Page 184 of Beyond the Hunt

The new moon swallowed the sky, and the night lay thick and black over Evermere. Perfect for creeping shadows and catching them. I lingered, cloaked in the breathless hush of the hedge maze, the cold scent of leaves and earth thick around me. An owl hooted in the woods to the east, but my ears weren’t tuned into its song.

No, I listened forthem.

Soft steps, careful but not careful enough, crushed grass underfoot. Fabric brushed bramble. And there, a whisper.

“—stupid wolf couldn’t even keep his head,” came a voice, cool and clipped with disdain. Amabel. Smooth as polished onyx and twice as cold.

Another voice, higher and grating: “But, Am! Look at that place! It’s not fair!” Eluned, whining like a dull blade dragging across porcelain. “Mother said he’d be cruel to her! She said he’d—”

“Hush, El,” Amabel snapped, venom under velvet. “Unless you want them to hear you.”

I smirked.

Too late for that, dumbass.

Through the foliage, the manor house glowed like a lantern against the dark. The windows framed a scene that could’ve belonged to some old painting: Seri with her hands on Zane’s shoulders as he spun her across the living room floor. He dipped her low, their smiles bright enough to burn the stars. Then Brumous, all fur and foolish joy, bounded into their waltz, sending Zane sprawling with a delighted yip, as if he were cutting in. Seri burst into laughter, and the wolf, grinning his toothy grin, stood victorious.

“That infernal mutt.” Amabel’s voice sharpened with disgust, and Eluned huffed, petulant.

“Ugh! Mother lied! He’s—” A rustle, a gasp. “Ahh! Something’s crawling on me!”

“We’re in a hedge maze, Eluned!” Amabel’s hiss was pure acid. “What did you expect, lavender and lace?”

“Lavender and lace!” she mocked her twin. “Lavender and— Ew! It has little wings!” She swatted at her sleeve, stomping like a sulking child.

My smile curled wider.

That’s right, bitch,I thought.Play with the pretty little pests.

The sisters bickered, their whispers growing fainter as they slipped deeper into the maze. Maybe they thought the darkness hid them, but a dhampir’s eyes were nearly as sharp as a vampire’s at night.

I followed, folding the shadows around me. Once the Harrow twins were off the property, I reactivated the perimeter wards, then touched the comm device in my ear. A faint chime, then connection.

“Deployed.” I retrieved the small glass vial from my pocket. Inside, a handful of delicate ladybugs, all copper bodies and crystalline wings, glittered faintly, their tiny gears ticking in soft, secretive turns.

Spy eyes. My own invention. Feather-light, fast as the wind, and more obedient and durable than any living creature.

“Copy,” Cas replied. “Did they take the bait?”

“Hook, line, and whining sister.” A grin tugged at my lips, and he chuckled.

“They never saw you?”

“Didn’t even feel me.” I slipped the vial back into my pocket with a smirk. “But my little beauties? They’ll seeeverything.”

The comm clicked off. I let the silence reclaim me, my eyes lingering once more on the window where our beloved still smiled, her joy a halo against the night. My fingers brushed the dagger at my hip. The hilt was smooth, and at its base, etched in my own hand, one word that meant everything.

Serafina.

I turned from the house and melted into the darkness.

The sisters could watch all they liked, but when they came for her?

When they came for her, they’d find three monsters waiting for them.

End of Book One