ARIA'S POV
The woman in the mirror was a stranger.
Good. That was exactly what I needed.
I barely recognized myself anymore. My dark hair was now dyed a rich chestnut brown with subtle highlights. Expensive makeup made my features look different—sharper cheekbones, different eye shape, a confident smile I'd practiced for hours. Designer clothes that cost more than my old family made in a year hugged my transformed body.
Six months of hunting had changed me. Made me stronger. More beautiful in a dangerous way.
More importantly—unrecognizable.
"Aria Chen is dead," I whispered to my reflection. "You're Aria Russo now. Junior executive at Ashford Enterprises. Nobody special. Nobody suspicious."
My phone showed my fake identity: college degree from a school I'd never attended, work history at companies that didn't exist, references from people Samael had created with his supernatural connections. Perfect lies from top to bottom.
I needed this disguise. Because Kael Dante Ashford had been hunting me for six months straight.
After that night at the pier, he'd become obsessed. His team tracked every kill I made. They set traps. Ambushed me twice. But I was always faster, always one step ahead.
So I changed tactics. If I couldn't hide from him by running, I'd hide by getting closer.
The best place to hide from a hunter? Right under his nose.
Three months ago, I applied to Ashford Enterprises using my new identity. They hired me within a week—apparently, supernatural powers included being excellent at literally everything. Job interviews. Business strategy. Corporate manipulation.
The Devil's deal delivered on every promise.
In six months, I'd killed twenty-three monsters. Rapists who'd escaped jail time. Human traffickers. Corrupt politicians who sold children's safety for money. Each kill cost me hours of life, but each kill was worth it.
I'd lost approximately four months total. My death clock now read: 24 years, 8 months remaining.
Worth it.
The nightmares were worth it too. Danny's face. The blood. The screaming. Every night I saw the people I'd killed—not regret exactly, but their faces haunted me anyway.
Small price for justice.
My phone buzzed. Text from my coworker Sarah: "Ready for the gala? CEO Ashford is actually attending tonight! First time anyone's seen him at a company event!"
My heart jumped.
Six months working at his company, and I'd never seen him in person. He stayed in his private office on the top floor. Never came to meetings. Never interacted with regular employees.
But tonight was the annual charity gala. Rumor said he had to attend because it was for his dead family's foundation.
Tonight, I'd see Kael Dante Ashford again.
The hunter who'd been chasing my shadow for months had no idea I'd been working in his building, eating in his cafeteria, living right under his supernatural nose.
Because Aria Chen smelled like jasmine and ashes and blood.
But Aria Russo? She smelled like expensive perfume and ambition and absolutely nothing supernatural.
I'd learned to suppress my power signature. Took three months of practice and several close calls, but now I could walk past Kael's supernatural sensors like a normal human.
Tonight would be the ultimate test.
I grabbed my clutch purse and headed to the gala.
The ballroom was massive. Crystal chandeliers. String quartet. Rich people pretending to care about charity while showing off their wealth.
I'd been to five of these events in six months. Usually, I hunted the guest list for targets—amazingly, charity galas attracted some of the city's worst predators in expensive suits.
Tonight was different. Tonight, I was hunting information.
I needed to know how close Kael was to finding me. His company had a whole division tracking the "Nightshade Killer"—my media nickname after body number twelve. If I could access his private files, I'd know if my disguise was working.
"Aria Russo!" My boss waved me over. "Come meet the executive team!"
I smiled and walked over, every movement practiced and perfect.
That's when I felt it.
Ice down my spine. Power in the air. A presence so strong it made my suppressed abilities scream warnings.
I turned slowly.
Across the massive ballroom, ice-blue eyes locked onto mine.
Kael Dante Ashford stood by the entrance. Platinum-silver hair perfectly styled. Black suit that probably cost more than a car. Face even more devastating than I remembered—sharp, cold, impossibly handsome.
Those glowing eyes scanned the crowd. Hunting. Searching.
Then they landed on me.
And stopped.
My heart hammered. Did he recognize me? Impossible. I looked completely different. Smelled different. My power was suppressed.
But his eyes didn't move. Just stared at me across two hundred people.
"Mr. Ashford!" My boss grabbed my arm, pulling me forward. "Let me introduce our rising star, Aria Russo!"
No. No, no, no.
I plastered on my professional smile and walked toward him. Every instinct screamed to run. But running would blow my cover.
So I walked straight into the hunter's reach.
Up close, he was even more dangerous. Taller than I remembered. Those eyes glowed faintly gold even in the bright lights. His presence radiated power and control.
"Mr. Ashford," I extended my hand, keeping my voice steady. "It's an honor to finally meet you."
He stared at my hand. Didn't take it.
The silence stretched. My boss shifted uncomfortably.
Finally, Kael spoke. "Have we met before, Ms. Russo?"
"No, sir. I've only worked here three months."
"Hmm." His eyes narrowed. "You seem... familiar."
"I have one of those faces." I smiled wider, even though panic clawed at my throat.
He suddenly grabbed my offered hand. His grip was firm. Too firm. Like he was testing something.
The moment our skin touched, electricity shot through me. The same feeling from six months ago. Recognition. Connection. Something I didn't want to name.
His eyes widened. Just a fraction.
He felt it too.
"Interesting," he murmured, still holding my hand. His thumb brushed over my wrist—right where he'd grabbed me at the pier. "Your pulse is very fast, Ms. Russo. Nervous?"
"Just excited to meet the CEO," I lied smoothly.
