The room exploded into motion.
Aria ducked as shards of glass rained down, and Dorian was already between her and the window, his body rigid, his jaw clenched.
Elias Thorn stepped through the broken frame like a ghost in warpaint, his silver-tipped cane now a sword that glowed faintly under the moonlight.
Behind him, two feral vampires slinked into the room—eyes wild, mouths bloodied. They moved on all fours, more beast than man.
"Step away from the girl, Blackthorn," Elias ordered, sword raised. "I won't ask again."
"I'm not your enemy," Dorian said evenly. "But they are."
He lunged.
The fight was silent chaos. Dorian moved like lightning, taking down the first feral in seconds. Bones cracked. Fangs flashed. Elias engaged the second with inhuman precision, the silver of his blade burning the vampire's flesh on contact.
Aria scrambled behind the desk, her heart a drumbeat in her ears.
But then—
The second feral broke free.
It leapt toward her, claws outstretched—
—and Dorian threw himself in its path.
They collided mid-air, crashing into the fireplace.
When the smoke cleared, Dorian was crouched over the feral's broken body, blood trickling from a cut on his face—already healing.
Elias didn't lower his blade.
"I should strike you down where you stand," the hunter snarled. "You're no different from them."
"He protected me!" Aria shouted, stepping between them.
"He's a predator. He'll turn on you."
"No," she said. "You don't know him."
Elias's eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me you've fallen for this thing."
Dorian said nothing, but his gaze met hers—and in that single look, she knew. He cared. Deeply. Dangerously.
"That's forbidden," Elias said darkly. "Even among their kind."
"What do you mean?" Aria asked.
Elias turned to her slowly. "Vampires are governed by a council. Old, cruel, and absolute. They have one rule above all: Never love a human."
"Why?"
"Because love makes them weak. And weakness is punished."
Aria looked at Dorian. "Is it true?"
He nodded grimly. "If the council learns of us… they'll kill you."
"Then let them come," Aria said quietly.
Dorian's eyes widened. "You don't understand what they're capable of."
"I don't care." Her voice trembled—but she stood firm. "I'm not afraid of what you are. I'm afraid of losing you."
In the heavy silence that followed, Elias stepped back. "You're both fools. This won't end well."
Then he turned and vanished into the shadows.
Dorian turned to Aria. "You don't know what you've done."
She stepped closer. "Then show me."
Outside, the wind howled.
Far away, in a forgotten castle beneath the Carpathian Mountains, ancient eyes opened.
The Council had felt the shift.
The Perfect Vampire had broken the law.
And now… they were coming.