When they got back to the house, Kara expected Rose to be gone — somewhere on the road, maybe lost in the snow.
But she wasn't.
She was sitting on the couch, legs crossed, flipping through an old book like nothing had happened. The fireplace cast dancing shadows across her face, highlighting the calm smile she wore like a mask.
"Ah… you took your time." She closed the book and stood up, walking toward them.
"I… should probably apologize. Guess I got a little carried away with the walk."
Alice didn't respond. She just walked past her, taking Natalie by the hand and leading her toward the fire. Kara stayed there, watching every move.
"You don't need to apologize, Rose," Natalie said with a hesitant smile.
"It was just… weird. But I liked the view."
"See?" Rose tilted her head, savoring a small victory.
"And I'd love to show you some other places… even prettier ones."
Alice positioned herself subtly between them, but Rose simply circled around the situation and walked to the kitchen. She came back with a glass of wine for Natalie.
"You look cold… this'll warm you up."
"I… don't really drink," Natalie said, laughing softly.
"Then just one sip." Rose sat beside her on the couch, so close Kara noticed her hand brushing Natalie's leg — light, subtle, intentional.
"Can you feel it?" she whispered, voice low and almost intimate.
"My body's always warm… even in the cold."
Kara took a step forward, but Alice grabbed her arm, her eyes locked on Rose, sharp as blades.
Natalie glanced between them, confused.
"What's going on? Why are you two looking at me like that?"
Rose smiled, her lips close enough to Natalie's hair that it was almost a touch.
"Because they don't want you to know what it feels like to be… truly alive."
That's when Kara finally understood — the way Rose tilted her head, the way her breathing synced with Natalie's, slowly moving closer to her exposed neck. The gesture was soft, almost affectionate… but carried a promise of something darker.
The air in the room turned suffocating. Alice stepped forward.
"Rose… that's enough."
Rose stepped back just a few millimeters, but her smile never faded.
"You're all so dramatic…"
Natalie, lost in the middle of this tension she couldn't see, looked around helplessly.
"Someone is going to explain what's happening, right?"
But no one did. The fire crackled, the wine glass trembled in Natalie's hand… and Rose, with that unreadable smile, looked like she had all the time in the world.
The tension lingered until Natalie, maybe trying to break the heavy atmosphere, stood up.
"I'm gonna look for an extra blanket… I think I saw some in the guest room."
"I'll help," Rose said quickly, before anyone could stop her.
Kara looked at Alice, ready to follow them, but Alice held her arm tighter and whispered:
"Let me sense where she's going… trust me."
Reluctantly, Kara stayed in the living room, heart pounding.
In the guest room, Natalie rummaged through a chest, distracted. Rose leaned against the door and closed it with a soft click.
"You have such delicious energy, you know?" she said, voice low — halfway between a compliment and hunger.
Natalie laughed nervously.
"Delicious energy? Uh… thanks, I guess? You talk kinda weird. Are you trying to hit on me or something?"
Rose moved toward her, step by slow step.
"Weird… that's a good word." She slid her hand over Natalie's shoulders, down her arm — gentle, but possessive.
"And you're so… warm."
Natalie backed up until her body hit the wall.
"Rose… what are you—"
Rose tilted her head, eyes glinting like glass in the dim light. Then she moved in fast, kissed Natalie lightly, and stared into her eyes — hypnotizing her on the spot.
Natalie froze, confused. Before she could react, she felt the sharp sting on her neck, heat spreading through her body along with a strange dizziness. Rose held her tight, eyes closed, savoring her like a secret.
Then the door burst open. Alice shot into the room like lightning.
"Let her go. Now."
Rose pulled back slowly, lips still tinted red, and smiled.
"Always right on time… little sister."
Natalie collapsed into Alice's arms, pale and disoriented, touching her neck.
"What… what was that?"
Alice held her carefully but kept her gaze locked on Rose, burning with controlled fury.
"If you touch her again… you're not leaving this house on your feet."
Rose shrugged and licked her lips, like she was saving the flavor for later.
"Just a taste."
She slipped past them and left the room, the silence she left behind thick and heavy. Only Natalie's fast breathing and the pounding of Kara's footsteps broke it as she ran down the hall.
"What happened?" Kara asked, breathless.
"Rose tried—" Alice stopped, eyes dark, focused.
"She tried to bite Natalie."
Natalie stared at Kara, terrified.
"But… what do you mean, tried to bite me?"
"And she'll try again if we let her," Alice said, voice cold as ice.
"She's not here to play."
Kara swallowed hard, heart racing.
"So everything we saw… everything she's been doing… it was real. She's…"
Alice gently held Kara's face, leaning close enough for their breaths to mix.
"Yes. It's real. Rose is dangerous. And I won't let her near either of you again."
Kara's eyes stayed locked on Alice's for a moment too long. Fear mixed with something else — something hot, electric, impossible to ignore.
"So… we're not safe here," Kara whispered.
Alice shook her head slowly.
"Not completely. But as long as I'm here, no one is going to hurt you."
Rose vanished into the shadows of the hallway, leaving behind the lingering sense that danger was always watching — silent, seductive.
Kara reached for Alice's hand without thinking.
"I trust you."
Alice squeezed her fingers, steady and sure, though her eyes stayed fixed on the door.
"And I'll make sure you never regret that."
The room fell quiet — heavy, tense — yet beneath it all, something else grew: a bond impossible to ignore, filled with fear, desire, and promise.
And in that moment, Kara knew nothing would ever be the same again.