The door closed behind him with a quiet finality.
Eliana didn't move.
For a moment, the room felt too large… too empty. The warmth Sebastian had left behind faded quickly, replaced by a cold unease that crept beneath her skin.
Danger wasn't coming.
It was already here.
Her fingers tightened around the sheets.
She slipped off the bed slowly, her bare feet touching the cold marble floor. She hesitated, remembering his warning.
Do not open the door. No matter who it is.
Her heart pounded.
"I'm not a child," she murmured, trying to steady herself.
Still…
She moved.
Each step toward the door felt heavier than the last. The palace was too quiet now. The distant echoes of the celebration were gone, swallowed by an unnatural stillness.
Then—
A sound.
Soft.
Dragging.
Just outside the door.
Eliana froze.
Her breath caught in her throat as the sound came again—like something… or someone… shifting weakly against the wall.
Her pulse raced.
"Hello?" she called softly.
Silence.
Then—
A faint voice.
"…help…"
Her eyes widened.
It sounded human.
Weak. Fading.
"…please…"
Eliana's hand trembled as it slowly reached for the door handle.
"Sebastian said not to open it…" she whispered.
But what if someone was dying?
She hesitated.
Then—
"…Eliana…"
Her breath hitched.
Everything inside her stilled.
That voice—
Her grip tightened around the handle.
"…Adrian?" she whispered, disbelief lacing her tone.
Her heart began to race even faster now.
No.
It couldn't be.
But the way her name had been said…
Again—
"Eliana…"
This time, weaker.
And she knew.
Fear and certainty crashed into her at the same time.
It was him.
Without thinking any further, she pulled the door open just a fraction.
At first, she saw nothing.
Then—
A body.
Collapsed against the wall, half-hidden in shadow.
Dark hair.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
Eliana's breath hitched.
"…Adrian?"
The figure stirred slightly, his head tilting just enough for his face to catch the dim light.
It was him.
But something was wrong.
His skin was pale—unnaturally so. His lips slightly parted, and just beneath his collar—
Marks.
Fresh.
Dark.
Bite marks.
Eliana's chest tightened.
"Adrian… what happened to you?" she whispered, stepping closer despite herself.
His eyes fluttered open slowly.
And when they met hers—
They weren't the same.
Something in them had changed.
Something darker.
Hungrier.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Eliana…" he breathed.
Then his hand shot out—gripping her wrist with sudden strength.
Her eyes widened.
"Too late…"
A sharp gasp tore from her lips—
And behind her—
A voice, cold and furious:
"Let her go."
Sebastian.