Black Swan

Friendly Fire

Rain fell in sharp sheets against the windshield as Selene pulled into her driveway, headlights casting long, ghostly shadows over the drenched pavement. Wind rattled the branches of the trees in her front yard, and thunder boomed overhead, echoing like some cosmic warning. She turned the car off and sat in the silence for a moment, listening to the drumming of rain on metal.

Her mind was a storm of its own. The night had dragged—slow guests, cold coffee, no sign of Luke. Not once had she caught that flash of emerald green eyes lurking in the back of the Hartfield Hotel. She couldn't lie to herself, she'd been hoping to see him again. She wanted him to be a slight distraction from Zara, ignoring her for the past few days, and Malik stayed with her while he and Heather had been estranged from each other. Apparently, he went to meet up with Heather to 'talk things out,' but she knew they'd probably be f*****g to make up.

But now, beneath the restless sky, there was only stillness.

She stepped out of the car, her shoes splashing in a shallow puddle. As she walked up to the door, she was getting a sense of intuition in her gut. She pulled her hoodie tighter around her shoulders, glancing from the front door to the end of the driveway.

There was a slight rustling, and then sniffing.

Selene turned slowly, breath catching in her throat.

A figure stood near the hedges, soaking wet, hair limp over her face, clothing tattered and clinging to her body, and covered in old dry blood. At first glance, Selene's heart dropped.

"Zara?" she said, blinking against the rain.

Lightning illuminated the woman's face.

It was Zara—but not the Zara she remembered. Her eyes were gold, her skin, once warm and honey-toned, was now pale almost like smooth marble. Her mouth parted slightly, and from beneath her lips protruded two elongated fangs.

Selene's heart thumped into her ribs.

"Zara?" she repeated, voice cracking.

Then Zara hissed—a primal hiss that didn't belong to any human. She lunged, her nails curling like claws as she tackled Selene against the front door. Her strength was unnatural—far beyond anything Selene could resist. She kicked and flailed, but Zara had already ripped open her hoodie, bloodlust shining in her eyes.

Fangs hovered just above Selene's neck.

"No—Zara, stop!"

Her pleas went unheard.

Then something slammed into Zara from the side.

Selene gasped as the force of the impact sent both bodies rolling across the yard, slick mud and grass tearing beneath them. Through the blinding rain, she could barely make out a tall, dark figure wrestling Zara to the ground.

Lucas.

His face was twisted in rage, eyes glowing faintly, fangs fully extended. His hands pinned Zara, and his voice thundered with an authority that pierced the chaos.

"Go back to your maker!" he growled at her.

Zara screeched, lashing out like a wild animal. Her nails raked down Lucas's cheek, drawing dark blood, but he didn't flinch. In a flash of speed, he grabbed her arm and twisted until it snapped—loudly, violently. Zara cried out and rolled away, clutching her broken limb, whimpering like a wounded dog before vanishing into the shadows.

For a long moment, only the sound of the rain remained. Lucas turned to Selene, who stood huddled against the front door, soaked and trembling.

"Inside. Now." His voice was tight, urgent.

She blinked at him, still in shock. "Wh-What the hell just—"

"I'll explain everything," he said, his voice gentler now. "But you're not safe out here."

Her hands shook as she reached for her keys and unlocked the door, her mind a swirl of fear and confusion. She stumbled into the foyer, and Lucas followed but stopped at the threshold.

She turned back to him.

"Selene, I need you...to invite me in," he said, chest heaving as rain dripped from his hair. "Please."

She hesitated only a beat before whispering, "Come in."

As soon as he crossed the threshold, Lucas moved quickly, scanning the house, then turned to her with narrowed eyes.

"You're hurt."

Selene glanced down at her shoulder. Her shirt was torn, blood seeping through. She hadn't even felt it during the fight. Four deep and open wounds spilled blood where Zara had grabbed her.

"Shit...I didn't notice," she said, her voice faint.

"Let me help you," Lucas stepped forward. "My blood can heal you."

Selene's brows knit together. "Excuse me?"

He nodded solemnly. "It'll close the wound, and stop the bleeding. You'll feel better within minutes."

"You want me to drink your blood?" she asked incredulously with wide eyes. She was already reeling from the thought of her best friend attacking her, and trying to drink her blood.

Lucas took a slow breath. "Only if you want to. But that gash isn't going to heal naturally, not fast enough. I don't know what Zara did to you, but that gash looks horrible."

Selene looked down again—but now the bleeding had stopped. She blinked, touching the skin. The wounds... were gone? Completely healed.

