The Last Tribrid: Hunted & Hollow

Author’s Note

To my readers,

Welcome to The Last Tribrid: Book 3. If you’re new here, I highly recommend starting from Book 1 and Book 2 first, as this story is deeply connected and each book builds directly on the last.

To those who have been here from the beginning—thank you. Your support, patience, and constant concern for me mean more than I can properly express. I see your messages, I feel your kindness, and I’m truly grateful for every single one of you who stayed with this journey.

This book carries a darker turn, deeper consequences, and more truth than ever before. I hope you’re ready.

With love,

The Author

Astrid POV

I didn’t even realize I was shaking until Hera’s weight shifted slightly in my arms again.

Or maybe it was me.

Everything blurred at the edges—light, sound, even my own breathing felt far away, like it didn’t belong to me anymore. The ground beneath my knees was cold, but I barely felt it. All I could feel was her.

Hera.

Her body against mine. Too still. Too broken.

“No…” my voice came out small, almost lost in the air. “No, no, no…”

My forehead pressed against hers without me thinking about it. The contact was instinctive, desperate, like if I just stayed close enough she’d come back. Like warmth alone could fix this.

My hands tightened around her shoulders, fingers stained with blood I couldn’t tell was hers or mine anymore.

The fire was still there.

It hadn’t gone out.

It curled around us in a trembling ring, unstable, alive, responding to something inside me I didn’t understand. Orange light flickered across Hera’s face, across the ground, across my shaking hands.

Behind me, voices.

Distant. Broken.

“Astrid—please—” someone said.

I didn’t turn.

“Astrid, calm down—please—just breathe—” another voice, closer now, but still too far away to reach me.

Their words didn’t land properly. They passed through me like I wasn’t fully here.

All I could think was—

How did it end like this?

We were just trying to figure things out.

We were just trying to fix it.

And now she was—

My throat tightened violently.

I swallowed hard, trying to hold it together, but it came out anyway in a broken breath. I sniffed sharply, wiping at my face with the back of my hand like it would make any difference.

It didn’t.

The fire flickered again, rising slightly as my emotions spiked.

“Astrid,” Jason’s voice cut through sharper now, closer than the others. “Hey—look at me.”

I didn’t.

“Everyone needs to calm down,” he said, louder this time, forcing control into his tone. “Whatever or whoever did this to Hera is still out here.”

That made something in the air shift.

“The shock is real,” Jason continued, “but panicking won’t help her.”

My breath hitched at that sentence.

Won’t help her.

Hera.

For a second, something in me cracked open further.

But then his voice softened slightly, more grounded.

“She would want us to stay sharp right now.”

Silence followed that.

Heavy.

The fire wavered.

Not dying, but… listening.

Slowly, almost reluctantly, the flames began to lower. Not disappearing, just… easing back, like something inside me was unclenching without permission.

The light dimmed across Hera’s face.

And finally, the flames went off.

I exhaled shakily.

My arms were still wrapped around her.

Still refusing to let go.

“Astrid…” Zora’s voice came next, quieter now. Careful. “Please…”

But before she could finish—

Odin spoke.

“Wait.”

Just that.

One word.

It cut through everything.

Everyone turned toward him at once, confusion rippling through the group.

He was already stepping forward, eyes fixed on Hera like something had just clicked inside his head.

“Wait…” Zora repeated, frowning. “What do you mean ‘wait’?”

Odin didn’t answer immediately.

He crouched beside us instead.

Closer.

Too focused.

And then he said it, like it should’ve been obvious.

“…Hera’s a vampire.”

A pause.

Complete silence.

I blinked slowly, still holding her.

“…Yes?” Zora said finally, sounding confused rather than convinced. “We all know that.”

Odin didn’t respond to her.

His hand moved instead—careful, steady—pressing two fingers lightly against Hera’s neck.

Checking.

Feeling.

The group watched him, tension tightening again as if we didn’t know whether to hope or panic.

“What are you doing?” someone whispered.

Odin stayed silent for a moment longer.

Then his eyes narrowed slightly.

“…There might still be a chance.”

That sentence landed wrong.

Wrong in a way that made my heart jump violently in my chest.

My head snapped up.

“What?” My voice broke slightly. “What do you mean?”

