The rooftop door slammed open.
I was already moving.
The city wind tore past my face as I rushed down the staircase, my footsteps barely making a sound against the concrete steps.
Behind me, two sets of heels echoed in sharp rhythm.
Seraphina.
Liliana.
For once, neither of them spoke.
Good.
Because every second mattered.
The Crimson Fang family was moving toward my home.
Toward my family.
Mine.
That single thought sharpened everything.
The stairwell.
The corridor below.
The voices of students.
The ringing of class bells.
Every sound was magnified.
Every movement around me slowed.
The assassin inside me was fully awake.
This wasn't a college day anymore.
This was an emergency extraction mission.
The moment we reached the corridor, Seraphina grabbed my wrist.
"Wait."
I turned sharply.
Her crimson eyes met mine.
"There are too many eyes here."
Liliana folded her arms, leaning against the wall with dangerous calm.
"House Celestine has already arranged transport."
Of course, she had.
A girl like her didn't arrive without control.
We stepped out through the side entrance of the college.
A sleek black car was already waiting.
Dark windows.
Engine running.
The driver in a formal suit.
No insignia.
But the golden crest stitched near the collar gave away the family.
Celestine.
Liliana opened the rear door with a smooth motion.
"Get in."
I didn't waste time.
The moment the door shut behind us, the car surged forward.
The city blurred outside the window.
Shops.
Traffic.
Pedestrians.
Everything moved too slowly.
I leaned forward.
"How much time?"
Liliana looked at her phone.
Her expression remained calm, but I caught the slight tension in her golden eyes.
"Eight minutes."
Seraphina's jaw tightened.
"They're fast."
I turned toward the window.
Eight minutes.
Too long.
The memory of my mother adjusting the flower pots at the doorway flashed in my mind.
Riya is behind the curtain.
Kavya's teasing smile.
Ananya's stern expression.
Father's quiet gaze.
A strange coldness spread through my chest.
Not fear.
Resolve.
If anyone touched them—
I would paint this city red.
The driver suddenly spoke.
"Lady Liliana."
His voice was low.
Respectful.
"Three vehicles ahead. Blocking the lane to the Malhotra residence."
Liliana's eyes narrowed.
"So they've already started."
The car turned sharply onto the residential road.
Then I saw them.
Three black SUVs.
Parked across the narrow street.
Doors open.
Figures in crimson-lined coats stepping out.
Tall.
Elegant.
Dangerous.
Their presence alone carried the scent of blood.
Vampires.
But different from Seraphina and Liliana.
More feral.
More violent.
The Crimson Fang family.
The driver stopped.
"We can't go further."
I opened the door before the car fully halted.
The moment my shoes touched the road, every crimson-eyed figure turned toward me.
At the centre stood a man.
Tall.
Long red hair.
Sharp features.
Crimson eyes that glowed with predatory amusement.
His coat was lined with dark red fur near the collar.
Arrogance radiated from him.
He smiled the moment he saw me.
"Well."
His voice was smooth.
"The king truly awakened."
Liliana stepped out behind me.
Golden eyes, cold.
"Cassian."
So.
A name.
The man bowed theatrically.
"Lady Liliana."
His gaze slid toward Seraphina.
Then returned to me.
"And our precious king."
His smile widened.
I glanced past him.
My house stood just beyond the SUVs.
The front gate.
Still closed.
No visible damage.
Good.
For now.
Cassian noticed where I was looking.
His smile sharpened.
"Relax."
"We haven't touched them."
"Yet."
The word settled like poison.
I stepped forward.
My voice came out low.
Controlled.
"What do you want?"
Cassian laughed softly.
"You."
Of course.
He spread his arms dramatically.
"House Crimson Fang believes the throne should not be monopolised by Celestine or Noir."
Liliana scoffed.
Seraphina's eyes glowed faintly.
Cassian ignored them.
His gaze locked onto mine.
"Come with us."
"And we'll ensure your human family remains untouched."
A threat disguised as an offer.
Classic power play.
I almost respected it.
Almost.
Then I smiled.
Cassian's expression shifted.
Slight confusion.
Good.
Because that smile belonged to the assassin king.
The version of me that once walked into death without blinking.
"You made one mistake."
I said quietly.
He raised a brow.
I took another step forward.
"You came too close to my home."
For a moment, silence settled across the street.
Then Cassian sighed dramatically.
"A pity."
His crimson eyes darkened.
"Kill the escorts."
Three Crimson Fang vampires moved instantly.
Fast.
Faster than the hunters from before.
One lunged straight at Liliana.
Another rushed Seraphina.
The third—
came for me.
Sharp claws.
Predatory grin.
Fast enough to tear through a normal human in seconds.
But I was no longer normal.
The moment he entered striking range—
I moved.
Side step.
Pivot.
Elbow to the jaw.
The bone cracked.
He staggered.
I grabbed his throat and slammed him into the hood of the SUV.
Metal dented beneath the impact.
The street erupted into chaos.
Seraphina moved like moonlight.
Her claws tore through the air in crimson arcs.
Liliana's golden aura flared around her.
The vampire attacking her froze mid-motion—
His body was locked in place.
Dominion.
So that was her bloodline power.
Control.
Authority.
Useful.
Very useful.
Cassian's smile vanished.
Interesting.
He hadn't expected resistance this fierce.
Good.
He would learn.
He lunged toward me himself.
Fast.
Extremely fast.
His claws came straight for my throat.
I ducked.
His strike sliced through the air where my neck had been.
He was stronger than the others.
A higher-ranking vampire.
Good.
I preferred worthy prey.
He spun, striking again.
I blocked with my forearm.
Pain shot through my arm.
Sharp.
Powerful.
Then I countered.
A straight punch to the ribs.
He twisted midair and barely avoided the full impact.
Still—
I heard him grunt.
His eyes widened.
"So the first bond truly changed you."
I smiled.
"No."
My voice dropped.
"It only woke me up."
Then I vanished.
At least, that's what it looked like to him.
Shadow blood.
The first bond's gift.
I stepped through the angle of his blind spot and appeared behind him.
My fist slammed into his spine.
Cassian crashed forward into the pavement.
The concrete cracked.
Silence.
Every Crimson Fang member froze.
Cassian slowly pushed himself up.
Blood at the corner of his lips.
And yet—
He laughed.
A dark, amused laugh.
"Excellent."
His crimson eyes gleamed.
"Now I understand why the houses are desperate."
He stepped back.
The remaining Crimson Fang members regrouped behind him.
This wasn't a retreat.
Not exactly.
A warning.
He looked directly at me.
"This isn't over, king."
His gaze shifted toward my house.
"The world you stepped into is much bigger than you know."
Then his eyes flickered toward Liliana.
"And House Celestine is not the only family that wants the throne."
With that, he stepped into the SUV.
The engines roared.
The convoy sped away.
Leaving the street in silence.
I turned immediately toward the gate.
The front door opened.
Mother stepped out.
Riya behind her.
Kavya.
Ananya.
And father.
All alive.
Good.
But father's eyes—
They were fixed, not on the street.
Not on the damaged SUV hood.
Not on the blood.
They were fixed on me.
Calm.
Knowing.
As if he had seen this world before.
And for the first time—
I wondered.
Who exactly was my father?