The next morning, I dragged myself out of bed and got dressed for school, despite the fact that I hadn't slept a single minute. How could I, after everything that happened last night? My mind had replayed every moment. Ravik's fangs, Xander's warning, Zane's fury on an endless loop.
My best friend, Trish, spotted me the moment I walked into the hallway.
"Whoa, Quest, you look exhausted. Are you okay?" she asked, concern etched all over her face.
For a split second, I wanted to tell her everything, the fog, the werewolves, the vampire. But Xander's stern warning echoed in my head. So I forced a weak smile and shrugged.
"Dad made me take extra royal lessons last night," I lied. "You know… future-queen stuff."
She accepted it, though not without a skeptical look.
Dad had been acting strangely these last few days too tense, distracted, like he was expecting something terrible. I noticed it, yet I never asked. Maybe I was too afraid of the answer.
After lunch break, Brent decided to put on one of his dramatic performances in the middle of the cafeteria. Flowers, music, a whole scene, just to ask me to be his prom date. I'd told him a hundred times how much I hated big, public gestures, but Brent never listened. Still… he was my boyfriend, so I said yes just to get it over with.
My last three periods were free, so I decided to go home and desperately catch up on sleep. But when I reached the palace, everything felt wrong. It was unnervingly quiet. Too quiet.
I headed to my father's chambers and froze.
The door was slightly ajar. Inside, Dad was in a council meeting with several rulers from the neighboring kingdoms… including Brent's parents. Whatever they were discussing, it was serious.
Curiosity tugged at me, and I leaned closer to listen.
"We need to do something about them," Brent's father said sharply. "They're growing bolder by the day. The barriers aren't holding anymore. My chief of guards was killed last night, drained completely. And I swear, the marks on his neck were vampire bites. This has to end."
I gasped loudly. Too loudly. My hand flew to my mouth, but it was too late.
Every person at the table turned toward the doorway.
My father's face darkened. He motioned to a guard, and the door was slammed shut in my face.
I pressed my ear to the cold wood, heart pounding.
"We need to strike back," another ruler said. "Quietly. Swiftly. Hit them before they know what's happening. All of them. Either they stop crossing the boundary… or they die."
Murmurs of agreement filled the room.
When the meeting finally ended, Dad emerged looking troubled, haunted even. It was clear he didn't support the decision they had made. It was as though he feared the coming conflict, or perhaps… he didn't want harm to come to the supernatural world at all.
And suddenly, I understood just how fragile the line between kingdoms, between worlds had become.
Later that evening, I made my way to Dad's chambers, worried about how shaken he'd looked after the council meeting. I had barely settled beside him on the bed when a thunderous blast shook the entire palace. The windows rattled violently.
We rushed to the balcony.
The guards' quarters were engulfed in flames.
"Guards!" Dad barked. "Take the princess to her room and lock her inside until the conflict is over!"
Two guards seized me immediately.
"No, wait! Are we under attack? By who?" I demanded, struggling against their grip.
They didn't answer.
They just locked me in my room like I was a child.
But as soon as the key turned, I sprinted to the balcony. The moment I looked outside, my blood ran cold.
Vampires.
Dozens of them.
And standing in the center of the carnage, smiling like he was watching a performance, was Ravik.
I watched in horror as the guards fought back, guns blazing, bombs detonating, swords flashing, but the vampires were too fast. Bullets passed through them as if they were shadows. One by one, my people fell.
We're going to die, I whispered to myself. All of us.
My hands shook as I opened a hidden compartment in the wall, a secret stash of weapons I had kept for years. Ever since I was thirteen, I had devoured every book I could find on supernatural creatures. I knew vampires could only be killed by wood. Werewolves by silver.
I filled a small bag with wooden stakes, slung it over my shoulder, and climbed out the window. I dropped into the courtyard, adrenaline drowning out my fear, and sprinted toward the main gate.
My plan was reckless maybe even stupid but it was all I had. If I could reach the school's fountain where I'd first met Xander and Zane...maybe they could help.
But before I got far, something blur-fast cut me off.
