The night was thick with mist, clinging to the ancient castle walls like a shroud. Blood dripped steadily from Selene’s fingertips, staining the stone floor in dark crimson. Her breathing was ragged, sharp against the eerie silence that surrounded her throne. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, but the hunger still gnawed at her insides. A hunger no amount of blood could satisfy.

Her kind, the vampires, had ruled the night for centuries. They lived in the shadows, in the cracks between the mortal world and the unknown, feeding on the living to keep their immortality. Selene had always been their queen, fierce and untouchable. But now, her rule was crumbling, not because of humans or hunters, but because of her own desires.

“You look troubled, my Queen,” a voice broke through the haze.

Selene didn’t turn. She knew the voice belonged to Darius, her most loyal guard. His eyes, though burning with respect, had seen too much of her lately. He had seen the way her eyes lingered on the human village below the castle, how she’d slip away at night just to watch a single mortal from the shadows.

Her obsession was a sickness. And her people had begun to notice.

“I’m fine,” Selene hissed, her voice sharper than she intended.

But she wasn’t fine. In her mind, she saw him again—the human. His face haunted her dreams, his scent lingered on the wind, intoxicating her like no blood ever had. His name was Gabriel, a simple man, unaware of the danger his existence posed to her. He wasn’t special in any mortal sense, but to Selene, he was everything.

She had watched him for months, at first out of curiosity. But soon, the curiosity became something darker. Every night, her need to see him grew stronger. It wasn’t just his blood she craved; it was his presence, his very being. It felt as though he had cast some spell over her, though she knew better—this was her own weakness.

“You’re lying to yourself,” Darius said, stepping closer. His voice lowered, though his tone remained steady. “This obsession with the human is dangerous, Selene. The others are talking. They fear you are losing yourself.”

“I am their Queen!” she snapped, rising from her throne, her eyes glowing a deep, furious red. “I do not answer to them, and I certainly do not answer to you!”

Darius bowed his head but didn’t retreat. “You may not answer to us, my Queen, but you will have to face the consequences if you do not control this... infatuation. The Council is already suspicious. They see your weakness. They know you’ve been distracted.”

Selene’s chest heaved, her fangs bared in fury. But Darius was right. Her obsession with Gabriel was making her vulnerable. The Council would not tolerate weakness in their queen. And if they discovered the depths of her fixation on a mere human, they would take everything from her.

She clenched her fists, the thought of losing her crown burning in her mind. But worse than that, the idea of never seeing Gabriel again twisted something deep inside her. She would not let them take him from her. She couldn’t.

“I will deal with the Council,” she said coldly, her voice regaining its deadly calm. “But Gabriel is mine.”

Darius hesitated. “And what of your people, Selene? Will you sacrifice us all for a human?”

Selene’s eyes darkened. The truth was clear, even if she wouldn’t admit it yet. Her obsession with Gabriel was dangerous, not just for her but for all of her kind.

But in that moment, nothing mattered. Not the Council. Not her kingdom.

Only Gabriel.

“I will not lose him,” she whispered, knowing that the cost of her obsession could be the end of them all.

The village lay quiet under the night sky, its peacefulness a stark contrast to the turmoil within Selene. She had come here with a mission, a directive from the Council she could not ignore. Her heart, however, betrayed her. Gabriel had become more than just an obsession—he was now the center of her world.

Selene approached Gabriel's modest home, her steps silent as she moved through the darkness. Her mind raced with the consequences of her actions. She had been ordered to eliminate him, to end the threat he posed to her and her kind. Yet, the more she watched him, the more she saw someone who stirred her in ways she had never known.

Gabriel was sitting by the fire inside his small cottage, the warm glow casting gentle shadows on his face. He looked tired but peaceful. Selene’s heart ached at the sight. She had seen him in so many different moments—laughing with friends, caring for a sick neighbor—but never like this, so vulnerable and alone.

She stepped through the door, her movements swift but deliberate. Gabriel looked up, his eyes widening in surprise. He quickly stood, his expression shifting from shock to a mixture of curiosity and wariness.

“Who are you?” Gabriel asked, his voice steady but laced with tension. “Why are you here?”

Selene paused, her breath catching in her throat. Her fangs itched to emerge, her instincts urging her to act, but her heart conflicted. “I’m not here to harm you,” she said softly, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Gabriel’s eyes searched hers, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his face. “Then why come here in the middle of the night?”

Selene stepped closer, trying to ignore the voice in her head that told her to retreat. “I was sent to end your life. It was a command.”

Gabriel took a step back, his face a mixture of fear and disbelief. “You were going to kill me?”

“Yes,” she admitted, feeling the weight of her confession. “But something has changed. I’ve seen you, I’ve watched you... and I can’t do it.”

Gabriel’s confusion deepened. “Why not? What changed?”

Selene hesitated, her heart pounding. “I don’t understand it myself. There’s something about you that calls to me. Your kindness, your strength... it’s like nothing I’ve ever known.”

Gabriel studied her, his eyes narrowing as he tried to make sense of her words. “And now you’re here, saying you can’t kill me? What does that mean?”

“It means,” Selene said, her voice trembling with emotion, “that I can’t follow through with my mission. I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Gabriel took a cautious step forward, his fear mingled with a growing sense of hope. “Then what will you do?”

Selene’s gaze softened. “I don’t know. I can’t stay here, not now. But I need to understand why I feel this way.”

Gabriel’s expression was a mix of hope and hesitation. “If you’re telling the truth, if you really don’t want to hurt me, then stay. At least for a while. Let me show you who I am, and maybe you can understand why you feel this way.”

Selene’s heart fluttered. She was torn between duty and desire, between her past and a future she couldn’t yet imagine. She knew staying could mean danger, both for her and Gabriel.

“I will stay,” she said finally, her voice steady despite the storm within. “But we must be cautious. If anyone finds out, it could be the end for both of us.”

Gabriel nodded, a flicker of a smile crossing his face. "Then let’s make the most of the time we have. I want to know the person who came here to kill me and why she chose to stay.”

As they settled by the fire, the tension between them began to ease. The night was full of uncertainty, but for now, Selene found a strange comfort in Gabriel’s presence. She had entered his world as a hunter, but she was beginning to see it through different eyes, and the more she did, the more she feared what she had started to feel.