Luciano followed us into the hallway like a man walking into a test he hadn't studied for. He looked between us, his brow furrowed, clearly trying to figure out if this was about academic fraud, cult recruitment, or something worse.
"Um… are you guys like… FBI?"
Sylas grinned. "Worse."
Luciano paled.
Darian didn't waste time. He stepped in, all calm confidence and green-eyed intimidation. "We're not here to hurt you. We just need information. You reported seeing something recently. A dagger. Something strange."
Luciano blinked. "I—what? I didn't—"
"You did," I cut in. "You told a classmate. Who told a professor. Who flagged it. So let's skip the denial before I skip your next breath."
Luciano gulped.
"Describe what you saw," Darian said evenly.
Luciano rubbed the back of his neck. "It was maybe two weeks ago. I was leaving the library, and this guy dropped something when he passed me. I picked it up, and it was… weird. A knife or a dagger. But not like any I've ever seen."
"What did it look like?" Darian pressed.
Luciano's eyes flicked toward me. "It was… curved. Thin. The metal looked dark, almost smoky, like it wasn't really solid. And there were these markings on it… glowing red."
Red, I thought. My stomach tightened.
"How did it make you feel?" I asked. "Did it call to you? Whisper? Bite you? Seduce you?"
Luciano stared. "Uh… it gave me a headache?"
Sylas fake-coughed. "That's the mortal version of seduction."
I ignored him. "Where exactly were you?"
"Just outside the east library entrance. It was late. I gave it back, and the guy left fast."
"Describe him," Darian said.
Luciano hesitated. "Tall. Pale. White-blonde hair. Eyes like… blue glass. He looked wrong. Like he was too pretty to be real."
Sylas and I exchanged a glance.
That sounded dangerously like Velmora.
"Has anyone else asked you about this?" Darian asked.
Luciano shook his head. "No. Just you guys. Who are you, anyway?"
I stepped closer, just enough to let my shadow fall across him.
"We're the reason you're still alive."
His eyes widened.
Sylas clapped him on the shoulder. "Ignore her. She says that to everyone. Even waiters."
"Okay," Luciano said quickly, "are we done here?"
"For now," Darian said. "But if you remember anything else…"
"I'll… keep it to myself?"
I raised a brow.
He added quickly, "Or tell you! Totally tell you!"
Darian nodded, then gently nudged me and Sylas toward the exit.
As we stepped out into the cold morning light, Sylas exhaled dramatically.
"Well. That was productive."
"I still think he was lying about something," I muttered, eyes narrowing after Luciano's retreating form.
"He is," Darian said simply.
Sylas blinked. "And here I thought the guy just had resting guilt face."
Darian's voice was calm—too calm.
"Because if he really picked up that dagger… and touched it… he'd be dead."
Sylas frowned. "Wait, what?"
I felt my heartbeat skip.
Darian met my gaze. "Only vampires of pure royal blood can survive contact with the dagger. Anyone else—even immortals—would die instantly."
Sylas blinked. "So… gloves?"
"No," I said, stepping forward, eyes already locked on the direction Luciano had disappeared. "We follow him."
Darian didn't hesitate.
"Agreed."
__________
Luciano went back to class like nothing happened.
Which meant we spent the entire day trailing him across campus, pretending to blend in while silently praying he did something suspicious.
He didn't.
He ate a sandwich. He picked at his laptop. He scrolled on his phone.
The most dramatic thing he did was sneeze.
"This is boring," I muttered, leaning against a shady tree near the quad.
"He's not even interesting to look at," Sylas agreed. "If he's a pawn of a shadowy immortal conspiracy, he's the most basic pawn in history."
Darian didn't respond. He stood beside me, still, watchful, ridiculously composed. His eyes never left Luciano.
"Patience is a weapon," he said calmly. "It cuts deeper than recklessness ever could."
I turned toward him. "You sound like Aven."
"I trained Aven."
I blinked.
"Oh," I said.
Then turned to Sylas, lifting an eyebrow.
Sylas casually blew a bubble with his gum. "I was trained by him too. That's how I got this amazing jawline and crippling trust issues."
I snorted. "Explains so much."
But before I could mock them further, movement caught my eye.
Luciano again.
This time, walking across the quad like class was finally over—backpack slung lazily over one shoulder, phone in hand.
But he wasn't alone.
Walking beside him was a girl with fiery red hair, long and gently waved, falling down her back like flame caught in motion. She had this calm, golden energy—like warm light after a storm. The kind of presence that made people feel safe without knowing why.
She laughed softly at something he said, her hand brushing his arm for half a second. Her vibe was sun-warmed hope and quiet strength. Soft—but not weak.
"That new?" I asked.
Darian's gaze sharpened. "First time we've seen her."
Sylas perked up. "Oooh, is this a love interest plotline? Because I swear if dagger boy gets a rom-com before I do—"
"Shut up," I said. "They're going somewhere."
Luciano and the girl crossed the main lawn and headed off-campus, deeper into the city streets.
Finally. Something interesting.
I adjusted the knife strapped to my thigh and smirked.
"Let's follow the lovebirds."
_________
We followed them across the city.
Through the streets, past the subway entrance, past a corner deli with flickering lights and a cat in the window, until they reached a quiet neighborhood lined with modest houses and parked cars that all looked like they needed an oil change.
Luciano and the redhead stopped in front of a two-story home—white paint slightly chipped, a porch swing crooked on one side, a potted plant that had definitely seen better days.
Not poor.
But humble.
Real.
They stepped inside, and a few lights flicked on.
Darian glanced at me. "Looks like they're just going home."
"No one just goes home after lying to three immortals," I muttered.
A few minutes passed.
And then the worst happened.
Through the window, we saw it.
Luciano and the redhead sat on the couch. Textbooks open. Laptops on. Pens. Highlighters.
They were… studying.
"For a test," I whispered, blinking. "We've been stalking a study session."
Sylas groaned, flopping back against a brick wall like his soul just left his body. "I skipped lunch for this."
"I'm going in," I said.
Darian turned sharply. "No, you're not."
"I'll be quiet. Just a little rooftop lurking. Maybe one window peep."
"No."
"They could be hiding something."
"They're not."
"I'm escalating to the second floor."
Darian stepped in front of me. "Aurora—"
I didn't stop.
He caught my wrist. "You cannot break into a mortal's house because you're bored."
"Who said anything about breaking?" I said sweetly. "I was thinking more along the lines of unauthorized vertical reconnaissance."
Sylas let out a low whistle. "Oooh, tension. Anyone else feeling awkward? No? Just me?"
I pulled my arm free.
Darian's jaw ticked. "You're reckless."
"You're annoying."
"I'm trying to keep you alive."
"Well, maybe I don't need that!"
We stood there, two inches apart, staring like we were one second away from either killing each other or—
Sylas cleared his throat loudly. "Okay, you two can emotionally implode later. Right now, maybe we follow the actual dagger lead before the redhead pulls out a flashcard and kills my will to live."
I looked at Darian.
He didn't blink.
I didn't either.
But I stepped back.
For now.
Just as I turned away, something shifted in the air. The kind of shift that prickled at the back of my neck—instinct and warning rolled into one.
Darian's hand flexed near his side.
Sylas tilted his head. "Did you feel that?"
I nodded slowly.
Because somewhere—not inside that boring little house, but nearby—magic had just pulsed.
Old.
Dark.
Familiar.
I grinned.
"Well," I said softly, eyes narrowing toward the dark end of the street.
"Looks like this night won't be so boring after all."