SHADOWS BENEATH THE MOON

The walk back from the chapel was silent, yet charged. Aurora and Zayne didn't speak a word, but the air between them crackled with everything that had passed—every whispered truth, every unanswered question, every stolen kiss.

Aurora's mind whirled with the weight of Zayne's words. Embrace it. It sounded poetic, maybe even powerful, but what did it actually mean? How did she embrace something that terrified her? Something that could destroy her?

As they turned a corner into the main road, Zayne suddenly grabbed her arm, halting her. "Wait."

She froze. "What is it?"

He didn't answer. His eyes darted around the dimly lit street, alert, sharp. Aurora followed his gaze, but saw nothing—only empty sidewalks, flickering street lamps, and the distant sound of a siren.

Then she felt it. A ripple in the air. Cold and unnatural, brushing against her skin like ghostly fingers.

"They're here," Zayne muttered.

Before she could ask who they were, a shadow detached from the alley across the street. Then another. And another. Figures cloaked in black, faces obscured, moving with eerie coordination. They didn't walk—they glided, like smoke with shape.

"The Order?" Aurora whispered.

Zayne's jaw clenched. "No. Worse. These are the Hollowed."

Fear coiled in her stomach. She had only read about the Hollowed in her grandmother's journal—souls corrupted by the curse, stripped of their humanity, feeding on magic to survive. They were the dark side of what she could become.

Zayne stepped in front of her, protective. "Run."

"No," Aurora snapped. "I'm not leaving you."

One of the Hollowed hissed, a sickening, rasping sound. They lunged.

Zayne moved with impossible speed, his arm slicing through the air. A wave of energy—dark red, like blood—burst from his palm and slammed into the closest figure. It disintegrated into ash before it even hit the ground.

But more came.

Aurora's heart pounded. Her power surged beneath her skin, wild and untamed. This time, she didn't fight it. She let it rise.

She raised her hand. Energy crackled at her fingertips—silver and violet, unpredictable but beautiful. She aimed at a Hollowed and released it.

The explosion was blinding.

When her vision cleared, the street was covered in scorched marks, and the Hollowed were retreating, screeching as if the light had wounded them.

Zayne stared at her, eyes wide. "That was… incredible."

Aurora was trembling, her hands shaking. "It didn't feel like me."

He stepped closer, cupping her face again. "It is you. Just the part you've never met."

Sirens wailed in the distance, growing closer.

Zayne glanced around. "We have to go. If the Order shows up, this gets worse."

They ran.

Back at her flat, Aurora slammed the door shut and locked it, even though she knew locks were meaningless against the supernatural. Her legs gave out beneath her and she sank to the floor, adrenaline draining from her body.

Zayne crouched beside her. "Are you okay?"

She looked up at him. "No. And I don't think I will be for a long time."

He brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Then I'll stay. As long as you need me."

Aurora didn't answer. Instead, she got up, walked to the kitchen, and poured herself a glass of water. Her hands were still shaking.

"Why did they come after us?" she asked.

Zayne leaned against the counter. "Because your power is waking up. And it's drawing attention. The Hollowed are just the beginning."

She turned toward him. "Then what's next?"

He hesitated. "There's a ritual. One that binds your powers so they can't be stolen or corrupted. We need to do it before the blood moon. But there's a catch."

"There always is."

Zayne looked at her, serious. "It requires a blood bond."

Aurora frowned. "What kind of blood bond?"

He looked away, then back again. "You and I… we'd have to merge our essences. Bind our powers together. Permanently."

Her breath caught. "You mean like… a magical marriage?"

He gave a half-smile, humorless. "Something like that. But more dangerous. If one of us dies, the other does too. If one of us is corrupted, so is the other. It's all or nothing."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Aurora took a step toward him. "And you think that's our only chance?"

"I know it is."

She bit her lip. The idea of being bound to someone forever—especially someone like Zayne, enigmatic and dangerous—was terrifying. But wasn't she already bound to him in some way? Their connection was undeniable.

"I need to think," she whispered.

Zayne nodded. "Of course. But don't take too long. The blood moon rises in three nights."

The Next Morning

Aurora woke to a knock at her door.

Her first thought was Zayne, but when she opened it, Fiona stood there, wide-eyed and pale.

"We need to talk," Fiona said, pushing past her into the flat.

Aurora shut the door, wary. "About what?"

Fiona turned to face her, and for once, her expression wasn't cruel—it was afraid. "Something's coming, Aurora. Something big. I can feel it. And I think… I think we're on the same side."

Aurora stared at her, stunned. "You? Since when?"

"I didn't know before," Fiona said quickly. "But last night, I felt it. A shift in the magic. It woke something in me. I think… I think I'm like you."

Aurora narrowed her eyes. "You think you're a witch?"

Fiona nodded. "I think I always was. But it was dormant."

Zayne appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, shirtless, his hair tousled from sleep. "She's telling the truth," he said. "I sensed it when she walked in."

Fiona's eyes widened when she saw him. "You're still here?"

Zayne gave her a look. "This is bigger than petty jealousy now."

Aurora rubbed her temples. "This is too much. First Hollowed, now Fiona has powers?"

Zayne walked over. "It's not a coincidence. The blood moon's pull is waking up latent powers in those with magical ancestry. There will be more like her. Some allies, some enemies."

Fiona crossed her arms. "So what now?"

End of chapter 16. ..