A Choice in Blood

Damian's mind swirled with disbelief. The world he thought he knew had just been ripped apart in an instant.

"You are not fully human, Damian. You never were."

Lucian's words echoed in his head, rattling against everything he had ever believed. He wanted to deny it, wanted to shove the truth away—but he couldn't.

The signs had been there all along.

The unnatural strength. The fading taste of normal food. The way he sensed things before they happened.

And the hunger.

Deep. Gnawing. A thirst he couldn't understand.

Now he did.

He wasn't just being hunted. He was being claimed.

Damian took a shaky breath. "You're saying I'm a vampire?"

Lucian's gaze was steady. "Not yet."

Damian frowned. "Then what am I?"

Lucian crossed his arms, watching him carefully. "You are half-human, half-vampire. A rare bloodline—one that the Elders consider a danger."

Damian's pulse pounded. "Why?"

"Because you shouldn't exist." Lucian's voice was grim. "Half-bloods are unpredictable. Most don't survive long after their nature awakens. And those who do?" His eyes darkened. "They are either eradicated… or turned."

Damian swallowed hard. "Turned?"

Lucian nodded. "If the Elders capture you, they will force your full transformation. But it won't be your choice."

A shiver ran through Damian's spine. "And if I refuse?"

Lucian's expression didn't waver. "Then they will kill you."

Damian exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. This was insane. Yesterday, he was just a normal guy. Now, he was being told he was some forbidden hybrid in the middle of a war he didn't understand.

He felt trapped.

"Why are you telling me this?" Damian asked, his voice low.

Lucian studied him. "Because you have a choice."

Damian's hands clenched into fists. "What choice?"

Lucian took a step forward. "You can run. Hide in the shadows for as long as you can. But they will find you eventually."

He let the words sink in before continuing.

"Or…" Lucian's eyes gleamed. "You can fight."

Damian's breath caught.

Fight? Against the Elders? Against the beings that had broken into his apartment like ghosts in the night?

The idea was suicidal.

And yet—

Something inside him stirred.

A part of him, buried deep, was tired of running. Tired of being afraid.

A memory flashed through his mind.

His mother's voice. The lullaby she used to hum when he was a child.

A song about blood and fire.

A song he had never understood.

Until now.

Damian looked up at Lucian, his heart pounding. "If I choose to fight… how do I even stand a chance?"

Lucian smirked. "By embracing what you are."

He stepped closer, his voice lowering.

"Let me teach you, Damian. Let me show you the power in your blood."

Damian hesitated.

A choice stood before him.

Run and die a human.

Or fight… and become something else.

His lips parted, and in a voice that no longer wavered, he made his decision.

"Teach me."