Two months after Asmodeus's exile, the dreams intensified.
Adrian dreamed of the Garden every night now—not fragments, but complete, vivid memories. He saw Cain in those first days after his curse, saw the first vampires transform, saw the birth of their species.
And he saw himself—or rather, his first incarnation. A young man named Seth, who'd been Cain's closest friend, who'd volunteered to drink Cain's blood to keep him from being alone in his curse.
"I remember dying," Adrian told Kieran one morning after another intense dream. "Seth—my first life—was killed by humans who feared what we were becoming. Cain held him as he died, promised to watch over his soul through all its future lives. That's why I've reincarnated so many times. Cain's been protecting my soul, waiting for the right time to bring me back into vampire existence."
"The right time being now?" Kieran asked.
"I think so. The dreams are getting stronger. It feels like... like he's close. Like he's about to emerge from wherever he's been hiding."
That night, Adrian's premonition proved correct.
He woke—or thought he woke—to find himself in the Garden again. But this time, it wasn't a dream. He was actually there, his consciousness pulled across time and space to the place where vampire existence began.
Cain waited for him, looking exactly as he had in the memories. Ancient, powerful, with eyes that had witnessed the birth of civilization.
"Hello, Seth," Cain said gently. "Or should I say Adrian? You've had so many names across so many lives."
"Cain." Adrian's voice shook. "Are you really here? Or is this another vision?"
"Both. I'm reaching out to you before I return to the physical world. To warn you. To prepare you." Cain gestured, and images appeared in the air—futures, possibilities, the paths that lay ahead. "When I return, everything changes. The vampire world will fracture. Some will see me as a savior, others as a threat. There will be those who try to use me, those who try to kill me, those who try to worship me. Chaos is coming."
"Then don't return," Adrian said desperately. "Stay hidden. Let things remain as they are."
"I can't. The species needs me. You need me." Cain's expression was sad. "Asmodeus was just the beginning. There are other threats coming—beings and forces that require the first vampire to face them. I've stayed hidden for three thousand years, but my time of rest is ending."
"When?"
"Three days. I'll emerge in the place where I first died—the valley where Abel's blood soaked the earth." Cain moved closer. "I need you there, Seth. You're my anchor to the modern world. Without you, I'll be lost, disconnected from what vampires have become. You're the bridge between my past and their present."
"I don't know if I can handle that responsibility."
"You've been handling it since you were transformed. You've healed bloodlines, prevented wars, built alliances. You're already the bridge—you just haven't accepted it yet." Cain placed his hand on Adrian's shoulder. "Trust yourself. Trust your mate. And trust that I'm returning not to rule, but to guide. I'm not interested in power. I'm interested in ensuring our species survives what's coming."
"What is coming?"
"Something ancient. Something that predates even me. But we'll face it together—you, me, Kieran, and all those who stand with us." Cain's form began to fade. "Three days. The valley of Abel's death. Don't be late."
Adrian crashed back into his body, gasping. Kieran was already awake, holding him.
"You were gone," Kieran said urgently. "Your body was here but your consciousness—I couldn't reach you through the bond. What happened?"
Adrian explained the vision, Cain's message, the three-day deadline.
"The valley of Abel's death," Kieran said slowly. "Biblical scholars have debated its location for millennia. Some think it's in Iraq, others say Turkey, some argue it's been lost to time entirely."
"Cain will guide us," Adrian said with certainty. "When the time comes, I'll know where to go."
They had three days to prepare for the return of the first vampire—a being so ancient, so powerful, that his emergence would reshape vampire society forever.
The First Generation was contacted immediately. Elena and the other twelve gathered in Shanghai within hours, their expressions grave.
"Cain's return has been prophesied for centuries," Elena said. "Most of us thought it was myth. That he'd died or transcended or simply faded from existence. If he's truly coming back..."
"Everything changes," Thomas finished. "The power structure of vampire society, the balance between species, even the way we understand our own nature. Cain predates the Accord, predates modern vampire culture. He's from a time when we were cursed monsters, not civilized beings."
"He said he's coming to guide, not rule," Adrian offered.
"He can say that. Whether it's true remains to be seen." Elena looked at Adrian intently. "You're his anchor. His connection to us. That makes you the most important vampire alive—more important than any of us, despite our age. How do you feel about that?"
"Terrified. Overwhelmed. Completely unprepared." Adrian managed a weak smile. "The usual."
"Good. Fear keeps you cautious. Caution keeps you alive." Elena stood. "We'll accompany you. All thirteen of us, plus Lord Ashford and whatever allies you trust. When Cain returns, he'll see that his ancient companion is well protected."
The three days passed in a blur of preparation. Wei assembled her strongest wolves. Marcus coordinated security measures. Grandmother Chen's coven prepared magical protections. Even Bael sent a message offering demon support—whether out of genuine alliance or self-interest was unclear.
On the third day, as sunset approached, Adrian felt the pull. A direction, clear as a compass, pointing toward Cain's location.
