The door exploded inward.
Zina screamed.
She stumbled backward, nearly falling over the desk as a dark figure flew through the doorway.
Damien caught it before it could reach her.
The impact sent both of them crashing into the wall.
“What the hell is happening?” Zina screamed.
She pressed herself against the desk, shaking.
Damien didn’t answer.
He was fighting.
Not like a human.
The creature moved with frightening speed, its claws tearing through Damien’s shirt as it tried to reach him.
Damien caught its arm, twisted it behind its back and slammed it against the wall.
The creature snarled.
Damien’s eyes burned red.
“Who sent you?”
The creature laughed.
“You already know.”
Damien tightened his grip.
“Who?”
“The blood.”
Its head slowly turned toward Zina.
“She has awakened.”
Zina’s heart pounded.
“What does that mean?”
The creature smiled.
“Your mother..”
Damien ripped it away from the wall before it could finish.
“Don’t.”
Zina stared at him.
“My mother?”
Damien didn’t look at her.
“Stay back.”
“No.
You’re going to tell me what is going on.”
“Zina, stay back.”
The creature suddenly disappeared.
Damien’s head snapped toward the window.
Too late.
It came from behind him.
Damien was thrown across the room.
He crashed into the bookcase, sending books flying.
Zina screamed.
“Damien!”
The creature turned toward her.
Its red eyes locked onto hers.
Zina couldn’t breathe.
It took one step forward.
Then another.
“Don’t come near me.”
The creature smiled.
“Your blood smells like her.”
Zina backed away.
“Who?”
“The daughter of the night.”
Something cold passed through her.
She remembered the writing on her father’s desk.
When the blood moon rises, the daughter of the night will return.
Her lips parted.
“That’s what the note said.”
The creature’s smile widened.
“So he told you.”
“My father?”
“Chike Eze knew.”
Zina’s eyes widened.
“What did he know?”
The creature lunged.
A blur crossed the room.
Damien slammed into it from the side.
The two disappeared through the doorway.
Zina heard a crash.
Then another.
She stood frozen for half a second before fear finally won.
She ran.
She barely made it into the hallway before Damien appeared in front of her.
“Where are you going?”
“Anywhere that isn’t here!”
“You can’t leave.”
“Watch me!”
He grabbed her arm.
Zina screamed and pulled away.
“Don’t touch me!”
Damien released her immediately.
His eyes were still red.
His fangs were still visible.
Zina stared at him, terrified.
“You really are a vampire.”
Damien said nothing.
“Oh my God.”
She backed away.
“My father knew.”
“Yes.”
“You knew.”
“Knew what that am a vampire?
Of course.”
“How long?”
“Long enough.”
Zina’s breathing became uneven.
“And you were just going to marry me without telling me?”
Damien’s expression changed.
“This marriage has nothing to do with what you think.”
“Then what the hell does it have to do with?”
Before he could answer, a loud crash came from downstairs.
Then silence.
Damien’s head turned.
Zina swallowed.
“What was that?”
Damien’s eyes narrowed.
“I don’t know.”
That answer scared her more than anything else.
“You don’t know?”
“No.”
Another sound came from the staircase.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Casual.
Damien immediately moved in front of Zina.
Zina stared at the stairs.
Someone was coming up.
A man appeared.
He was holding a paper bag in one hand.
He stopped halfway up the stairs and looked around.
Broken glass covered the floor.
One of the walls was cracked.
A body lay motionless near the entrance.
He looked at the mess.
Then at Damien.
Then at Zina.
He sighed.
“I leave Lagos for three days.”
He lifted the paper bag.
“And apparently you people can’t behave yourselves.”
Damien stared at him.
“Luca.”
The man smiled.
“Damien.”
Zina looked between them.
“You know him?”
“Unfortunately.”
Luca placed the paper bag on the railing.
“I saved your life once. You could at least sound happy to see me.”
Damien’s expression remained cold.
“I didn’t ask you to save me.”
“No. You were rather busy dying.”
Zina blinked.
Damien said nothing.
Luca glanced at her.
His expression softened for the briefest moment.
Then the usual smile returned.
“And you must be Zina.”
Zina immediately stiffened.
“How do you know my name?”
Luca pointed at Damien.
“He talks too much.”
Damien’s eyes narrowed.
“I have said nothing about her.”
Luca smiled.
“Then perhaps I’m psychic.”
Zina stared at him.
“Are you?”
“No.”
A beat.
“That would be exhausting.”
Despite everything, Zina almost laughed.
Almost.
Then she remembered the dead creature downstairs.
“Who are you?”
“Luca.”
“Just Luca?”
“Most people stop asking after that.”
“I’m not most people.”
“I noticed.”
Damien stepped forward.
“Why are you here?”
Luca looked around.
“I heard screaming.”
He pointed at the destruction.
“Clearly I arrived at the right address.”
“You shouldn’t be here.”
