Kidd felt it before he saw anything.
Something tightened in his chest with sudden, violent force, carrying something that cut deeper than instinct.
Pain.
Ithilien.
Not distant.
Not fading.
Immediate.
Too close.
His pace broke into something harsher, faster, pushing past control into something closer to desperation. The forest blurred around him as he drove forward, ignoring the strain in his body, ignoring everything except the direction that now felt unmistakable.
He didn't need Zane to confirm it.
He already knew.
The house came into view through the trees.
And then he saw her.
Still on her feet.
But barely.
Blood.
Too much.
Something in him snapped.
He didn't slow as he broke from the tree line, crossing the distance between them in seconds. The vampire turned just as he reached it, but too late.
Kidd hit it with full force, driving it away from her and into the ground with a violence that left no room for control. The impact sent dust and gravel into the air as he followed through, striking again, not giving it time to recover.
"You don't touch her."
His voice was low, raw, stripped of anything but intent.
The creature reacted instantly, faster now, sharper, its movements already adapting to a new opponent. It twisted out of his grip, slipping sideways, avoiding the next strike by inches.
Levi and the others closed in around them, tightening the space, cutting off escape routes.
For a moment, it seemed like enough.
Then the vampire shifted direction again.
Not toward the forest path it came from.
Not back.
Sideways.
It used the terrain—uneven ground, shadows—to break the line, slipping through the smallest opening before anyone could fully react.
"Cut it off!" Kidd shouted.
But the timing was off by a fraction.
And that was all it needed.
The creature vanished into the tree line, its scent already thinning as it disappeared into the darkness.
Silence followed.
Kidd didn't chase it.
He turned immediately.
Back to her.
Ithilien was still standing, but only just. Blood soaked through her side, her posture rigid in the way of someone holding themselves upright by force alone.
Kidd reached her in seconds, catching her as her balance faltered.
"Stay with me."
This time his voice wasn't controlled.
It was tight.
Unsteady.
His hands moved carefully, bracing her without putting pressure on the wound, but there was nothing calm in the way he held her now.
Her blood was everywhere.
The scent hit him hard.
Too hard.
He forced it down, forcing himself to focus, to stay exactly where she needed him to be.
"Marco!" he called sharply.
But his attention never left her.
Not for a second.
"Stay with me," he repeated, quieter now.
And this time, there was no command in it.
Only fear.
The decision came quickly.
Zeke, Thiago, and Zane stayed behind without argument, spreading out around the property with quiet efficiency. Their presence settled over the house like a shield—alert, watchful, unyielding.
Kidd barely registered it.
"Perimeter," he said shortly, already turning away. "No one gets close."
They nodded once.
That was enough.
Levi, Carter, Colton, and Christian didn't wait for further instruction. The moment Kidd moved, they followed, slipping back into the forest in pursuit of the fading scent.
It didn't take long to realize something was wrong.
The trail was there—but thinner now. Broken.
The vampire had planned for this.
"It's splitting," Carter muttered, slowing slightly as he scanned the ground.
"Not splitting," Levi corrected, crouching briefly, fingers brushing disturbed earth. "Masking. It's dragging the scent."
Kidd didn't stop moving.
"Keep going."
They pushed deeper, following what remained of the trail as it twisted through unfamiliar paths, cutting wider, pulling them farther from the territory. The forest changed around them—subtle at first, then unmistakable.
Different ground.
Different scent markers.
They crossed the boundary before anyone said it out loud.
Colton exhaled sharply.
"It's gone."
Kidd stopped.
The silence that followed was heavier than the chase.
The scent had faded completely now, swallowed by foreign territory and deliberate misdirection.
Nothing.
Levi straightened slowly.
"It knew exactly where to run."
Kidd's jaw tightened.
He stood there for a moment longer, staring into the darkness as if he could force the trail back into existence.
He couldn't.
And staying longer wouldn't change that.
"Back," he said finally.
No one argued.