London was drowned in its familiar cold fog, swallowing the glow of streetlights and turning narrow streets into a shadowed labyrinth. The wind dragged forgotten newspapers across the pavement, and every corner seemed to hide an ancient secret. Alice moved through those shadows as though she were part of them. The newly absorbed power of Dracula still burned within her body, pulsing through every nerve, every muscle. The hesitant girl she once was no longer existed, only the hunter remained.
She watched the city from above, standing atop rooftops blackened by time, scenting the presence of her prey. James — one of the Council's members. He moved discreetly through London, protected by a network of influential vampires, but Alice had already found him. Her nights were spent watching, hunting for clues, slipping into alleys, following nearly imperceptible traces of blood. Like a predator lying in wait, she felt no need to rush, she knew that sooner or later, James would expose himself. And when he did, she would be there.
Across the ocean, New York throbbed with life. Unlike London, its nights were loud, vibrant, saturated with neon lights and cigarette smoke. It was within this setting that Rose and Ruby roamed the vampire nightclubs, searching for signs of Alice. In every decaying club, every hall thick with the scent of blood and pounding music, they asked questions, observed faces, followed suspicious glances.
Rose knew her sister had passed through the city. She could feel it in the air — Alice left traces behind, echoes of her presence, as though her newly awakened power reverberated through the fabric of the night itself. Ruby followed her loyally, though she couldn't hide her unease at the hardened look in Rose's eyes.
One night, as they left a club bathed in red lights and electronic music still vibrating through the walls, Rose received an unexpected message. The name on her phone made her chest tighten: Natalie.
"I need to talk to you. Meet me near my apartment."
Hours later, Rose spotted Natalie leaning against a lamppost on a quiet street. She looked more worn down than the last time they had seen each other. Her distant gaze betrayed sleepless nights, haunted by Kara's absence.
"Natalie…" Rose approached, almost reluctantly. "You shouldn't be out here alone."
The young woman forced a smile.
"I don't think that matters anymore."
They talked for a few minutes, almost casually. Natalie asked about Rose, skirted around Alice, until the pain of losing Kara surged to the surface like an inevitable tide. Her expression hardened, and then she voiced the request that shattered the fragile rhythm of the night.
"I want you to turn me."
Rose froze, the cold wind brushing against her pale skin.
"You don't know what you're asking."
"I know exactly what I'm asking," Natalie stepped closer, unwavering. "If I become like you, I'll be strong. I'll be able to fight. I'll be able to avenge Kara's death. I can't stand being weak anymore."
Rose let out a low, incredulous laugh, but something stirred inside her. The girl's proposal was absurd… and yet it awakened something darker, something predatory within her. Her lips curved into a provocative smile.
"Do you really want to see what it means to be one of us?" she murmured.
Natalie simply nodded, her eyes shining with a mixture of fear and determination.
Without warning, Rose seized a man walking past them on the sidewalk. He barely had time to react before her sharp fangs sank into his throat. Blood gushed warm and thick, filling the air with an intoxicating scent. Rose drank deeply, her eyes glowing red as the veins beneath her skin writhed in frenzy.
Natalie stumbled back, frightened, her breath caught in her chest. The scene was brutal, savage — nothing like the romanticized image she had imagined. And yet, her body trembled with desire.
"This… is what we are," Rose said, letting the lifeless body fall to the ground. "Do you still want this curse?"
"I do," Natalie replied firmly, almost fiercely.
Some time later, inside Rose's apartment, the decisive moment arrived. The vampire held Natalie close, brushing her lips against the girl's neck. The bite was slow and painful, yet charged with a strange spark of pleasure that rippled through Natalie's body. She gasped, writhed, but never asked her to stop.
As life began to slip away, Rose cut her own wrist and pressed it to Natalie's lips. She drank the thick blood, each swallow burning like liquid fire. Her eyes widened as darkness and ecstasy consumed her.
Then, with precise movement, Rose snapped her neck. The dry crack echoed through the apartment, marking the end of Natalie's mortality.
Rose stared at her for a moment, the body lying still on the floor.
"I'll be waiting for you to wake…"
The night swallowed the silence. In London, Alice continued her hunt. In New York, Rose had just given life to a new vampire. And the threads of destiny were beginning to weave together once more.
Minutes later, Natalie's eyes opened, red and predatory.
The transformation was complete.