𝐑𝐄𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 ➻ 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧

𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝘄𝗼

THE CITY FELT DIFFERENT TONIGHT, quieter somehow. Maybe it was the constant rain or the fact that the weight of everything seemed to press down harder on her chest. Anastasia wasn't sure what it was, but she could feel the unease settling in her bones as she stood by the window of her apartment. The rain outside blurred the view, making the city seem distant, unreachable, like a memory she didn't want to hold onto anymore.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she held the mug of tea in her hands. She tried to calm herself, to steady her mind, but there was something about the night that made it hard to focus. It wasn't just the eerie silence that had fallen over the streets below her, it was something else.

Him.

Riley.

The thought of his face sent a cold shiver down her spine, and she quickly shoved it away. She couldn't afford to think about him. Not after everything that had happened, not after what he was now.

The vampire world was one she had been forced to leave behind once before. She had tried to move on, to find some semblance of peace in the life she had built for herself. But every time she thought she could escape it, the past came rushing back. Riley wasn't just part of that past, he was the shadow of it. A reminder of a time when things were simpler. Before everything had changed.

But that was before she knew about him. Before she realized that the world she had once been a part of was darker than she could've ever imagined. And Riley, now a vampire himself, was only another piece of that world she never wanted to face again.

The feeling of unease grew stronger, like something was pulling her back to the door.

It wasn't long before she heard the sound of footsteps outside, soft and measured. Her heart picked up, and before she could even think about it, she was moving, drawn to the window again. She slid it open slightly, just enough to peer out, her breath fogging the glass.

He was still there.

Standing at the end of the street, cloaked in the mist of the rain, like some kind of phantom. His figure was almost too perfect, too still.

Her pulse quickened.

She knew better than anyone that she shouldn't be here, that she shouldn't even be thinking about him. But as much as she tried to resist it, her eyes couldn't look away.

Why is he still here?

The question gnawed at her. She didn't want to see him, didn't want to be involved in whatever mess he was wrapped up in. But part of her still remembered what it was like to know him, to see him before he had become what he was now.

The wind howled outside, and the rain picked up again. She stepped back from the window, but the urge to open the door, race down those stairs into the pouring downfall, to face him, was overwhelming.

Don't.

She knew she shouldn't. She couldn't. Not when she had worked so hard to build a life that was separate from the vampire world. But in that moment, she couldn't help herself.

She moved swiftly, too quickly for her own comfort, as if something was pulling her towards him. Her hand hovered over the doorknob, and for a moment, she hesitated. What would she even say to him?

She opened the door before she could second-guess herself, her feet automatically knowing where to fall as she approached the staircase.

The cool night air hit her face as she stepped out into the rain, and Riley's gaze snapped to her immediately. His eyes were darker than she remembered, colder, like there was a vast distance between them that couldn't be bridged.

"Anastasia," his voice was low, almost in warning.

She didn't move. She couldn't. The words she wanted to say were trapped in her throat, tangled in the emotions she didn't want to confront.

"What do you want?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. The words felt foreign on her tongue, but she couldn't help herself. There was a weight to the question that felt almost like a challenge.

Riley took a step toward her, his expression unreadable. But there was something about the way he held himself—so controlled, yet so dangerous—that made her instincts scream at her to take a step back.

"I'm not here to hurt you," he said, his voice quieter now, almost softer. It should've comforted her, but it only unsettled her more.

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? You think I'll believe that? I know what you are now, Riley."

His gaze flickered to the ground for a moment before meeting hers again, his jaw tight.

"I'm not here because of you," he said slowly. "But you've gotten too close to something you don't understand. There are things happening, things you don't know. Dangerous things."

Her heart pounded in her chest. She already knew that. She didn't need him to remind her of the world she'd left behind. She had seen what that danger looked like before, and she hadn't forgotten it.

"Then why are you here?" She didn't mean for her voice to crack, but it did, a tremor of something she couldn't control.

"I didn't want to be," he admitted, his eyes searching hers. "But I don't have a choice."

A chill ran through her. She wanted to scream, to tell him to go away, to leave her alone like everyone else had. But Riley wasn't like the others. He was different. And for some reason, that terrified her more than she was willing to admit.

"Whatever it is, I don't want to be a part of it," she said, her voice stronger this time.

He didn't answer immediately. He just stared at her, like he was seeing something beyond what was standing in front of him.

"Anastasia," he said, his tone gentler now, almost regretful. "I never wanted to drag you into this."

But she wasn't listening anymore. She wasn't sure how much more she could take, how many more reminders of the life she had tried so hard to forget.

She turned, walking back into her apartment, again finding herself knowing the winding corridors off by heart, shutting the door behind her with a soft click.

Riley didn't try to follow her.

But as she leaned against the door, the weight of everything she had tried to bury settled heavily on her shoulders. There was no escaping this. There was no escaping him.

And for the first time, she wasn't sure she wanted to.