Secrets Under Moonlight
532 Words
The moon hung heavy and low, casting the city in silver shadows.
Elysia pulled her jacket tighter around herself, feeling the crisp bite of the air against her skin. She kept glancing over her shoulder, but the streets were empty — or so it seemed.
Her mind wouldn’t stop spinning.
She wasn’t human?
What the hell was she then?
The memory of Lucien’s fingers trailing along her jaw burned like a brand. No one should be able to leave a mark with just a touch, and yet…
she could still feel him.
---
The little bookstore at the corner of Holloway Lane was the only place open at this hour. It was a relic from another time — all worn wood and dusty shelves stacked with forgotten knowledge. She ducked inside, hoping to clear her head.
The bell chimed overhead.
An old man behind the counter glanced up, his eyes sharp and knowing. "Looking for something, child?"
"Something about..." she hesitated, biting her lip, "magic."
His eyebrows rose slightly, but he said nothing, simply gesturing toward a hidden stairwell.
Downstairs, in the secret belly of the shop, the air was thick with incense and old paper. Shelves towered overhead, heavy with tomes bound in cracked leather.
One book seemed to call to her — literally.
She heard a whisper.
"Come closer..."
Elysia’s fingers brushed the spine, and a jolt shot up her arm. The cover was dark velvet, embossed with a strange symbol — a crescent moon entwined with thorns.
Opening it, she found a page describing creatures she thought existed only in nightmares:
> Hybrids. Born of magic and blood, rare and feared. The offspring of a vampire and a witch. Power beyond mortal reckoning. Hidden to survive. Destined to rule.
Her hands trembled.
Hybrid.
Vampire.
Witch.
Her.
---
"Careful what you touch," a deep voice rumbled behind her.
She spun around — and there he was.
Lucien.
Again.
Like a shadow she couldn’t escape.
He leaned lazily against the doorframe, the old lightbulbs casting shadows over his sharp cheekbones and sinful mouth.
"You shouldn’t be here," he said, stepping closer, the ancient floorboards creaking under his boots.
"Why?" she challenged, clutching the book to her chest. "Afraid I’ll find out what I am?"
Lucien's mouth curled into a dark smile. "No, little one. I’m afraid others will."
He reached out, and before she could flinch away, he snatched the book from her hands with a grace that made her heart thud painfully.
"There are those," he said quietly, "who would kill you for what you are. Or worse — use you."
"And you?" she asked, hating how small her voice sounded.
Lucien’s silver eyes softened — just a fraction.
"I would burn kingdoms to the ground to protect you."
The air between them crackled.
Elysia’s heart pounded wildly, every part of her screaming to either run away or run toward him.
He was danger. He was salvation. He was... something she had no name for.
"You don’t even know me," she whispered.
Lucien leaned in until his forehead nearly touched hers.
"I've known you," he said, "long before you were born."
Thank you so much for reading The Midnight Encounter!
- Writer
