POV: Nero
After a brief conversation with Elijah, I told him that if he ever needed something, he could call on me. It was a simple offer, one I knew he would remember even if he never used it. Elijah was the type of man who kept track of favors.
By the next day, I was gone.
My destination was the Gemini Coven.
More specifically, the Gemini twins I needed for my plan.
The journey took me several days. During that time, I spent most of it thinking through the steps of what I intended to do next. Everything had to be precise. If even one part of the plan failed, it could ruin years of preparation.
Monna had told me something very important before I left.
About twenty years ago, twin girls had been born into the Gemini Coven.
But they were not ordinary twins.
They were siphoners.
That alone made them extremely rare. Siphoners were witches who had no magic of their own. Instead, they absorbed magic from other sources—spells, enchanted objects, even other supernatural beings.
The Gemini Coven normally considered siphoners to be abominations.
But these twins had survived.
And that meant they could become something very useful.
That was why Monna had tracked down their location and written it in the scroll she gave me. The information wasn't easy to obtain. The Gemini Coven was secretive, protective of their members, and especially cautious about their children.
But secrets rarely stayed hidden forever.
Especially when witches were involved.
The scroll had given me exactly what I needed.
A small town in northern Italy.
That was where the twins were currently living under the protection of their coven.
I stood on a hill overlooking the town as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon. The lights of houses and streets flickered to life one by one, and I could already hear the faint sound of heartbeats echoing through the quiet evening air.
Somewhere in that town were the two girls I needed.
And unlike most people I hunted…
I couldn't kill them.
Not yet.
They would die eventually.
That was unavoidable.
But that wouldn't happen until I had everything I needed from them.
Because the twins were only the first piece of something much larger.
And once I had them…
The rest of my plan could finally begin.
–
POV: Nero
I made my way into the town just after sunrise.
It was louder than I expected. People were already moving through the streets, shopkeepers opening their doors, merchants setting up their stalls, and families preparing for the day. The air was full of conversation, wagon wheels, and the distant sound of horses.
Axel and Lexa walked a few steps behind me.
Lexa was one of the vampires I had turned several years ago. She had proven useful—smart, loyal, and far more subtle than Axel when a situation required finesse.
Monna walked beside me.
She looked up toward the hills overlooking the town and pointed.
"Their estate is somewhere up there," she said. "That's usually where the wealthiest families stay."
I followed her gaze.
At the top of the hill stood several large estates, their stone walls and tall iron gates making it clear that the people living there were not ordinary townsfolk.
"Well," I said, stretching slightly, "best get to it, shall we?"
The four of us made our way up the winding road leading toward the hill.
As we approached the estates, it became obvious that one house stood out from the rest. It was larger, older, and surrounded by thick hedges and ancient oak trees.
Monna stopped.
"This is the one," she said.
I walked up to the door and knocked.
A few moments passed before the door opened.
A woman stepped out. She appeared to be in her mid-fifties, with sharp features and the confident posture of someone who knew exactly what she was capable of.
Monna smiled politely.
"Hello," she said. "How are you this fine evening? My name is Monna—Monna Bennett. This is my friend Nero, and we were hoping to have a small conversation with you."
The woman studied the four of us carefully.
Her eyes lingered on me.
"And you think," she said slowly, "that I would simply allow a vampire into my home?"
I smiled.
"Well, miss, you see, my friend and I have traveled a very long way—"
"I don't care how far you've traveled," she interrupted sharply.
Her eyes hardened.
"I suggest you leave," she continued, "and never come back here."
I tilted my head slightly.
"Or what?" I asked.
The woman smiled faintly.
Then suddenly—
My head exploded with pain.
A sharp ringing filled my skull as if someone had struck a bell inside my mind.
"Ah—!" I staggered back, clutching my head.
The pain intensified instantly.
"Fucking witches," I growled through clenched teeth.
The woman's smile widened slightly.
"Or," she said calmly, "I can make it much worse."
Monna stepped forward quickly.
"How about you and I talk instead?" she said. "Witch to witch."
The older woman looked at her carefully.
After a moment, she sighed.
"Fine," she said. "Out of respect for the Bennett family."
She stepped aside and gestured toward the door.
Monna glanced back at me before entering the house.
The door closed behind her.
Outside, the pain finally stopped.
I leaned against the railing of the porch, breathing slowly as the ringing in my head faded.
Axel and Lexa quickly helped steady me.
"Boss, you alright?" Axel asked.
I straightened myself and rubbed my temple.
"Have I ever mentioned," I muttered, "how much I absolutely hate witches?"
POV: Monna
The inside of the house smelled faintly of herbs and old wood.
The woman led me into a small sitting room where a kettle was already boiling over a fire. Shelves lined the walls, filled with jars, scrolls, and small magical trinkets.
Definitely a witch's home.
She gestured for me to sit.
"My name is Adeline Moreau," she said.
So that was her name.
She poured two cups of tea and placed one in front of me.
"You should know," she said calmly as she sat down, "that the rest of my family is currently out hunting."
That made my attention sharpen slightly.
"Hunting?" I asked.
Adeline nodded.
"Yes. They'll be back soon."
She took a sip from her tea before looking at me more closely.
