Raina's POV

The wind howled between us, rattling the bridge like a warning, its steel frame groaning beneath our weight. For a split second, I thought it might give way, just like the control I had over my own shaking limbs while I tried to get up.

Liam picked himself off the ground, wiping the blood from his mouth. His eyes gleamed with fury as he glared at the other vampire. “What are you doing?” he growled, his voice dripping with venom.

“Stopping you from making a mistake.” The newcomer—still standing between me and Liam—retracted his fangs, his claws sliding back as if he hadn’t just tossed aside someone just as deadly, like it was nothing. “I know how you feel, Liam. But she’s not Mel.”

Liam stiffened. For the first time since this nightmare began, his rage wavered, like a fracture in glass. “What are you talking about?”

“It's just her lookalike. She’s not the one. Don’t harm someone innocent just because her doppelganger hurt you.”

Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. Liam’s scowl deepened, his gaze flickering to me—bloodied, breathless, still on the ground. I saw the hesitation in his eyes, the doubt creeping in despite his clenched fists. Whoever this vampire was, he wasn’t just some bystander. Liam respected him. Trusted him.

He didn’t come for me again. He didn’t attack. But his jaw tightened, his focus snapping back to the other vampire. “You don’t know Mel like I do.” Without another word, he turned and disappeared into the night.

I exhaled, though relief never fully settled.

The second vampire watched me, his face unreadable, but his eyes gave him away—there was pity in them. And something else—an apology.

“I’m sorry about my brother,” he said, offering a hand.

Before I could respond, the wind surged again, howling with even more force than before as I took his hand and rose to my feet. Dust and debris whipped into the air, stinging my eyes. I squeezed them shut for only a second, and when I opened them, the world had gone still.

He was gone.

And I was alone.

My body trembled, goosebumps prickling my skin. The encounter had ended, but the weight of it still clung to me like a second shadow. I could have died.

A siren blared in the distance, loud and urgent, snapping me from my thoughts. The familiar white van sped past before I could fully register it. An ambulance.

Something was wrong.

My suspicion solidified the moment I saw the sheriff’s car rolling onto the bridge. The tires screeched to a halt in front of me. The window slid down.

“What are you doing out here this late, Raina?” Sheriff Grant asked, his gaze heavy with suspicion.

I forced a nonchalant shrug. “Just got off work. Thought I’d admire nature for a bit.”

His eyes swept over me, unconvinced. “Where’s your bike?”

Crap. I’d completely forgotten about it. I scanned the bridge and finally spotted it—crashed near the railing, half-hidden behind his car.

“Over there,” I said, pointing. “Did I mention I got into a little accident?” I flashed a sheepish smile.

The sheriff exhaled, shaking his head. “Jeez, it's always something fishy with you, Wycliffe. Get in.”

I hesitated but didn’t argue. The truth was, I didn’t want to be alone. But Sheriff Grant was also the last person I wanted to be stuck with right now. I settled into the passenger seat, keeping my expression casual, trying to shift his focus off me.

“So, what’s going on?” I asked, aiming for nonchalance.

The sheriff didn’t answer right away, eyes fixed on the road. Normally, I’d leave it at that. After everything that had just happened, I wasn’t in the mood for small talk. But curiosity was a habit of mine..

“I saw the ambulance,” I pressed. “That only means one thing around here. Who?”

Sheriff Grant sighed. “An elder. Which is why you shouldn’t be out this late. Alone.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“Well, so could the elders.”

A thick silence settled between us. My thoughts churned. The second vampire showing up, an elder turning up dead—it felt too coincidental. But he hadn’t seemed brutal. If anything, there had been something almost… compassionate about him.

And Liam. If vampires were as heartless as the sites said, why had Liam looked so wounded by the mention of this Mel?

The sheriff’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

“...isn’t it similar to Miss Agnes? Raina?”

“Mmm, ah, yes.” I said quickly, realizing I had no idea what he’d been talking about.

He shot me a look but didn’t push. “Maybe I should just take you home.”

“No!” I cleared my throat, reigning in my reaction. “I mean, I’d like to see the body.”

He raised a brow. “You better not be thinking of playing detective.”

“No. I just like staying informed.” I shrugged.

“Then no. I don’t want this getting out yet.”

I sighed dramatically. “Fine. I won’t say a word. Not even to my uncle.” His expression didn’t budge. I pouted a little. “Please? I’m just curious.”

The sheriff muttered something under his breath before giving in. “Fine. I could use a hand till my backup gets here.”

I smiled. He’d intended to bring me either way—he just wanted to make sure I could handle it. Classic father-figure move.

We pulled into a lot already swarming with paramedics. Two of them maneuvered a stretcher toward us, a body beneath the sheet. Sheriff Grant stepped forward, and I stuck close.

“May I?” he asked.

One of the paramedics nodded, and the sheriff carefully peeled the sheet back.

I leaned in over his shoulder, breath lodged in my throat. The moment my eyes landed on the face beneath the sheet, my blood ran cold.

“I.. I don’t understand.” My head shook, my body instinctively stepping back.

Even the sheriff looked thrown.

Because the face staring up at us wasn’t that of an elder. Not some frail, aging victim.

It was young. Vibrant. Full of life just this morning.

Now, it was pale. Still. Lifeless.

Ava.