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“Like why the Blood Crown ritual requires dragon blood,” Cassiel says. “The pieces fit together more clearly now.”

I shake my head, still uncomfortable with the exposure. “If that Hunter found me, more will come. We can’t let this get in the way of what is important. They are gnats, waiting to be squashed, only their arrogance doesn’t make them wary.”

“Yes, you killed that one rather efficiently,” William says. “I do love a bloody death.”

“There will be more,” I say grimly, ignoring him.

“How many?” Cassiel asks.

I shrug. “Hard to say. They’ve been rebuilding their numbers since my father wiped most of them out years ago. It could be five. Could be fifty.”

“Fuck,” Isolde mutters. “As if The Collectors weren’t enough.”

“The Hunters are my problem,” I insist. “I can handle them.”

“We need a strategy for dealing with the Hunters that doesn’t risk exposing your nature to SilverGate at large,” Cassiel states.

“Your dragon heritage must remain a secret here for as long as possible. You are not supposed to exist here. It will cause you more problems than we can effectively deal with.”

“I know,” I grit out. “Hence why I didn’t tell anyone.”

Isolde squeezes my hand again, grounding me. “We know. But the four of us are the strategy. We face everything together. Even this.”

“A court,” William says. “Bound by blood and power.”

“But not yet formally bound,” Cassiel clarifies. “Such rituals require preparation, especially given our unique combination of natures.”

Isolde nods slowly. “A court without ceremony, then. For now.”

“For now,” I agree, something protective and possessive rising in me at the thought of being formally bound to her, to all of them, in a way that transcends ordinary relationships.

A sudden prickling sensation at the base of my skull interrupts my thoughts. The same feeling I had before the Hunter appeared. But stronger now, more insistent.

“CJ?” Isolde asks, noticing my sudden tension.

“We have company,” I say, already moving off the bed, reaching for my clothes. “More Hunters. At least three of them, testing the boundaries.”

William is on his feet instantly, fully dressed within seconds. “How do you know?”

I tap my temple. “I can sense them. Whacky magic. Useful for not getting killed.”

Cassiel’s wings snap open, his expression hardening. “Where exactly?”

“Eastern boundary,” I say, pulling on my boots. “Near the old groundskeeper’s cottage.”

“That’s the weakest point in SilverGate’s wards,” William confirms. “Where they’re oldest and least maintained.”

“Of course it is,” I mutter. “These bastards have a knack for finding vulnerabilities.”

Isolde rises. “I’m coming with you.”

“No,” I say immediately, at the same time William says, “Absolutely not.”

She glares at both of us. “I wasn’t asking for your permission.”

“Isolde,” Cassiel says, his voice gentler than ours but no less firm. “The Hunters are specifically targeting CJ. Your presence would complicate matters.”

“Complicate?” she repeats incredulously. “I’m a fucking Sanguimonarch. I can help.”

“You’re also the one person The Collectors are definitely watching,” I point out.

“If they see you involved with Hunters from another realm, it could exacerbate this situation. We don’t need anyone to know that humans from a different realm are walking around trying to kill vampires and other supes here. ”

She opens her mouth to argue further, but William cuts her off. “He’s right. As much as I hate to admit it.”

“So what, I just sit here and sew while you three run off to fight?” she demands.

I snort. “Gods, you sound just like my mother.”

She blinks and purses her lips. “I will take that as a compliment, seeing as she made you.”

“Oh, do. It’s a huge compliment.”

We share a smile, and I move closer to her, cupping her face in my hands. “We’ll handle the Hunters. You keep yourself safe. Please.”

Her eyes soften slightly. “Fine. But if you’re not back in an hour, I’m coming after you. All of you.”

“Fair enough,” I concede, pressing a quick, hard kiss to her lips. The taste of my blood still lingers there, copper and magic.

She nods, then turns to kiss William and Cassiel, a silent reaffirmation of our unusual bond. “Don’t die,” she orders us all. “Blackridge will throw a shit fit.”

I narrow my eyes at her words. “Blackridge. Surely he knows the Hunters are lurking on his academy’s border?”

Cassiel nods in agreement. “It’s likely. His awareness of the Hunters might be another test, another manipulation.”

William’s expression darkens. “Everything is a test with him. Fucking dick.”

I crack my knuckles, ready for the fight ahead. “Then let’s show these Hunters and Blackridge what happens when they cross the wrong vampires… and a fallen angel.”

Leaving Isolde, a part of me knows she won’t stay still for long.

But I can’t think about that right now. We move swiftly through the dark hallways of SilverGate, sticking to the shadows to avoid unwanted attention.

The eastern boundary is deserted, the old groundskeeper’s cottage looming in the distance like a spectre from a forgotten time.

The prickling at the base of my skull intensifies, confirming we’re heading in the right direction. “They’re close,” I murmur, my senses on high alert.

“What exactly are we facing?” Cassiel asks as we cross the misty grounds. “What are their capabilities?”

“Hunters use borrowed magic,” I explain. “They’re human, but they’ve developed weapons and techniques specifically designed to track and kill supernatural creatures. Up until recently, they couldn’t contain dragons, but they found a way and captured my mother. My dad annihilated them.”

“So, this is revenge?”

“Pretty much. They won’t stop until they either have me, or they are reduced to nothing again.”