"So tell me something, Miss Bennett."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Why exactly are you traveling with Nero Tone?"
I kept my expression neutral.
Of course she had heard of him.
Nero had spent decades building influence across Europe. Among supernatural circles, his name had begun to carry weight.
"People talk," Adeline continued. "I've heard stories about him."
My mind moved quickly.
She couldn't know the truth.
No one could know he was a hybrid.
"I owe him," I said simply.
Adeline raised an eyebrow.
"Owe him?"
"Yes," I replied. "A very large favor."
That wasn't entirely a lie.
Just not the full truth.
Adeline studied me for a few seconds before finally nodding.
"I see."
She slid the tea closer to me.
"You must be tired from traveling," she said.
I picked up the cup and took a small sip.
The tea tasted bitter.
Stronger than I expected.
We spoke for another minute or two about the town, about the coven, about the twins.
But suddenly…
My head felt heavy.
My vision blurred slightly.
I blinked.
"What… did you…"
The room tilted.
Adeline watched calmly as the cup slipped from my hand and shattered against the floor.
"I'm sorry, Miss Bennett," she said quietly.
The last thing I saw was her standing over me as darkness swallowed my vision.
Then everything went black.
-
POV: Nero
It was dark outside now, and Monna still hadn't returned.
They had obviously done something to her, but I wasn't too worried. She could handle herself. Besides, we had already planned for something like this.
At the moment, I was sitting on a hill overlooking the town with a dozen of my vampires making camp around me.
"Mr. Tone," Lexa said.
I sighed.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Lexa? It's just Nero."
"Sorry, Nero," she said quickly. "But one of the lookouts is missing."
I narrowed my eyes.
"You sure?"
"Yeah," she replied. "He hasn't checked in for over an hour."
I sighed and rubbed my forehead.
"Send two people to go make sure everything is okay and bring him back."
"Yes, sir," she said, before walking off to give the order.
I was hoping he had simply wandered off to grab a snack, but that was highly unlikely.
Two hours passed.
The two vampires we had sent out never came back.
"Alright," I muttered under my breath. "Someone's picking us off."
There were nine of us left now, so I split everyone into three groups. Axel and Lexa each led their own group, and I took the last one.
We moved quietly into the forest.
The night air was thick and still, the only sounds being the distant chirping of insects and the occasional rustle of leaves.
Then I heard it.
A heartbeat.
Actually… multiple heartbeats.
"Get down," I whispered.
But one of my vampires reacted too slowly.
A spear shot out of the darkness and pierced straight through his chest.
He collapsed instantly.
I stood up and began scanning the trees.
Then I saw them.
Six men had surrounded us.
"Give up," one of them called out from the shadows.
I smiled slightly.
"You don't know who you're dealing with, do you?"
"You're Nero Tone," another voice said. "A one-hundred-and-fifty-year-old vampire."
He chuckled.
"We've killed older."
Another spear flew from the darkness straight toward me.
I dodged it easily.
Unfortunately, one of my vampires wasn't as lucky.
The spear buried itself deep in his shoulder.
"Alright," I said calmly. "Enough playing."
My eyes shifted to gold, the whites turning black as dark veins spread from beneath them. My fangs lengthened as the hybrid in me surfaced.
I smiled.
"Who's first?"
I rushed forward with supernatural speed toward one of the hunters who thought he was hidden behind a tree.
I grabbed the arm holding his wooden stake and snapped it before biting into his neck. I tore his throat out and threw his lifeless body into one of his companions.
Before they could react, I rushed another hunter.
My hand plunged straight through his chest.
I ripped out his heart and shoved it into his mouth.
The horror on the remaining four hunters' faces was almost amusing.
One of them hurled a spear at me.
I caught it midair, snapped it in half, and threw one piece back.
The sharpened wood shot through his skull and pinned his body to a tree.
I still held the other half.
With it, I rushed another hunter and drove the stake through his stomach, ripping upward and spilling his guts onto the forest floor.
Two left.
I grabbed the next one before he could move.
With a quick twist, I shattered his leg, forcing him to collapse. I grabbed his head, bent him backward, and ripped his spine straight out of his body.
Blood soaked the ground beneath us.
The last hunter stood frozen in shock.
I walked toward him slowly, still holding his friend's spine in my hand.
By now I was covered in blood.
To him, I probably looked like a monster.
"W-what… what the hell are you?" he stammered.
I tilted my head slightly.
"Well, my friend," I said calmly, "you think this is my power?"
I smiled.
"I haven't even reached my peak."
I stepped closer.
"Now," I continued, "if you don't tell me what I want to know, I promise your death will be very… very slow."
He talked quickly after that.
They were vampire hunters.
Not the Brotherhood of the Five, just ordinary hunters.
Apparently someone had put a bounty on me.
The name he gave was Tidas Moreau.
Which meant he had to be connected to the Gemini Coven.
Once he finished telling me everything, I wrapped the spine in my hand around his neck and strangled him with it.
When I returned to the camp, Axel, Lexa, and the others stared at me in shock.
I raised a hand before anyone could speak.
"I need new clothes," I said calmly.
I paused before adding,
"And get ready."
I smiled slightly.
"We're going hunting."
"For twins."