The air in the study was thick with tension.
Leila barely had time to process Raphael's words before Adrian was moving. His body tensed, every muscle coiled like a predator ready to strike.
"How many?" Adrian asked, his voice sharp.
Raphael's gaze flicked to Leila before returning to Adrian. "Too many."
Adrian cursed under his breath.
Leila's pulse pounded. The covenant was here. There was no more waiting, no more preparing.
"What do we do?" she asked, forcing steel into her voice.
Adrian turned to her, something dark and unreadable in his eyes. "You hide."
Leila bristled. "No."
Adrian's jaw tightened. "This isn't a fight you can win, Leila."
She straightened, gripping the dagger he'd given her. "Then it's a fight I die trying."
Adrian's nostrils flared, but before he could argue, Raphael stepped forward.
"She stays."
Adrian's head snapped toward him.
Raphael shrugged. "She's already in this, whether you like it or not."
A muscle in Adrian's jaw ticked, but he didn't argue. Instead, he turned back to Leila. "Stay close to me. Do exactly as I say."
She nodded, tightening her grip on the dagger.
Raphael exhaled, pulling a long silver blade from beneath his coat. "They'll try to separate us. If they do—"
"They won't," Adrian cut in.
Raphael arched a brow. "Then let's hope you're right."
A sudden crash echoed through the mansion.
They were out of time.
---
The hallways were shrouded in shadows as they moved swiftly through the house.
Leila's breath came in short, controlled bursts, her heartbeat hammering against her ribs.
Adrian led the way, his movements eerily silent, Raphael at his back.
Then—
A flicker of movement.
Adrian lunged without hesitation, his dagger slicing through the air.
A strangled cry filled the corridor as a figure crumpled to the ground.
Leila's stomach clenched, but she forced herself to focus. This was war. There was no room for hesitation.
They reached the main foyer just as the front doors burst open.
Figures flooded inside—hunters clad in black, their weapons gleaming in the dim light.
Leila counted at least a dozen.
Then she saw him.
At the center of the group stood a man with piercing blue eyes and an air of authority.
Lucian.
She knew who he was without needing an introduction. The leader of the covenant.
His gaze landed on Adrian, a slow smirk curling his lips. "It's been a long time."
Adrian didn't respond. He simply stepped forward, placing himself between Leila and the intruders.
Lucian's smirk widened. "Protecting a human? How noble."
Leila clenched her jaw, refusing to let fear show.
Adrian's voice was ice. "Leave."
Lucian chuckled. "You know I can't do that."
Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating.
Then, without warning, everything exploded.
---
A blur of movement.
The sound of steel clashing.
Adrian moved faster than Leila's eyes could track, his blade meeting Lucian's in a violent clash.
Raphael was already locked in combat with two hunters, his strikes swift and deadly.
Leila barely had time to react before one of the hunters lunged at her.
Instinct kicked in.
She ducked, twisting away just as a blade sliced past her.
Adrian's training flooded her mind. She gripped her dagger tightly and struck—her blade catching the hunter's arm.
A sharp cry. Blood splattered.
Leila stumbled back, her breath ragged.
But there was no time to think.
Another hunter came at her.
She dodged, but she wasn't fast enough.
Pain erupted in her shoulder as a blade sliced into her skin.
She gasped, staggering backward.
Then, suddenly—
The hunter was ripped away from her.
Adrian.
His eyes were red.
His fangs bared.
He moved like a demon unleashed, tearing through the hunters with merciless efficiency.
Leila had never seen him like this before.
And yet, she wasn't afraid.
She was in awe.
Lucian stepped forward, unfazed. "There you are."
Adrian growled, low and menacing. "You should have stayed away."
Lucian's lips curved. "But where's the fun in that?"
Then he lunged.
The fight began anew, fiercer than before.
Blood painted the floor.
The air was thick with the scent of iron and death.
Leila fought to stay on her feet, dodging, striking, surviving.
Then—
A scream.
Raphael.
Leila's head snapped toward him just in time to see a hunter's blade drive deep into his side.
"No!"
She moved without thinking, her dagger sinking into the hunter's back.
The man fell with a gurgled gasp, but the damage was done.
Raphael collapsed, blood pooling beneath him.
Adrian let out a roar.
Lucian took advantage of the distraction, his blade flashing—
Leila's heart lurched as Adrian twisted away, but he wasn't fast enough.
The silver sliced deep across his chest.
He staggered, but he didn't fall.
Lucian grinned. "Still standing?"
Adrian wiped the blood from his mouth, his eyes blazing. "You'll have to do better than that."