Liam took one step forward, his voice low, hard, and laced with deadly intent.
"Drop her."
The words weren’t shouted—but the weight behind them felt like thunder. A command, not a plea. His eyes were locked on the man holding Lana by the throat, her body still suspended a few inches above the ground.
But the man didn’t move.
His grip stayed firm.
Lana’s eyes were fluttering now, her mouth opened but no air was coming in. She was clawing at his arm, her legs twitching with fading strength. She didn’t have much longer.
Liam’s fists clenched so tight, his knuckles popped.
Then Boris lifted his hand lazily and gave a simple nod.
"Drop her."
The man obeyed.
Lana hit the floor hard, coughing violently as her lungs fought to drag in oxygen. She clutched her throat, eyes wide, pain painted all over her face. Her body shuddered as she gasped, the sound cutting through the thick silence of the ballroom like broken glass.
Liam didn’t take his eyes off her.
He didn’t even blink.
But when his gaze lifted and found Boris again, it changed.
It wasn’t rage anymore.
It was lethal.
There was a promise in his stare now—unspoken, but undeniable.
Boris smirked as if amused. His eyes glead with mockery.
"I have the upper hand," he said with a cold, smug tone. "If you don’t pass her over now..." —his head tilted toward Ann— "then you lose both."
Liam’s brows furrowed.
Boris continued, gesturing broadly to the n behind him. "Look around you, Liam. You’re outnumbered. You’re surrounded. This... was always how it ends."
Still, Liam said nothing.
No expression. No reaction. Just silence.
Boris assud it was fear.
He gave a slow shrug and his tone turned almost gentle, like he was offering a favor. "I’ll give you an easy out. Leave the girls. Walk away. Live. It’s not a bad deal."
Liam’s head finally moved.
He looked down.
Straight at Lana.
She was still kneeling, her body trembling, but her eyes—those green eyes—had sothing burning in them.
Focus.
Readiness.
Her right hand was subtly raised, fingers outstretched like claws. She was preparing to strike, to unleash her flas. One chance. One mont.
Distraction, Liam thought.
That was all he needed.
But he had Ann with him. He couldn’t leave her exposed.
Then he felt her lean in close. Her whisper was barely a breath.
"They’re afraid of the sun."
Liam’s eyes widened slightly.
His gaze flicked toward the ballroom.
That thick golden line of sunlight—beaming from the open double doors—separated him and Ann from Boris and his n.
And not one of them had stepped past it.
Not even an inch.
They all stayed behind the sunray like it was a wall.
A silent truth fell into place.
They weren’t just avoiding it—they couldn’t step into it.
Liam turned and locked eyes with Boris.
Boris was already glaring at Ann. His jaw clenched. A vein throbbed in his forehead.
"I heard that," he growled. "Do you seriously think I’d be scared of sunlight? Co on, Liam. You can do better than that."
Liam’s lips curled slightly.
His voice was calm. Cold.
"Step into it."
A challenge.
A dare.
Boris didn’t move. But his eyes flickered with fury. His jaw tensed, and the corners of his mouth twitched. That vein on his forehead throbbed harder. Still, he didn’t step forward.
Instead, his rage turned. He twisted to face Lana—still down on the floor, still recovering.
"If I can’t have her..." Boris snarled, "then neither will you. She dies for your foolishness."
His eyes glead red as he raised his hand.
And that was it.
Liam exploded forward.
But not before grabbing Ann.
With a single motion, he swung her into the sunlight, shoving her body out through the open doors. She rolled onto the front steps of the mansion, safe.
Smoke rose from the edge of the threshold where she landed. The shadows recoiled like a living thing.
Liam didn’t stop.
He moved like lightning.
Straight at Boris.
Boris had just turned away.
Two calm, arrogant steps.
That was all he managed before everything changed.
A hand landed on his shoulder—fast, firm, unbelievably strong.
His eyes widened.
His head snapped around in disbelief.
Liam was there.
Behind him.
Already.
Boris barely managed to gasp before a fist ca flying toward his face. But reflex kicked in. He tilted his head just in ti as the punch flew past him, close enough to slice the air.
The shock didn’t even have ti to settle.
All around them, his guards reacted instantly. The ballroom exploded into movent.
Shadows darted. Bodies blurred.
Liam had no choice—he had to release Boris and step back, the numbers were too many. But he didn’t retreat without a plan.
He grabbed one of the guards by the collar and dragged him with him.
