Chapter 8: Heart of Darkness

The quietness that enveloped the night like a thick curtain was uncanny. The ancient stone walls of the castle were shrouded in darkness, even as the moon shone outside in a chilly, silver light. Gazing into the flickering hearth fires, Alaric stood in the big hall. His mind was a tempest of long-buried emotions, grief, anger, and the constant anguish of loss. But now something else was stirring inside of him: a deep, primordial yearning that scared him more than the curse itself.

He could hear Celine getting closer, her heartbeat pulsating through the air, beckoning to him, a delicate pattern in the deafening quiet. Even before she opened the door, her presence was felt throughout the space. All of his inclinations, all of his dark urges, cried out for him to turn, to grab her, to taste the blood that he knew would rekindle his rage. But he resisted, just as he had all these years before. Every second that went by made it more difficult to resist the inevitable.

Celine carefully stepped in and met his gaze right away. His back was to her, his posture straight, his shape silhouetted in shadow—this was not the guy she had known. She felt a shiver run down her spine because the atmosphere surrounding him seemed alive and imbued with energy. Tonight was different in some way. The air held a rawness, an uncontrolled desire that at once pulled her in and scared her.

"Alaric," she uttered in a quiet but worried murmur. "You've been aloof. What's going on?"

He did not look to turn to face her. He was unable to. He knew that if he gazed into those eyes, which were so similar to Elara's, he would lose self-control. He battled the swelling flood of desire inside of him; his hands tightened.

"You ought to depart," he said in a raspy, tense voice. "Celine, I told you before. There are certain things you just don't get. You're tinkering with energy that is far greater than yourself.

"It doesn't concern me!" There was no fear, but Celine's voice quivering with fury. "You are important to me. I see what you're getting into with this darkness. And until you tell me the truth, I'm not going anywhere."

Alaric caught his breath. Under her words, he could feel the barriers he had created for ages collapsing. How could he say the truth when a sword really pierced him that deeply? However, the secrets that were festering inside of him like poison had made the weight of his silence intolerable.

He turned to look at her slowly. Celine's breath caught in her throat as she saw the hollowed-out sorrow in his eyes, which were shimmering faintly in the low light. She had always suspected, but never seen so clearly, that he carried a gloom. It seemed like the dam was finally bursting on an ocean of agony that he had been trying to contain.

"You're seeking the truth?" His tone was low, dangerously serene, as though speaking might finally let out the inner beast. Excellent. In actuality, this is not where you were meant to be. It was never intended for you to exist.

Celine winced, yet she didn't avert her gaze. Her determination simply become more resolute. "Explain what you mean."

Alaric moved in closer, his presence oppressive. With an intensity that verged on lunacy, his eyes met hers. "You are a curse, truly. A constant reminder of what I've lost. You sound and seem just like Elara. However, you are not her. And you remind me of my failure every time I look at you, every time you breathe in my presence. of her passing. and of the centuries-long cost I have borne.

Despite her heart thumping in her chest, Celine remained firm. Do you believe I'm being punished in any way? that here is where I was sent to torture you?"

Alaric murmured in a voice that was both yearning and disgusted, "Your blood is what brought you in this direction. It has the secret to lifting the centuries-old curse I've been under. Elara's blood is linked to yours. It is the one thing that can both liberate me from this never-ending torment and restore my strength.

Her shocked eyes became wider. "My blood?"

With a gloomy stare, Alaric nodded. Indeed. And what does that imply, do you know? Do you know what that means for me? Something monstrous. Because everything in me is screaming to take what I need and to drain you dry right now as I talk to you. To destroy you in order to save myself.

Celine's eyes filled with tears, not from terror but more from the intolerable weight of his suffering. Although she had always believed that there was something unique about her relationship with him, she was surprised to learn that it was verified.

"Why don't you?" She spoke in a murmur at most, shaking with passion. "If your need is my blood, then why haven't you taken it?"

With his hands trembling by his sides, Alaric closed his eyes. "Because I love her," he growled. I cherish you. I also find it unbearable to consider losing you once more.

Raw and terrible, the confession hung between them like a living thing. The depth of his suffering and the generations of sorrow he had faced while struggling against his own nature broke Celine's heart. Alaric flinched away as she moved in closer, her hands reaching out to grasp him.

"No," he snarled. "Avoid getting too near. I have to give it up soon.

Celine continued nevertheless. She put a gentle palm to his chest and felt the coldness beneath her fingers. Alaric, you're not a monster. You are a man who has endured far too much suffering. You've sent everyone away out of fear for the consequences of falling in love with someone again. I'm not leaving, though.

With his hands shaking and his breath coming in short gasps, Alaric was uncertain whether to push her away or draw her in. There was an oppressive strain in the air. He was teetering on the brink of losing control like a knife.

"You're not understanding," he stammered out. "Your blood will set me free. However, you—

Next, take it. He was struck into silence by her comments.

Celine gave him a resolute glance up at him. "Take it if that's what you need." You have my faith. I have faith in you. I'm confident you won't harm me.

Alaric felt his heart twist in agony. Under his fingers, he sensed her heartbeat, her body's warmth luring him in like a siren's song. His teeth were sore from wanting to bite, taste, and assert. However, he saw hope in her eyes, something he had not felt in generations. He thought to himself that perhaps, just possibly, he didn't have to travel this route alone until he noticed the guy hiding behind the beast, the king who had been lost.

Alaric drew her into his arms, breaking down into tears and putting her hair in front of his face. "I am unable to... I also can't let you go.

Whispering, "You won't," she clung to him hard. "Together, we shall face this."

Alaric understood at that instant, deep in the shadows, that he had been battling not just his curse but also his own dread of love. And perhaps, just possibly, Celine was the answer he had been looking for the entire time.