Lucas's brow furrowed, looking from the wounds to Selene. "What the—?"

Selene stared in shock, rotating her shoulder. There wasn't even a scar, only unharmed skin.

Lucas stepped closer, his nose flaring subtly, reveling in the scent of blood that was spilled. "You're not like other humans..."

Selene backed away.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"You've healed on your own. That shouldn't be possible. Are you even—" He stopped himself, eyes narrowing. Was she even human?

Selene's stomach churned. Something inside her screamed to run. Instead, she tore off the bloodied shirt in a panic and fled up the stairs in her bra, heart pounding. Lucas didn't follow. He stayed frozen, staring at the spot where her blood had soaked into the floorboards, jaw tight. The scent was calling him.

Selene came back moments later in a clean hoodie, her mother's silver cross necklace clutched in one trembling hand.

"Tell me what the f**k is going on," she demanded, holding the cross toward him like a shield.

Lucas chuckled under his breath, his fangs slowly retracting.

"Clever," he said softly.

"You think this is a joke?" she snapped, hand trembling.

"No. Just... dramatic." His voice turned serious. "The cross doesn't bother me, Selene. It never has. But silver? That's a different story."

Selene didn't lower her hand. "Stay back."

He raised his palms, eyes calm but cautious. "I'm not here to hurt you. If I were, you'd already be dead," he lied. He was only f*****g himself further by keeping her alive, but now he was curious. He was curious about what Selene Brooks was.

She swallowed hard.

"Then talk."

Lucas exhaled, lowering himself slowly onto the edge of her couch, like a man laying down a burden. "You want the truth? Fine."

He met her gaze.

"I'm a vampire."

The silence and tension between them was now uncomfortable.

"No," she whispered. "No, that's not—"

"Real. Possible. It very much is, my dear."

"And Zara? My best friend?"

"I'm sorry to say, but she was turned by my i***t brother."

Selene staggered to the seat beside him, her body sinking into the couch as her legs gave out.

"Zara's a vampire..."

Lucas nodded grimly. He didn't want any casualties in this, but it was an unfortunate event.

"She wasn't supposed to be. Liam... he has no control in certain matters. He turned her on a whim, I suppose. I do apologize dearly for that, and wish I were there to stop him."

Selene's eyes brimmed with tears as she looked up at him. "She tried to kill me..."

"She didn't know what she was doing," Lucas said softly, caressing her cheek. "She's lost. Newborns are... ravenous. They don't think clearly. If I hadn't shown up—"

"Why were you even there? To make sure she turned me next?" she cut him off angrily. Lucas knew she was taking her anger out on him as she was still hurt emotionally.

So he told her the half-truth, "I was watching you."

"That's so not comforting."

"I wasn't going to let him hurt you too." Lucas's voice was low, almost pained. He was way too good at this, he's spent a good four centuries lying to poor human women to get what he wanted. But now, there was something different about this 'human', he didn't even know if she were a human or a half-breed.

Selene stared at him. "And now what? What happens now? How am I supposed to go on knowing that my friend is basically dead?"

"I can't undo what's been done," he said. "But I can keep you safe, and help Zara live her life as a newborn vampire."

"Why do you want to help me...why do you even care?" she asked, looking up at him, and her voice cracking. Lucas didn't speak. He looked at her the way a man looks at something he knows he shouldn't want. Something dangerous. Something doomed.

He couldn't really answer her question honestly, so he leaned in, and kissed her. Taking her lips with his and feeling the softness of her lips. "You smell like cinnamon," he whispered, more to himself than to her. "And I just can't help myself."

Selene pulled back slightly, trembling. Alarm bells were ringing, but something in her was pulling her closer to him. The softness of her mouth contrasted with the hunger boiling within him. He pushed her back against the couch, his body pressing into hers, the tension palpable as he ground against her. His kisses trailed from her lips to her neck, where he lingered, teasingly licking the sensitive skin just above her collarbone. The pulse of her heartbeat quickened beneath his lips, and he felt that intoxicating urge to bite, to claim her.

But before he could allow that primal instinct to take over, a sudden sound shattered the moment, the unmistakable slam of a car door outside. Panic surged through him, and without a second thought, Lucas pulled away, retreating out the back door with an inhuman speed that left Selene breathless and bewildered. She sat up on the couch, her heart racing, confusion swirling inside her. What had just happened? The heat of their encounter hung in the air, leaving both of them frustrated and yearning for something that had been so tantalizingly close.

Silence filled the room, broken only by the distant sound of Malik's footsteps approaching, unaware of the passionate moment that had just unraveled between his sister and the enigmatic vampire.