It smelled old and musky.

“What would the Darklings be doing in here?” Valaine mumbled. “If that’s who Katlin saw, anyway.”

“The black hoods, the golden masks? It had to be them.”

“Okay, so what would they meet here for, and only two at a time? It doesn’t make sense.”

Advancing through the wide reception area, I noticed all the doors around us were open, most leading into other rooms. The kitchen and dining space were at the back, accessible through a narrow hallway, and there was a bath chamber to our left. Grime and dirt and dust covered every single inch of this place.

Yet there were distinct footprints on the creaky wooden floor, apart from ours. I crouched to get a better look, and Valaine inched closer, following my gaze. “These can’t be older than a day,” I said.

“So, they were here last night or the night before,” she replied.

“Maybe it’s a safehouse, still. Are there other entrances?” I asked.

She circled the reception area several times, peeking into each room as she moved, then stopped at the base of the stairs leading to the upper floor. “Not unless they’ve got some form of access from above. I doubt it, though; it’s the tallest building on the street, and it’s not connected to the other houses.”

“The basement,” I reminded him.

“I think you’re on to something.” A male voice shot through the semi-darkness.

I jumped and quickly turned around. A shadow bolted across the room. I caught a glimpse of metal, hearing the blade whistle as it left its sheath. Footsteps tapped past me, and my side burned from the pain. He cut me!

Worst of all, he wasn’t alone. Four other attackers appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. The second one came after me, while the remaining two focused on Valaine.

They were fast and vicious, their swords short and slender and sharp. I dodged their slashes as I moved backward, trying to get to the doors so I could at least let some light in. Valaine grunted, and I briefly saw her swerving to the side. I heard the sound of flesh and bone being cut. One of her opponents cried out from the searing pain, then hit the floor with a heavy thud.

My hip hurt, but I didn’t have a second left to waste, as both Darklings hurled themselves at me simultaneously, their swords up and eager to swing downward. I managed to pull a flash-bomb out of my pocket—I’d decided on carrying some of them around, just in case. I smashed it at their feet, and it burst into bright green flames, temporarily blinding the bastards.

I lunged at one of them and drove my claws through his throat. I yanked my fist back, ripping him apart. He fell to his knees, gurgling and choking on his own blood. I tore his head off with both hands, as his colleague rubbed his eyes and found me again.

Unlike the dead one, however, this one was much better accustomed to my movements. We’d fought before—likely last night. He dashed to my right and brought his sword in, nearly stabbing me. I slapped the blade away and moved back, still panting from the loss of blood. Vampire or not, my wounds could still slow me down, even if just for a moment or two, which, in circumstances such as this, could easily get me killed.

I heard Valaine gasp. She was on the floor, and her attacker was about to drive his sword through her chest.

“Valaine!” I shouted.

Armor jingled outside. Boots thundered and sharp voices got louder.

My remaining opponent ran off, vanishing somewhere behind a massive desk at the back of the reception area. I rushed toward Valaine and tackled the Darkling before he could finish the job. We tumbled and rolled onto the floor. His blade was left somewhere behind.

The doors were smashed open.

I ended up on top of the Darkling. He tried to bite me with his fangs, and I was once again reminded that I was dealing with an Aeternae. I punched him hard in the face, breaking his nose in the process. Blood gushed from his nostrils, and I grabbed his sword from a couple of feet away and cut his head off. He wasn’t going to go down alive—that much I knew from how viciously he’d tried to claw at my wounded side.

It had happened so fast that I couldn’t even breathe or see clearly anymore.

For a moment, time stopped.

“Milady! Are you all right?” one of the gold guards asked.

“Where the hell have you been?!” she shouted.

“Outside, milady… not far. We heard noises, so we came in,” he replied, his voice grave and shaky. Better late than never, I thought.

I stared at the Darkling I’d just killed, still kneeling on top of him, his blade heavy and bloody in my hand. He was dead, head removed from his body, but I could feel his eyes on me, somehow. It was a strange feeling, but not exactly unfamiliar. I loathed killing, yet I had done just that in order to protect myself and Valaine. My justification, however, did not do a thing to soothe my swelling guilt.

“Tristan!” Valaine breathed, reaching me. “Tristan, it’s okay… You killed him.”

I looked at her, momentarily lost. Her black eyes were clear now, as light poured through the reception area, the double doors shattered and cast off to the sides.

“I… I couldn’t let them hurt you,” I managed.

She smiled gently. “I know. You can let go of the sword.”

I hadn’t even realized I was still holding it. It dropped back to the floor, and I moved away from the body as the golden guards spread around the room and checked every corner and dark nook.

“They’re all dead, milady,” one of them said. The guy whose throat I’d ripped was down, a pool of blood congealing on the floor all around him.

“They came through here, somewhere,” I replied, gradually regaining my clarity.

Valaine checked my wound, her brow furrowing as she noted the depth of the cut. “You may need some healing patches, or at least some of my blood.”

“Aeternae blood heals, too?” I asked, surprised by yet another similarity between our species. She nodded and bit into her wrist.

Pushing it against my lips, she urged me to drink. “It’ll heal you faster.”

She’d caught me by surprise. I would’ve pulled away, but the taste of her blood had already invaded my mouth, sending a rush of sweet fire through my limbs. Aeternae blood felt like the force of life itself, surging through me with the strength of an electric current. I felt invigorated, and my wound closed up almost instantly.

Energy filled my veins, my heart pumping with delight as I drank from Valaine’s wrist and felt as though I was hugging the universe itself. What a strange sensation. What an incredible ride this was! Drinking from a Rimian or a Nalorean, by comparison, was nothing! I felt stronger. I was willing to bet I’d be faster, too. Pure energy soared through me.

She blushed as I let go of her arm, her mere touch making my skin ripple.

“Thank you,” I said, wiping the blood from my lips.

Valaine nodded slowly, checking my wound again. “There. It’s closed. Just don’t tell anyone I gave you my blood. It’s not legal without Petra’s authorization,” she whispered.

“I think I know where they came through,” another guard said, popping out from behind the massive desk where I’d seen the surviving Darkling disappear. There was enough light now for me to see everything much better. The footsteps and the blood on the floor. The specks of dust lingering in the air. The cracks in the walls…

I went around the desk, where the gold guard waited, holding back a trap door. Pitch black was ready to welcome us below, and Valaine and I looked at each other.

“There must be an escape tunnel in the basement,” Valaine concluded.

“That’s where the fourth guy went,” I whispered. “That’s where they came through, as well. It was their element of surprise.”

Valaine frowned, glancing at the guard. “Not anymore. Two of you will go down there and see where it leads. The rest of us will wait up here.”

“Why don’t we go?” I asked, while the guard motioned for one of his colleagues to join him.