The day of the RED MOON
He was drenched in blood.
Vanilla.
Roses.
Strawberries.
Earthy.
He recognized that scent.
'No.'
'No,' he repeated, cradling his head in his hands. His gaze shifted from his clothes to the splatters of blood on the floor, searching for the source. His eyes traced the path as the blood pooled under mud-covered Converse shoes, the white socks peeking out, the green jeans, the tank top, and the purple cardigan stained red.
With blood.
His hand shot to his hair, clutching it tightly. His teeth gritted together from the rush of emotion. The room was silent. His body tensed, yet his mind was louder than ever.
His hands trembled as he gripped his hair tighter.
His gaze settled on her pale, bruised face. The bite had inflicted its damage; her veins turned black against her body, and her face was as white as snow. Her eyes closed from the moment life had left her. Her body hung limp, suspended only by the chains. He rose slowly from the ground, focusing on her, lifting his hands to her face, hovering at her face, too afraid to touch her. He withdrew his hands, his heart pounding as if it would burst from his chest.
"Dorian," a voice called.
"Her arm is broken?" he asked, looking back at Noelle, who appeared small in their presence. While Michael stood a foot away, blocking Noelle from leaving. Michael turned towards the witch, anticipating her reply.
"There was some resistance on her part," she admitted with a nod.
"You're bleeding," he observed, addressing Noelle, the scratch on her arm evident. "She fought back, didn't she?"
"She did," Noelle replied, her hesitation betraying her confusion at his calm demeanor.
"You may leave, Noelle," he announced, surprising everyone.
"Dorian?" Michael interjected.
Stepping aside, he motioned with his hand. "Go." Noelle did not spare another second as she hurried past him and out the doorway, leaving Dorian, Michael, and Raven alone.
Dorian ignored Michael, tenderly lifting Raven, breaking the chains that bound her, and cradling her body in his arms.
She resembled a fallen angel.
'Open your eyes,' he instructed through the remnants of the link.
'Come on, little raven, please open your eyes,' he begged brokenly.
Footsteps approached, but he remained indifferent.
"What happened?" Oakley began, rushing into the ruins but halting at the sight.
"Is she dead?" Oakley cried out, stumbling forward, but Michael held out his arms, stopping her from getting closer to him.
"Where is Noelle?" Oakley wiped the tears away as she demanded, furious over her friend's death. Michael stood firm, not answering her question. Her eyes drifted to Dorian, who cradled Raven tightly, his gaze fixed on her face.
"You let her go!" she hissed.
"Oakley," Michael said sternly. Oakley quieted down, pressing down Michael's arm, slowly walking toward Dorian and Raven, crouching next to them. She grabbed Raven's hand, gripping it tightly in hers.
CROAK
Dorian's head snapped to the raven next to her lifeless body, staring at it.
CROAK
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" he bellowed at the raven, who just sat there staring at him before hopping closer to Raven.
"Please don't take her," he repeated in his head over and over, holding her tightly, her head pressed against his neck.
"Michael, it has been hours; we need to handle this," Oakley insisted.
"Dorian, it has been hours. We need to take her," Michael tried to explain.
"No," he choked out, his throat sore.
"We have to do something," Oakley begged. "What about her aunt? We have to tell her."
Dorian stood up from the ground, gently laying her on the table where the stuff for the spell was, but he could not take his eyes off her. The raven was still waiting, sitting there even though she was gone.
The girl he once thought was his enemy lay lifeless before him, now an angel.
"I am sorry, my love," he whispered to her softly.
The bone protruded from her arm, his bite visible in the crook of her neck, a testament to the potency of his venom. He gently caressed her cheek over and over.
Flash
Walking back to the house from the cabin, Raven fell into step beside him as he moved effortlessly across the wet forest floor. "You said the visions you were having were about someone, as if you could see through that person's eyes, as though you were experiencing everything firsthand, and you later realized it was me?" Raven asked, stepping over a fallen branch.
"Yes," he replied, glancing at her from the corner of his eye while watching her crouch to inspect something on the ground. "But you can only see selectively, not everything, right?" Raven inquired, turning away from the odd insect before falling into step.
"Right," he concurred again.
"Really?" she pressed, seemingly surprised by his affirmation.
"We are connected, love. I can feel what you're feeling," he stated, looking back at her over his shoulder. Raven's eyes widened, and she halted in her tracks. "Oh, um, what am I feeling right now?" she asked, resuming her walk and fiddling with her scarf.
