Chapter 3 Something Evil Is Coming

Killian’s POV

I leaned back against the plush leather seat of my car, trying to shrug the lingering sensation off my skin. But I couldn't. It stuck to me like static. The way that boy had looked at me back there at the crime scene...those wide, terrified, yet stubborn eyes. And that scent. It wasn't just the mundane smell of human fear, there was a strange familiar note to it that grated on my nerves. I could have sworn I had seen him somewhere before, but the memory refused to surface.

"Polish, who was that guy staring at me while talking to the detective?" I asked, not bothering to open my eyes as I addressed my right hand man.

I heard the clicking first, as he typed on his tab screen a few times before answering. "His name is Asher Rider, Sire. He's a young detective, twenty-four years old... graduated with first class honors back in England. He was recently transferred down here to Edinburgh because he apparently requested a fast track promotion. For reasons best known to him, of course."

"His origin?" I muttered, rolling my neck against the headrest.

"He’s a native of England, Sire," Polish added, his voice smooth and professional.

"Human?"

"Yes, totally human, Sire," Polish answered without a shred of doubt. "Nothing unusual on his medical records or background check."

I didn't ask any more questions. I just nodded and let out a deep, heavy sigh, watching the city lights blur through the tinted window. This was ridiculous. I should have been in bed right now with a good piece of ass, shutting my brain off for a few hours. Instead, silly humans had decided tonight was a fantastic night to get themselves slaughtered and ruin my peace.

An hour later, the car pulled up the long driveway of our estate. I climbed out and marched inside the mansion, my boots clicking sharply against the marble floor as genuine irritation pulsed through my veins. I just wanted to get to my room and pour a drink. But what was waiting for me in the grand living room was far worse than an annoying crime scene.

"Hey, brother," my sister’s voice purred from the shadows.

I stopped and looked over. Morraine was slumped elegantly on the velvet couch, twirling a crystal glass of dark blood between her fingers. She was staring at me intently, her sharp eyes tracking my every movement like she’d been waiting hours just to catch me walking through the door.

I didn't even bother answering her. I ignored her completely and headed straight for the grand staircase, wanting nothing more than to escape the family drama. But in a split second, the air shifted. Morraine blurred across the room, a streak of lethal grace, and suddenly she was standing right in front of me, blocking the bottom step.

"Did you handle it?" she asked quietly, her voice dropping into a dangerous whisper.

"Yes, Morraine... yes!" I snapped, my temper finally flaring. I took a step into her space, my fangs pulling uncomfortably against my gums. "I gave the local police a bloody distraction, just like we agreed! They think it's a random lunatic."

"Good," she said, her tense shoulders dropping slightly as she finally stepped past me, her silks rustling against the floor. "Now next time, you won't go around recklessly feeding and leaving bodies behind to expose us. You know what Sah-teen said about keeping a low profile."

I stopped dead in my tracks. The sheer absurdity of her accusation made me spin back around to face her. "What the hell makes you think I killed them?"

She stopped, her hand freezing on the back of an armchair as she turned to look at me, her eyes narrowing. "You didn't?"

"No, I didn't," I fired back, my voice echoing in the high ceilinged room. "I might be a lot of things, Morraine, but I am not stupid enough to drop a body right in the middle of our territory. I told you, the old me is dead.. Morraine."

"Then who did?" she asked, her perfect brow furrowing in genuine confusion. "You are the only one in this family insane and volatile enough to be that reckless with their food."

I rolled my eyes, refusing to entertain her insults, and turned back around to continue marching up the stairs.

"Killian!"

A familiar, commanding voice echoed from the heavy mahogany foyer doors. I paused on the landing, looking down over the carved balcony. Sah-teen had just strode in, looking immaculate as always, completely unaffected by the midnight hour. He had that arrogant, proud face that always made me want to punch him, looking like he had just returned from whatever high society vampiriy adventure he deemed important.

"Sah-teen, if you are here to lecture me about the importance of humanity, let me start with this...I killed no one today, okay! Save your breath."

"I know you didn't," he shot back, his tone surprisingly even.

His response caught me off guard. My internal alarms instantly went off, a cold weight settling heavily in my dead chest. Usually, by now, my elder brother would be absolutely fuming. He would be rallying the rest of the family to brainstorm a million ways to put me in silver restraints before my supposed bloodlust wiped out the entire human population of the city. His calm was terrifying.

"Now, come down here, please," Sah-teen said smoothly, loosening his silk tie with one hand while he and Morraine carefully took their seats on the opposing couches.

I couldn't be bothered to walk all the way back down the stairs. I simply vaulted over the polished balcony railing, dropping two stories and landing heavily on the cushions of the couch opposite them, the old leather groaning under my weight.

"What do you both want from me now?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring between them. "Make it quick."

"This town is crawling with vampires, Killian," Sah-teen said, his eyes locking onto mine with an unsettling intensity.

"Yes, and whose bloody fault is that?" I scoffed, leaning forward. "You made us relocate here two months ago, brother. Did your ancient memory forget that little detail?"

"I did it for a very good reason," he said, pausing for a long moment to let the weight of his words sink into the room. He leaned in, his voice dropping into a register that made the hairs on my arms stand up. "And when I say the town is crawling with vampires, Killian... I don't mean us. I also don't mean the civilized families. There are other vampires hunting in the city now. Rogue, feral things. And worse."

My curiosity spiked, cutting right through my irritation. I sat up straighter, adjusting my posture on the couch. "Other rogue vampires? What do you mean by that? No name vampires can come in here."

"Didn't we have a strict agreement with the local witches to spell them out of the city lines decades ago?" Morraine interjected, looking anxiously between the two of us, her regal composure completely vanishing.

"Well, whatever boundaries were set, they are gone now. They are back," Sah-teen stated grimly. "And it isn't just the leeches. The Lycans have returned to the surrounding woods, too."

An unnatural chill flooded my veins, making my inner beast claw at my ribs. The Lycans? The very thought of those oversized, howling dogs invading our territory made my fangs ache with a feral hunger.

"Why the hell would they come back here now?" Morraine asked, her voice dropping into a strained whisper as she stared at the him. "They hate this region."

"Remember Littletown prophecy?" Sah-teen looked at both of us, his expression dead serious, his eyes reflecting the dim firelight.

"Something ancient and evil is waking up... it is going to draw every supernatural faction directly to this town like moths to a flame. And if tonight's sloppy kill is any indication, I bet it's already here."