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Blood & Moonlight

Chapter 3: Names and Nightfall

Word Count: ~2,100

Rael lit another candle.

The soft flame flickered as he pressed the match against the old wood shelf, then tossed it into a tin cup half-filled with ash. The room smelled of smoke and something faintly herbal—lavender, maybe, or dried wolfroot.

Lucien watched him from across the room.

They hadn’t spoken for a while. Just sat, breathing the same air, not quite looking at each other.

Rael broke the silence first.

“Why do you care about those killings?”

Lucien blinked. The question was sudden, quiet, but not casual.

He leaned his head against the wall and answered honestly.

“Because they weren’t clean.”

Rael narrowed his eyes.

“Vampire kills are clean,” Lucien continued. “Fast. Quiet. No mess, no noise. This wasn’t that.”

Rael said nothing.

“And werewolves,” Lucien added, “don’t kill like this either. Not unless they’ve lost control. Which... is rare.”

Rael’s gaze dropped for a second. “Not as rare as you think.”

Lucien tilted his head slightly, studying him.

Rael didn’t look away—but he didn’t explain, either.

After a beat, Lucien said, “You think it was a rogue.”

Rael nodded slowly. “Maybe. Or something worse.”

Lucien’s voice softened. “You’ve seen it before?”

Rael didn’t answer.

Not with words.

But the way his shoulders stiffened told Lucien everything.

He looked down at his own hands, at the faint shimmer of power in his veins. The moon hadn’t risen fully tonight, but it was there. Waiting. Watching.

“I didn’t come to New Haven to play detective,” Lucien said after a while. “But when monsters start killing each other in the dark... someone has to notice.”

Rael stood up and walked to the window. The city beyond was a ghost—foggy and distant, lit only by blinking security lights and the silent glow of drones.

“Your kind always notices too late,” he said. “After the blood dries.”

Lucien nodded slowly. “Maybe.”

Rael’s voice dropped lower. “So what will you do?”

Lucien stood. Walked toward him.

He stopped a few steps behind, careful not to crowd him. “Find out what’s hiding here. And stop it. If I can.”

Rael turned slightly, golden eyes meeting red. “Why?”

Lucien’s lips parted like he might say something clever.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he spoke plainly. “Because if this spreads… it won’t just be humans dying. It’ll be us too.”

Rael didn’t move for a long time.

Then he said, very quietly, “Then I’ll help.”

Lucien blinked. “What?”

“I’ll help,” Rael repeated, looking out the window again. “Until we find what’s killing people.”

Lucien’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t even trust me.”

“I don’t need to trust you,” Rael replied. “I just need to stop whatever’s out there.”

Lucien exhaled slowly. “Fair.”

They stood side by side, watching the quiet city, the shadows stretching like ghosts across the rooftops.

The rain had stopped.

But the clouds hadn’t left.

Lucien’s voice broke the silence again.

“What happened to your pack?”

Rael’s body stiffened. His jaw tightened. But his answer came, soft and heavy.

“They’re gone.”

Lucien waited.

Rael didn’t say more.

Lucien didn’t press.

A long silence followed.

Then Rael asked, “What happened to your heart?”

Lucien blinked, surprised.

“My heart?”

“You act like you don’t feel anything,” Rael said, voice low. “But you keep looking at me like you want to.”

Lucien said nothing at first.

Then he smiled.

But it was tired. Small.

“I forgot what it’s like to feel anything and mean it.”

Rael studied him, searching his face.

“You’re not what I expected.”

Lucien looked back. “Neither are you.”

Rael sat down again, pulling a blanket over his shoulders. “You’re still a vampire.”

Lucien smirked. “And you’re still a wolf.”

“Don’t forget it.”

Lucien sat beside him, not too close, not too far.

The candle between them flickered again.

“I’ll sleep a few hours,” Rael said. “You should too.”

“Vampires don’t sleep.”

Rael raised an eyebrow. “Then sit quietly and don’t watch me.”

Lucien chuckled softly. “No promises.”

Rael gave him a tired glare, but didn’t argue.

As the candlelight dimmed, the room grew quieter. Lucien leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He didn’t sleep—but he rested.

Rael’s breathing slowed, steady and deep.

And in the stillness of that moment, something changed.

Not loud.

Not sudden.

Just the gentle shift of two broken things, leaning slightly toward each other.

End of Chapter 3

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