Marked by the Night Prince

Surrounded

The night pressed in on all sides. The hospital lights flickered behind them, but out here the street was swallowed in shadow. Aria gripped Kael’s arm, her heart pounding so loud she was sure the vampires could hear it.

One by one, they stepped out of the darkness. Pale faces, sharp fangs, glowing red eyes that burned like fire in the night. Their smiles were cruel, their movements too smooth, too inhuman.

Kael pushed Aria behind him, his body a shield. His voice was a low growl. “Stay down. Do not move unless I tell you.”

Aria crouched close to the ground, her knees trembling. She could feel the heat radiating from Kael, the way his muscles coiled like a spring ready to snap.

The largest vampire stepped forward, his voice calm and cold. “Hand her over, wolf. You cannot fight us all.”

Kael’s lips curled into a snarl. “Try me.”

The vampire’s smile widened. “Then you will die protecting something that is already ours.”

Aria’s breath caught. His words cut through her like ice. She wanted to scream at them, to deny them, but her voice was stuck in her throat.

The vampires moved as one, circling, their steps silent as falling ash.

Kael’s body shuddered as his beast broke free. Fur burst across his skin, claws extending, fangs gleaming under the moon. Within seconds, the man was gone, replaced by the massive silver wolf she had glimpsed that night.

Aria’s eyes widened. Even now, with fear clawing at her chest, she could not look away. He was terrifying, powerful, beautiful in a way that stole her breath.

The vampires hissed and lunged.

Kael met them head-on. His jaws snapped around the first one’s arm, the sickening crunch of bone echoing as the vampire shrieked. Another leapt on his back, claws digging into his fur, but Kael rolled violently, slamming him against the ground until the earth cracked beneath the force.

Aria pressed her hands over her mouth, fighting back a scream. Blood sprayed, shadows twisted, and the street became a battlefield.

The vampires were fast, their movements blurring like smoke. But Kael was fury and strength unleashed. He tore through them with savage precision, his golden eyes blazing.

Still, there were too many.

One slipped past Kael and rushed straight toward Aria. She stumbled backward, her heart stopping. She could see the glint of fangs, the hunger in his red eyes.

“No!” she screamed.

Before the vampire could reach her, Kael slammed into him, his massive body knocking him aside. His claws ripped through flesh, his growl shaking the air. He stood over her now, his body shielding her completely.

Aria clutched his fur, trembling. “Kael, please…”

But he did not look back. His gaze was locked on the remaining vampires, his chest heaving, his growl low and murderous.

The leader of the pack stepped forward again, his grin unfazed even as his followers lay broken. “Impressive. But you cannot fight forever. Sooner or later, the girl will come to us. She cannot resist the one who has already claimed her.”

Aria’s blood ran cold. He meant the vampire from before. The one who bit her. The one whose voice still lingered in her mind.

Kael’s fur bristled, his growl deepening until the ground seemed to tremble beneath them.

The vampire tilted his head, eyes glinting with malice. “The Blood Moon is coming. And when it rises, not even you will be able to protect her.”

With that, the shadows swallowed him. One by one, the surviving vampires vanished into the dark, leaving only silence and the stench of blood behind.

Aria’s knees gave out. She sank to the ground, shaking, her breath uneven.

Kael stood still for a moment, his chest heaving. Slowly, painfully, his form shifted back into a man. He knelt beside her, his hands rough but gentle as they steadied her shoulders.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, his voice hoarse.

Aria shook her head, though tears blurred her vision. “No… but I can’t… I can’t do this.”

Kael’s golden eyes locked on hers, fierce and unyielding. “You can. Because you must.”

Aria pressed her trembling hands to her chest, her voice breaking. “I’m just a girl. I don’t know how to fight. I don’t know how to survive this.”

His hand brushed against hers, grounding her. “Then I will teach you. I will fight for you until you can fight for yourself.”

Her heart clenched at the raw promise in his words.

But before she could reply, the wind shifted, carrying a whisper through the night.

Mine.

Aria’s blood froze. The vampire’s voice again, inside her head, closer, stronger than before.

She gasped, clutching Kael’s arm. “He’s still here. He’s watching us.”

Kael’s eyes burned with fury as he scanned the shadows. His voice came low and deadly. “Let him watch. He will learn that you are not his to take.”

B

ut even as he said it, Aria knew the truth. The war for her had only just begun.