The room had gone completely silent.
The only sound was the faint ticking of an old clock somewhere in the house.
Eva sat forward on the couch, her eyes locked on Julien.
"So you're saying you don't know who killed Lana."
Julien shook his head slowly.
"I know who could have done it."
Nora raised an eyebrow.
"What does that mean?"
Julien walked toward the large window and stared out into the foggy night.
For a moment he looked hesitant, as if deciding whether to say the name out loud.
Then he spoke.
"My brother."
Zoe frowned.
"You have a brother?"
Julien nodded.
"Lucas Kane."
The name echoed quietly in the room.
Eva crossed her arms.
"And you think your own brother killed Lana?"
Julien didn't turn around immediately.
When he finally looked back at them, his expression had grown darker.
"Lucas and I… we're not the same."
Nora leaned forward.
"What do you mean?"
Julien spoke slowly.
"When we were turned into vampires… I tried to control it."
"The hunger."
"The violence."
"But Lucas never cared about control."
Zoe whispered,
"He drinks human blood."
Julien nodded once.
"Yes."
"He's what vampires call… a blood-thirsty vampire."
The words made the room feel colder.
Eva stood up.
"So you're telling us your psycho vampire brother might be walking around Ashwood?"
Julien's voice remained calm.
"He's capable of killing."
Nora asked quietly,
"But why Lana?"
Julien hesitated.
For the first time since they met him, his confidence seemed to weaken.
"Because he hates me."
Zoe looked confused.
"Hates you enough to kill the girl you love?"
Julien nodded slowly.
"It wouldn't be the first time he tried to hurt me."
Eva stepped closer.
"Why does he hate you?"
Julien looked down at the floor.
His voice lowered.
"The night our house burned."
The girls listened carefully.
Julien continued.
"My mother tried to save us both."
"She ran into the flames."
"But when the roof collapsed… she was holding me."
The room grew quiet again.
Julien's jaw tightened slightly.
"She died trying to protect me."
"And Lucas saw it."
Nora's voice softened.
"He thinks it was your fault."
Julien nodded.
"He believes she chose me over him."
Zoe whispered,
"So he blames you for her death."
"Yes."
Julien looked toward the door as if expecting something to appear there.
"For over a century he's carried that anger."
Eva crossed her arms.
"So you think he came to Ashwood."
Julien nodded.
"It's possible."
"And if Lucas knows about Lana…"
His voice became darker.
"…then killing her would be the perfect revenge."
The girls exchanged uneasy looks.
Nora finally spoke.
"Where is he now?"
Julien shook his head.
"I don't know."
"I haven't seen him in years."
Eva walked closer to the window beside Julien and looked out into the fog.
Ashwood looked calm.
Too calm.
She whispered quietly,
"If your brother really is here…"
"…then we're dealing with something much worse than we thought."
Julien nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Outside the house, the wind moved through the trees again.
Somewhere in the darkness of Ashwood…
A pair of footsteps echoed briefly on an empty road.
And whoever was walking there…
was getting closer.