Zora stepped forward too, disbelief written all over her face.

“A chance for what? Odin, she’s—”

But Odin was already moving.

Carefully, firmly, he slid one arm under Hera’s shoulders and the other under her knees.

Lifting her.

I froze.

“No—” I reached out instinctively, hands hovering like I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to stop him or if I should. “What are you doing?”

Odin looked at me then.

And for the first time since this started, there was urgency in his expression.

“We need to get her home,” he said quickly. “Now.”

Zora shook her head immediately.

“That doesn’t make sense—she’s—she’s not—”

“She’s a vampire,” Odin repeated, sharper now. “Which means she doesn’t die the same way normal humans do.”

Silence.

That sentence… changed something.

Not hope.

Not certainty.

But possibility.

My chest tightened painfully.

My arms slowly loosened from Hera’s body as Odin held her fully now, like he was making a decision none of us fully understood yet—but were already too afraid to question.

“No one delay,” Jason said suddenly, already moving toward the car. “Let’s go.”

That snapped everything into motion.

Chaos—but controlled chaos.

People rushing. Feet moving. Doors opening.

Someone grabbed Hera’s car keys.

Another group ran ahead toward the vehicles.

I stayed still for half a second longer.

Looking at her.

Still not fully believing this was real.

Then Zora touched my arm gently.

“Astrid,” she said softly. “Come on.”

I nodded once, barely.

And moved.

~~

The ride back was silent in a way that felt wrong.

Too quiet for everything that had just happened.

Odin sat in the back seat of my car with Hera carefully held against him, watching her like he was waiting for something only he could see.

My hands stayed locked on the wheel.

Too tight.

Knuckles pale.

Of course I refused to let anyone else drive.

Every few seconds, my eyes flicked to the rearview mirror.

Just to check.

Just to make sure she was still there.

Alive.

Or… whatever “alive” meant right now.

Behind us, another car followed with the rest of them. Headlights cutting through the dark road like they were chasing something that refused to stay still.

No one spoke.

Not really.

Not anymore.

Because whatever had just happened—

wasn’t finished.

Not even close.

My eyes remained fixed on the road, Killian sat in the passenger seat next to me and placed his hands gently on my lap like he was trying to calm me down.

“Hey, just focus on the road, Hera is still here….okay?” he said softly to me and I nod my head, immediately wiping off the tears that escaped my eyes.

Jason POV

We made it home faster than I thought was possible.

The second the car stopped, Odin was already out, carrying Hera’s motionless body like time itself was chasing him. Riven rushed ahead, pushing the doors open before Odin even reached them.

We all moved together—fast, urgent, silent.

Archie was on the couch, slouched, exhaustion written all over his face. But the moment he saw us, really saw us, his entire body snapped upright.

His eyes widened.

“Oh my….what the fuck?!” he shouted, jumping to his feet.

At the same time, Sable came rushing out of the kitchen, a plate still in her hand.

She stopped dead.

Everything about her froze.

The plate slipped from her fingers—

—but Killian was already there, catching it before it hit the floor.

Sable swayed, her knees threatening to give out completely, and Killian caught her next, steadying her before she could collapse.

“It’s… a long story,” Odin said tightly, not slowing down.

Archie stood there, stunned, his hands slowly rising to cover his mouth.

“Holy! did you guys get attacked by a mountain bear or what?” he blurted, voice cracking as he rushed toward us.

“Archie, calm down,” Odin said sharply. “We need to get Hera to her room.”

Sable still looked like she might faint any second.

“What’s the plan, Odin?” Astrid asked, her voice strained as we followed him up the stairs.

Hera’s blood trailed behind us.

A line of red that no one dared to look at for too long.

“We need Sable,” Odin replied.

My gaze snapped to my brother.

I raised a brow slightly, confused.

Sable?

For what?

Even she looked lost, standing beside Killian, her expression pale and unsteady. But no one questioned it. Not yet.

We reached Hera’s room, and without hesitation, Odin carried her straight into the bathroom, gently lowering her into the bathtub.

Astrid stayed close, watching every single movement like if she blinked, something worse might happen.

Odin started removing Hera’s jacket.

And that’s when Astrid saw it.

The wounds.

Multiple.

Deep.

Unforgiving.

