The force of the battle extinguished the candles, plunging the cavern into a darkness so thick it felt alive, pulsing with rage and raw magic. A darkness that mirrored the storm brewing within me.
I stumbled backward, clutching Lucien's torn shirt tighter around my trembling body, the scent of him, of blood and leather and something wilder, filling my senses. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat threatening to drown out every other sound.
I could only see them in fleeting flashes, Lucien and Gabriel, colliding like ancient gods locked in a timeless struggle. Their movements were a blur of claws, steel, and crimson.
Lucien roared, vibrating through the very stone, as he slammed Gabriel into a crumbling pillar. Dust exploded outwards, a ghostly shroud momentarily obscuring the brutal tableau. Gabriel twisted away, his silver dagger flashing, a gleaming arc of deadly intent slicing through the air.
I gasped as the blade tore across Lucien's ribs, dark blood spraying like a macabre fountain. Lucien barely flinched, his face a mask of savage fury. With a snarl, he tackled Gabriel to the ground, fists pounding into his cousin's face with brutal, primal force.
"You will not touch her!" Lucien's voice was a guttural promise, a vow etched in blood and rage.
Gabriel laughed, a bloodied, mocking sound that sent a shiver of fear down my spine. He kneed Lucien savagely in the gut, the force of the blow making Lucien grunt, stumbling back just enough for Gabriel to lunge upright, dagger flashing once more.
My instincts screamed Move. Help. Do something.
I took a hesitant step forward, and the air around me shimmered, vibrating with unseen energy.
A warmth bloomed under my skin, rippling outwards like a stone thrown into a still pond. The broken pieces of my fear, rage, and desperate need snapped together, coalescing into something sharp, powerful, and ancient.
The bond between Lucien and me thrummed alive and demanding action. It was a siren song, a call to arms that resonated deep within my soul. Without conscious thought, I lifted my hand, and the shadows obeyed.
Dark tendrils, born from the very essence of the cavern, coiled around Gabriel's legs, yanking him back mid-strike. He snarled, his silver dagger slicing through the tendrils easily, but that moment's hesitation was all Lucien needed.
With a savage roar that echoed through the cavern, Lucien seized Gabriel by the throat and slammed him into the floor hard enough to crack the stone. Gabriel struggled, his eyes wide with shock and pain. Lucien drove his fist into his face once, twice, a third time and finally, the older vampire went still, his body limp and unmoving.
Panting, covered in blood that wasn't all his own, Lucien rose to his feet. He staggered, swaying precariously, and I saw it.
The wound.
Deep, savage, poisoned – black veins already spiderwebbing out from the slash at his ribs, a grotesque tapestry of impending death.
"Lucien!" I cried, rushing to him, my voice ragged with fear.
He caught me against him with one bloody hand, cupping the back of my head protectively even as he swayed on his feet, his strength failing him.
"You used it," he rasped, his silver eyes flickering with pride and terror. "You awakened."
I barely heard him. All I saw was the blood soaking his side, staining his skin a horrifying crimson. The pain etched into his face, the way he trembled as he tried to stay upright for me, his little moon.
Tears blurred my vision, hot and stinging. "No, no, no, stay with me, Lucien. Please."
Lucien smiled faintly, blood staining his teeth, a grim parody of his usual charming grin. "As if... I could leave you."
And then he collapsed to his knees, his body heavy and unyielding.
I dropped with him, cradling his head in my lap, my fingers tangling in his blood-soaked hair. The bond between us screamed, vibrating so violently I thought it might tear me apart, leaving me hollow and broken.
My hands hovered uselessly over the gaping wound, trembling with helplessness. "What do I do?" I sobbed, my voice a broken whisper. "How do I fix this?"
Lucien's fingers found mine, weak but determined, his grip surprisingly firm.
"My blood... won't heal it fast enough," he panted, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "Yours... might."
My heart skipped a beat, a jolt of fear and something else I couldn't quite name. "My blood?"
He nodded, grimacing, his face contorted in pain. "You're more than human now, little moon. You're...something more. You can save me."
