The morning light barely filtered through the thick drapes of Valois Manor, but Emilia was already awake. She stood in the center of the quiet hallway, holding a tiny silver plate filled with crushed berries and a few drops of blood. One by one, the bats fluttered down from the dark corners of the ceiling, landing on the railings, beams, and her outstretched arms.
"Breakfast time," she whispered with a soft smile.
Among the small horde of fluttering wings was one bat that always came first. He had a torn right ear and a shiny patch of fur on his chest. Emilia called him Jet.
"You're early, as always," she said, placing the plate near him. He gave a single, decisive flap of his wings before landing on her shoulder, eyeing the other bats like a little general.
Jet had taken a liking to Emilia since the night she played with them in the courtyard. It was strange how obedient he was, almost like he understood every word she said. The other bats followed his lead, swooping down gently, no longer wild or afraid.
Jet flew off and returned moments later with a thin book clutched in his claws. Emilia laughed.
"Yes, yes. I was going to read that next. Thank you, Jet."
Reading had become her escape, and now, her purpose. The history of the Valois was laced with secrets, and the more she read, the more she understood that there was a reason Luca had kept so much from her. Maybe there was too much to explain and he wanted her to discover some things by herself. She was no longer angry at him about not telling her about Calista from the beginning. She was the one that wielded an ancient power so it was her duty to also study the forces she was up against and how to defeat them.
Another group of bats flapped their wings around her. Just wahat she needed: bat breeze.
She walked to the study room, flipping open a worn journal bound in leather. It smelled like dust and blood.
Emilia took a sip from the glass beside her. It was filled with a deep red liquid. She paused for a second and smiled faintly.
Pigeon wine. It was Cyrus who had introduced her to it. Strangely, the taste didn't revolt her anymore. It was... rich, alive. Grape juice, once her favorite, now seemed pale and distant and so did her former life whatever it was. This was her destiny now. Maybe her memory loss was for the better and maybe it wasn't but all that mattered now was Luca and her role in this prophecy.
As she turned a page of the book, the door creaked open. Luca stepped inside, his dark coat fluttering behind him.
"You've made yourself comfortable," he said, eyes falling on the glass beside her.
"You could say that," Emilia replied. "I'm trying to understand what I've become. Reading helps."
Luca approached, resting a hand on the back of her chair. "I have something to tell you."
She turned toward him, curious.
"I've been renewing our blood oath while you were unconscious," he said. "Every full moon since your attack. It ties me to you and protects you. But it needs to be done again, this time with you awake."
Emilia frowned slightly. "What happens during this renewal?"
"It strengthens your abilities and reaffirms the promise I made to your parents. That I'd protect you and help you ascend when the time comes. The ceremony will be followed by a feast. It's a big deal."
He moved closer, cupping her face gently. "You've changed so much. Grown into this power, even when you didn't ask for it."
Emilia's breath caught. Luca's thumb traced the edge of her cheek. The air between them thickened.
"I never thought any of this would happen," she whispered.
"But it has," he said, his voice lower now. "And I'm glad it did."
Their lips met slowly, softly. Then deeper. Luca pulled her to her feet, lifting her easily and setting her on the desk. Her fingers tangled in his shirt. He pressed kisses down her neck, stopping just above her collarbone.
"Luca," she breathed.
"Yes?"
"Don't stop."
Their tongues collided more passionately as Luca traced an invisible line on her laps, making her kiss him even more deeply.
Across the manor, Vivienne poured herself a glass of blood orange wine, a peciliar mix that she always enjoyed. Cyrus stood by the window, watching the clouds roll in over the forest.
"She's getting stronger," Vivienne said, swirling the wine in her glass.
"She's meant to."
Vivienne turned to face him. "You loved Calista once. Deeply. Didn't you?"
Cyrus didn't answer. His eyes remained fixed on the woods.
"You're not going to lie to me, are you?" she pressed. "Because I still remember how you used to follow her around like a lost pup."
Cyrus clenched his jaw. "That was a long time ago."
Vivienne stepped closer. "And yet, you still flinch when I say her name. You still look like someone carved your heart out every time she's mentioned."
He turned slowly. "Don't push me, Viv."
"I'm just saying," she said, sipping slowly, "If Calista returns, I need to know whose side you're on."
A gust of wind blew the curtains aside. Cyrus's eyes flashed a deep red.
"I don't need to prove my loyalty to you," he growled. "If I wanted to betray you, I would've done it already."
His voice vibrated with power. A vase near the wall cracked.
Vivienne lifted an eyebrow. "Touched a nerve, did I?"
Cyrus turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him so hard it shook the walls.
He wandered through the woods behind the manor, the air damp with dew. Birds called overhead, but he barely noticed.
His thoughts were clouded with memories he didn't want to revisit. Calista's smile. Her laughter. The way she whispered his name after they made love and she had licked his blood. And how it all ended.
He didn't hear the human until it was too late. A man, maybe in his thirties, hiking gear slung over one shoulder. Lost.
"Hey!" the man called. "Do you know the way back to the main road? My phone died."
Cyrus turned slowly.
He should've said something. He should've pointed the way.
But his hunger had grown while his anger simmered. He could not be tamed at that moment.
The man stepped closer. "I've been walking for hours. Seriously, if you could just—"
The woods fell silent.
A few moments later, Cyrus dropped to his knees. Blood covered his mouth and shirt.
He looked down at his trembling hands.
From the trees above, something watched him.
A pair of eyes gleamed yellow in the dark, then disappeared with a silent flutter of wings.