“Oh God…” she gasped, stumbling back slightly. “What have I done…”

Her hands flew to her mouth, muffling the sound that followed as she turned and rushed out of the bathroom.

“What have you done??” Archie asked.

“Shut up, it’s not her.” Dove replied him .

“Can someone explain to me?” Archie asked no one in particular.

Killian followed immediately.

“Hey—hey, Astrid—calm down,” he said, catching up to her as she leaned against the wall outside.

I stepped out after them.

“Can’t you see what I’m seeing, Killian?” she cried, her voice breaking apart. “This is my fault. From the start, I should’ve just aborted the mission.”

There it was.

Blame.

Heavy. Immediate.

“It isn’t your fault,” I said, but she scoffed, shaking her head.

Her hands trembled violently.

“She wanted to come back home… and I pushed her. I fucking pushed her!”

Killian pulled her into his arms before she could say anything else, holding her tightly as she broke against him.

It hurt to watch.

It hurt more than I expected.

I tried to hold it in—but it didn’t work.

The tears came anyway.

I stepped closer, placing a hand gently on her back.

“Odin said there’s a solution,” I whispered. “Let’s trust that.”

For a second, she didn’t respond.

Then,

“Odin.”

His voice cut through the tension as he stepped out of the bathroom, his hands stained with Hera’s blood. The others followed behind him.

“To confirm something,” he said, looking directly at Astrid, “I need you to reach out to Elara. She’s an old vampire….she’ll know.”

Astrid pulled away from Killian, wiping her face quickly.

“Okay… what do you want to know?”

Odin didn’t hesitate.

“It’s not possible for a vampire to die from multiple stab wounds… unless it’s a stake through the heart, right?”

Something clicked.

Hard.

“Wait…” Astrid breathed, her eyes widening. “That’s actually true…”

Her hands moved quickly, pulling her phone out as she dialed Nyx.

The call connected almost immediately.

“What’s up, girl! How you doin’?” Nyx’s voice came through, bright and completely unaware.

“I need your help,” Astrid said, her voice tight.

There was a pause.

Nyx caught it instantly.

“…What’s going on? Why do you sound like that?”

“Is Elara with you?”

“Yeah, she’s here.”

“Put her on the phone.”

“One sec—Elara!” Nyx called out. “My sister wants to talk to you!”

There was a brief shuffle on the other end.

Then a new voice.

Calm. Older. Controlled.

“Astrid?”

Astrid didn’t waste time.

“Elara, I need you to answer something first. A vampire—stabbed multiple times, but not with a stake… that doesn’t kill them, right?”

A beat.

“…Who got stabbed?” Elara asked immediately.

“Please,” Astrid said quickly. “Answer first.”

Another pause.

Then Lucian’s voice came through this time, smooth but serious.

“As long as a stake didn’t pierce the heart, no—it’s not fatal.”

Elara continued, her tone clinical now.

“It’s no different from a severe injury. Unless the head is removed, the body burned, or the heart is destroyed, a vampire does not die.”

A breath.

Then, more clearly—

“If the heart is intact, the stabbing is nothing more than a flesh wound. Painful, yes. Potentially incapacitating. But not death.”

The room went silent.

Everyone exhaled at once.

Relief…but fragile.

Nyx’s voice came back, sharper now.

“…Okay, now tell me—who got stabbed?”

Astrid swallowed.

“…Hera.”

Silence.

Then,

“Oh my God,” Nyx whispered.

Killian stepped forward slightly.

“But she was already fading,” he added.

Lucian responded immediately.

“Then she wasn’t dying. She was entering torpor.”

A pause.

“What's that??”

“A deep, death-like state. It happens when a vampire loses too much blood.”

Odin stepped in.

“What’s the fix?”

Elara answered this time.

“She needs blood. Fresh human blood. Enough to restart her system.”

Odin glanced at Astrid, a quiet breath leaving him.

“…I knew it.”

Lucian added firmly, “You need to get her blood now. The longer she stays in that state, the harder it’ll be to bring her back.”

And just like that—

Every single person in the room turned.

Toward Sable.

Astrid’s grip tightened around her phone.

“…I—I’ll call you back,” she said quickly.

The line went dead.

And the room fell into a different kind of silence.

One filled with decision.

And consequence.