I swallowed hard, my throat tight with fear and a strange, burgeoning hope. Without thinking, I brought my wrist to my mouth, biting down until I tasted iron and salt, the coppery tang of my blood filling my senses. Pain flared, sharp, and intense, and then I pressed the bleeding wound to his mouth.
"Drink," I whispered, my voice shaking, barely audible. "Please."
Lucien hesitated, his eyes searching mine, filled with a desperate plea. Then his tongue flicked out, tasting my blood, and he growled deep in his chest, a primal sound that resonated deep within my bones.
I gasped as he latched onto my wrist, sucking greedily, desperately, his fingers digging into my hips, anchoring me to him.
The bond between us exploded a supernova of heat and electricity, and something older than memory flooded my senses.
I moaned, my head falling back, my body arching against him, drawn to him like a moth to a flame. It was a pleasure raw and primal and overwhelming. Every pull of his mouth on my wrist sent lightning to my core, awakening something dormant.
Lucien's hands roamed my body even as he fed, sliding under the ruined shirt, caressing bruised skin, branding me as his. He lifted me into his lap, my legs straddling his hips, the evidence of his recovery hardening against my bare thighs, a potent reminder of the life I was giving him.
I whimpered, grinding against him instinctively, needing more, needing everything.
Lucien released my wrist with a snarl, blood staining his mouth, his fangs gleaming in the dim light.
"You're mine," he rasped, his voice broken and raw, filled with a possessive hunger that mirrored my own. "Repeat it."
I cupped his face, my own blood smearing across his jaw, and whispered the truth that had become the center of my world.
"I'm yours."
Lucien growled low and possessive, a sound that vibrated through my very being and thrust up into me without warning, claiming me in the most primal way imaginable.
I cried out, my body stretching to accommodate him, my nails digging into his shoulders, seeking purchase, seeking connection.
Lucien moved inside me with desperate, brutal precision, every thrust claiming me all over again, sealing the bond tighter, forging a connection that transcended blood and bone. His mouth found my throat, my breasts, my lips – devouring me like he was dying without me, his need a mirror of my own.
"You saved me," he gasped against my skin, his breath hot and ragged. "You're mine. You're fucking mine."
I sobbed his name, riding him, clinging to him, my body and soul surrendering completely to the intoxicating dance of life and death, pleasure and pain.
We came together, the bond blazing between us like a living thing, a roaring inferno that consumed everything in its path. I felt it lock into place, irreversible and eternal—a tether. A promise.
Blood and breath and bone.
When it was over, we collapsed against each other, trembling, hearts racing in unison, our bodies slick with sweat and blood.
Lucien reverently kissed my forehead, his hands stroking my sweat-slicked back, a silent promise of protection and devotion.
"You are so much more than you know," he murmured, his voice thick with awe and wonder.
I clung to him, tears slipping down my cheeks, the enormity of what had just happened washing over me.
"What am I?" I whispered, my voice trembling with fear and uncertainty. "What's happening to me?"
Lucien pulled back just enough to look into my eyes, his gaze intense and unwavering.
"You," he said, his voice thick with awe and fear, "are the last living heir to the First Bloodline."
I blinked, my heart stuttering in my chest, the weight of his words crushing me.
"The Courts thought your kind was extinct," Lucien continued, his voice grim, his eyes filled with a dark foreboding. They'll do anything to control you, breed you, and break you."
He cupped my face in both hands, his gaze fierce and burning, a vow etched in every line of his face.
"I will die before I let them touch you."
I swallowed hard, the weight of his vow sinking deep into my bones, a promise that terrified and comforted me.
"But we can't stay here," Lucien said, standing with me still wrapped around him, his movements slow but deliberate. "They'll come. More powerful ones than Gabriel. And they won't stop until they tear this world apart to find you."
I nodded against his chest, fear and fire coiling in my gut, a potent mix of terror and determination.
"Then we run," I said fiercely, my voice filled with a newfound resolve. "We fight."
Lucien smiled, a savage and beautiful expression lighting up his face and banishing the shadows that clung to him.
"That's my little moon."
He carried me out into the rain-drenched night, our blood mingling, our bond unbreakable, and a testament to the love and sacrifice that bound us together. The world had declared war on us, its shadows closing in, ready to devour us whole.
But we were ready.
Together.
Whatever it took.