Darkness (Alisa Rose #2)

-Twenty Eight-

Alisa POV

The training was merciless. Jace was unrelenting, and sweat poured down my face as I ducked, weaved, and blocked his blows. It felt like he was testing every bit of strength, speed, and reflex I had. Each strike came harder and faster, with no time for a breather. I could barely catch my breath, but his intense focus only drove me to push harder, ignoring the burning in my muscles. Finally, I spotted an opening and threw a hard kick to his knee, catching him off guard and sending him stumbling back. I grinned, breathing hard.

"Look at that," I said, wiping the sweat from my forehead. "Seems I'm learning a few tricks."

He chuckled, stretching out his leg with an approving nod. "Nice move, but don't get too excited. You've got speed, Alisa, but a Tikbalanugo is faster than anything we've fought before. Speed alone won't be enough."

"Don't tell me that's all you've got," I teased, rolling my shoulders. "We're just warming up."

Jace's grin dropped, replaced by that intense look I was learning to take seriously. "Speaking of warming up," he said, setting his stance again, "Rebecca's tip about that new Tikbalanugo—how much do you think we can trust it?"

"Honestly? Enough to take it seriously." I couldn't shake the memory of the desperation in her eyes. "Whatever it is, it's big enough to rattle Emmett's gang. And you know him—he's not exactly a fan of competition. She looked ready to run just talking about it."

Jace considered this, his expression darkening. "That lines up with what my team's found. Tikbalanugo attacks are up; they're getting reckless. I have a feeling this new arrival is calling the shots. I sent a report to my own team, and they're watching the hotspots, but there's something off."

I raised an eyebrow. "Off how?"

"They're targeting younger vampires. It's almost like they're...recruiting," he said, a flash of irritation in his voice. "And while they're messing with the smaller vamps, they're avoiding the veteran hunters entirely. Feels like they're gearing up for something."

I exhaled sharply. "So they're stocking up on minions. A little army of Tikbalanugo babies to keep the hunters busy while they go after the bigger targets?"

"Seems that way," he nodded grimly. "And it's got the council worried. Enough that they finally approved reinforcements." He paused, looking slightly less serious. "And get this—your dad's even offered to bring in some resources to help."

I raised my eyebrows, half surprised, half touched. "Guess he's finally getting used to the fact that his daughter's a vampire hunter. About time he decided to step in."

Jace smirked. "Well, you're not just any hunter. You've got a rare skill set, Alisa. And he knows we'll need it."

The thrill of a fight crackled under my skin, and I threw him a determined look. "Good. Because I'm ready to go after these Tikbalanugo, Jace. All this time training, watching, waiting—enough of that. Let's take them out, piece by piece if we have to."

"Easy there, tiger." He held up a hand, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "We're going to be thorough. You're good, but we're talking Tikbalanugo here. Even with all our skills, it's going to be a rough fight."

"Then we train harder," I shot back, feeling the adrenaline start to rise. "You're not scaring me off. Not from this. I'll fight every last one of them if I have to."

He watched me for a moment, an almost proud gleam in his eye. "Glad to hear it. Because you're going to need that fire if we're taking them down. Tikbalanugo don't just go quietly into the night." He extended a hand. "So, you in?"

I gripped his hand firmly. "I'm in."

The room fell silent for a moment, a sense of gravity sinking in. But I felt ready, every instinct coming alive with purpose. "Then it's settled," Jace said, eyes glinting with a fierce kind of pride. "We're hunting them down."

I gave him a smirk, fueled by the thrill of the challenge. "Let's make sure they regret ever stepping foot in this town."

Bryce POV 

I was halfway through the latest stack of homework when a soft knock on the door pulled my attention. I got up, a bit curious, and when I opened it, there was Jordan standing there, grinning like he'd just aced a pop quiz. In his hands was a bouquet—roses mixed with some wildflowers—and he held it out to me with a little flourish, looking just as hopeful as he did goofy.

"Hey, surprise!" he said, a tiny spark of nerves in his eyes. "Thought you could use a little...color."

I took the flowers, laughing despite myself. "Well, look at you, all romantic and everything," I teased, trying to ignore the way my face was heating up. "They're...really nice, actually. I didn't know you did the whole flowers thing."

"Neither did I, but for you, I'm kind of willing to do the unexpected," he said with a wink.

Once we settled into the kitchen, I got started on cooking dinner. "So, it's not exactly a Michelin-star meal, but I make a mean tocinno and rice," I said, opening the fridge. "Hope you're in the mood for Filipino breakfast at night."

"Are you kidding?" Jordan grinned, grabbing the plates from the cabinet. "I live for this. I mean, who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?"

I sautéed the tocinno, watching it caramelize, the sweet scent filling the room. Jordan kept setting the table, and every now and then, I'd catch him looking at me, his expression soft and content. I wasn't sure what it was, but there was something in that look that made me feel like...maybe things didn't have to be so complicated all the time.

"So," Jordan started as we dug in, "I've been thinking about...us. I mean, you and me, and what's next, especially after Senior year."

I glanced up, a bit surprised. "Yeah? What're you thinking?"

He looked down at his plate, as if gathering his thoughts. "I just... I want you to know that no matter what's happening around us, I'm here for you. Like, through all the craziness with Emmett, the Tikbalanugo, everything. I'm not going anywhere. And I know that might sound cheesy, but I don't want you to doubt that."

Hearing him say that—especially now with all the chaos surrounding us—hit me deeper than I'd expected. "Jordan..." I started, but he raised his hand with a slight smile, cutting me off.

"There's more," he continued, his eyes holding mine with a kind of steady resolve. "I was thinking...after graduation, we could maybe look at colleges together. Like, in Manila. It'd be a new start, you know? We could study, have a place there, and you wouldn't have to go through any of this alone."

My heart did a little flip. It was such a simple idea but packed with meaning. "You'd really want to go with me?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. "Even with all the...vampire stuff and the danger?"

"Absolutely," he said, reaching across the table to take my hand. "Whatever it takes, Bryce. I'm all in, vampire stuff and all. I want us to have a future that's not always looking over our shoulders."

I didn't even know what to say at first. The idea of a normal life—well, as close to normal as I'd get—with Jordan by my side was...it felt like hope.

After a beat, I squeezed his hand, a smile breaking through. "Well, then I guess we better start looking at colleges, huh?"

He laughed, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. "Yeah, guess we better."