He stepped backward—into the sunlight pouring through the open doorway.
The guard didn’t even have ti to scream properly.
The mont sunlight kissed his skin, his body convulsed.
Smoke erupted from his flesh like steam, then flas ignited along his arms, his chest, his neck. The man scread, shrill and animal-like, twisting in agony as fire consud him.
It wasn’t just burning.
He was disintegrating.
Within seconds, all that was left was a black sar on the floor and scattered ashes.
Liam’s eyes widened.
What the hell?
That wasn’t a normal reaction to sunlight. That wasn’t human.
He looked up sharply.
And that’s when he saw it.
The rest of them—Boris’ n—were standing frozen just outside the sunlit zone. None of them dared step forward. Their eyes had changed—glowing a deep, hungry red. Their teeth had elongated into sharp fangs. Black veins pulsed and spread across their necks, their faces contorting with rage and hunger.
"Vampires," Liam muttered under his breath.
The word felt ridiculous... but it fit too perfectly to ignore.
Vampires. Real ones. Not the myths, not the stories.
Actual monsters.
All this ti, hiding behind money, status, and shadows.
And now, revealed.
Liam kept his stance, standing firm inside the light. They didn’t dare cross it.
They couldn’t.
He was safe for now—but they couldn’t reach him, so their attention turned fast.
To Lana.
She had just recovered enough to rise to her feet. Liam’s heart clenched, but then he saw her glance around, fast and sharp. She saw what he saw.
They couldn’t touch the sunlight.
She didn’t need to fight.
She just needed to be smart.
And Lana was many things—but stupid wasn’t one of them.
While the vampires hissed and paced around Liam earlier, Lana quietly slipped backward, away from them. No sudden movents. No fire. No noise.
Just a smooth, careful retreat.
She moved around a column toward the far side of the ballroom. Her eyes locked onto a tall, arched window. Heavy black curtains hung from it, thick enough to block any sunlight.
Perfect.
She started moving faster.
One of the vampires broke away from the others. He lunged after her, fangs bared, eyes wild. His steps were fast, inhuman, almost flying across the marble.
But he wasn’t fast enough.
Lana reached the window first.
She grabbed the curtain and yanked it down with all her strength.
The mont the cloth ripped free, sunlight flooded through the glass like a waterfall of gold.
The vampire’s eyes went wide.
"Shit—"
His words barely made it out before the sun landed on him.
His body went rigid.
Then it erupted.
Flas tore across his skin, his scream echoing through the ballroom as he stumbled backward, flailing, falling. His knees hit the floor, his voice rising into a high-pitched wail—and then nothing.
His body cracked and collapsed into a heap of burning black ash.
Lana stared.
Frozen.
Her hand was still clenched around the curtain, trembling.
She hadn’t even used her powers.
She had just... exposed him.
And that was all it took.
She dropped the curtain and backed away from the window, her breath shaking. Her legs felt like jelly. She had never killed before. Not like that.
Even if it was self-defense.
Even if he wasn’t human.
Her hands were trembling.
She had done that.
She had watched soone burn alive right in front of her—because of her.
But she didn’t have ti to dwell on it.
Not now.
With quick resolve, she looked at the rest of the ballroom. There were more windows.
She raised her hand—and flas erupted from her palm, swirling and licking the edges of her fingers. With one sweeping motion, she sent a wave of fire toward the remaining black curtains.
They ignited instantly.
The fire roared up the cloth, devouring it in seconds. Sunlight poured into the room from every side now, slicing through the shadows, cutting off the vampires from every corner.
Then, with a spark beneath her heels, she launched herself forward—through the flaming window.
Glass shattered around her, fire trailing behind like wings as she flew through the opening and landed outside on the gravel, boots skidding to a stop.
She was breathing hard, adrenaline still racing through her blood.
Then Liam appeared—bolting through the front doorway and into the open, sunlight bathing him completely. He turned toward her, eyes sharp.
Ann was already there, standing a few ters away, waiting with wide, anxious eyes.
The three of them finally together.
Liam’s chest rose and fell as he glanced at both won. They had made it. They were alive.
But they all froze when a deep, guttural voice echoed from the mansion behind them.
Boris.
His voice crawled through the air like a cold wind.
"It’s going to get dark real soon..." he said, the rage in his voice barely contained. "Enjoy the sunlight while you’re at it..."
A pause.
Then a snarl.
"Because it’ll be your last."
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