Liam’s POV

I sat alone at the bar, my mind a storm of chaos. A devourer who didn't know what they were—those were the worst kind. I could bet my life Raina had no idea what she was. Not with the confusion in her eyes after I kissed her.

I downed my drink in one go, the burn doing nothing to dull the ache gnawing at me. The glass hit the counter with a soft thud. I knew my clan wouldn't take this news well—it was my duty to report anything that could threaten us—but how to deliver it without setting off a bloodbath? I hadn't figured that out yet.

The scrape of a barstool broke my thoughts. Another vampire slid into the seat beside me.

“I see you're drinking again,” Silas said, his voice laced with dry amusement. “This can't be good.”

I didn't bother looking at him. I didn't need to. I was the one who summoned him. Vampires rarely gathered like this—unless there was a problem.

“I think we have a problem,” I muttered.

Silas arched a brow. “We already do, don't we?”

He turned to the bartender. “Whiskey.”

“No,” I said, my voice lower now. “I mean a real problem—one that could push to extinction.”

The weight of my words sank in. Silas’s playful smirk disappeared.

“Who?”

I hesitated. I didn’t want to tell him. If they found out about Raina, they’d go after her without question. “A girl I met during my mission. She’s… unaware.”

Silas’s stare burned into the side of my face. I kept my gaze fixed on the glass, twirling it slowly on the counter.

“I don’t want anyone going after her,” I added. “Not until Ian gives the order. Tell him he knows who, and whatever he decides…. I’ll be the one to handle it.”

Silas frowned. “But you’ve already been assigned a mission.”

I met his gaze. He got the message.

“Fine,” he muttered. “As you wish.”

He pushed his untouched drink aside and stood.

“Silas.”

He paused.

“Only Ian. No one else.”

Silas gave a curt nod. “Got it.”

Hours passed after he left, but I remained at the bar, staring at the glass in front of me. The thought kept circling back—handle it myself. End the threat before it has a chance to grow.

But I couldn’t bring myself to go after her.

Instead, I stood, tossed a few bills onto the counter, and walked out into the night.

*******

The time on my phone told me it was late enough not to be expecting any visitors. Humans were usually asleep by 10:00 p.m., and it was well past 2:00 a.m., but I knew he’d come— so I waited.

I should have been out tracking my other mission Windshade Hollow, but the events of the past few days weighed too heavily on me. I stood at the edge of my balcony, overlooking the city of Manhattan. The skyline was a sea of shimmering lights, distant and cold—a perfect reflection of the war raging inside me. If only she didn’t look like Mel, maybe this would have been easier.

My muscles tensed the moment I sensed his presence. He’d come sooner than expected. Too soon.

I didn’t turn around immediately, keeping my gaze locked on the distant glow of the city. “What’s your order?” I asked, cutting straight to the point.

“According to your right-hand, by ‘I know who,’ you mean the girl from last night?” Ian’s voice was calm, but there was an edge to it— a quiet authority that came from being leader of the Nocturnus clan.

I finally faced him, tucking my hands into my sweatpants. “Yes. But I don’t think she’s a threat, Ian.”

Ian’s eyes studied me, unblinking. “Not to you, she’s not. Not when she looks like Mel.”

My jaw tightened. “Mel or not, she doesn’t know what she is.”

“That doesn’t change the danger she poses.”

I said nothing. He was right. Devourers were the reason we lived in the shadows— the reason vampires like us were forced into hiding. The mere existence of one was a threat.

Ian took a step closer. “I know this might be complicated for you, but we have to be sure she doesn’t pose a threat. I want to assess her myself and so I’m assigning this to—”

“No.” The word escaped my lips, harsher than I intended. My teeth clenched. “If that’s what you’ve decided—for me to bring her to you— then I’ll do it.”

“Liam,” Ian’s voice softened, but I didn’t let him finish.

“I will gladly add this to my mission. I’ll see it as payback to Mel.”

Silence stretched between us. Ian’s gaze darkened, calculating, like he was dissecting my words—my motives. One hand folded behind his back, the other rising to his chin.

“And what if there are more of them?” he finally asked.

The question knocked the air from my lungs. My mind hadn’t wandered that far— too tangled in thoughts of Raina, I hadn’t considered the possibility that she wasn’t the only one.

“That’s impossible,” I muttered, but the words felt hollow.

Ian’s lips curled into a humorless smile. “Her being a devourer just proved that anything is possible.”

I forced the thought from my mind. “Fine. I’ll return to town tomorrow and conduct a thorough investigation. If there are others, I’ll find them.”

“Good.” Ian dropped his hand from his chin, clasping it behind his back once more. “I hope, no matter what, you remember where your loyalty lies— with the clan. You are next in line to lead, Liam.”

I nodded, keeping my expression neutral. “I understand. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Ian seemed to hesitate, his mouth opening slightly, but then he closed it again. Whatever thought crossed his mind, he kept it to himself.

Instead, he shifted the subject. “What about your original mission? I haven’t received any updates.”

My hands shoved deeper into my pockets. I knew Ian wouldn’t like what I was about to say. “I lost track.”

His face remained blank, but the slight square of his shoulders betrayed his irritation. Ian never showed emotion easily, but I knew him too well.

“On the night of the first elder’s killing, I was tracking the creature,” I explained. “I almost had it, but then… I heard footsteps. I got distracted. Before I could blink, it was gone.”

Ian’s stare sharpened. “Is that where you met her?”

“Yes,” I admitted. “We were in the middle of a fight, but when I heard her, I faltered. It slipped away.”

His silence stretched heavier than his words ever would.

“And you didn’t bother tracking it again,” Ian said flatly. “Not since you thought you found Mel.”

I swallowed hard, looking away. “I’m sorry.”

Ian’s voice remained calm, but there was a new tightness to it— like a thread pulled too taut. I braced myself for his next words.

“Liam Dravene,” he said, his voice cold and formal. “Second in command—and heir—to the leader of the Nocturnus clan, I hereby assign you another mission alongside your current one. Failure to comply will have severe consequences.”

My fists balled at my sides, but I raised one to my chest in salute. “Your order, my oath— unbroken, unaltered. Your wish is my command.”

Ian lifted his chin slightly, his gaze steady. “Good.”

He turned to leave, but his final words froze me where I stood.

“Your new mission is to eliminate the threat— not apprehend it.”

My stomach twisted. “What?”

“In simple terms,” Ian said, his voice a blade cutting through the night, “I want the devourer dead.”