Ayda was deliberate with her steps. The air was thick with the scent of damp stone and something else, something darker. Adel leaned casually against the cold wall, her arms crossed, watching Ayda with an unreadable expression.
"You're hesitating," Adel finally spoke, her voice smooth but sharp. "That's unlike you."
Ayda's fingers tightened around the edge of the wooden table before her. "It's not hesitation. It's precision. I want this done right."
Adel smirked. "Right or cruel?"
Ayda turned to face her fully, eyes gleaming. "Both."
Adel tilted her head. "Then tell me your plan."
Ayda exhaled, slowly, she was calm at first. Then she started. "Matteo….Jaytee, whatever he calls himself now, he has a weak point."
Adel scoffed. "You think I don't know that?"
"But do you know how to use it?" Ayda pressed. "Because I do."
Adel's eyes darkened. "Nora."
Ayda nodded. "He's getting too attached to her. Too human. I feel like he sometimes forgets he's a vampire. If we take her, we don't just weaken him. We lead him to our part."
A slow, dangerous smile spread across Adel's lips. "If breaking him….. doing this will help us….. let's do it."
Ayda leaned in. "We need to be smart about this. No mistakes. He's still strong. If we move too soon, he'll sense it."
Adel chuckled. "I've been watching him. He's already slipping. The hunger is taking hold again. He's losing himself."
"Which is why we have to strike before he realizes what's happening," Ayda said. "We make him desperate. We push him to the edge. And whether he accepts it or not, we take her, we use her to lure him to Rico."
Adel's fingers traced an invisible pattern on the wall, her green eyes gleaming. "I'll handle it."
Ayda studied her. "You're certain?"
Adel's smile didn't fade. "I've never been more certain."
Ayda smirked. "Then let's begin, but remember. You have to forget that he's your son….. no feelings attached."
The school hallways buzzed with low murmurs as Ben leaned casually against the lockers, arms folded, smirking at the small crowd gathering around him.
"I'm just saying," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "there's something off about Jaytee and Adel."
A girl with short dark hair frowned. "What do you mean?"
Ben shrugged. "Think about it. They disappear for hours. They act weird. And have you noticed how Jaytee never eats? Or how Adel always knows things she shouldn't?"
The murmurs grew louder. "Maybe they're spies or something," someone joked.
Ben laughed. "Or something much worse."
Adel from where she stood afar could hear him, she could hear every word. Her hands clenched into fists. Matteo might have been trying to ignore this idiot, but she wouldn't. Ben had no idea what he was playing with. And she would make sure he regretted it.
Matteo sat in the darkened classroom, gripping the desk so hard his knuckles turned white. His hunger clawed at him, burning through his veins like fire. He clenched his jaw, trying to push it down, to control it.
But it was getting worse. He needed to feed. He needed blood. "Rough night?" Matteo's head snapped up. A girl stood in the doorway, arms crossed, watching him with an amused expression.
She was beautiful in an almost unnatural way. Silvery-blonde hair, and eyes that gleamed like molten gold. She didn't belong here, yet she moved as if she did.
"Who are you?" Matteo demanded. The girl smiled. "Selene."
Matteo's throat was dry. He could hear her heartbeat, steady, strong, tempting.
Selene took slow steps toward him. "You're starving."
Matteo's breathing was ragged. "You don't know what you're talking about."
Selene's smile widened. "Oh, but I do."
She reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a small vial filled with deep crimson liquid. Matteo's body went rigid. Selene held it up between her fingers, tilting it so the liquid caught the light. "I can help you."
Matteo swallowed hard. "Why would you do that?" Selene shrugged. "Because I know what it's like to crave something you can't have."
Matteo's fingers twitched. His instincts screamed at him to take it.
Selene stepped closer, pressing the vial into his hand. "Drink," she whispered.
Matteo hesitated for only a moment, his fingers tightening around the delicate vial. His mind screamed at him to resist, to hold on just a little longer, but the hunger was unbearable, a gnawing, relentless force clawing at his insides. With a sharp breath, he uncorked the vial and tipped it back. The thick, coppery liquid coated his tongue, and the effect was instant.
A rush of warmth flooded his body, spreading through his veins like wildfire, dulling the raw edge of his starvation. His muscles loosened, the tension in his shoulders easing as the painful throbbing in his temples faded. For the first time in what felt like days, he could breathe. The hunger was still there, lurking beneath the surface, but for now, it was tamed. Controlled.
He exhaled, his grip loosening on the empty vial. But as the warmth settled in his chest, so did something else, something darker. The taste lingered, rich and intoxicating, making his pulse quicken.
And for the first time, he realized he might not want to stop.
Selene watched him with interest. "Better?"
Matteo exhaled, his body still humming. "What do you want?"
Selene smirked. "We'll get to that."
And with that, she turned and walked away.
Matteo stared after her, the taste of blood still on his lips, knowing that whatever he had just gotten himself into, it was only the beginning.
The moment Adel heard Ben's name whispered in the hallway, her decision was made. A slow, simmering rage settled in her chest, cold and calculating. She wasn't Matteo, she had seen how he'd bullied Matteo on several occasions, and she had seen how Ben had treated her son, but then Matteo was always quiet. She didn't hesitate and didn't let things spiral out of control before acting. Loose ends were a liability, and Ben had just made himself one and on this, he was going to be of great help to her in executing her plan. He had pried too deep, spread one too many rumors, and now he was meddling in things far beyond his understanding. He was getting himself involved in something that wasn't his business.
A slow, dangerous smile played on her lips as she leaned against the locker, her mind already weaving the perfect way to deal with him. Unlike Matteo, she didn't believe in mercy. Ben had stepped out of line, and she was going to make sure he never got the chance to do it again.
He had no idea what was coming.