BLOOD AND OBSESSION

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.

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