The carriage jolted again—harder this time—its wheels skidding over the gravel road. Emma braced against the armrest, muscles coiled like a spring.

Then, without warning, the horses screamed.

The sound was raw, shrill, and ended far too abruptly.

Emma's blood ran cold. Horses didn't stop like that. Not unless—

Something silenced them.

She lowered herself slightly, keeping her center of gravity low as her other hand reached for the hidden compartment beneath the seat.

Her fingertips brushed the cool surface of a small, rune-etched talisman. A single squeeze would ignite the defensive wards she had brought for emergencies.

But activating it too soon might reveal her position.

The carriage shuddered to a halt.

Not a single creak of harness leather followed. Not a breath of wind.

Only silence.

"Driver," Emma said evenly, though her voice held the chill of sharpened ice. "Answer me. Now."

Still nothing.

She bit the inside of her cheek, tasting the copper of blood.

Fine. If they would not answer, she would see for herself.

Emma shifted toward the window, carefully pushing aside the velvet curtain with the tip of her dagger.

The moonlight outside revealed…nothing.

No driver. No guards.

No horses.

The carriage stood in the middle of the road like an abandoned toy, the forest around it swallowed by a fog so thick it seemed to drink the light.

A faint scrape echoed from the roof.

Emma froze. Every instinct screamed above.

The sound of claws dragging across wood, slow and deliberate.

Her grip tightened on the dagger. "Show yourself," she hissed.

No reply. Only another scrape—closer now, just above her head.

A shadow slid down the window, blacker than the fog, shapeless and fluid.

Her breath hitched. Not a man. Not a beast. Something in between.

Then, a voice—low, smooth, and almost playful—whispered through the thick mist.

"Lady… traveling alone at night? How careless of you. You should come out now while I am asking nicely."

Emma's heart hammered so violently it felt as if it might crack her ribs.

She bit down on her lower lip until she tasted iron, a thin ribbon of blood trailing down her chin.

"…I'm coming out."

Her voice was barely a whisper, but it carried the resignation of someone who knew resistance was pointless.

The night air bit at her skin as she stepped out from the carriage's shadow. A woman stood there, waiting as if she'd been carved from moonlight itself.

Blonde hair the color of honey spilled over her shoulders, gleaming even beneath the pale stars. Her face was so flawlessly sculpted it seemed unreal, like a statue brought to life—each breath she took radiated a beauty so dangerous it pulled at Emma's gaze.

But the spell lasted only a heartbeat.

Crimson eyes burned like twin roses soaked in blood, fangs glinting behind lips curved into a languid smile. Thin, leathery wings—dark as midnight—unfurled slightly behind her back, catching the faint glow of the moon.

A vampire.

Emma's fingertips turned to ice.

Rumors spoke of them in hushed tones—demons with human faces, predators who could charm and kill in the same breath. Against a creature like this, escape was meaningless. Intelligence and power this refined left no room for human defiance.

"Why should I bother remembering the surname of a fragile human…?" the vampire drawled, tilting her head with predatory grace. "Hmm… what was it again? Ah, never mind. You're peculiar enough without it. A duke's daughter, yes?"

The casual dismissal hit like a slap. Emma swallowed hard, forcing her trembling legs to hold steady.

She could feel it—raw, suffocating mana radiating from the creature. Her guards hadn't even been given the dignity of a real fight. They'd simply fallen, snuffed out like candles.

This was no mere rumor. This was power so overwhelming it made the air itself heavy.

"What do you want?" Emma managed, her voice sharp despite the chill crawling up her spine.

The vampire's smile widened, revealing the gleam of perfect fangs.

"What I want?" she purred, taking a slow step closer. "If I had to name it… your blood, perhaps?"

Emma's breath caught. The color drained from her face as the vampire's eyes lingered on the pulse at her throat—watching, savoring—like a wolf admiring the trembling of a trapped rabbit.

The vampire's presence pressed down like a storm front, an invisible weight that pinned her in place.

Moonlight cut through the fog in thin, silvery ribbons, glinting off the creature's fangs as she tilted her head, studying Emma the way a jeweler might examine an exquisite gem.

