Page 23 of Map of Pain

Have a plan. Follow me?

Nick nodded. He wasn’t ready to die—not here, not now, not when Caleb was still out there somewhere, trapped in Marcus Graves’s web of manipulation. His brother needed him.

What if Marcus is like Luka? What if the safest place for Caleb is with Marcus. He was strong, heseemedto—

STOP IT!The hunter exploded back to life in his mind. Nick winced.Survive first,identity crisis later.

The phone buzzed one final time:

Jae-Jae

Stalling as long as possible, but they’re persistent.

East wing next,thenabandoned section. Get out now.

Nick steeled himself, allowing the hunter to rise back to the surface.

Survival first. Everything else later.

Chapter ten

Tell me what you see...

Nick

Chapter eleven

Everyone's distracted by hunter drama...

Luka

Luka settled into the van’s rear seat, his gaze fixed on Nick. The hunter’s eyes had gone vacant, staring at nothing while his fingers dug into his thigh. He waved toward Nick, careful to keep his movements slow and deliberate.

No response.

He wanteddesperatelyto reach out, to ground Nick with touch the way he had in the hospital bathroom. But after hearing Owen’s vile words—“a monster’s cocksleeve”—Luka kept his hands to himself.

“Five minutes to sunrise,”Ophelia called from the driver’s seat, her voice breaking through Luka’s thoughts.“Matoskah, get back there.”

Matoskah movedgracefullyfrom the passenger seat to the cargo area behind them, the only sound accompanying him the soft jingle of beads adorning his leather braid wraps. He grabbed a handle from the ceiling of the van, pulling down a thick sheet ofopaque canvas to block the impending light from invading their space.

The sudden movement seemed to snap Nick back to partial awareness. His body tensed, eyes widening at the white-haired vampire sealing them in a dim sanctuary from the approaching dawn.

Nick’s breathing quickened, shallow and rapid. His gaze darted around the now-enclosed space, cataloging exits that didn’t exist. His clenched hand drifted down, digging into his knee as though he were trying to fight some instinct gripping him.

Matoskah tilted his head, studying Nick. His blue eyes narrowed as he extended pale hand toward Nick’s face, not touching but feeling the air between them.

«Stop!»Luka snapped, the movement cutting through the dim space.

Matoskah jerked his hand back as if burned. The whites of his eyes flashed black as he winced, shoulders hunching forward.

“His mind is a storm,”Matoskah whispered. The words carried weight beyond their simplicity—pain, as if he’d touched a live wire.

Luka glanced at Nick, who pressed himself further against the van wall, watching their exchange with wary, calculating eyes. The hunter’s breathing steadied.

«Sign, please,»Luka said, pointing between them.

The van settled into silence, broken only by the rumble of tires on asphalt and Nick’s measured breathing. Even Ophelia quieted—unusual for someone whonormallyfilled every silence with commentary or complaints. Her focus remained on the road ahead, navigating the pre-dawn streets.