The Shadow Within

The hunger did not subside.

Anne ran, but it chased her. Through the dense trees, across the whispering grasslands, beneath the cruel silver eye of the moon. The scent of life taunted her, thick in the air, calling to the part of her she refused to acknowledge.

She could still hear Rhael's voice, smooth and knowing. One side will always win.

She pushed forward, desperate to escape it, to escape herself. But no matter how far she ran, the darkness within her followed. Her breaths were ragged, her body trembling—not from exhaustion, but from restraint. Her fangs throbbed, her throat burned, and her stomach twisted in agony.

Then she stumbled.

Her knees hit the earth hard, the impact barely registering through the storm raging inside her. She clawed at the ground, her fingers sinking into the dirt as a guttural snarl tore from her throat. Her body shuddered violently, caught between the fire of her dragon blood and the hunger of her vampire instincts.

She needed control.

She needed something.

A snap of a twig.

Anne's head jerked up, her pupils shrinking to slits. The world sharpened in a heartbeat. She smelled him before she saw him.

Adam.

He stood a few feet away, his face half-hidden in the moon's glow. His stance was hesitant, wary, but there was no fear in his eyes—only concern.

"Anne," he said gently, stepping closer. "You're—"

"Don't."

Her voice was raw, broken. She scrambled backward, shaking her head, her nails digging into the earth. "Stay back."

Adam halted, studying her. "You're fighting it."

"I have to."

His gaze flickered to the sharp glint of her fangs. "What if you didn't?"

A violent shudder wracked her body. "You don't understand."

"Then help me."

Anne's breath hitched. The hunger snarled in protest, her body screaming for relief. The scent of Adam's blood was intoxicating, thick with warmth, rich with life. A single step closer, and she wasn't sure she could stop herself.

She squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm dangerous, Adam."

He knelt before her, slow, deliberate. "You're Anne."

A sharp pang cut through her chest. A name. A reminder. A tether to the person she was, not the monster she feared.

Anne's hands curled into fists. The hunger did not leave, but for the first time, she felt something else.

Choice.

She forced herself to breathe. To focus. To fight.

The battle was far from over. But in that moment, she had won.