The moonlight spilled into her chamber like silk, brushing silver against the deep red curtains. The palace was quiet - eerily so. No footsteps. No whispers.
Seraphine sat by the window, the cool air grazing her skin. On the table beside her, the crown still gleamed, it's edges glowing by the candlelight. It should've felt like a weight - another reminder of what had been forced upon her.
But tonight, it didn't.
Tonight, it felt like... him.
She reached for it,fingers brushing the metal. Her lips curved softly. A smile - slow, unguarded.
"You're fire, " he had said.
That memory had rooted itself in her bones. Not the words themselves, but the way he'd spoken them - as if he worshipped her. Not as princess, but as something untamed and whole.
Her fingers stilled.
What is happening to me?
I should hate him. I should push him away.
But her heart... was quiet. Not angry. Not at war.
Just still...
Until-
A sudden chill brushed the back of her neck.
The candle flickered.
She looked up sharply.
A sound echoed faintly in the corridor - distant but sharp. A low, inhuman growl, muffled by stone.
Her breath caught. She stood quickly, slipping on her robe. Her instincts flared to life - as a warrior. Steps silent, cautious, she moved through the empty hallway, her bare feet pressing against cold marble.
The moon outside has turned red. Blood red.
She didn't notice it yet. She didn't need to. She felt it.
Another growl - this one louder. Twisted. Like pain ripping through flesh.
Her steps quickened.
She reached the wing of the palace where Valen had gone earlier. The door to his chamber hung slightly open. A kind of stillness blanketed everything.
And then she saw him.
Valen.
On the floor. Writhing.
His back arched unnaturally, muscles rigid, his breath caught in his throat like he was drowning in air. His claws had pierced into the stone floor. His face contorted with pain, fangs bared in agony.
"Valen-" She whispered, but her voice cracked.
She stepped inside, her knees weakening at the sight of him. This wasn't the man who'd sparred with her or held her gaze like she was holy.
This was something else. Cursed. Broken.
She knelt beside him without thinking, trembling hand reaching out - only to stop an inch away from his skin. He was burning. Not with heat. But with some unseen fire. Shadows crawling over his veins like poison. His chest rose and fell too fast.
A voice cut through the chamber.
"Don't touch him"
She jerked back.
A man stood in the doorway now, watching her with eyes darker than midnight. His presence was weightless and heavy all at once. A cloak of dark feathers draped around him, almost alive with movement.
He inclined his head politely, " You must be Seraphine. "
Her eyes narrowed, " Who are you? "
"Corven, "he replied. " Valen's cousin. Born of Raven blood. "
He stepped closer, the feathers rustling faintly with each step.
"What's happening to him? " She asked, voice sharp.
"The moon, " Corven said , glancing toward the crimson light pouring through the window. "Once every hundred years, the red moon rises. It awakens old power in our bloodline - some call it the hunger moon. Most of us have found ways to contain it. "
He paused.
"But not Valen. He was born during the last red moon. It tied to him like a curse. "
Seraphine stared at him, her chest tightening. "Then help him. "
Corven looked at her for a long moment.
"I can't. But you can. "
Corven's gaze was unreadable as he stepped nearer.
"He's losing himself, " he murmured. "The red moon pulls at the ancient blood inside him. It drags the monster out. The longer he stays like this, the more he'll forget who he is. "
"Then tell me what to do. "
Corven's eyes lingered on her with a knowing.
"You are the light's last princess, "he said. "Born of royal lineage, pure in blood, sacred by legacy. The old magic remembers you, Seraphine. So does he."
She looked at Valen again. His lips moved faintly - silent, broken. Her name had almost formed in the air, though no sound escaped him.
Corven went on, his voice gentler now, " He chose you long before the world did. He didn't just fall for you - he bound himself to you. "
"Bound? " Seraphine asked quietly.
"Through heart and soul. Through loyalty, longing... And one day, blood. "He stepped closer, " If he drinks your blood now - not out of hunger but as a plea, it may call him back. Anchor him to the man he is with you. "
She stared.
Her pulse echoed in her ears.
Blood. Her blood.
The very thing that made her a symbol of her realm.
But that realm had abandoned her. And this man... This vampire king.. had burned for her. Worshipped her.
Her fingers trembled as she brushed the hair from his sweat drenched forehead. He was pale, paler than she'd ever seen. And though unconscious, his fingers twitched toward her touch, like a moth desperate for flame.
"He won't hurt you, " Corven said softly. "He never could. "
Seraphine's heart cracked at the truth of that.
She bit her lip , then tilted her head back slightly - baring her neck.
The moment held stillness. Like the world itself was watching.
She leaned down, whispering near his ear, "Come back to me, Valen.... "