I wake to the sound of dripping—soft, relentless, like tears falling into an endless void. My head throbs, a dull ache behind my eyes, and the air smells of roses and blood. I'm lying on a velvet chaise, the fabric cool against my cheek, in a room bathed in flickering gaslight. The windowpane is streaked with crimson, the roses outside still weeping, their petals trembling as if mourning.
My heart lurches as I sit up, the locket Mama gave me swinging against my chest, its weight a reminder of her whispered warning. "When the roses call, run to them." I didn't run fast enough.
Elias stands by the hearth, his wraith-like form sharp against the flames, his red eyes glinting as he turns to me. "You're awake," he says, his voice a velvet blade. "That was… unexpected." His gaze flickers to the window, where Kael leans against the frame, arms crossed, his amber eyes fixed on me with an intensity that makes my skin prickle.
"What happened?" I croak, my throat raw from that scream I barely remember. The last image—golden eyes, a snarl—flashes through me, and I clutch the chaise's arm, my nails digging into the fabric.
"You fainted," Kael says, his voice rough but softer now, like a growl tempered by concern. "The roses bled, and something—someone—was out there. We felt it too."
He steps closer, his scent of pine and earth grounding me, and I hate how my pulse quickens.
Elias's lips thin. "A truce, then," he says, his tone clipped. "For her sake. The threat is greater than our feud." Kael nods, a reluctant agreement, and I feel the weight of their gazes—vampire and werewolf, bound by a fragile peace because of me.
I want to scream at them, to demand answers, but a memory crashes over me, stealing my breath. It's the night before the fire—Papa carving a wooden rose for my brother, his hands steady, his smile warm. "For your collection, Sera," he'd said, winking. I'd laughed, tucking it into my apron, never imagining it'd be the last time. The vision shifts—flames consuming the house, Papa's silhouette vanishing as he shoved me out the door, his final "I love you" swallowed by smoke. A sob tears from me, raw and unbidden, and I bury my face in my hands, the locket pressing into my palm like a brand.
"Sera?" Kael's voice is closer, a hand hovering near my shoulder, but he doesn't touch me. Elias watches, his expression unreadable, yet there's a flicker of something—pity, maybe—in those crimson depths.
"I saw him," I whisper, my voice breaking. "Papa. He saved me, and I left him to die."
The guilt is a knife, twisting deeper with every breath. I should've fought, should've dragged him out, but I ran like a coward. The roses' hum grows louder, as if they share my shame, and I clench my fists, tears slipping through my fingers.
"You're not to blame," Elias says, his tone gentler than I expect. He kneels beside me, his cold hand brushing mine, and that electric jolt returns, grounding me even as it unnerves me. "Your power awakened. It drew the attack. But you're here now, and we'll protect you."
"Protect me?" I snap, jerking my hand away, my anger a shield against the pain. "You don't even know me! And you—" I glare at Kael, "—you want to use me too, don't you? For your pack?" My voice cracks on the last word, a bitter edge I can't hide.
I've lost everything—family, home—and now I'm a pawn in their game.
Kael's jaw tightens, his amber eyes darkening. "I won't lie. Your blood could heal us. But I see you, Sera—not just the power. You're more than a tool."
His honesty disarms me, and I hate how my heart softens, how his presence feels like a balm to my wounds.
Before I can respond, a vision seizes me again—Mama's face, pale and frantic, pressing the locket into my hands. "The moonblooded are hunted," she gasps. "Elias will find you. Trust him, but guard your heart." The image fades, and I stagger, my hand flying to the locket. Elias's eyes narrow, as if he sensed it too.
"What did you see?" he asks, his voice low, urgent."My mother," I say, my throat tight. "She knew. About you. About this." I hold up the locket, its silver dull in the light, and a strange warmth spreads from it, tingling up my arm.
The roses outside pulse brighter, their bleeding slowing, and I feel it—a connection, a power stirring in my blood.
Kael steps forward, his expression grim. "That locket's old magic. Moonblooded magic. It's why they're after you." He glances at Elias, a silent question passing between them.
"Then we train her," Elias says, his decision final. "Her power is raw, but it can be controlled. The next attack won't spare us."
"Train me?" I echo, my voice rising. "I don't even know what I am!"
The room spins, my grief and rage colliding, and I slam my fist on the chaise, the locket's warmth flaring. The gaslights flicker, the roses outside shudder, and a low rumble shakes the floor. I freeze, my breath shallow, as the men exchange a look—respect, fear, something else.
"You're moonblooded," Elias says, his voice steady. "A bridge between our kinds. And a target. We start tonight."
Before I can protest, a howl pierces the silence, closer than before, joined by a chorus that raises the hairs on my neck. The window shatters inward, glass raining like tears, and a shadow leaps through—golden eyes blazing, claws gleaming.
I scream, scrambling back, as Elias and Kael spring into action, their truce forgotten in the chaos.
The shadow's snarl fills the room, and the roses' bleeding resumes, a river of red pooling at my feet. My sight dissolves into a misty haze, Mama's voice echoing, "Guard your heart," as the creature's eyes lock on mine, and the world fades to black