“Borrowed magic from who, exactly?” William asks, his pace never faltering.

“Anyone and everyone. Used to be just witches, but now… they play dirty.”

“So, they are a bunch of twisted hypocrites?” William says. “There is nothing I loathe more than a hypocrite. Weaknesses?”

“They’re still human. Kill them, they stay dead.”

“Simple enough.”

We reach the edge of SilverGate’s grounds, where the carefully tended landscape gives way to wilder growth.

The groundskeeper’s cottage stands abandoned, its windows dark and foreboding.

Beyond it lies the eastern boundary, marked by nothing more than a change in the quality of the air, a shimmer visible only to supernatural eyes.

Three figures probe that boundary with glowing tools and whispered incantations.

“There,” I murmur, dropping into a crouch behind a gnarled oak. “Three Hunters, just as I sensed.”

Cassiel and William flank me, their instincts making them naturally stealthy despite their power. We watch as the Hunters work, their movements methodical and practised.

“They’re using some kind of resonance detector. It can identify weak points in magical barriers.”

The prickling at the base of my skull intensifies. “On my mark,” I whisper, feeling my fangs extend, my claws lengthen. “Three... two... one... now.”

We explode from cover with supernatural speed, crossing the distance to the Hunters before they can fully register our presence.

William reaches his target first, hands extended, a pulse of dark energy freezing the Hunter mid-motion.

Cassiel’s wings snap open as he launches himself at the right-most Hunter, black feathers gleaming in the early light.

I go straight for the leader, a tall woman with a face criss-crossed by ritual scars. She turns just in time to meet my attack, raising a glowing blade that hums with deadly energy.

I dodge her first strike and counter with a slash of my claws. They catch her arm, tearing through the protective fabric of her coat, drawing blood that sizzles against my skin.

She doesn’t flinch, doesn’t show pain. Typical Hunter stoicism.

Her blade whips around again, faster than human reflexes should allow.

I twist away, but not fast enough to avoid a shallow cut across my chest. The wound burns like acid, the blade clearly enchanted to cause maximum damage to supernatural flesh.

“Fuck,” I growl and launch another attack.

Across the clearing, William has his Hunter completely immobilised, blood trickling from the man’s nose, ears, and eyes as William’s power grips him from the inside. Cassiel’s opponent is on the defensive, backing away from the fallen angel’s relentless assault, wings of shadow and light.

The leader sees her comrades losing and changes tactics. She produces a small, glowing orb from her coat and smashes it against the ground. Golden light explodes outward, a shockwave of magic that disrupts the boundary wards and knocks us all back.

I recover quickly, lunging for her, but she’s already retreating, moving with enhanced speed toward the boundary. Using my vampire speed, I lunge after them, grabbing her and hauling her backwards, smacking her into a nearby tree.

Her back cracks unnaturally, and she slumps.

William’s captive Hunter convulses, foam spewing from his mouth as the dark energy consumes him. Cassiel’s target tries to flee, but a well-aimed orb of black-tinged golden light strikes him in the back, sending him crashing to the ground, writhing in agony before he goes still.

I slam the leader into the tree again, feeling bones crunch under my hands. She gasps, blood trickling from her mouth, but her eyes remain defiant. “You can’t kill us all, abomination,” she spits. “More will come. We won’t stop until your kind is wiped from existence.”

I lean in, baring my fangs. “Like you were once wiped out by Constantine Aquila?” With a brutal twist, I snap her neck. Her body goes limp, and I drop her to the ground, standing over her for a moment to ensure she won’t rise again, because you never fucking know with these assholes.

William joins us, his eyes scanning the boundary. “This was fun. Quite the bonding session.”

“At least we know they’re only after you,” Cassiel says. “My one wasn’t bothered about trying to kill me.”

“Same,” William says.

“Small mercies,” I mutter. “They’ll still tear SilverGate apart to get to me.”

“I think it’s high time these wards were strengthened,” he replies. “Unless Blackridge has them lowered for a reason.”

“You plan on asking him?”

“Nope.”

“So, what then?”

“I’ll come back later and erect a secondary reinforcement,” he says.

I nod as we head back, leaving the fallen Hunters. I have no doubt that SilverGate will get rid of them for us.

Isolde is pacing when we re-enter her room, the scent of her worry filling the air. She stops dead when she sees us, her eyes scanning each of us for injury.

“You’re alright?” she asks, her voice tight.

“Peachy,” I reply, pulling off my blood-stained jacket. “Three down. No major casualties on our side.”

She nods, a thoughtful expression replacing the anxiety. “So, Blackridge lets Hunters practically onto SilverGate’s grounds, targeting one of his students, and does nothing?”

“It would appear so,” William says. “Or he’s testing CJ’s capabilities. Or ours as a unit.”

“Or all of the above,” I mutter. “With Blackridge, it’s always layers of manipulation.”

“My dad is going to hit the roof when he hears that Blackridge has allowed the Hunters to get this far,” I mutter, but shake it off. I’m not going running to him to fix this. Fuck that. Blackridge will answer to me and me alone.

Isolde meets my eyes, a silent question passing between us. The Hunters are a threat, but they’re a known quantity to me. The Collectors, Damadere, Blackridge… they’re the storm gathering on the horizon.