Page 26 of A Clash of Stars

The witches I speak of seclude themselves in the northern portion of our land. They are full of healers of nature, bewitchers, good and evil. They keep to themselves, surfacing only when necessary.

For one unlucky witch, she fell into the hands of an evil man. This man was not of her species but of vampyres. The Vampyre were desolate and minuscule in numbers for a good reason.

While most species fell in the middle of the spectrum of gray, Vampyre ventured into the darkness. This man I speak of makes his people do terrible things and controls them. His persuasion is powerful, but only for those who can be persuaded. You see, this man wanted something—someone—who couldn’t be persuaded. He wanted a woman, an angel, to fall in love with him, and she had no interest.

He used the witch to convince the angel to marry him and have his child. The witch had no choice but to fulfill this plan, so she did. A species’ bloodline other than human was crossed forthe first time in history. Angel and Vampyre royal bloodlines didn’t cross because they disliked each other honestly, because the repercussions of blending power in royals were unheard of.

This witch then felt guilty about forcing the angel to breed with this monster, so she helped the angel and her offspring escape to a region of our world called Monowi. In Monowi, she would be protected by Fae on an island away from the monster.

The Vampyre was wrathful, creating a powerful curse that would trap his child with every other royal bloodline. With this curse, the angel’s body brought the infant back to him no matter how hard her mind and body fought against it. The angel couldn’t handle losing her child, so she sought the help of three.

Her mother, the witch, and a warrior protected her. The three of them created a curse in retaliation, banishing the vampyre race and creating a loophole to kill the monster.

It is said that this curse is to be broken by a brave child of the witch bloodline. No child except this one could be born of this witch’s descent under this curse. We hope so because the fairytale ending we want wouldn’t come true otherwise, unless the story is untrue. Or at least certain parts. What if I told you the three could not agree? What then? Would two betray their friend? If so, was it in good form?

I looked up from the book feeling confused and also intrigued. My father had told me tonight that Athiana had visited them about me. I know this book was full of ‘stories’, but what if they were true, what if I was the exception under the curse? I shook my head, concluded that my mind was past reasonable thoughts after the day’s events, and continued reading.

The Boy

The inevitable would happen in this world: the Vampyre would take hold of his infant son. The name bestowed upon him, Eros. As I said before, the witch’s story is mostly true, and there are lingering questions about the consistency of promises between friends.

I admit thewitch’s story is misconstrued because I can’t tell you the truth. The truth belongs to the boy.

The boy Eros.

Although captured by his father, he knew no better. He became what he was taught, though his heart grew and love crept in. Even as a terror, he couldn’t deny the dreams that consumed him of his future love.

The older he got, the angrier he became, and his magic took over his powerful frame. Both angel and monster, devastating yet pure.

A soul the onyx of night, but a heart pure of starlight. He had always felt a missing piece that stood out from him. Never complete. Eros knew there were many sides to the truth, as do I.

To the reader, I’m sure you must be wondering, which truth should you follow? I’ll make it easy on you. In the end, there is a line that blurs the truth and lies. Which path will you choose? Darthium will be lost without you. Though the stars must align and the strong will fall, the essence of him will save them all.

My body became increasingly tired, and my eyes were heavy as I read. I had finally closed my eyes when I heard the door to my room open.

Although it was dark, I could sense who it was based on his scent alone. Warm citrus.

I sat up in my bed and waited for his approach. He leaned down, lit the light on my nightstand, and sat facing me. He looked either drunk or distressed, either way, he looked like a mess.

“I am so nervous about tomorrow, Clara. What if I can’t do it or mess up.”

I instantly grabbed his hand. I had known Madok since I was a young girl. He had always been there for me when I messed up, was sad, or was nervous.

It was easy to connect to him even though we had been apart for so long. His eyes stared into mine, and I could feel mypulse quicken.

I gazed into his eyes and spoke what I was truly feeling, “You are the most brilliant man and the strongest competitor. You will undoubtedly accomplish every task if you set your mind to it, Madok.”

He nudged me closer to the bed, and my mind started to race. He didn’t speak for a long while, and my mind continued on its marathon until he spoke up.

“Clara, I want you to know something. When we were fourteen, we stayed up one night to watch the stars fall from the sky on the balcony. We lay there and talked and laughed. That night I fell in love with you. I knew from that moment on I would do anything to defend you. I lied to you for so long to protect myself, thinking it would protect you. I realize now that all I have done is hurt you more.”

I snapped at him with the question he just happened to leave out, “If you know I am not your mate, then whose am I?”

He sighed and inched closer to me, pushing his hands onto my hips and dipping his forehead to mine. With his scent overwhelmed by liquor, I could tell he had been drinking.

“I want to tell you about it, but I can’t. I would be overstepping fate, and that is against nature. What I can tell you is that I still love you, and I always will. You are my purpose for even being here. This land and life are so much bigger than you and I. You will soon see that. Promise me that you will be careful tomorrow. You won’t do anything reckless. I can’t imagine a land without you and couldn’t survive without you.”

With the last word leaving his lips, I tilted my chin up to press a kiss against his mouth. As the kiss deepened, I pulled Madok to lay beside me. His hands traveled down to my lower leg as he lifted it around his trim waist. I could feel him pressed against my thigh and the growing hunger for more. My hands twisted into his hair as his tongue gently traced mine.

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