CHAPTER 16 — Hunt In The Dark
930 Words
The moment Adrian stepped out of the room, the air changed.
It felt colder without him—like the warmth he carried was something only he could leave behind.
Mirabel pulled the blanket tighter around herself, her chest tightening with fear. Esther was still in the building. Still looking for her. Still trying to finish what she started.
But this time…
Adrian was hunting.
And Mirabel didn’t know whether she was more afraid for herself—or for Esther.
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From the hallway, she could faintly hear the growing tension. Security guards whispering, hurried footsteps, the crackle of walkie-talkies. Adrian’s presence alone had shifted the atmosphere, like even the shadows were on alert.
Mirabel closed her eyes, trying to breathe.
“Please be careful…” she whispered to no one.
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Meanwhile, Adrian’s footsteps echoed through the corridor—slow, steady, lethal.
He didn’t need directions.
He could smell her.
Her fear.
Her desperation.
Her hatred.
And beneath all of it…
The poison she carried with her.
He descended the stairs to the lower floors, where the lights flickered faintly and patients rarely wandered. His eyes glowed in the dim light—a faint, silver shimmer as his senses heightened.
He reached the basement door.
He didn’t push it open.
He tore it open.
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Mirabel flinched at the distant crash.
Her heart pounded painfully. She grabbed her pillow as if holding onto something concrete would keep her grounded.
“Adrian… come back to me,” she whispered.
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Downstairs, Esther spun around at the sound of the door crashing open.
She dropped the metal tray she’d been holding. The clatter echoed sharply.
“What the—who are you?!” she yelled, backing away.
Adrian stepped inside, his shoulders broad, his presence swallowing the entire room. He didn’t bother hiding the coldness in his eyes.
“Looking for something?” he asked, voice low.
Esther swallowed, but forced a smirk. “Where’s Mirabel? I need to see her. She’s my sister—”
“Step-sister,” Adrian corrected calmly, stepping forward. “And the last person she needs to see.”
Esther scoffed. “You don’t even know her!”
Adrian tilted his head slightly. “I know you tried to kill her.”
Esther froze.
His voice dropped even lower. “And you failed.”
Her face twisted. “She should’ve stayed dead! She ruined everything! Kelvin loves me—I deserve everything she had!”
Adrian’s eyes flickered, silver glinting through the darkness.
“You shouldn’t have touched her.”
Esther’s heartbeat spiked—Adrian heard it clearly.
“You’re insane,” she hissed, backing into a corner. “What are you?!”
Adrian stepped closer, his expression unreadable.
“A man,” he said quietly. “The wrong one to cross.”
Esther reached behind her and grabbed a small syringe—another poison. Her last attempt.
“Stay away from me!” she screamed.
She swung her arm—
But Adrian caught her wrist.
Not roughly.
Not violently.
Just… effortlessly.
Like she was nothing more than a child.
Esther gasped, her eyes widening. “Let—me—go!”
Adrian tightened his grip just enough to make her drop the syringe. It shattered on the ground.
He leaned in, his voice colder than death.
“You came to finish her,” he murmured. “But you will never touch her again.”
Esther trembled, breath shaky. “W-What are you going to do to me?”
Adrian paused.
For a moment, anger flickered in his eyes—dark, ancient, and dangerous enough to make the air vibrate.
But then he let go of her wrist, stepping back.
“I don’t break humans,” he said simply.
Esther blinked in confusion. “Humans? What—”
“Security will deal with you,” he finished, turning his back on her.
Esther lunged forward blindly, trying to claw him—
But two guards rushed in, tackling her immediately.
“No! Let me go! I need to finish it! I need Mirabel dead!” she screeched.
Adrian didn’t even look back.
He walked away slowly, calmly…
Like her noise didn’t matter.
Because it didn’t.
All that mattered was upstairs.
Mirabel.
His pace quickened.
His heartbeat synced with hers again—fast, frightened, calling him.
He climbed the stairs in seconds, reaching her corridor. When he entered her room, she instantly sat up, eyes wide.
“Adrian,” she breathed. “Are you okay?”
He froze.
She was worried… for him.
Something in his chest tightened.
He closed the distance between them in three long strides.
“I’m fine,” he said, softer than before.
Her eyes searched his. “What happened?”
“I handled it.”
Mirabel swallowed. “She’s gone?”
“Yes.”
Her shoulders slumped in relief, tears filling her eyes. Adrian brushed them away before they could fall.
Then—reluctantly—he sat on the edge of the bed.
“You’re safe now,” he said quietly.
Mirabel exhaled shakily. “Because of you.”
Adrian didn’t answer.
But his hand slid gently over hers, fingers threading together like he’d been waiting to do it for hours.
“Rest, Mirabel,” he murmured. “I’m staying.”
She looked at him—really looked at him.
“Will you ever leave?” she whispered.
Something dark and tender flickered in Adrian’s eyes.
“Only,” he said, “if you ask me to.”
Her heart squeezed.
And for the first time…
Mirabel didn’t feel broken.
She felt chosen.
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- Writer
