CHAPTER 1: THE BLOOD AND THE CURSE
Eloise's POV
The scent of burning herbs clung to the air, thick and suffocating. The grand hall of the Aetherius Coven was dimly lit, flickering candle flames casting eerie shadows across the towering stone walls. Sigils of protection and death adorned the floor beneath Eloise's bare feet, their glow pulsing faintly with ancient magic.
She stood at the center, her hands clasped tightly behind her back as her mother's voice echoed through the chamber.
"Vampires are soulless creatures, Eloise. They are nothing but parasites feeding on the living. And we—" her mother's golden eyes burned with righteous fury, "we are the ones who will purge them from this world."
Eloise had heard this speech a thousand times. It was woven into the very fabric of her existence. Hate them. Destroy them. Do not falter.
But hatred was a cold thing. And Eloise burned too hot.
She had never questioned the war—not truly. Vampires had stolen too much from her coven, had torn witches apart, drained them of magic and blood alike. But she despised destiny more than anything. She despised the chains that bound her to a fate she never chose.
As the High Priestess, her mother led the War Council gathered around the long obsidian table. They spoke in hushed voices, their words heavy with the promise of bloodshed.
"A vampire was spotted near our borders," one of the elders spat. "It killed one of our own."
A tense silence followed.
Eloise's fingers curled into fists at her sides. Another battle. Another hunt. Another corpse to add to the endless war.
Her mother's gaze landed on her, sharp and expectant.
"Eloise," she said, "we need you to lead the retaliation."
Her heart twisted. She was one of the strongest witches in the coven, her power undeniable—but she did not crave war like the rest. And yet, she had no choice.
She lifted her chin. "It will be done."
The council nodded in approval, and the conversation moved on. But as Eloise stood there, a strange unease crept into her bones, whispering of something far worse than war.
Something was coming.
And it would ruin her.
---
Selene's POV
The scent of rain and old stone filled the empty halls of the Noctis Keep.
Selene stood at the highest tower, golden eyes scanning the ruined city below. The streets were slick with recent rain, the cobblestones reflecting the pale glow of lanterns. The vampire kingdom was a place of eternal twilight, where the sun had long been forgotten.
She liked it that way.
The wind howled through the open balcony, lifting the edges of her long black cloak. Her dark hair, silk-like in texture, barely moved in the breeze. She was an unmoving statue—cold, untouchable.
She had been alone for too long.
Lucian's voice broke through the silence.
"They're planning another war."
Selene didn't turn. "They always are."
"You should care more," he said, stepping beside her. "You were once one of them."
She scoffed, a bitter sound. "I was never one of them. I was only a weapon."
Lucian fell silent, but she could feel his gaze on her.
"Do you ever feel anything, Selene?"
No. She had stopped feeling long ago.
But sometimes, in the dead of night, when she was utterly alone, she swore she could hear a voice calling her. A whisper from a life she no longer remembered.
And it terrified her.
---
Eloise's POV
The council meeting dragged on, but Eloise barely heard them anymore. Their voices blurred into a single, suffocating hum as she stepped back into the long corridors of the coven's fortress.
Her mind felt heavy, burdened by the weight of expectations.
Hating vampires was supposed to be as natural as breathing, but sometimes—when she was alone in her chamber, staring at the moonlit sky—she felt like there was something missing. Something that gnawed at her, whispering doubts into her soul.
She ran a hand through her loose curls, sighing. Maybe she was weak for thinking this way.
A sharp knock on the door made her tense.
"Eloise?" A familiar voice. Soft, hesitant.
It was Lillian, her childhood friend—the only person who still saw her as more than just a warrior.
Eloise turned, trying to shake the storm of thoughts from her head. "Come in."
Lillian stepped inside, her brows furrowed. "I heard about the attack. You're leading the next strike?"
Eloise exhaled, walking toward the arched window. "I don't have a choice."
"You always have a choice," Lillian murmured, stepping closer.
Eloise's chest tightened. She wished that were true.
Lillian hesitated before placing a hand on Eloise's arm. "You don't have to be what they want you to be."
The words hit something deep inside her—something fragile.
She turned her head slightly, just enough to meet Lillian's concerned gaze. But what would happen if she stopped being what they wanted? If she stopped hating?
She didn't know.
And that terrified her.
---
Selene's POV
The Noctis Keep was quieter than usual. The vampires had long stopped gathering in the halls—most of them were either preparing for the coming war or drowning themselves in blood-drenched revelry.
Selene preferred neither.
She moved through the dark corridors like a ghost, her boots making no sound against the stone floor. Everything was familiar—too familiar.
The flickering candlelight. The scent of old parchment and leather. The endless emptiness.
She had spent a century living like this, untethered from the world. But loneliness was nothing new to her.
She leaned against the cold stone of the balcony, eyes trained on the distant forest that separated the vampire lands from the witches.
A thin border between two kinds of monsters.
Memories clawed at the edges of her mind, unwelcome and cruel. Flames. Screams. The scent of blood.
She could still hear their voices. Her family, her clan—burning at the hands of witches.
The pain had long dulled, but the rage had not.
A low voice interrupted her thoughts. "You shouldn't be out here alone."
Lucian. Again.
Selene didn't bother turning. "I'm always alone."
"You don't have to be," he said.
She let out a soft, humorless laugh. "And what? Surround myself with more corpses waiting to happen?"
Lucian was quiet for a long moment before he spoke again. "There's going to be a war. You can't avoid it forever."
"I don't intend to," Selene murmured.
She would fight, just like she always did. Because it was all she knew.
Because love was dead. And she had buried it long ago.