Stepping in front of her, Raven stopped just inches from him. He gazed into her large, blue eyes, studying her intently. Silence enveloped them.
"Dorian?" Raven whispered, breaking the silence.
"You're nervous, conflicted, worried, and uncomfortable," Dorian observed, looking down at her. A sigh of relief escaped her, and a smile spread across her face.
Relieved.
"Yep," she said happily, moving past him.
Lie.
He remained still, watching her approach him. Unaware of when the headaches ceased, he knew it was her. He felt her presence everywhere; in everything, she was there. He could sense her sadness, her anger, her anxiety, and her joy. He was particularly attuned to when she felt love.
Her large blue eyes, which had met his just seconds before, had sparkled brightly with love.
Flashover.
"Dorian, please," Oakley said. It hasn't felt like hours. It feels like everything has just happened. Leaning down, Dorian placed a kiss on her cheek.
CROAK
CROAK
The raven jumped onto her body, pressing against her chest. Dorian stared at it, wondering what was going on. It leaned against her once again before it took off through the front door.
t h u m p
t h u m p
t h u m p
Dorian leaned down, pressing his ear to Raven's chest, listening closely.
thump
thump
thump
He could hear it; the thumping was growing louder. A heartbeat. Her heartbeat. "Her heart is beating," he announced loudly, capturing everyone's attention. He looked up from her angelic face at his friends. "She's alive."
"We need to get her to the hospital. I'll ask for Grace's help; she can assist us," he declared. Michael nodded, approaching Raven to lift her. Dorian's eyes darkened with a glare directed at Michael.
Michael stepped back. Dorian, turning away from him and facing Raven, gently lifted her body before turning to Michael.
"Be careful with her," he instructed them. No one asked a question about where he was going, for they knew.
He was never going to let it go.
"We will," Michael assured him.
Without asking questions, Michael carefully took the girl from Dorian's arms, and together with Oakley, he left the ruins.
Dorian inhaled deeply, hope swelling in his heart; his soulmate was alive.
She did not die.
'I will see you soon, my love,' he thought. He had something to take care of.
Leaving the ruins. The sky was now clear of clouds, and the stars were shining brightly. It was the early hours of the next morning.
THUMP
THUMP
THUMP
Harsh breathing filled his ears as he walked alone in the woods. Whistling the lullaby into the night air. All the animals who usually hid in the woods were gone, sensing the predator lurking in the woods.
He could hear the running footsteps of the person and their soft cries as they tried to put distance between them and him. Calmly walking, the person stopped in their tracks. Hearing the soft lullaby in the air.
THUMP
THUMP
THUMP
THUMP
"No," the woman cried out, breaking the silence. Dorian stood between the trees as she scanned her surroundings, fear rolling over her. Taking a step out of the trees, Noelle's eyes landed on him as he came for her. Her body went rigid as she saw him disappear, the lullaby continuing for another few seconds before everything went quiet. Not sparing another second, she turned around, only to collide with a large chest.
"Nononono," she repeated as he grabbed her, pushing her into the tree behind him.
"Dor-" she began. He stared at her, a snarl on his face as he tightened his grip.
"Do you think she was in pain when it happened?" he questioned the witch seriously.
Noelle froze, unsure of what to say.
"I don't know," she answered.
"You nearly took her away from me," Dorian expressed to Noelle.
"Is she alive?" the witch asked, shocked.
"Yes, my mate is alive," he affirmed.
"She is your mate?" Noelle questioned, her face becoming pale as all the color drained from it.
He nodded, his fangs extending.
"Wait, wait, Dorian. You don't know the truth," Noelle began.
"And what is that?" he asked her.
"Are you missing something? Times and memories are not adding up," she probed.
Glaring at her, he dropped her to the ground, waiting for her to continue.
"What have you done?" he growled at her.
"We did what needed to be done. You were always a step ahead of us, always having the upper hand, and we have grown tired of it," she declared.
"That was your fault," he retorted.
Taking a step closer, Noelle backed up. "You weren't supposed to meet the way you did."
"I haven't met her before," he insisted.
"Yes, you have. The day you went to Maura's was the day you met her. Maura said you were so captivated by her that you watched her before making yourself known. She said, Better yet, let me show you a peek," she said, grabbing his hand, and his surroundings were replaced by those of the shop.
Flash.
"And who may you be?" the person asked behind her. Spinning around, Raven faced the man, who stood a few feet away from her, his hands folded behind his back.
***Flash***
Grabbing her hands, she felt electricity flow through her. Quickly pulling away from his touch,
"Ouch," she whispered, brushing her hand where the shock was.
