The corridor did not settle after the fight.
It held.
Bodies remained where they had fallen. Ash marked the places Rebecca's fire had erased completely. The scent of blood and heat stayed in the air, thick enough to register with every breath.
Selene moved first.
"Clear the space," she said, already stepping over one of the bodies without looking down. Her tone carried direction, not urgency. Marco followed her lead immediately, dragging one of the fallen vampires aside with efficient force. Victoria shifted toward the far end of the corridor, checking for any delayed movement.
No one spoke beyond that.
There was nothing left to confirm.
Julian stayed where he was for a moment longer, his attention not on the bodies, not on the damage, but on Lucian.
Lucian hadn't moved.
He stood over what remained of Alaric, his hand still marked with blood that hadn't yet dried. The position itself wasn't unusual. The stillness was.
Too deliberate and Julian stepped closer.
