Anne stood by the window, watching the moonlight dance on the edge of the forest, its pale glow illuminating the trees in an eerie silver haze. Beneath the shimmer, the world felt impossibly still. Silent. But she knew better than to trust the stillness. It was only a matter of time before the fire inside her began to burn again.
She reached up, brushing a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear, the weight of the night pressing against her chest. The house around her—an isolated stone fortress hidden deep within the woods—had been her world for as long as she could remember. Her mother, Bela, had kept her here, locked away like a dangerous secret. No friends. No freedom. Just the occasional glimpse of the outside world through a barred window, the whispers of other lives carried on the wind.
Anne's fingers grazed the scar along her wrist—a faint, yet constant reminder of how tightly her mother held her captive. It was no accident. Her blood was both a gift and a curse. Dragon's fire running through her veins. Vampire's power lurking just beneath the surface. She wasn't meant for the world outside.
But tonight, the fire called to her. The air was different, charged with an energy she couldn't explain. It had been building inside her for days, a pulsing warmth that made her skin tingle with a hunger she didn't know how to tame. Tonight, she had to find out what it was.
The door creaked open behind her, and she spun around to find her mother standing in the doorway, her eyes narrowing with a mix of suspicion and warning.
"You're awake," Bela said, her voice low, almost a growl. "You know you're not supposed to be up."
Anne stiffened, her heart thudding in her chest. She had to go. Now.
"I need air," she said, forcing a calmness she didn't feel. "I just want to breathe, Mother. Please."
Bela's gaze lingered on her, unreadable, before she finally sighed, her expression softening—just for a moment. "Fine. But you stay in the yard. Do not leave the boundary. Understand?"
Anne nodded, her heart racing. The boundary. A line she had never dared to cross, one that had been drawn around the house and the surrounding woods, visible only to those like her. Her mother's command. A reminder of how dangerous the world could be for someone like Anne.
But tonight... Tonight, she would push that limit.
As her mother turned and walked away, Anne moved swiftly to the door, slipping out into the cool night air. The scent of pine and earth filled her lungs as she took a deep breath, feeling the fire inside her stir.
There was no turning back now.