Rico woke with a start, he wasn't comfortable, he had seen a vision. His breath came in ragged gasps, his body tense with an unfamiliar kind of fear.
The images from his dream clung to him like shadows, haunting and whispering. He sat up, his silver eyes scanning the dark cave where he and Adel had taken refuge for the night.
Beside him, Adel slept soundly, her hand resting protectively over her stomach. Rico swallowed hard, his chest tightening at the sight.
A child born of light and darkness… The words echoed in his mind, an omen carried by the voices of those long dead. The dream had felt too real to ignore, a prophecy wrapped in uncertainty, warning of either ruin or redemption. Rico had seen visions before, brief flashes of the future, but this… this was something more. This was a warning.
His hands clenched into fists. He had to tell her.
With careful movements, he reached for Adel's shoulder, his cool fingers brushing against her warm skin. She stirred, blinking up at him with confusion.
"Rico?" Her voice was soft, low, and laced with exhaustion.
"We need to talk," he murmured.
Sensing the urgency in his tone, she sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "What's wrong?"
He hesitated. How could he say it without terrifying her? Without making her feel like their child, their child, was something to be feared?
"I had a dream," he started slowly. "A vision. A prophecy."
Adel's brows furrowed. "A prophecy?"
He nodded. "A child born of light and darkness… It will bring either destruction or salvation." His throat tightened, and he was sweating "Adel, a vampire child has never been born this way before. It's impossible. And yet…"
Her hands instinctively went to her stomach, her face a mask of worry. "And yet, here we are."
Rico exhaled. "Yes."
There was a heavy silence that stretched between them.
Then, softly, she asked, "Do you think… do you think our child is dangerous? You think a signal of our love will be a monster?"
He hated the fear in her voice. Hated that he had put it there.
"I don't know," he admitted. "But others will."
Adel swallowed. "Others?"
Rico looked away, his jaw tightening. He had sensed it the moment they left the clearing last night. The shadows lurking beyond the trees. Adel had left all, she had left her life to be with Rico.
The presence watching them. He had hoped it was his paranoia, but deep down, he knew better.
They were being hunted. Kobo would know by now. The clan would know. And in their world, the unknown was feared. If Kobo had already decided the child was a curse, then there would be no reason with him.
"They won't let this child be born," Rico said at last, his voice filled with quiet rage. "The clan will see it as an abomination. The others will follow him."
Adel's breath hitched. "You mean… they'll try to kill us."
Rico didn't answer. He didn't need to. A sudden wave of protectiveness surged through him. He would not let them harm her. He would not let them harm their child.
"I won't let that happen," he vowed, his silver eyes glowing with determination. "I will protect you both."
Adel met his gaze, searching for reassurance. "What do we do?"
"We leave," he said without hesitation. "Tonight."
She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, a sound broke the silence. A low, guttural growl.
Rico was on his feet in an instant, his body shielding Adel as the sound grew louder. The scent of blood and decay filled the air.
Then, a shadow moved at the mouth of the cave.
Rico's muscles tensed as figures emerged, stepping into the dim firelight. Five of them. Cloaked in darkness, their eyes gleamed with the hunger of their kind.
Their expressions were unreadable. "You betrayed us," one of them said, his voice sharp as a blade.
Rico didn't move. "I made no vows to betray."
The man moved forward. "Then tell me, is it true?" His gaze flickered to Adel.
The question hung heavy in the air. Rico could lie. Could deny it. But the way the man spoke, the way the others stood behind him, weapons in hand, told him it wouldn't matter. They already knew.
Rico straightened, his silver eyes burning with defiance. "It's true."
The man's lips curled in disgust. "A vampire's seed growing inside a mortal." He spat the words as if they were poison. "A curse!."
Adel flinched, but Rico tightened his grip on her hand.
"It is not a curse," Rico said coldly. "It is mine."
Their expressions darkened. "Then you share in its sin."
A heartbeat passed. Then, without warning, the man lunged.
Rico moved before he could think, shoving Adel back as he met the man head-on. The impact sent them both crashing into the cave wall. Claws slashed toward him, but Rico ducked, twisting out of reach.
The others moved in, surrounding Adel.
Rico saw red. He spun, moving with inhuman speed, his fingers clawing into the throat of the nearest attacker. A choked gurgle escaped before Rico threw the body aside. Another came at him, but he caught the blow, snapping the attacker's wrist with ease.
Pain exploded across his side as a blade sliced through his ribs, but then it healed immediately.
He snarled, whirling around to find the man grinning at him, blood dripping from the dagger in his hand.
"Fight all you want," Kobo sneered. "You can't save her. That seed is a course."
Rico's vision blurred with rage. His fangs elongated, his instincts screaming for blood.
And just then.... "RICO!" Adel's scream cut through the chaos.
His head snapped toward her, just in time to see one of the vampires grab her by the throat.
Rage unlike anything he'd ever known consumed him.
With a single movement, he tore into the vampire closest to him, sending blood spraying across the cave walls. Then, faster than a shadow, he was beside Adel, ripping her attacker away.
The vampire barely had time to react before Rico sank his fangs deep into his throat, tearing through flesh and bone, ripping his heart out as he burned.
Adel gasped for breath, clutching her neck as she stared at him with wide eyes. "Rico…"
The others took a step back, assessing the carnage.
A flicker of uncertainty passed over his face. Then, his lips curled into something sinister.
"You will regret this," he hissed. "The clan has already decided."
Rico's chest heaved with fury. "Then let them come."
Just then they fled.
Adel clutched Rico's arm, her body trembling. Shaking, she was scared "We have to go. Now."
Rico exhaled sharply, his mind racing. The vampires wouldn't stop. He would bring the entire clan against them.
He turned to Adel, his grip tightening on hers.
"We run," he said. "And we don't look back."
Adel nodded as Rico held her. And together, they disappeared into the night.
But as they fled, Rico couldn't shake the whisper in the back of his mind.
A child born of light and darkness…