"You are one powerful witch," he remarked, astonished.
***Flash***
"You are radiant," an amazed look on his face as she stared at her.
***Flash***
"I am Raven." Raven introduced herself with a smile on her face, her eyes meeting his.
"I am Dorian."
***Flashover***
Dorian stepped backward, and the flashes stopped.
"I would have remembered," Dorian spat, baring his teeth at her.
"No, you wouldn't have had to ensure mutual hatred; otherwise, you might have developed feelings for each other," she explained.
"How do you know of this?" Dorian questioned Noelle. "We witches have been waiting for this for a long time. We were all working together. The tea she gave you, the plant she used that plant is used to remove memories. I don't know how Raven did not realize it since she is so infatuated with plants. Why do you think we resorted to this? Why do you think you could not kill her? Something prevented you. Your body recognized her. But the second time you met, we needed to make sure that you hated her and she would hate you; otherwise, there was a chance that you would fall for one another," Noelle explained.
Then he wanted every last memory that was taken from him.
"Give me back my memories," Dorian demanded.
"I can't. Even if I wanted to. Our magic is gone; this was our chance to get it back," Noelle admitted hastily.
"You witches are always scheming, betraying, murdering, cursing, believing others owe you," Dorian accused.
"Your mate is a witch," Noelle retorted, then caught herself. She almost forgot who she was talking to.
"Don't compare yourself to her!" Dorian bellowed. "The difference is stark; she was born from darkness while you became it. Her magic serves benevolence, unlike yours," he countered.
"You forgot that before recognizing her as your mate, you intended to kill her," Noelle reminded Dorian.
"Witches, always thinking you know everything," Dorian scoffed, then fixed Noelle with a stern gaze.
"There's something you must know, a secret that will stay between us. The curse that had been plaguing me," he murmured, pinning her against the tree. "It was never about my bite or my hunger. The curse was placed on only a part of me. Can you guess which?" he challenged as she looked on, tears brimming in her eyes.
She shook her head. "I don't know."
"It's something Maura knew (something she feared about me); that is why she did not want to break the curse all those years ago when I was born," he said, giving her a clue. "I have my wolf," he said, his eyes changing to his gray eyes as he lifted one finger. "I have my vampire side." His eyes shifted to a dark shade of burgundy as he held up another finger and then waved his third finger. "Give me a guess (what was taken from me)," he growled angrily.
Shaking her head at him, she cried out, "I don't know."
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath before snapping them open, his tribrid eyes now on display. Noelle shook as she stared into his eyes, the colors all mashed together.
"My witch abilities were suppressed by the oppressed; it was never about the bite. I can live with the hunger, but I have to constantly live with a part of me lurking in the shadows while I am amused as the sole source of power for you witches. I am the only reason you still have magic, Noelle, but it is time to change that," he spat at her, his body shaking as his wolf begged to be let out.
"You hurt my mate. I was never going to kill her; I was too captivated by her. Even monsters can learn to forgive, something you never considered," he growled.
"You think she will love you, but you are wrong. We had the misfortune to witness the true version of you back in the day when you had a vendetta against nature. Wait until she sees who you are," she cackled.
Shaking his head with a laugh left him staring down at Noelle. He said, "She knows everything about me. Raven had to enter my mind to learn where the missing piece of the spell was. She had to go to a time before I transitioned; she saw all of me. Where do you think the lullaby came from?" he asked her.
"She sang the lullaby; that's how you knew where she was. She knew the lullaby," Noelle recalled, her eyes wide.
"No, she doesn't know the lullaby. If you spent a second not obsessing over yourselves, you would have known that when Raven was a child, she had terrible nightmares and was scared of the dark and storms. Overwhelmed, her mother did not know what to do; her child was scared, and she did not know how to help her, but she found a way. Music was something Raven's father used to help her deal with her dark magic, and Raven loved music, so her mother helped Raven create a song to calm her during nightmares and her fear of the storms. She would croon it, and by the time she had gone into my mind, she had unfortunately seen the demons I battled. Overcome by fear, she sang the melody. And I think our link formed way before we even knew that somehow that lullaby had traveled through time and become something of mine. That's how I came to know the lullaby "It felt personal, yet it was never mine; it belonged to Raven," he explained.
He seized her neck, drawing her in. "If you end my life, you will never know why we wanted Rav-," she gasped, but his bite silenced her. Her body stiffened and collapsed. With her demise, the last tie to their scheming was severed.
The only one still connected to him was his mate.