The watcher in the Dark
881 Words
The unease didn’t leave Nyxara.
Even as the day stretched on and classes ended, something lingered beneath her skin—like a warning she couldn’t fully understand.
By evening, the sky over Ebonridge had darkened into deep shades of blue, and the lights of Blackthorn Academy flickered to life one by one.
Students drifted back toward the Asylum Hostel, their voices low, laughter echoing faintly through the cool air.
Nyxara walked beside Lena Hale, listening without really hearing.
“…and tomorrow we have literature,” Lena was saying. “You’ll like the teacher, she’s strict but fair—Nyxara?”
Nyxara blinked.
“Sorry. I was distracted.”
Lena nudged her playfully. “You’ve been distracted all day.”
Nyxara forced a small smile.
“I’m fine.”
But she wasn’t.
The feeling from earlier had grown stronger.
Closer.
—
After dinner, Nyxara stepped outside alone.
The courtyard was quieter now, most students already inside. A faint breeze moved through the trees, carrying with it that same metallic scent she had noticed before.
Her wolf stirred instantly.
Danger.
Nyxara’s eyes sharpened as she moved slowly across the courtyard, her senses stretching outward.
There.
Near the edge of the archway again.
A figure.
Standing too still.
Watching.
Nyxara didn’t hesitate this time.
She moved.
Fast.
Not fast enough to draw attention—but faster than any normal human.
She reached the archway just as the figure turned.
Their eyes met for a split second.
Pale.
Empty.
Predatory.
Vampire.
The figure vanished into the shadows beyond the archway.
Nyxara stopped, her chest rising and falling steadily.
“Rogue…” she whispered.
Behind her, a voice cut through the silence.
“You shouldn’t chase things you don’t understand.”
Nyxara turned sharply.
He stood a few steps away, as if he had always been there.
Tall.
Still.
Draped in quiet authority.
Prince Cassian Valerius.
For a moment, the world seemed to still.
Nyxara’s wolf reacted instantly—alert, tense, but not afraid.
Recognizing.
Cassian’s golden eyes held hers, calm and unreadable.
“You’ve been watching me,” Nyxara said, her voice steady despite the tension building in her chest.
He didn’t deny it.
“Yes.”
The honesty caught her off guard.
Nyxara narrowed her eyes slightly.
“Why?”
Cassian took a step closer, his movements slow, controlled.
“Because you don’t belong here,” he said quietly.
Her jaw tightened.
“I could say the same about you.”
A faint flicker of something—amusement, perhaps—crossed his expression.
“Perhaps.”
Silence stretched between them.
Nyxara studied him carefully now.
Up close, his presence was even more overwhelming. There was power in the way he stood, in the way he spoke—something ancient and dangerous beneath his calm exterior.
“You felt it,” he said suddenly.
Nyxara’s gaze sharpened.
“Felt what?”
“The disturbance,” Cassian replied. “You sensed it last night.”
Nyxara hesitated.
Then, slowly, she nodded.
Cassian’s eyes darkened slightly.
“So you’re aware.”
“Of what?” she pressed.
He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, his gaze shifted briefly toward the archway where the rogue had disappeared.
“Things are moving,” he said finally. “Dangerous things.”
Nyxara folded her arms slightly.
“I can take care of myself.”
Cassian’s gaze returned to hers.
“I know.”
The way he said it made her pause.
Not dismissive.
Not doubtful.
Certain.
And that unsettled her more than anything.
“Then why are you warning me?” she asked.
Cassian stepped closer—close enough that Nyxara could feel the cold edge of his presence.
“Because,” he said quietly, “whether you realize it or not… you’re already involved.”
Her heartbeat quickened.
“With what?”
Cassian held her gaze for a long moment.
Then—
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
Nyxara frowned slightly.
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one you’re getting tonight.”
Before she could respond, he stepped back.
The distance between them returned—but the tension remained.
“Stay away from the outer grounds after dark,” Cassian added.
Nyxara lifted her chin slightly.
“Or what?”
Cassian’s expression didn’t change.
“Or you won’t be the one doing the hunting.”
A chill ran through her.
Not fear.
Understanding.
He turned then, his movements smooth and effortless, already retreating into the shadows.
“Wait,” Nyxara called.
He paused—but didn’t turn.
“You know what I am,” she said.
It wasn’t a question.
Cassian was silent for a moment.
Then—
“Yes.”
Nyxara’s breath caught slightly.
“And you’re not going to tell anyone?”
Cassian glanced back over his shoulder, his golden eyes catching the faint light.
“If I intended to,” he said calmly, “you wouldn’t be here.”
Nyxara held his gaze.
Something unspoken passed between them.
An understanding.
Fragile.
Dangerous.
Real.
Then he was gone.
Just like that.
Nyxara stood alone in the courtyard, her thoughts racing.
A vampire prince.
Rogue vampires.
A hidden power beneath the academy.
And now—
She was no longer invisible.
No longer just hiding.
She had been seen.
Truly seen.
And somehow…
That changed everything.
- Writer