"Eastern Turkey," Adrian said, standing on their penthouse balcony. "Near Mount Ararat. That's where he is."
"Where Noah's Ark supposedly landed," Kieran observed. "Biblical territory. Makes sense for the place where the first murder occurred."
They traveled by private jet—Adrian, Kieran, the First Generation, Wei's pack, and representatives from other supernatural communities who'd insisted on witnessing this historic moment.
The valley was desolate, beautiful in a stark way. Mountains rose on all sides, and the earth was ancient, weathered by millennia of wind and rain.
As they arrived, Adrian felt Cain's presence intensify. The ground beneath them hummed with power.
"He's here," Adrian whispered. "He's rising."
The earth split open—not violently, but like a door opening. Light poured out, golden and terrible and divine despite belonging to a cursed being.
And Cain emerged.
He looked exactly as he had in Adrian's visions, but there was something more to him in physical form. An aura of absolute power, of primordial nature, of something that existed before civilization taught humans how to classify and categorize existence.
Every vampire present fell to their knees—not from compulsion, but from instinctive recognition of the first of their kind.
Every vampire except Adrian, who stood frozen, caught between his modern self and the ancient soul that remembered being Seth, remembered being Cain's friend.
Cain's eyes found him immediately. "Seth. My old friend. You kept your promise. You came back."
"I didn't remember the promise until recently," Adrian admitted. "But yes. I came back."
Cain smiled—a genuine expression of joy that transformed his face from ancient to almost human. "Then let me see what our species has become. Let me meet those who carry my blood through the ages."
He approached the First Generation, who rose at his gesture. Elena spoke for them.
"Father Cain. We are your children's children, many generations removed. We've guided vampire society for millennia, trying to honor your original vision while adapting to changing times."
"Original vision?" Cain laughed softly. "I had no vision. I was cursed by God, abandoned by humanity, forced to drink blood to survive. You've taken that curse and made it... this." He gestured to the assembled vampires. "A society. A culture. A species with rules and honor and purpose. You've done far better than I ever could have imagined."
"We've also strayed," Thomas said. "Become predators, killers. Some of us have forgotten that we were once human."
"As have I, many times over the millennia." Cain's expression grew sad. "But that's the nature of immortality. We forget, we remember, we lose ourselves and find ourselves again. There's no shame in struggling with what we are."
He turned to Kieran, studying him with ancient eyes. "And you must be the one who waited a thousand years. The Cursed Prince. You've bound yourself to Seth's soul—to Adrian. That's a powerful bond."
"The most powerful thing in my existence," Kieran said firmly.
"Good. You'll need that strength for what's coming." Cain's expression darkened. "I didn't return just for reunion. I returned because something is waking. Something from before my time, before the biblical age, before recorded history. An entity that feeds on supernatural beings, that grows stronger with each species it consumes."
"What kind of entity?" Elena asked, tension in her voice.
"The first predator. The thing that hunted gods and angels before humanity existed. It's been sleeping for ten thousand years, but now it's waking. And when it fully emerges, it will try to consume us all—vampire, werewolf, demon, witch, every supernatural being. We'll all be prey unless we stand united."
Silence fell over the valley, heavy with the weight of Cain's revelation.
"How long do we have?" Adrian asked quietly.
"Months. Maybe a year. It's been stirring, testing its strength, sending out tendrils of power. Soon it will emerge fully. And when it does..." Cain's voice was grim. "We'll face the first true test of whether supernatural cooperation can overcome ancient predation."
"Then we prepare," Elena said firmly. "We unite every supernatural community. We build defenses. We train armies. Whatever this thing is, we'll face it together."
"Together," Cain agreed. He looked at Adrian again. "And you, Seth—Adrian—you'll be essential. Your blood carries memory of the time before this entity slept. Deep in your soul, you remember when it last hunted. Those memories will be key to defeating it."
"I don't remember anything like that," Adrian protested.
"You will. When the time comes, when you face the entity, your ancient soul will remember. Trust that." Cain extended his hand. "Walk with me. Let me learn about the modern world from the one who bridges past and present."
Adrian took his hand, and they walked through the valley together, the first vampire and his reincarnated companion, while behind them, the assembled supernatural representatives began the work of preparing for war.
Kieran watched them go, the blood bond between him and Adrian humming with complex emotions—pride, fear, love, and the certain knowledge that their lives were about to get even more complicated.
"He's going to be at the center of this fight," Wei observed, moving to stand beside Kieran. "Whatever's coming, it's going to target Adrian specifically."
"I know." Kieran's hands clenched. "Which is why we need to make sure he's protected. By me, by you, by every ally we have. I won't lose him. Not to demons, not to vampire politics, and certainly not to some ancient predator."
"You really think you can protect him from something that hunted gods?"
"I waited a thousand years for him. I'll face down anything—gods, demons, ancient predators, the universe itself—to keep him safe."
Wei smiled despite the gravity of their situation. "You know that's insane, right?"
"Love usually is."