A vampire stepped into my path, its face twisted with hunger, its fangs dripping with the blood of my people.
My knees shook, but I forced myself to raise a stake toward its chest.
The creature smirked and lunged.
I closed my eyes, thrusting the stake forward with all the strength I had.
"QUEST!!"
Zane's shout split the air.
I opened my eyes.
The vampire lay crumpled at my feet, unmoving. A stake protruded from its heart.
I had done it.
"Quest, are you okay?" Zane ran to me, breathless. "I was coming to save you"
"Like you care," I snapped, the words spilling out before I could stop them.
For a single heartbeat, I felt victorious. Proud. I had defended myself and survived.
Then reality crashed into me like a wave.
I had killed someone.
A monster, yes, but still a living being.
My hands trembled violently as I stared at the blood splattered across my fingers. The stake slipped from my grasp, and my legs gave out beneath me.
"I… I killed…" The words broke apart in my throat. I began to sob uncontrollably.
Zane caught me before I hit the ground, pulling me into his arms. I trembled against him, my tears soaking into his shirt, while the distant screams and crackling flames echoed through the night.
He held me tightly, like he wasn't letting go.
After a while, when my breathing finally steadied and the trembling in my limbs eased, awareness returned as did the realization that I was still wrapped in Zane's arms. Heat rushed to my cheeks. I pulled away quickly, and for a moment neither of us spoke. The silence was awkward, but it snapped us both back to reality.
"Xander and the others went to the palace," Zane said, his voice low but urgent. "They're helping us… but it isn't for free. They'll want something in return."
Before I could ask what he meant, he was already guiding me back toward the palace. The moment we arrived, he stopped abruptly. "Go. Hide," he ordered. Then, without hesitation, his body shifted bones cracking, muscles stretching until the wolf stood in his place. In a flash, he launched himself into the battlefield.
Chaos swallowed everything.
Vampires and werewolves clashed with brutal ferocity. Steel, claws, and fangs collided in a frenzy of sound. Humans stood frozen at first, unsure whom to fear more, until it became clear the wolves were fighting for us. Then the guards joined in, doing whatever they could to survive the night.
I sprinted through the madness and found my father. His eyes widened the moment he saw me blood-streaked, breathless, but alive. He pulled me into a fierce embrace before holding me at arm's length as if to check I was truly intact.
The werewolves were winning. One by one, the vampires began to retreat except for Rakim.
He turned, eyes blazing with hatred, and suddenly charged. Before I could react, his hand clamped around my throat. My feet left the ground as he lifted me effortlessly, his grip tightening. I clawed at his wrist, gasping for air.
"Let her go, Rakim!" Xander's voice thundered from somewhere behind the chaos. He emerged from the fray with fury etched into every line of his face, hurtling toward us.
My father shouted orders, but the surviving guards hesitated one wrong shot and they could kill me instead. Zane and Dad both tried to reach me, only to be slammed down and pinned by Rakim's strongest men.
Xander, driven by pure rage, struck Rakim with such force that Rakim staggered. His hold on me slipped, and I crashed to the ground, lungs burning as I dragged in air.
A deep, vicious growl tore through the battlefield.
Zane had broken free.
He lunged at Rakim with Xander beside him. Together, they were unstoppable two Alphas, or something far more powerful. Every vampire who tried to interfere was ripped down, their bodies strewn across the courtyard. Others fled in terror as the two wolves drove Rakim back, blow after blow, until he could barely stand.
Bleeding, shaking, Rakim suddenly turned his gaze to me. His lips curled into a cruel, blood-stained smile.
"I'll come back for you," he snarled. "I will have your head. The vampires will never be safe until SKAIHEDA is dead."
With a burst of speed, he vanished into the night.
Xander and Zane turned toward us, still in their wolf forms massive, powerful, terrifying. The guards raised their weapons instinctively, but my father lifted his hand sharply.
"Stand down."
He spoke with a certainty that made it seem as though he recognized them… or had been expecting them.
My vision blurred. My head spun with questions....What had I done? Why me? And why did Rakim call me Skaiheda?
Before any of the answers could form, the world tilted sharply and everything went blank.