Kat's boots pounded down the hallway, her satchel swinging violently off her shoulder. The library door slammed shut behind her, the eerie blue glow of that unholy archive still flickering in her mind.
She'd just hacked something alive.
And they had lied to her.
Every cell in her body screamed that she was in danger, but rage kept her moving forward—rage and betrayal.
She hit the grand hall and turned the corner sharply—straight into Vishous.
He didn't even flinch.
Of course he didn't.
"You son of a bitch," she snapped, eyes blazing.
He raised a brow, hands tucked into the pockets of his leather coat. "Something on your mind, hacker girl?"
That nickname. That goddamn smirk.
Her vision went red.
"You knew I wasn't just breaking through some high-security intel. You let me dig into something dangerous."
Still, calm. "You handled it."
"You used me," she growled.
He stepped closer, slow and deliberate, like she was a wild animal he was curious about, not threatened by. "I respected your talent. That's why you're here."
"No," she snapped. "I was a tool. I was a pawn. And I don't do that shit."
She jabbed a finger in his chest—hard. "So either you tell me what the hell you really are, or I walk out that damn door and disappear before you can say 'damn, I miss her smart mouth.'"
Something dark flickered behind his glowing eyes. "You think you can threaten me?"
"I think I just did."
They were chest to chest now. Her fists were clenched, and she was shaking. Not from fear. From adrenaline. From fury. From that confusing, nauseating pull toward him she wanted to rip out of her own skin.
And then he said the wrong thing.
"You'll come back," Vishous said. "You're too curious not to."
Kat's fist flew.
A clean right hook.
It connected hard with his jaw—bone meeting bone, knuckles splitting.
He staggered back half a step, more surprised than hurt.
From down the hallway, the sound of footsteps thundered—Rhage, Butch, and Zsadist rounding the corner like they'd sensed the blow before it even landed.
Rhage's fangs were halfway down, golden hair wild. "Yo, what the hell?!"
Butch already had his hand on his weapon.
Zsadist looked ready to rip her spine out.
But Vishous lifted one gloved hand.
"Stand down."
The hallway froze.
Kat stood there, chest heaving, lip curled in fury, blood dripping from her split knuckles.
Vishous straightened slowly, rolling his jaw once with a dark laugh. "You punch harder than half the glymera's guard."
Zsadist took a threatening step forward. "She just hit a Brother."
Vishous turned his head and snapped, "I said stand down."
And they listened.
Even Z.
That's when Kat's heart truly stuttered—because she realized this wasn't just a guy with attitude and combat boots. This was a man with power. Real power. Authority. Enough to wave off three other monsters like they were noisy children.
He turned back to her, the smirk gone now, replaced by something heavier.
Something hot.
"You wanted the truth?" Vishous said, voice quiet and lethal. "Here it is: I'm not human. Neither is Wrath. Or Rhage. Or anyone else in this house."
Kat clenched her jaw. "I figured that part out when your firewalls blinked at me."
He took another step closer, and this time she didn't retreat.
"We're vampires," he said.
Her stomach dropped.
"You're lying."
He smiled without humor. "Do I look like I'm joking?"
Her brain scrambled to reject it. There's no such thing. You're hallucinating. They drugged you. It's a cult. It's an illusion—
"I've seen death," Vishous said, as if reading her mind. "I've touched time. I've watched civilizations rot. And I'm still here. Not because I was made to survive... but because I was built to endure."
Kat didn't move.
Couldn't.
"You could've told me this before I put my hands on your nightmare computer," she said, voice hollow.
"I wanted to see what you'd do," he said softly. "And now I know."
She stepped back, breath shallow. "And what's that?"
Vishous's eyes burned into hers. "You don't run."
For a long, electric second, neither of them moved.
Then Kat turned, shoved her bloody knuckles into her satchel, and stormed off without another word.
The Brothers watched her go.
But Vishous? He watched like a man who'd just been caught in his own trap—and liked it.
