His gaze shifted to Adrian.
“You want honesty?”
Adrian said nothing.
Dylan’s smile returned, thinner now.
“You died in 1923.”
“Yes.”
“You were rich.”
Adrian’s expression didn’t change.
“And?”
Dylan leaned forward slightly.
“You also possessed something very rare.”
The room grew colder.
Adrian’s eyes darkened.
“Don’t.”
But Dylan continued.
“A soul that refused to disappear.”
Isabelle frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Dylan finally looked at her again.
“Most ghosts fade after a few decades.”
His voice softened.
“They lose their memories. Their identity.”
“But Adrian…”
Dylan’s gaze sharpened.
“He’s still here.”
Still strong.
Still aware.
Still powerful.
Adrian’s voice turned icy.
“You’re playing with forces you don’t understand.”
Dylan laughed.
“Oh, I understand perfectly.”
His eyes flashed.
“Your soul didn’t just linger.”
“It evolved.”
Isabelle’s pulse pounded.
“Okay, someone needs to start explaining in normal English.”
Adrian spoke quietly.
“He wants to consume me.”
The words dropped into the silence like poison.
Isabelle’s breath caught.
“Consume you?”
Dylan shrugged.
“When you say it like that, it sounds violent.”
“It is violent,” Adrian replied.
Dylan’s smile widened.
“But it’s also efficient.”
Isabelle stared at him.
“You’re insane.”
“Maybe.”
He didn’t seem offended.
“But imagine it.”
His voice lowered with fascination.
“A century-old soul. Untouched. Undiluted.”
His eyes gleamed with hunger.
“Power like that doesn’t disappear.”
Adrian’s form flickered slightly.
Rage simmered beneath the surface.
“You’ve been manipulating her to find me.”
“Yes.”
Dylan looked almost bored now.
“It took longer than I expected.”
His gaze swept across the apartment.
“But eventually… she led me right to you.”
Isabelle felt sick.
“You’re not even denying it.”
“Why would I?”
His tone hardened.
“You were useful.”
The cruelty in those two words shattered something inside her.
Adrian moved.
In one blink he stood directly between them again.
“You’re leaving.”
Dylan raised an eyebrow.
“And if I don’t?”
The air exploded.
The lamp flickered violently.
Wind roared through the room though the windows were closed.
Adrian’s form brightened, glowing with a pale silver light that filled the apartment.
Isabelle gasped.
She had never seen him like this.
Power rolled off him like a storm.
“You don’t belong here,” Adrian said.
His voice echoed unnaturally.
Dylan watched him with fascination.
“Now that…”
He smiled slowly.
“…is exactly why I want you.”
Then everything happened at once.
The lights burst.
Glass shattered.
The piano slammed against the wall as an invisible force hurled it across the room.
Isabelle screamed.
Adrian surged forward like a streak of silver fire.
Dylan moved faster.
His body twisted unnaturally as shadows poured from his skin, swallowing the light.
For a split second—
He didn’t look human anymore.
Something darker.
Something ancient.
Their power collided.
The impact shook the entire apartment.
Isabelle was thrown backward onto the floor.
Pain shot through her shoulder.
“Stop!” she shouted.
Neither of them listened.
Adrian’s voice rang through the chaos.
“You will not touch her!”
Dylan laughed, the sound distorted and monstrous.
“I don’t need her anymore!”
A wave of darkness surged toward Adrian.
But Adrian caught it.
The silver glow intensified.
The room filled with blinding light.
Dylan staggered back.
Surprise flickered across his face.
“Well.”
He straightened his jacket calmly.
“You’ve gotten stronger.”
Adrian stood between him and Isabelle again.
His form flickered violently.
“Leave.”
Dylan considered him for a moment.
Then he sighed.
“This has been fun.”
His gaze slid to Isabelle.
“But we’ll finish this later.”
Her stomach dropped.
“Stay away from me.”
He smiled gently.
“Impossible.”
His eyes returned to Adrian.
“I waited a hundred years.”
His voice softened with eerie promise.
“I can wait a little longer.”
Then—
He vanished.
The apartment fell silent.
Broken glass littered the floor.
The piano lay on its side.
Isabelle’s ears rang.
Adrian’s glow slowly faded.
His form flickered unsteadily.
Then he dropped to one knee.
“Adrian!”
She rushed to him.
Her hand reached out instinctively—
And passed straight through his shoulder.
Cold energy prickled against her skin.
His eyes lifted to hers.
For the first time—
He looked afraid.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
Isabelle’s heart twisted.
“For what?”
His voice was barely audible.
“For bringing him into your life.”
Outside, Brooklyn continued as if nothing had happened.
Cars passed.
People laughed on the sidewalk.
But inside Apartment 307—
Everything had changed.
And Isabelle suddenly realized something terrifying.
The war between Adrian and Dylan…
Had only just begun.