Chapter 12

Zane watched from afar at the redhead swaying unsteadily as she tried to keep up. Her drunken giggles were gone now, replaced with slight confusion.

"Where are we going?" she said as she finally caught up, blinking at her girlfriends.

One of them, a brunette with a tight smirk, looped an arm around her shoulder. "Just some fresh air, babe. You're looking a little dizzy."

"M'not dizzy," she mumbled, her steps faltering as they led her toward the alley. "Just… too many drinks."

"Exactly," another girl said, grip tightening. "Let's get you some air, okay?"

The moment they stepped into the alleyway, he quickened his pace, slipping into the shadows just in time to hear the redhead's sluggish protest.

"W-Wait," she slurred, wobbling on her feet. The dim light barely reached them now, casting long shadows over the damp brick walls. "Where are we? This isn't… this isn't the way home."

The girls exchanged glances. One sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry, Eve."

Eve.

So that was her name.

Before she could question them further, figures moved from the darkness, slipping out of the alley's depths like phantoms. Hooded figures, silent and unnerving, stepping into place around them, blocking the exit.

Eve blinked slowly, confusion fading into a creeping, numbing fear. "What… what is this?" Her voice was small now, the alcohol in her system no longer drowning out the warning bells ringing in her head. She turned to her friends, swallowing thickly. "Guys if this is a prank cut it out!"

The brunette refused to meet her gaze. "I'm so sorry."

"Sorry?" Eve's voice shook as she started to shift away from them cautiously. "What do you mean sorry? What the hell is going on?!"

One of the hooded figures chuckled, low and menacing. "Oh, she's a lively one. I like it when they're feisty."

Eve took a staggering step back, but the girls she once called friends didn't move to help her. Instead, they stood frozen, looking at the ground.

"Come on explain to the girl why you betrayed her, why you basically doomed her to death" another figure said, his voice smooth, almost amused.

The brunette finally looked up, her eyes glossy with unshed tears. "They were going to kill us, Eve i'm so sorry" she whispered. "After using us up, they were going to drain us dry and throw us away like trash. We had no choice, Eve. They said if we brought someone new, they'd let us live."

Eve's breath hitched. "So… you sold me out to these.....what are these things even?"

The girl clenched her jaw, looking away. "We didn't have a choice."

"Bitches," one of the hooded figures muttered, rolling his neck. "Stop acting like you're the victims here. You enjoyed it well enough when we were keeping you warm at night and spending thousands on you."

A collective chuckle rose from the group, and then, as if deciding they were done hiding, they peeled back their hoods.

Eve barely had time to react before she saw it. The glowing red eyes. The sharp, glinting fangs. The deathly pale skin.

Vampires.

Her stomach lurched.

"Ahh," one of them sighed, taking a deep inhale. "And she's fresh. Still untouched."

Another whistled. "A rare treat."

Eve's blood ran cold. She stumbled back, panic gripping her chest.

"Oh, don't run now, sweetheart." One of them smirked, stepping forward. "We'll take it slowly, you would love it, cross my heart hope to die"

Eve turned on her heel and bolted.

Or tried to.

Before she could get more than two steps, a hand snatched out at her with inhuman speed. She barely had time to scream—

CRACK.

The sound of bone snapping echoed through the alleyway.

The vampire who had reached for her was sent flying, his body twisting unnaturally midair before crashing hard into the brick wall. Dust and debris exploded outward from the impact, cracks spider-webbing through the stone where his body had met it.

Silence.

Then, slow, deliberate footsteps.

Zane stepped out of the darkness, eyes cold, expression unreadable. His fingers flexed at his side, he didn't carry his weapon after all he only had his hands for now.

Eve turned, wide-eyed, barely processing what had just happened.

"You know i was told even vampires had some few good ones" Zane said casually, gaze flicking over the stunned vampires. "I'm starting to seriously doubt it

One of them growled. "Shadow hunter"

Zane cracked his neck, cutting him off. "Leave now, and you might just live to see the next day

The air in the alley thickened at the threat. The vampires stared at him, then at their downed companion, whose groans of pain filled the silence.

Then they started laughing.

"Oh, this is precious," one sneered. "what does one little hunter think he can do to a whole pack"

"Get him boys, we'll rape the girls right in front of his revolting face"

Zane's lips curled into a smirk. "Revolting? That's a first."

They all lunged at him collectively.

And just like that, the fight began.