’s. It would take an army of angels to defeat him.

She slipped her hand around Angelo’s neck then kissed him. I swear, sparks danced between them, but maybe it was my imagination.

“Time to go.” Balthazar’s voice broke the moment like a cold bucket of water.

Balthazar stretched out his hand to her. The moment Serenity’s fingers touched his, they vanished like candlelight snuffed out.

Unlike us, Dracula’s paralysis broke instantly. “I’ve waited a long time for this, Angelo. Don’t worry. You won’t die right away.” He snagged his fingers through Angelo’s hair and dragged him out of the church into the night, leaving a trail of Angelo’s blood across the stone floor.

My stomach twisted into knots. Dracula would torture Angelo until he begged for death. Angelo was my maker—he was my brother in blood, my confidant through centuries of death. I’d find him if I had to tear New Orleans apart stone by stone, I swear.

A gust of warm wind blew through the church and the thousands of invisible needles piercing my skin melted away. I broke free from the damn wall.

I raced outside, panting. I scanned the churchyard littered with the dead—vampires, Unseelie, and wolves scattered across consecrated ground.

But there was no sign of Dracula or Angelo. They had vanished into the night as if they’d never existed.

“Enzo,” a female voice called behind me.

I braced myself to face Gianna, Angelo’s sister. She stared at me with tears streaking down her face. Her lower lip trembled. She and Angelo had their differences over the centuries, especially when she mated with Dimitri Dragan, but Angelo was her brother and she loved him.

I drew into her embrace. “I promise you I’ll find him.”

Broken sobs caught my attention. I led Gianna back inside the church. Rose Dragan was draped over Valentin’s lifeless body, her shoulders shaking with grief. Dimitri roared as he ran over to his brother—the one he’d always protected—now broken and still.

“Get back, Rose. I can save him.” Dimitri pulled her back.

The mafia kings had broken free too. Trystan had shifted back into his naked human form, and even Keir’s harpies had survived.

I left Gianna’s side. “Your blood won’t heal him, Dimitri.”

Dimitri glared at me. “How do you know?”

“Because Balthazar wounded him. It will take ancient blood—my blood—to cure him.”

The Unseelie king moved closer, his platinum hair catching the moonlight through the broken windows as he studied Valentin. “It might not be enough, Enzo. Dark magic was involved. We need Serenity. She alone possesses the power to heal Valentin.”

I ignored him as my fangs extended. I ripped open my veins and stuffed my wrist against Valentin’s stiff lips. “Drink.”

I drew on my vampire power, compelling him to take my blood. I wasn’t as powerful as Angelo, but I was the strongest vampire here. In ancient times, Dracula had allowed me to feed on him, strengthening my power in ways even Gianna had never experienced.

If I couldn’t save him, no one could.

Nothing happened. He didn’t move.

Disbelief crashed over me like a wave. My compulsion should have been irresistible—it had been to bend countless victims to my will. I stared at Valentin’s motionless form, my certainty faltering for the first time. Had Dracula’s power grown so immense that even my blood-enhanced abilities couldn’t break through?

I clenched my jaw, refusing to accept defeat. Drawing myself up, I focused every ounce of my centuries-old power and spoke again, my voice resonating with supernatural authority.

“Valentin, please.” Rose brushed his hair back with trembling fingers. “Don’t leave me. I love you.”

Dimitri stalked in angry circles like a caged predator ready to tear apart anything in its path.

I stared down at Valentin. “I said drink, Valentin. You will obey me.”

Power moved through me like a blazing fire, burning through my veins and into my voice. The command rang through the church, heavy with ancient strength. When Valentin’s lips twitched then parted, relief flooded through me like summer rain. He sipped weakly from my veins, blood trickling down his chin. Each swallow seemed to take all his remaining strength, but he drank. After coming so close to losing him, each flutter of his pulse felt like a miracle.

Rose clasped his hand. “He’s drinking. He’s drinking.” She smiled through her tears.

But I could feel him growing weaker, the sucking softer, slower. His eyes fluttered shut and he went limp in my arms, my chest seizing with fresh panic. I pressed my fingers to his throat, desperate for a pulse.

There—faint but erratic. Relief washed over me for only a heartbeat before cold reality set in. My blood wasn’t healing him. Centuries of power and it wasn’t enough. I’d seen vampire blood work miracles, closing wounds that would kill mortals instantly, but Valentin’s condition continued to deteriorate despite my efforts. The bitter taste of failure filled my mouth as I held him, watching helplessly as death circled ever closer.

“No, no.” Rose kissed his stiff wrist as she fell to her knees.

Dimitri howled with rage.

Keir pressed his palm on Valentin’s forehead. “He’s alive.” He met my gaze. “But we need Serenity.” The unspoken truth hung heavy in the air—Valentin would die without her.

“I know.”

I lowered Valentin’s limp form back onto the cold altar, my hands lingering on his chest. Each labored breath he took mocked my immortal strength. The walls of the chamber seemed to close in around me, suffocating in their stillness. No—I wouldn’t stand here and watch another die.

I strode out of the church, throwing open the heavy doors. The night air hit me, thick with the scent of blood and magic.

“Enzo,” Keir’s voice was rough behind me. “What do we do now?”

I stared at the blood staining the marble steps—Angelo’s blood. My friend. My brother. The vampire I’d sworn to protect.

“We hunt,” I said, my fangs lengthening. “And we remind Balthazar why New Orleans has always feared its enforcer.”