Growing Feelings

Dust filled the air as Lila coughed and opened her eyes. Heavy stones surrounded her, but something—or someone—had protected her from being crushed. The Blood King's strong arms were wrapped around her, his body covering hers protectively.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice strained with pain.

Lila shook her head, too shocked to speak. The king had saved her life. He had thrown himself over her when the ceiling fell. Why would he do that if he only wanted to use her power?

Carefully, he pushed away the fallen stones and helped her stand. Blood trickled from a cut on his scalp, but he seemed more worried about her than himself.

"We need to move," he said quickly. "The entire tower could come down."

They hurried down the spiral stairs, the king leading the way. Lila clutched the bottle of his blood in her pocket, her mind racing with questions. How could she hate someone who just risked his life to save her? But how could she trust someone who had lied to her for so long?

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, they found the castle in chaos. Guards ran in all directions as more blasts shook the walls. Through a broken window, Lila could see the sky—and the moon, glowing a strange blood-red.

"The red moon," she whispered. "It's happening now."

The king's face was grim. "Darius is attacking earlier than I expected. He wants to force our hand."

"I need to find my mother," Lila urged.

The king looked at her with those old, sad eyes. "Lila, you must understand—"

Before he could finish, a figure burst through the door—Kael, his clothes torn and his face bruised.

"You escaped!" Lila cried, relieved to see him alive.

"The explosion damaged the dungeons," Kael explained, eyeing the Blood King carefully. "What happened to you two?"

"The ceiling collapsed in the mirror room," Lila said. "The king saved me."

Something dark flashed across Kael's face. "How convenient."

The king ignored Kael's comment. "The North Tower is under attack. If you're determined to go there, Lila, this might be your only chance while Darius's forces are distracted."

"You're letting her go?" Kael asked suspiciously.

"I can't stop her," the king responded. "But I can help her." He turned to Lila. "The vial I gave you—use it only if you have no other choice. My blood will strengthen your powers, but it comes with a price."

"What price?" Lila asked.

"It will bind us together, more deeply than before," he said softly. "You'll feel what I feel. Know what I know."

Kael stepped between them. "She doesn't need your blood. I'll protect her."

The king's eyes hardened. "Like you protected her from the ceiling collapse? Or from Darius's spies who put that bird in her room?"

Kael's fists clenched. "I've been by her side from the beginning, while you've been lying to her."

"Stop it, both of you!" Lila snapped. "My mother is what matters now."

Another explosion rocked the castle, closer this time. The floor trembled beneath their feet.

"We need to move," the king said. "I'll clear a path to the North Tower."

"We don't need your help," Kael growled.

The king stepped closer to Lila, ignoring Kael totally. "Be careful," he whispered. "Remember what I said about the woman with golden hair."

Lila nodded, suddenly hesitant to leave him. "What will you do?"

"Fight Darius," he answered simply. "Buy you time."

Without thinking, Lila grabbed his hand. "Don't die."

Something like surprise flashed in the king's eyes, followed by a warmth she had never seen there before. He squeezed her hand gently. "I've lived five hundred years waiting for you to break this curse. I don't plan to die tonight."

Kael made a horrified noise and pulled Lila away. "We need to go. Now."

As they hurried through the castle halls, dodging falling debris and fighting vampires, Lila found her thoughts returning to the Blood King. The way he had looked at her, the way he had shielded her—it didn't feel like someone who only wanted her power.

"You're thinking about him again," Kael said angrily as they paused to catch their breath in an empty hallway.

"He saved my life," Lila responded.

"He's manipulating you," Kael declared. "Everything he does is part of his plan."

"How do you know?" Lila challenged. "You heard what he said—he was human once. He loved Selene."

"And you believe him?" Kael's voice was harsh. "He's the Blood King, Lila. He's lived for centuries by taking what isn't his—including you, over and over again."