"Such poise," the vampire murmured, voice dripping with amusement. "Even while trembling. Tell me, Lady Voss… is that courage, or merely pride?"

Emma forced her lips to move. "Does it matter?"

Her words sounded steadier than she felt, each syllable dragged past a tightening throat.

The vampire's crimson eyes gleamed, hungry and delighted. "Oh, it matters to me. Courage adds a sweetness to the blood. Pride…" She stepped closer, the fog parting like a living thing around her. "…has a spice all its own."

Emma's fingers itched toward the talisman hidden beneath her sleeve. Just one squeeze—one surge of magic—could buy her a few precious seconds. But the vampire was too close now. Too fast. If she sensed the spell…

A cold fingertip brushed Emma's chin before she could react. The touch was like ice and fire at once, sending a shiver racing down her spine.

"Easy," the vampire whispered, leaning close enough for Emma to smell a faint, intoxicating scent of roses and iron. "I won't kill you. Not yet."

Emma's breath hitched. "Not… yet?"

"Hmm. Not yet. If you come with not only I will not kill you, I will also not kill your men's that are in the air."

At that moment Emma realized why they weren't answering him.

Emma's eyes darted upward before she could stop herself.

Through the thinning fog, faint silhouettes swayed above the carriage like grotesque ornaments.

Her guards.

They were suspended midair, dangling in an unseen grip—limbs slack, heads bowed.

Not dead.

Not alive.

Hovering helplessly as if the night itself held them by the throat.

Emma's stomach knotted, a cold nausea twisting through her chest.

The vampire followed her gaze, lips curling in satisfaction.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" the creature murmured, as though admiring fine art. "So quiet when the air itself squeezes the life from their lungs. A little squeeze here, a little release there… and they dangle like puppets. One wrong word, and—"

The vampire snapped her fingers.

"Ahhhhakh—!"

The bodies jerked violently, a strangled gasp tearing from one man's throat before he fell still again.

Emma's breath faltered.

Every instinct screamed to unleash the talisman, to summon fire, lightning—anything.

But one spark of defiance might mean their instant deaths.

"What… do you want?" Emma forced out, her voice hoarse.

The vampire tilted her head, wings rustling softly.

"Someone wants to meet you."

The vampire turned and walked away.

Emma bit her lip hard and followed her.

For now, she would comply and look for an opportunity to escape.

'I can't die here.'

Like livestock being led to slaughter.

But with a firm will to live, Emma followed the blonde demon slowly into the middle of the snowy wilderness.

The vampire led Emma deeper into the forest, each step sinking softly into the snow.

The moonlight barely reached through the mist, and the trees loomed like silent sentinels, their skeletal branches twisting into the night sky.

Emma kept her eyes low, watching the ground, forcing her breathing to stay even.

Every crunch of her boots sounded far too loud in the oppressive quiet.

The vampire ahead moved like flowing water, her pale hair catching what little light remained, her every movement deliberate and graceful—predatory.

The further they went, the colder it grew.

The air thinned, biting with a sharpness that tasted faintly of iron.

Her lungs burned with every inhale.

Still, she walked, step after step, refusing to stumble.

Finally, the vampire slowed and turned her head slightly, her crimson eyes glowing like embers in the mist.

"Still keeping up," she murmured, voice smooth as silk. "Most humans would be on their knees by now. How… stubborn."

Emma said nothing.

Silence was safer.

The vampire's smile curved, amused by her restraint.

"Not even a plea? Not even a question?"

She leaned closer, her breath icy against Emma's cheek.

"You must be curious where I'm taking you… and to whom."

Emma met her gaze for a heartbeat before replying evenly,

"Curiosity kills quicker than fear. I'll save my questions for when the answers matter."

A low, delighted laugh slipped from the vampire's throat.

"Oh… I like you."

She turned abruptly and began walking again.

The fog thickened, curling around them like living smoke.

...And so, Emma followed behind her yet again knowing that she's helpless in this situation.

---

Author Note:

Thank you for reading the chapter. I hope you continue to do read more in future.

It's my second novel so if there's any kind of mistakes you find in the novel related to grammar please tell me and I'll edit it as soon as possible.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.