8. Daylight Rules #2
Cairo's smile was razor-sharp. "Then we go to war. And wars are expensive. Bloody. They draw attention. They get people killed. Including people we care about."
The implication was clear. Soreya. Cairo was talking about Soreya.
"I'll handle it," Reign said quietly.
"You better." Cairo stood, buttoning his suit jacket. "Because if you don't, Noctis will. And when they do, they'll use that serum to wipe us out. They'll hit us during the day when we're weakest. They'll take our territory, our businesses, our people. And they'll leave us bleeding out in the sun."
Sevyn pushed off the bar. "What about the runner who talked? The one who gave Noctis the information?"
Cairo's expression went cold. "Already handled. His body won't be found."
The room went silent.
"Sevyn, you're on security tonight," Cairo continued. "I want eyes on every entrance to VSU's campus. If Noctis makes a move, I want to know immediately. Soleil, you're backup. Stay close to Reign but out of sight. If things go sideways, you handle it."
"And me?" Reign asked.
"You do what you do best." Cairo's eyes glittered in the dim light. "You make her fall in love with the idea of us. You make her believe we're the good guys. And you bring her home."
Cairo walked toward the exit, then paused. "One more thing. This meeting? It never happened. We were never here during the day. If anyone asks, we were all asleep in our respective homes. Understood?"
"Understood," Soleil and Sevyn said in unison.
Reign nodded.
Cairo left without another word, moving through the shadows like he was part of them.
When he was gone, Sevyn let out a long breath. "Man, I hate daytime meetings. Feel like my skin about to catch fire just being awake."
"Cairo's old," Soleil said, standing and stretching. "He can handle a few hours of indirect light. The rest of us? We're not that strong yet."
"You really think you can get this girl to cooperate?" Sevyn asked Reign.
Reign thought about it. Thought about Arissa Sterling's confident smile in that video. Thought about the intelligence in her eyes. Thought about how she'd probably see right through any bullshit he tried to sell her.
"I don't know," he admitted. "But I gotta try."
"And if she says no?"
Reign met his brother's eyes. "Then we do what Cairo said. We take it."
Soleil grabbed her keys. "I'm heading out. Gonna do some recon on her place before tonight. Make sure Noctis hasn't already made contact."
"Be careful," Reign said.
She smirked. "Always am."
After she left, Sevyn moved closer to Reign, his voice dropping. "You good, bro? You seem distracted."
"I'm fine."
"Nah, you not." Sevyn's eyes narrowed. "This about Soreya?"
Reign didn't answer.
"Man, I told you that girl was gonna be a problem," Sevyn said, shaking his head. "You can't be out here trying to play human when you not. You a vampire, Reign. You always gonna be a vampire. And she always gonna be food."
"Don't talk about her like that."
"I'm just being real." Sevyn's voice softened slightly. "Look, I get it. She fine. She loyal. She been with you for years. But Cairo right—she a liability. The more she know, the more dangerous it get. For her and for us."
"I'll handle it."
"You keep saying that. But you ain't handling shit. You out here feeding on randoms, lying to your girl, and now Cairo got you running missions while your personal life falling apart. Something gotta give, bro."
Reign's jaw clenched. "I said I'll handle it."
Sevyn raised his hands in surrender. "Aight. Just don't let your feelings fuck up family business. Cairo don't play that shit."
He left, and Reign was alone in the empty lounge.
He pulled out his phone and stared at Soreya's message from this morning.
Hey. Just wanted to check in. Hope you good.
He wanted to call her. Wanted to hear her voice. Wanted to tell her everything—about Cairo, about the meeting, about the impossible position he was in.
But he couldn't.
Because Sevyn was right. The more she knew, the more danger she was in.
And if Cairo ever decided Soreya was too much of a liability?
Reign didn't want to think about what would happen then.
He typed out a response.
Reign (1:47 PM): I'm good baby. Just handling some business. I'll call you later.
He hit send and pocketed his phone.
Then he headed back to his car.
He had a scientist to seduce.
And a war to prevent.
And somehow, he had to do both without losing the only person who made him feel human.
By the time the sun finally set at 7:23 PM, Reign was already dressed and ready. He'd spent the afternoon resting, feeding his body the sleep it needed to be sharp tonight. This meeting with Arissa Sterling wasn't just business—it was survival. For him. For his family. For everything they'd built.
He checked his phone one more time before leaving.
Still nothing from Soreya.
His chest tightened, but he pushed the feeling down. He couldn't think about her right now. Couldn't let his emotions distract him from what needed to be done.
Cairo's words echoed in his mind: You do not come back empty-handed.
Reign grabbed his keys and headed out into the night.