REBORN AS A NECROMANCER : BUILDING THE ULTIMATE UNDEAD ARMY

The sound of the washing machine humming to life echoed from the small laundry alcove off Gwen's kitchen. She emerged a few minutes later, wiping her hands on a dish towel, her eyes immediately finding Kaine where he sat hunched over the ancient book.

"Should be ready in about an hour," she said, settling back into her chair. "The stain wasn't as bad as I thought. Coffee came out pretty easily."

Kaine nodded without looking up, his finger tracing the strange symbols on the page he'd been studying. The illustrations were clearer now that he'd had time to examine them properly, but they raised more questions than they answered.

"Anything new?" Gwen asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Nothing you missed. Your translation was thorough." He closed the book with a soft thud. "We need more information about how Hallar gained his powers. The text mentions supernatural abilities but doesn't specify the source. Could be demonic pacts, blood magic, ancient artifacts—any number of things."

"And the location of the grave."

"That's the real prize. Without knowing where he's buried, we're just playing defense. Reacting to his agent instead of striking at the source."

Gwen stood, moving around the coffee table to sit beside him on the couch. The cushions dipped slightly under her weight, and Kaine caught a whiff of her perfume.

"Meeting Mrs. Miller again is our best bet," she said, her voice closer now. "Her husband's collection was extensive. There might be other manuscripts, maybe maps or local histories that could point us in the right direction."

Kaine turned to respond and found her watching him with an intensity that had nothing to do with research. Her eyes moved from his face to his shoulders, lingering on his chest.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Just making observations." She replied before he said anything, she then reached for the hem of her own shirt, pulling it over her head in one smooth motion.

Underneath, she wore a fitted black crop top that left her midriff bare and did things to her figure that made Kaine's jaw tighten.

"Balancing the equation," she said with a small smile, tossing her shirt aside. "Seemed unfair that I was the only one fully dressed."

The air between them seemed to thicken. Gwen moved closer, close enough that her bare shoulder brushed against his arm. Her skin was warm, soft, and he found himself fighting the urge to trace the curve of her body with his fingertips.

"There's something I've been curious about," she said, her voice dropping to something more intimate. "About your condition. About what it's like to be... what you are."

"What do you want to know?"

"Do you hear voices? See spirits? I've read accounts of people who've had near-death experiences, and they describe all kinds of supernatural phenomena."

Kaine leaned back slightly, trying to create some distance without being obvious about it. "Nothing like that. No voices, no ghostly visitors. Just the system and the other things I told you about."

She nodded, processing this information with the focused attention of a journalist filing details for later use.

But her eyes never left his face, and he could feel the heat radiating from her skin where their bodies almost touched.

"What about emotions?" she continued. "Do you feel things the same way you did when you were... Still human?"

"Most things. Anger, determination, satisfaction when I kill something that deserves it." He paused, considering. "Some things are... muted. Fear doesn't hit the same way. Pain is distant. But others are sharper than before."

"Such as?"

He looked at her—really looked at her. The way her lips parted slightly when she was concentrating. The way her pulse fluttered in her throat. The way her crop top clung to curves that had been driving him to distraction all evening.

"Desire," he said quietly.

The word hung between them like a challenge. Gwen's breathing quickened slightly, and she leaned closer until he could feel her breath against his cheek.

"That's... interesting," she whispered.

Before the moment could escalate further, she seemed to catch herself. She pulled back slightly, clearing her throat and reaching for her coffee cup with hands that weren't quite steady.

"Speaking of desire," she said, her tone carefully casual, "how's Rebecca holding up? Your neighbor."

There it was. The question he knew she would always ask. Kaine studied Gwen's face, noting the tightness around her eyes, the way her jaw clenched slightly when she said Rebecca's name.

"She's fine," he said. "Tough girl. She can handle herself."

"I'm sure she can." Gwen's smile was sharp enough to cut glass. "She certainly seemed... comfortable with you. Too comfortable."

"Well, let's just say she's too nice, but clingy."

Gwen flinched slightly, but before she could respond, her phone buzzed against the coffee table. She glanced at the screen, frowning.

"Colonel Steele's office," she said, swiping to answer. "Patricia Gwen."

Kaine watched her face change as she listened to whoever was on the other end of the line. The flirtation and jealousy disappeared, replaced by sharp professional focus.

"How many confirmed?" she asked. "What about civilians in the area?"

A pause.

"No, I can be there in twenty minutes. Have they established a perimeter?"

Another pause, longer this time.

"Understood. I'm on my way."

She hung up and was already reaching for her discarded shirt. "Vampire hive. Major one, from the sound of it. Other end of the city, near the wasteland district. Multiple high-ranking bloodsuckers confirmed."

Kaine stood as well, his body automatically shifting into combat mode. "How many Shadow Guard units responding?"

"Full tactical team. Colonel Steele himself is en route." She pulled her shirt over her head, then reached for a jacket hanging on the back of her chair. "This is big, Kaine. Bigger than anything we've seen in months."

