XIV

It turned out that Rose lived in the outskirts of the city, so her house wasn't very far away. It was a wonder that she hasn't been found out y-

"It's empty," Serena commented.

"Completely abandoned," Sam added.

Ellis frowned, studying the note in her hand, where the address was written on, and then looked up and around their surroundings. They were in the right place though. The house in front of them seemed undisturbed, the white walls clean, the windows wiped, and the small garden was immaculate. Was it possible that Rose and Aafje moved recently and hadn't told Magnon yet?

Dreyon was the only one seemingly unperturbed by the cold lack of life in the house. He strode up the front porch, not hesitating to grasp the handle of the door and yank it open.

Everything inside was covered in a thin layer of dust, indicating that the people they were looking for had gone for a while, though definitely not for long. Nothing seemed out of place: there were no signs of struggle or sudden escape. The dishes were washed and dried, stacked neatly in the cupboard; most of the foods were still edible; the beds were made, and the potted plants by the windowsill drooped only slightly. There were also no signs of where Rose and Aafje might have gone until-

"Hey, guys!" Serena called from one of the bedrooms. "I found- OW!"

The other two vampires and a werewolf rushed into the room to find Serena standing next to the bed, clutching her hand. The blankets had been peeled back, by Serena, most likely, and a small slip of paper was casually perched on the bedsheet.

"Are you okay?" asked Ellis.

"It burned me." Serena frowned confusedly at the slip of paper. "I picked it up and it burned me."

Ellis pulled her away as Dreyon reached for the paper, but he hissed the moment it came in contact, and drew away quickly.

"Maybe it's warded against vampires?" Sam suggested, placing a hand on Dreyon's shoulder and gently pushing him aside to pick up the paper. He held up the slip of paper, and didn't seem affected by it. "Aafje is a witch, isn't she? Since both vampire clans are chasing after them, it'd only be logical that vampires shouldn't be able to read the note. A werewolf or warlock, on the other hand…"

"It's a letter to Magnon. Aafje says that they suspect that the vampire clans have gotten a clue of where they are. She gives an address as well, which is probably where they've gone off to next," the werewolf informed them. He tried showing it to his three friends, but all they could see was a blank piece of paper. "So, you literally can't read it. That's pretty smart. Pretty advanced magic, too." And then he suddenly fell silent, the four creatures' enhanced senses picking up movement outside.

Dreyon sniffed, and snarled softly. "Nightwalkers."

"What?" Ellis glanced, wide-eyed, out the window, where a few black-clad men were heading up the porch towards the unlocked front door. The brilliant light outside made their faces seem pitch black with shadow, but there was no doubt that they were certainly not friends.

"Run," hissed Sam, and the four of them bolted, tearing open the room's window and jumping out, then disappearing into the forest behind the house. The last one to go – Dreyon – quickly slid the window shut as well before hurrying after his friends. When they were a safe distance away, Sam held up the slip of paper again. "I think this is where they are now. Good news is: I know this place. Let's go."

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Vampires hated fire. It was instinct, passed down by their night-dwelling ancestors thousands to millions of years ago. Times may have changed, and creatures evolved, but many vampires still chose to roam the night, and beasts were still beasts.

So the moment the little group smelled smoke and smoldering coals, the three vampires halted in their path, instinctively drawing away.

But the single werewolf in the group was persistent, and he very nearly dragged his friends after him towards their destination.

Which also happened to be the source of the fire.

Sam sucked in a nervous breath, squinting through the smoke that had yet to disperse. Most of the house has been burned down, the roof almost completely gone; the windows were shattered, and inside was an assembly of broken furniture that had been torn and ripped in a vicious yet useless struggle before being charred and burned to ashes.

The four teenagers circled to the front, footsteps light, barely breathing. Dreyon sniffed once, and gagged when the smell of smoke filled his senses, but underneath the overwhelming smell was the scent of-

"Nightwalkers."

The police and the fire department should have been there an hour ago, to stop the damage and rescue the civilians, but of course, the Nightwalkers would make sure the pesky human police would be there well after the deed was done.

They burst out into the run, arriving at the front porch, where the smell of death, reeking and strong and fresh, smacked them in the face. The body of a young woman was sprawled on the front porch, her black hair singed, her dark brown eyes empty but wide with terror and pain. Her caramel colored skin had been drained into an ugly yellowish brown, and though her throat has been ripped out, no blood was pooled around her. Drained and maimed.

"Is that-?" Ellis choked.

"Aafje." Dreyon confirmed, his hand gripping tight around Ellis's. "She smells like a witch."

Serena glanced nervously into the house, as if it might suddenly burst into flames again. "But then where is Rose?"

The other three shrugged.

"Rose isn't inside," Sam reported after a quick tour into the house.

"We buried Aafje at the back," Ellis told him. "We'll have to inform Magnon about this."

"Rose's smell is mingled with the Nightwalkers," observed Dreyon. "It disappears near the street, so they most likely got onto a car, which means…"

"The Nightwalkers got her," Ellis finished. "How though? We just saw them at the other house!"

"They might've sent some people to every possible location Rose might be," Dreyon said. "Knowing my father, that'd be what they've done."

"And one of the missiles struck home," Ellis realized. Then, she paused. "No pun intended."

"What do we do now?" Serena wondered.

"We don't have much of a choice, do we," Sam said grimly. "We go after Rose."

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