"Is that so?" He finally released my hand. "What do you do for Ashford Enterprises?"
"Strategic acquisitions. I identify companies worth buying or destroying." The irony of my job description wasn't lost on me.
"Destroying." His smile was cold. "You enjoy that?"
"Only when the target deserves it."
Something flickered in his expression. Suspicion? Recognition? I couldn't tell.
My boss laughed nervously. "Aria's been invaluable! Youngest junior executive to ever receive three promotions—"
"Three promotions in three months?" Kael's eyes never left mine. "That's... remarkably fast. Almost supernatural, one might say."
My blood turned to ice. Did he know?
"Just good at my job, sir."
"Hmm." He pulled out his phone and typed something. "Ms. Russo, join me for a drink. I want to discuss your rapid rise personally."
It wasn't a request.
My boss beamed. "What an opportunity! Go, go!"
I followed Kael to a private balcony overlooking the city. Away from the crowd. Away from witnesses.
He closed the balcony door behind us. We were alone.
"Drop the act," he said quietly.
My heart stopped. "I don't know what—"
"You're suppressing your power signature. Very well done. Took me five minutes to notice." He turned to face me, eyes glowing gold now. "But I felt the connection the moment you walked in. Same as six months ago at the pier."
I backed away. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Aria Chen. Age twenty-three. Missing for six months after her family sold her to the Red Dragon Triad." He stepped closer. "The same night Aria Chen disappeared, a new supernatural killer appeared. The Nightshade Killer. Twenty-three confirmed murders. All criminals who escaped justice."
"That's not me."
"Your hand trembled when I held it. Your pulse spiked when I mentioned destroying things. And most importantly—" He was right in front of me now, close enough that I could feel his cold power radiating. "Your soul signature is the same. Changed, hidden, but the same. You're her."
"Prove it," I whispered.
He smiled. Dangerous and beautiful. "I don't need proof. I need answers." His hand came up to my face, thumb brushing my cheek. "Why did you infiltrate my company? Are you hunting me? Planning to kill me like your other targets?"
"If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead already."
"Would I?" His eyes searched mine. "Your power doesn't work on me, remember? We tested that at the pier."
"I've learned new tricks in six months."
"So have I." His other hand caught my wrist—the same wrist from before. The connection flared between us, making us both gasp. "This bond. What is it? Why do I feel you across the entire city? Why does my curse scream every time you're near?"
"I don't know," I admitted. Because I didn't. Samael's text said we were soul-bonded, but I didn't understand what that meant.
"Liar." His grip tightened slightly. "You know something. Tell me."
"Let me go, or I'll scream and blow both our covers."
"You won't. Because then I'll arrest you in front of everyone, and your vigilante career ends tonight." His face was inches from mine. "Or we can make a deal."
"What kind of deal?"
"Work with me. Help me understand what you are, what this bond is, why the Devil chose you." His voice dropped lower. "And in return, I'll stop hunting you. I'll let you continue your mission. Within limits."
"Why would you do that?"
"Because in six months of hunting you, I've seen your targets. Rapists. Traffickers. Murderers. You're not evil." His eyes softened just slightly. "You're broken. Desperate. Trying to fix a world that destroyed you. I understand that more than you know."
"You don't know anything about me."
"Then tell me. Help me understand why a twenty-three-year-old girl would trade half her life for revenge."
"It's not revenge. It's justice."
"There's a difference?"
Before I could answer, my supernatural senses screamed danger.
Not from Kael. From inside the ballroom.
Someone evil had just entered. Someone whose darkness tasted like rot and sulfur and death.
Someone I'd been hunting for three months. A target who'd escaped me twice.
Richard Morrison. Billionaire philanthropist by day. Child trafficker by night. Responsible for thirty-seven missing children.
He was here. At this gala.
And he'd just walked into the women's bathroom where a young waitress had gone alone.
"I have to go," I said.
"What? No, we're not done—"
"There's a predator in the ballroom. Right now. And a girl is about to die if I don't stop it."
Kael's expression changed. Went from suspicious to deadly in a heartbeat. "Where?"
"Women's bathroom. Richard Morrison. You know him?"
"I've been investigating him for two months. No proof."
"I have proof. I've been watching him. Tonight he's making his move." I pulled away from his grip. "Are you going to stop me? Or help me?"
He stared at me. At his company gala. Where witnesses and cameras covered every inch.
Then he made a decision that would change everything.
"I'll help. But we do this my way. No killing. We capture him, get evidence, let the law handle it."
"The law has failed thirty-seven times."
"Then we'll be smarter than the law. Together." He grabbed my hand again. "But I meant what I said—after tonight, you work with me. No more hiding."
The connection between us pulsed. Warm despite his cold power.
I nodded. "Deal. Now move."
We ran toward the bathroom together.
But when we crashed through the door, the scene inside was already a nightmare.
Richard Morrison stood over the unconscious waitress, syringe in hand.
And he was smiling at us like he'd been expecting us.
"Hello, Nightshade," he said to me. "Hello, Hunter," he said to Kael.
His eyes flashed red. Not human red. Demonic red.
"Did you really think I didn't know you were both coming?" His smile widened. "I've been bait all along. My master wants both of you alive."
The bathroom door slammed shut behind us. Locks clicked.
From the walls, shadows poured out like living oil.
Demons. Real demons. Not humans who'd made deals. Actual hell-spawn.
"Surprise," Morrison laughed. "Welcome to the trap."