Morning

Morning
ARABELLA POV.

The morning light crept through the tall windows, spilling across the stone floors in golden ribbons. I lay still, tangled in the heavy silk sheets, the remnants of sleep clinging to me like cobwebs. The events of the night before felt like a nightmare, yet my heart still beat with a rhythm that couldn’t quite escape the lingering tension.

Lucien. His warmth, his touch... everything felt so real, yet as I shifted on the bed, my heart sank. He was gone, just like he always was—always slipping away when I needed him the most.

The knock at the door startled me, pulling me from my thoughts. I didn’t bother to call for entrance; the door creaked open of its own accord.

Fionn.

His tall frame filled the doorway, his presence both comforting and unsettling all at once. I stiffened as he stepped into the room, the delicate aroma of breakfast wafting from a silver tray in his hands. The scent of warm bread, freshly brewed coffee, and something faintly sweet made my stomach growl despite myself.

“Good morning, Arabella,” he said, his voice a strange mix of familiarity and distance, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly, studying me as if seeing through every layer I wore.

I sat up in bed, pulling the sheets up to my chest, feeling a surge of discomfort. The last time I’d seen him this way—when everything had come crashing down—I still hadn’t fully processed what had happened. He was alive. Fionn. My brother. And he was a vampire.

“I didn’t expect you to bring me breakfast,” I said, my tone flat, careful to hide the anger that bubbled beneath the surface. I didn’t want him here, but at the same time, I couldn’t push him away.

“Someone has to,” he said with a slight smirk, setting the tray down on the small table beside the window. He stood a little too close for comfort. “And Lucien isn’t exactly known for his bedside manner, is he?”

I gritted my teeth, the mention of his name sparking a flash of heat across my chest. “Where is he?” I demanded, my voice sharp. “He was here last night.”

Fionn raised an eyebrow, a flicker of amusement crossing his features. “He had business. The court is not without its demands. It’s not like you’re his... concern anymore.”

The bitterness of his words stung more than I wanted to admit. I leaned forward, my fists clenched at my sides. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Fionn sighed, looking at me as though he were weighing his words carefully. “I don’t think he can afford to be concerned, Arabella. Not after everything. You don’t know what it’s like here, in this place, what it costs to keep everything in balance.”

“Balance,” I repeated, the word tasting foreign on my tongue. “Is that what they call it? Keeping things in balance, Lucien, the court... and me?”

He looked away, as if the question was something too heavy to bear. “You think I like this? You think I like the way things have turned out? You think I wanted any of this?”

I shot up from the bed, anger flaring in my chest, burning through the fog of sleep. “I don’t know what you want, Fionn! I don’t even know who you are anymore!”

His expression softened, the cool mask of the servant slipping just a fraction. “I’m the same person I’ve always been. I just... didn’t want you to see me like this.”

I swallowed hard, the words sticking in my throat. “I can’t be here, Fionn. I can’t stay in this castle. In this... this hell.”

“You’re not exactly in a position to leave, are you?” he said, his voice low, barely a whisper.

I froze. The reality of my situation crashed over me like a wave, suffocating. He was right. I wasn’t free. Not anymore. I was trapped in this world of vampires, of politics, of shifting allegiances. Of Lucien.

I blinked, trying to clear the sudden sting of tears. “You don’t understand. I was hunting vampires... I was killing them. And now... now I’m here.”

Fionn stepped forward, his hand reaching out to place a tentative touch on my shoulder. It was strangely warm, grounding. “I never wanted you to have to do that, Arabella. I never wanted you to become what you’ve become.”

I pulled away from him, the walls inside me rising higher. “I didn’t choose this. None of it. But you... you left me. You left me to deal with this alone.”

He flinched, his face twisting with regret. “I didn’t have a choice. If I stayed... I would’ve turned. And I couldn’t risk... losing you, too. I couldn’t be the monster you were hunting.”

His voice cracked on the last words, and for the first time, I saw the raw vulnerability in him. My brother. The one I thought was lost to me, a shadow among shadows. But here he was, standing in front of me, a vampire, yes—but still my brother, still Fionn.

I dropped my head into my hands, trying to quell the storm of emotions raging inside me. “And now?”

“Now,” he said, his voice softer, “now you decide. You always have the choice, Arabella.”

I looked up at him, the weight of it all settling in the hollow of my chest. I wasn’t sure what I wanted anymore. The man who had raised me, the one I had so desperately sought revenge for, was now standing before me, a creature of the night, a vampire. And yet, he was still my brother. I couldn’t ignore that.

“It’s not so bad,” he said with a half-smile, the kind of smile that seemed to speak more of acceptance than joy. He took a step closer, leaning against the doorframe as if testing his own words. “I live rent-free.”

I couldn’t help the faint chuckle that slipped from my lips. “That sounds... nice, I guess,” I said, running a hand through my tangled hair, trying to ignore the strange ache in my chest. “What else? What’s life like for a vampire, then?”