Jaytee jolted. Now he was awake, his breath ragged, his chest heaving as if he had run miles. The visions from his dream clung to him like cobwebs, visions of blood, a woman's scream, and the cold bite of the night. It wasn't just a dream. It never was.
He rubbed a hand over his face, trying to shake the suffocating grip of his past, he had both his hands on his head. The dim glow of the streetlight outside cast jagged shadows across the ceiling, making his small apartment feel even darker. His mind swam with the ghosts of memories he didn't ask for, but they always returned.
Just then, he perceived movements, and Jaytee stiffened. He wasn't alone.
"You're awake," Adel's voice was low, almost cautious.
She stood by the window, bathed in silver moonlight. Her hood was down, revealing those piercing green eyes that always unsettled him. She looked the same, ageless as always, very beautiful, but there was something different now. Urgency.
"You still haven't made your decision yet?" she said, stepping closer "As much as I want you to make your decision and leave at your own will, you make it even harder".
Jaytee exhaled sharply, swinging his legs over the edge of the couch. "I'm not leaving."
Adel's expression darkened. "You're being reckless."
"And you're being paranoid."
"Paranoid?" She scoffed, crossing her arms. "You think you can keep pretending to be human forever? You think they won't find you?"
Jaytee's jaw tightened. He stood, closing the distance between them in an instant. "I didn't ask for any of this. I built a life here. I have…." He stopped himself. He wasn't about to admit how much he cared about the human world. About Nora.
Adel's eyes flickered, sensing it. "You're attached."
Jaytee didn't answer. She stepped even closer, lowering her voice. "They will come, Jaytee. You know they will. And when they do, do you really think she will be safe around you?"
"Stay away from her," Adel continued, her tone almost pitying. "You know it's the only way. I will make a move, a drastic one if I have to if you refuse in the next two days."
Jaytee clenched his fists. He didn't need her reminding him of what he already knew.
Adel sighed. "Just think about it." Then, like a shadow dissolving into the night, she was gone.
Jaytee stood frozen, his mind a war zone of conflicting desires. Then his phone buzzed.
It was a message from Nora that read, "Dinner. My place. Don't even think about saying no"
Jaytee exhaled, rubbing his temples.
As much as he wanted to resist, she was making this impossible and he couldn't.
Nora lit the last candle, stepping back to admire her work. The table was set, the wine poured, the food ready. She wasn't sure what had compelled her to do this, but something inside her needed to understand him, something inside her called for Jaytee.
Jaytee had always been different, a puzzle she couldn't solve. He was cold and distant, but when he let his guard slip, just for a second, she saw something else. Something raw.
A knock at the door snapped her out of her thoughts.
Taking a deep breath, she opened it. Jaytee stood there, his usual guarded expression in place. But there was something in his eyes hesitation.
"You're here," she said softly.
"You gave me no choice," he muttered holding out a rose, he stepped inside.
Nora smirked collected the rose, and shutting the door behind him. "Good. Now sit."
Jaytee looked at the table and then at her. "This is… a lot."
"Don't make it weird," she said, handing him a glass of wine.
They sat, the silence stretching between them. For a while, they just ate, the flickering candlelight casting soft shadows over Jaytee's face.
Finally, Nora set her fork down. "I want to know you more, I want to know everything"
Jaytee froze mid-motion.
Nora leaned forward. "Who are you?"
His grip tightened on the glass. "Nora…"
"Don't lie to me…. I've seen you in a different person" Her voice was steady, but there was something vulnerable beneath it. "You always warn me to stay away. You disappear and reappear like a ghost. I know there's something you're not telling me."
Jaytee looked away. "It's better if you don't know."
"Why?"
"Because once you do, there's no going back."
Nora exhaled, her gaze locked onto his. "I don't care."
Jaytee clenched his jaw. "You should."
She reached across the table, touching his hand. The moment their skin met, he flinched. Not from pain, but from something far worse. Desire.
Her touch burned him in a way nothing else did.
"Jaytee," she whispered. "Tell me."
His resolve cracked. He wanted to tell her. He wanted her to know him.
His lips parted, and then his phone buzzed. Again.
Jaytee pulled away, reading the message. His entire body went cold.
Jaytee shot to his feet, knocking over the chair.
"Jaytee?" Nora stood, confused. "What's wrong?"
"We have to go," he said sharply.
She frowned. "Go where?"
Both their heads snapped toward the window. The candlelight flickered violently. A shadow moved outside.
Jaytee grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward the door.
"Jaytee, what's happening?" she demanded.
But he didn't answer. Because he already knew.
Someone was watching him.
Somewhere else, Ayda tapped her fingers against the desk, watching with glasses from where she stood. Reaching for her phone, she dialed a number.
A voice on the other end answered. "Rico has limited time?"
Ayda's "Now, we'll go with Plan B"
"He won't be able to run for much longer," she purred.
The voice on the other end chuckled darkly. "Good."
Then the line went dead. This time, there would be no escape.