Wind howled through the cracks of the ruined chapel, and snowflakes scattered across the stone floor like shattered glass. The moon hung high and pale, its light cutting through the broken ceiling and casting shadows that danced along the crumbling walls.
Athena stood now, no longer sitting, her boots scraping against ancient tiles as she paced slowly. Her coat flared with every step, dark as the blood still etched into the oath mark on her wrist, a mark that pulsed tonight. She could feel it.
She was not alone.
Someone was watching her. No, he was watching her.
Lucien.
She could feel his presence like a blade just inches from her spine. It was that same chill she used to feel when he walked into a room, a mix of danger and desire that made her chest tight and her throat dry.
But this time, she didn't freeze.
This time, she welcomed it.
"Come out," she said aloud, her voice sharp, echoing through the chapel. "Or are you still hiding behind others to do your dirty work?"
No answer. Just the wind.
She turned slowly, her eyes scanning every shadow. Her vampire senses were stronger than ever - every scent, every vibration in the air, every whisper of movement - it all fed her instincts.
Then she heard it.
The crunch of snow just beyond the chapel entrance.
Athena's eyes narrowed. "Finally."
A figure stepped into the moonlight, but it wasn't Lucien.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, and cloaked in black. A stranger. His eyes glowed faintly silver, betraying his kind — vampire, like her. But his aura was unfamiliar, laced with something… ancient.
"You've gotten harder to find," the man said in a deep, calm voice. "Almost like you didn't want to be found."
Athena tilted her head. "Who sent you?"
He smirked but didn't answer.
She stepped forward slowly, boots crunching glass and snow. "If you're one of Lucien's little spies, go back and tell him I'm not interested in games. He already broke what little trust he had."
The man raised a brow. "So he hasn't seen you yet?"
That pause told her everything she needed.
She inhaled. There it was again — that faint scent on the wind. Familiar. Masculine. Electric.
Lucien was here. Maybe not visible, but close enough to listen.
So he didn't have the guts to face her yet.
Coward.
Athena's eyes darkened. "Let me guess," she said to the stranger. "You're the messenger. The one meant to soften me up before the king decides to grace me with his presence."
"I'm no one's messenger," he replied, calmly stepping forward. "I came for myself. I wanted to see if the stories were true."
She narrowed her gaze. "What stories?"
He smiled, sharp and slow. "That the forgotten heir of House Nyx rose from the ashes and became something the council fears."
Athena's jaw tensed.
House Nyx. Her bloodline. Her past.
A name erased from the records after Lucien's betrayal. After he stood by and let the council strip her title, her lands, her honor. All because she was too wild. Too free. Too powerful.
"Sounds like old news," she said coolly.
"Power like yours doesn't stay buried forever."
Athena studied him. His eyes held no lies, but something about his calm confidence felt... strategic.
She circled him slowly. "You didn't give me your name."
"I didn't," he said. "But you can call me Caelen."
"Caelen," she repeated, tasting the name. "And what do you want from me, Caelen?"
"Truthfully?" he said, watching her carefully. "I want to know what your next move is."
She stopped circling. "Why?"
"Because Lucien is scared," he said bluntly. "He won't show it, but he is. You vanished ten years ago, and now you've returned with power he can't predict. That kind of fear… makes kings reckless."
Athena's lips curled into a faint smile. "Good. Let him be scared."
Caelen chuckled. "I think he already is. That's why he sent someone else tonight."
Athena's eyes shifted toward the broken archway. Snow drifted lazily, but the air had thickened.
She spoke louder, her voice clear. "I know you're there, Lucien."
Silence.
Then, like mist peeling from stone, a tall shadow detached itself from the dark.
Lucien stepped into the light.
He hadn't changed.
Still as commanding as ever, with raven-black hair swept back and eyes like smoldering fire. He wore a long dark coat, embroidered subtly with his house crest. His presence still stole the air from a room.
But Athena didn't flinch.
"Hello, Athena," he said, voice smooth and rich.
She tilted her head slightly. "I thought you'd send a letter. Or maybe another lie."
Lucien's jaw tightened. "I deserved that."
"You deserve worse," she said, stepping forward until they stood only a few feet apart. "You left me to rot while you rose higher."
"I did what I had to do," he said quietly.
"No," she snapped. "You did what made you look powerful. You threw me to the wolves and pretended it was mercy."
Lucien didn't reply right away. His eyes searched hers, but she had built walls too thick, too sharp for him to see past.
"I didn't want to lose you," he finally said.
"You lost me the moment you betrayed me," Athena said. "You just didn't realize it."
Caelen shifted slightly behind them but didn't interrupt. He knew this was no place for diplomacy.
Lucien stepped closer, but Athena held her ground.
"I came to warn you," he said, softer now. "The council has heard rumors that you're back. If they find you —"
"They'll try to kill me?" she interrupted. "Let them try."
Lucien's expression darkened. "You don't know what they've become. They've aligned with things older than our kind. Things you haven't faced."
"I've faced worse," she said, voice cold. "And I survived."
He reached for her wrist, slowly — where the blood oath still shimmered faintly beneath her skin.
The mark burned under his touch, reacting.
"We're still bound," he whispered. "No matter what happened. That hasn't changed."
Athena looked down at his hand. Then up into his eyes.
Then she stepped back.
"Don't mistake the past for permission," she said. "You may have my blood, but you'll never have me again."
Lucien's jaw clenched, and for the first time, she saw it — regret.
But regret wasn't enough. Not anymore.
Athena turned to Caelen. "Tell me more about what the council fears."
Caelen's eyes lit with interest. "I thought you'd never ask."
Lucien opened his mouth to speak, but Athena was already walking away, snow crunching under her boots like the bones of the past.
This time, she wasn't running.
She was preparing for war.