Lila shook her head, confused by her own thoughts. "If he wanted me dead, he's had plenty of chances."

Kael stepped closer, his eyes intense. "He doesn't want you dead—he wants you willing. It's easier that way."

"Easier for what?"

"The ritual," Kael explained. "Your power flows stronger if you give it freely. That's why he's trying to make you care for him."

Lila wanted to argue, but a scream cut through the air—a woman's scream, coming from the direction of the North Tower.

"Mother?" Lila gasped, breaking into a run.

They reached the base of the North Tower, but the entry was blocked by fallen stones. Lila could see a dim light glowing from inside, pulsing in time with the red moon overhead.

"We need to find another way in," she said desperately.

Kael studied the wall. "There's a window up there. I can climb up and pull you after me."

He climbed the wall with vampire speed, then reached down to help Lila. As she climbed, the vial of the king's blood slipped from her pocket, hanging by its chain around her neck.

Kael's eyes narrowed at the sight. "You're still carrying his blood?"

"He said I might need it," Lila responded defensively.

Once inside the tower, they found themselves in a circle room. In the middle stood a stone altar, bathed in red moonlight streaming through a hole in the ceiling. The room was empty.

"No one's here," Lila said, confused.

"Lila?" a soft voice called from the darkness. "Is that you?"

Lila's heart stopped. She knew that sound. "Mother?"

A figure stepped into the moonlight—a woman with long golden hair and bright blue eyes.

Lila took a step forward, but Kael grabbed her arm. "Wait," he whispered. "The king warned you about a woman with golden hair."

The woman smiled, reaching out her hands. "Lila, my darling. I've waited so long to see you again."

"It's not her," Kael maintained. "Your mother had dark hair, like yours."

Lila paused, torn between hope and suspicion. "Who are you really?"

The woman's smile widened, becoming something cruel and wrong. "Don't you recognize me, daughter? Or should I call you... Selene?"

Her blue eyes began to glow red, and her golden hair darkened to black in the growing shadow. Lila gasped as she recognized the face beneath the changing features.

"Darius," she whispered.

The man laughed, his disguise falling away totally. "Very good. But not quite right." He bowed mockingly. "Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am the true Blood King—the one your precious Elias murdered and replaced."

Lila's mind reeled. "That's impossible. You would be dead."

"Death is a flexible concept for beings like us," Darius said, circling them slowly. "Especially when one has access to Star Witch blood."

Behind them, the tower door slammed shut. Darius smiled as red light from the moon grew stronger.

"Just in time," he said. "The ritual can begin."

Kael stepped in front of Lila, baring his fangs. "You'll have to go through me first."

Darius laughed. "Oh, I'm counting on it." He snapped his fingers, and Kael suddenly froze, his body rigid.

"What are you doing to him?" Lila cried.

"Ask him yourself," Darius offered. "Ask your loyal protector who he really works for."

As the red moonlight touched Kael's face, strange marks appeared on his skin—symbols that matched the ones in Darius's spell book.

"Kael?" Lila whispered, backing away from both men. "What's happening?"

Kael turned to her, his eyes filled with tears of blood. "I'm sorry, Lila," he said in a broken voice. "I never wanted to hurt you."

Darius clapped his hands in joy. "The pieces are finally in place! The witch, the traitor, and the usurper's blood around your neck." He pointed to the moon above them. "When the red moon reaches its peak, the cycle ends—one way or another."

Lila clutched the jar of the Blood King's blood, remembering his warning. Use it only if you have no other choice.

She looked at Kael, the vampire she had trusted, now revealed as something else entirely. She looked at Darius, who claimed to be the original king. And somewhere in the castle, fighting to reach her, was the man who had saved her life—the man she was beginning to care for despite everything.

The red moon shone straight overhead, bathing them all in its bloody light. Lila pulled the bottle from its chain, knowing she had to decide, right now, who to trust.

"Choose, little witch," Darius whispered. "Choose your fate."