Darkness (Alisa Rose #2)

-Thirty Five-

Alisa POV

The morning after Jace's discovery, I found myself lost in thought, still rattled by the unsettling new development. Dumalaknat. The word sounded like an echo from an ancient curse, reverberating through my mind. When Jace had explained it last night, he'd shown me the illustration in the Vampire Codex—the creature's eyeless, pale face and hollow, sunken features were enough to send chills down my spine. They weren't just old stories whispered by nervous vampires; they were real, and they were here.

I could almost feel my hands tremble just thinking about it. These weren't regular vampires, not even rogue Tikbalanugo. Dumalaknat were their own breed, something worse, something evolved—and that was saying something considering Tikbalanugo were already pretty low on the vampire hierarchy. But even they feared the Dumalaknat. For a moment, I felt that creeping sensation of dread clawing its way up my spine, knowing that we were standing on the edge of something terrifyingly unknown.

I sighed, tugging at my jacket collar as I walked to class. There were things about myself I still didn't understand, things I knew would take time—like the parts of me that came with my Dhampir origins. Half-human, half-vampire, I was always caught in this weird limbo. Dhampirs were rare, and we were often branded as "abominations," as if our very existence was a slap in the face to vampire purity. It didn't help that vampires saw themselves as some superior race, many of them godlike in their arrogance. Dhampirs like me were a reminder that vampires weren't untouchable; they could mix with mortals, and that made us dangerous, unpredictable, and in their eyes, flawed.

Maybe that's what really bothered them. Humans were mortal, inferior, flawed, and fragile. And I was a reminder of that. No matter how strong I trained to become, there'd always be this part of me that didn't fully belong. I felt like a strange puzzle piece that didn't quite fit in either world. I wasn't human, but I also wasn't fully vampire. I was something else. But maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. Maybe it was exactly what made me unique, and strong, and unpredictable in my own way.

My train of thought was interrupted by a familiar voice beside me. "Alisa! Hey, can I ask you a huge favor?" Sidney's voice bubbled through my internal monologue, and I blinked, forcing myself back into the moment.

"Sure, Sid. What's up?" I asked, trying to sound casual as if I hadn't been lost in existential dread a moment ago.

Sidney grinned, pulling out her phone and showing me a series of Pinterest boards. "I need help deciding on a costume for the Halloween party. I'm thinking either vampire queen—no offense, by the way—or a witch. But then there's also this one where I could be a zombie prom queen. What do you think?"

I smiled, grateful for the distraction. "Oh, vampire queen, for sure. You'd look awesome with fangs and a dramatic cape. Plus, zombie prom queen is a little... gory?"

"Right?" Sidney laughed, scrolling through the images. "Yeah, vampire queen it is. And I'll have to practice my evil laugh." She tried a mock menacing laugh, which sounded more like a stifled giggle.

I laughed, but the levity was short-lived. The reality of what I needed to tell her was sinking back in. "Sidney, there's something I need to warn you about."

Her smile faded as she looked up at me, sensing the shift in my tone. "Is it about another... you know, vampire issue?"

I nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yeah. Last night, we discovered something. There's a new vampire creature out there, called the Dumalaknat. It's... worse than what we've faced before. Way worse."

Sidney's face paled, and her usual bubbly demeanor turned serious. "How much worse are we talking?"

"They're an evolved version of Tikbalanugo, and they don't usually work with other vampires, but now they are," I explained, trying to keep my voice steady. "Even Tikbalanugo are scared of them. They're calculating, powerful... and eyeless, Sid. Just thinking about it creeps me out. We don't know what they're capable of, but we know it can't be good."