She grabbed her keys and headed for the door, pausing only to snatch his still-damp shirt from the laundry room. "Here. It's not completely dry, but it's better than nothing."

Kaine pulled on the damp fabric, grimacing at the cold, wet cotton against his skin. "I'm coming with you."

"No." Gwen's voice was firm. "You can't be seen at an official Shadow Guard operation. Too many questions, too much scrutiny. If Colonel Steele or others sees you—"

"I won't let them see me. I'll observe from a distance, stay out of the way." He moved toward the door where Marcus waited in the hallway. "If things go sideways and the Shadow Guard can't handle it, someone needs to be there to clean up the mess."

"Kaine—"

"Not because of them," he said quietly. "Because of you."

Their eyes met and held for a moment. Then Gwen nodded, understanding passing between them.

"Stay back. Stay hidden. Don't do anything stupid."

"Stupid is my middle name."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

They left the apartment together, Gwen heading for the stairs while Kaine and Marcus slipped out through a window that led to the fire escape. She'd take the streets; they'd take the rooftops. Faster that way, and less chance of being spotted.

The city blurred past as Kaine leaped from building to building, Marcus keeping pace beside him with the fluid grace of something that had never been entirely human. The wasteland district was a maze of farmlands and houses, most of them abandoned or converted into artists' lofts and underground clubs.

Perfect hunting ground for vampires.

They reached the scene fifteen minutes before Gwen, setting up a vantage point on a water tower that gave them a clear view of the target building. It was an old textile mansion, five stories of brick and broken windows that looked like it had been empty for decades.

But Kaine's enhanced vision picked up movement inside. Lots of movement.

[DEATH SIGHT ACTIVE]

[MULTIPLE TARGETS DETECTED]

[WARNING: HIGH-LEVEL VAMPIRE PRESENCE CONFIRMED]

[CLASSIFICATION: ORGANIZED NEST STRUCTURE]

[ESTIMATED COUNT: 12-15 INDIVIDUAL ENTITIES]

[POWER LEVELS: MIXED - FIRST THROUGH FIFTH GENERATION]

[ALPHA PRESENCE DETECTED: POSSIBLE FIRST GENERATION]

"Fuck me," Kaine muttered, watching the cold signatures move through the building. "That's not a hive. That's a goddamn army."

Two higher-ranking vampires were clearly visible on the upper floors—their energy signatures blazing like dark stars against the background of lesser undead. But it was the figure on the ground floor that made Kaine's blood run cold.

An Alpha. First Generation. Old enough and powerful enough to command absolute loyalty from the others.

Shadow Guard vehicles were already taking positions around the building—black SUVs and tactical vans forming a loose perimeter.

Kaine could see figures in combat gear moving between the vehicles, checking weapons and communications equipment.

Then Gwen's motorcycle appeared, weaving through the police cordon to park near the command vehicle. She dismounted quickly, pulling on tactical gear as she approached a cluster of figures near the largest van.

Even from this distance, Kaine recognized some of them. Former colleagues from his Shadow Guard days, people he'd trained with and fought beside before his team had decided he was too much of a liability to keep around.

There was Jenkins, the unit's demolitions expert, probably already calculating how much explosive it would take to bring down the building. Morrison from tactical planning, setting up firing positions and escape routes. And there, adjusting her fine blade, was Jemima.

His former mentee. The young hunter he'd trained personally before everything went to shit.

She looked older now, more confident in her movements. The blade she carried was one of the new models—sharp enough that could drop a Third Generation vampire with a single hit to center mass.

'Good girl. Remember what I taught you about sight lines and cover.'

The Shadow Guard team moved with precision, establishing firing positions and communications protocols. But Kaine could see the flaws in their formation, the gaps in their perimeter that an experienced vampire could exploit.

They were treating this like a standard nest clearing. Hit hard, hit fast, overwhelming firepower to prevent the bloodsuckers from organizing a defense.

But they didn't know about the Alpha.

Kaine watched Gwen approach the command vehicle, probably getting briefed on the tactical situation. From her body language, she was arguing about something—probably the approach vector or the timing of the assault.

Smart girl. She'd seen enough vampire nests to know this one felt different.

"This is going to get messy," Kaine said to Marcus. "Question is, how messy are we willing to let it get before we intervene?"

Marcus tilted his head, pale eyes reflecting the distant streetlights. The ghoul's fingers twitched slightly, already anticipating violence.

Below them, the Shadow Guard finished their preparations. Weapons were checked, communications tested, final positioning confirmed.

In a few minutes, they'd breach the building and discover just how badly they'd underestimated their enemy.

Kaine settled in to watch, one hand resting on Soulrend's handle. He'd promised Gwen he'd stay hidden, stay out of the way.

But promises had a way of becoming casualties when the onslaught started.

And from the look of things, there was going to be a lot of bloodshed very soon.