The night exploded into motion.
The three vampires moved first.
They didn't run.
They vanished.
Adrian barely had time to shift his stance before the world blurred and a fist slammed into his ribs like a battering ram. Air burst from his lungs as he was hurled across the graveyard, crashing through a wooden fence and rolling across the dirt.
Pain bloomed across his chest.
Sharp. Real.
He pushed himself up slowly.
His eyes glowed red — faintly, like embers struggling to become flame.
Why… so weak?
The second vampire appeared behind him and kicked his back. Adrian hit the ground again, sliding through loose soil and broken wood.
They weren't just strong.
They were fast.
Faster than the creature in the barn. Faster than anything he had fought before.
The third vampire grabbed his collar and hurled him straight into a gravestone. Stone shattered on impact, fragments raining down around him.
They circled like predators toying with wounded prey.
The barn vampire chuckled.
"You're disappointing me, wolf."
Adrian wiped blood from his lip and rose again.
His body felt heavy.
Sluggish.
Like something inside him wasn't awake yet.
His eyes flickered faint red again.
Why isn't my strength here?
A blur rushed him.
Instinct moved first.
He ducked. Spun. Grabbed.
For the first time — he caught one.
His hand clamped around a vampire's throat mid-strike.
The creature froze.
Shock filled its red eyes.
Adrian's grip tightened slowly.
"Last time…" he said quietly, voice low and steady,
"…it went like this."
His claws slid out.
They plunged deep into the vampire's abdomen.
The scream shattered the night.
Not pain.
Terror.
The vampire convulsed violently in his grip.
"What— WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!"
The other two stepped back instinctively.
Something invisible flowed between them.
Energy. Power. Essence.
The vampire's body began trembling uncontrollably.
Its voice broke into desperate shrieks.
"MAKE IT STOP! SAVE ME!"
Adrian's eyes widened slightly.
He could feel it.
Strength pouring into him.
Speed. Cold. Hunger. Darkness.
The vampire's screams turned to choking sobs.
Then silence.
Its body went limp and dropped to the ground with a dull thud.
Not drained of blood.
Drained of something deeper.
Adrian stood frozen.
His heart pounded louder than thunder.
"I…"
He flexed his fingers slowly.
"…feel stronger."
The remaining vampires stared in horror.
One whispered, voice shaking:
"What kind of wolf… are you?"
Adrian looked up.
His eyes burned brighter red now.
A slow smile formed.
"Now," he said, stepping forward,
"the real fight begins."
The two vampires attacked at once.
And this time—
Adrian moved faster.