Luca smiled.
“And yet, here I am.”
Damien’s gaze hardened.
“You have no business involving yourself in this.”
Luca’s smile disappeared for a moment.
“I disagree.”
His eyes moved to Zina.
Then back to Damien.
“You should be more careful about what follows you home.”
Damien’s jaw tightened.
“You know what that thing was.”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
Luca shrugged.
“Ugly.”
“Luca.”
“Fine. Fine.”
He sighed.
“Something old.”
Damien went still.
“How old?”
“Old enough to know better.”
Zina stared at them.
“Can someone please speak English?”
Luca looked at her.
“Technically, we are.”
She glared at him.
He smiled.
“I like her.”
Damien looked annoyed.
“You don’t know her.”
“Neither do you.”
“I know enough.”
Luca’s gaze lingered on Damien.
For a moment, something unspoken passed between them.
An old memory.
A debt.
Something neither man intended to discuss.
Then Luca looked away.
A sudden growl came from downstairs.
Everyone went silent.
Luca sighed.
“Well.”
He reached into his jacket.
Zina instinctively moved closer to Damien.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting rid of a pest.”
The creature suddenly came flying up the staircase.
Luca didn’t even turn around.
He raised one hand.
The creature stopped in midair.
Zina’s mouth fell open.
Luca looked over his shoulder.
“Honestly, this is embarrassing.”
The creature struggled against whatever force held it.
Luca smiled.
“You’re making me look bad.”
He flicked his wrist.
The creature slammed into the floor.
Hard.
The entire house shook.
Zina stared.
Damien didn’t move.
“You have powers,” she whispered.
Luca looked at her.
“Everyone has something.”
The creature roared and rose again.
Luca sighed.
“Persistent little bastard.”
He walked toward it.
The creature attacked.
Luca vanished.
A second later, he appeared behind it.
He grabbed the creature by the throat.
Its claws dug into his arm.
Luca looked down at them.
“Rude.”
His eyes suddenly turned completely black.
The creature froze.
Ancient symbols began glowing beneath Luca’s feet.
Zina took a step backward.
“What are you?”
Luca smiled.
“Someone having a very bad evening.”
He tightened his grip.
The creature began to burn from the inside.
Its scream echoed through the house.
Then Luca whispered something in a language Zina didn’t understand.
The creature’s body collapsed into ash.
Silence.
Luca brushed the ash from his sleeve.
“That’s better.”
Zina stared at the pile on the floor.
Then at Luca.
Then at Damien.
“Are there more of you?”
Luca raised an eyebrow.
“More of what?”
“Whatever the hell you people are!”
Luca glanced at Damien.
“She has questions.”
“She always has questions.”
“Good.”
Luca picked up his paper bag.
“Questions keep people alive.”
Zina looked at him suspiciously.
“You knew something was coming for me.”
Luca paused.
Only for a second.
“I knew something was coming.”
“How?”
“Instinct.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It wasn’t meant to be.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“You are incredibly annoying.”
Luca smiled.
“Thank you.”
“I wasn’t complimenting you.”
“I know.”
Damien stepped between them.
“Enough.”
Luca looked at him.
“You haven’t changed.”
“Neither have you.”
“That’s impossible. I’ve changed clothes at least six times this year.”
Damien sighed.
Zina couldn’t help it.
A small laugh escaped her.
Both men looked at her.
She immediately stopped.
“I didn’t laugh.”
Luca nodded seriously.
“Of course not.”
Damien shook his head.
“You’re still insufferable.”
“And you’re still alive.”
Luca picked up his bag.
“Looks like we’re both having a good night.”
He started down the stairs.
Zina watched him.
There was something strange about him.
She couldn’t explain it.
She had never met him before.
Yet there was something about his presence that felt strangely familiar.
Luca reached the bottom of the stairs.
He stopped.
Without turning around, he said quietly,
“Lock every window tonight.”
Damien’s expression changed.
“Why?”
Luca finally looked back.
“Because that wasn’t the only thing looking for her.”
Zina’s smile disappeared.
“What does that mean?”
Luca smiled again.
“The fun part.”
Then he walked away.
Zina stared after him.
Damien remained silent.
She turned toward him.
“Who is that man?”
Damien’s eyes followed Luca until he disappeared through the doorway.
“Someone I owe my life to.”
Zina frowned.
“You said he saved you.”
“He did.”
“How?”
Damien’s face became unreadable.
“That’s a story for another day.”
Zina looked toward the doorway.
Luca was gone.
But somewhere beyond the estate walls, he stood beneath the darkness of the Lagos night.
The smile was gone from his face.
He looked toward the Eze estate.
Toward the room where Zina stood.
And for the first time in years, the man who never took anything seriously looked afraid.
“She’s awake.”
He whispered the words to himself.
Then he looked toward the blood-red moon hanging above the city.
“God help us all.”