Adel sat on the cool stone, running her fingers over the makeshift bandage wrapped around her ankle. The night was still, save for the distant hoot of an owl and the soft rustling of leaves. Rico sat a few feet away, leaning against a covered pillar, his silver eyes fixed on the darkness beyond, Adel was the most beautiful creature he had seen.
She had spent hours with him now, long enough to realize he wasn't like anything she'd ever encountered before. He moved too fluidly, his presence was too quiet, and his eyes held something far older than he appeared to be. Yet, he had saved her. He had cared for her.
Adel took a shaky breath, pressing a hand to her stomach. She had to tell him. The secret she had carried alone for weeks could no longer stay buried.
"Rico." Her voice was steady, but her heart pounded painfully against her ribs.
He turned his gaze toward her, those silver eyes catching the moonlight. "Yes?"
She hesitated. "I….." Her throat tightened. The words felt too heavy.
Rico tilted his head slightly, sensing her hesitation. "What is it?" He said brushing her hair.
Adel inhaled deeply. Say it. Just say it. "I'm pregnant."
Those words hung between them, stealing the breath from the air.
Rico didn't move. He didn't blink. He just stared at her as if the world had stopped.
Adel clenched her fists, bracing herself for his reaction. Was he angry? Disgusted? Was he going to disappear?
Then, finally, he spoke, "…What?" His voice was quiet, almost too soft.
"I'm pregnant," she repeated, more firmly this time, there was excitement and anxiety in her eyes. "Can't keep it to myself any longer, we are having a baby."
Rico exhaled, running a hand through his raven-black hair. He stood up, turning his back to her as he pressed his palms against the stone pillar.
Adel's chest tightened. He's going to leave.
But then, he laughed. It wasn't a mockery. It wasn't disbelief. It was a quiet, almost breathless laugh, as if the weight of the universe had just landed on his shoulders and he didn't know whether to collapse or smile.
She stared at him, confused. "Are you, are you laughing?"
He turned back to her, silver eyes glinting with something unreadable. "It's just… I never expected this."
"Neither did I," she muttered, crossing her arms.
A silence stretched between them, thick and charged. Then, Rico did something that caught her completely off guard, he knelt in front of her, gently placing his cool hand over hers, just above her stomach.
"You're carrying a child?" His voice had softened as if the realization was only just sinking in.
She nodded. There was another pause. Then, to her shock, his lips curled into the faintest smile. "That's… unexpected."
Adel narrowed her eyes. "That's all you have to say?"
Rico exhaled, his fingers tracing small patterns over the back of her hand. "I don't know what else to say, Adel." He looked up at her, his silver eyes filled with something almost tender. "But I'm not leaving."
Her breath hitched. She was excited. Some part of her had expected rejection, disappointment, and maybe even disgust. Instead, Rico was still here, still looking at her like she was something precious, something worth protecting.
She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. "You're okay with this?"
Rico gave a short laugh. "I don't think 'okay' is the right word. But… I want to be here."
His words settled something deep inside her, something she hadn't realized was trembling. He didn't have so much certainty but he'd been with this lady for a long time and they'd only been intimate twice, the first which she lured him and the second which happened naturally, she loved him.
She nodded, her throat was tight. "Okay."
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Then, Rico stood and extended his hand.
"Come with me."
Adel hesitated. "Where?"
His lips twitched. "Somewhere safe."
She eyed him in a more attractive way but took his hand. His fingers were cool against hers, but strong and steady.
Then, before she could prepare herself, he lifted her into his arms again.
"Hey!" she protested, laughing.
Rico chuckled. "You can't walk, remember?"
She giggled, crossing her arms as he carried her effortlessly into the forest.
The night air grew colder as they moved, but Rico's presence was strangely comforting. His speed was unnatural, but she was too exhausted to care.
After what felt like only a few minutes, they emerged into a clearing, and Adel gasped.
A waterfall cascaded over the rocks, shimmering in the moonlight. Fireflies danced in the air, their golden glow reflecting off the surface of the water. Ancient ruins stood in the distance, half-buried in moss and time.
"It's beautiful," she breathed.
Rico set her down gently on a patch of soft grass. "Not everyone knows this place."
Adel turned to him, eyebrows raised. "And you're showing it to me?"
His gaze softened. "You're not just anyone."
A strange warmth spread through her chest. She looked away, feeling suddenly vulnerable.
Rico sat beside her, his fingers trailing over the grass.
"I was human once, you know," he murmured.
Adel's head snapped up. "What?.... what do you mean?"
He exhaled, staring at the waterfall. "A long time ago."
She studied him, noticing the tension in his jaw.
"I knew there was something about you, tell me, how long?" she asked.
Rico hesitated. Then, finally, he turned to her, his silver eyes darker than before.
"I stopped counting after two hundred years."
Adel's breath caught. "Two hundred?" she echoed, her voice barely above a whisper.
He nodded. "I was turned against my will. My life was stolen. My humanity was stripped away." His voice was distant, haunted.
Adel swallowed hard. "I… I'm sorry."
He glanced at her, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "It's not your fault."
For a moment, silence stretched between them. Then, Adel did something she never expected, she reached out and took his hand.
Rico stiffened slightly but didn't pull away.
"You don't seem like a monster," she whispered.
He let out a short, bitter laugh. "You don't know what I've done."
Adel squeezed his hand. "Then tell me."
He looked at her for a long time, as if searching for something in her eyes. Then, finally, he whispered,
"Not tonight."
Adel frowned. "Why?"
Rico exhaled, his silver eyes reflecting the moonlight as he studied her face. "Because if I tell you everything tonight, you might not look at me the same way again."
Adel's heart pounded at the weight of his words. She wasn't scared, she didn't break eye contact. Instead, she reached out, tracing her fingers along the sharp angles of his jaw. "You don't get to decide how I see you, Rico."
A muscle in his jaw twitched, and for a moment, she thought he might pull away. But he didn't. Instead, he leaned into her touch, his cool skin contrasting with the warmth of her fingertips.
"You're not afraid of me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Adel shook her head. "No."
His lips parted slightly as if he wanted to say something, but then he did something else, something that sent a shiver down her spine.
He leaned in. Slowly, hesitantly, like he was giving her a chance to pull away.
But she didn't. Her breath hitched as his lips brushed against hers, a ghost of a touch, testing, waiting. The air between them crackled with something unspoken.
Adel's fingers slid into his hair, pulling him closer, and deepening the kiss. Rico let out a quiet, almost tortured sound before giving in completely, his hands cradling her face as if she were the most fragile thing he had ever held.
For a moment, there was nothing else, no past, no future, no fear. Just them.
Then, just as suddenly as he had kissed her, Rico pulled away, something she couldn't quite understand.
"We can't," he murmured, his forehead resting against hers.
Adel frowned, still breathless. "Why?"
His grip on her tightened slightly. "Because I don't know if I can control myself, again…. I mean… we are having a baby." They both giggled.
Adel swallowed hard, not out of fear, but because she understood what he meant.
"You already have," she whispered, threading her fingers through his. "You're not the monster you think you are."
Rico let out a shaky breath, his eyes locking onto hers.
"You don't understand, Adel," he murmured. "You don't know what happens when a vampire falls in love."
A chill ran through her, but not from fear, rather from the weight of his words.
"What happened?" she asked.
Rico hesitated. Then, he cupped her face with both hands, his thumbs tracing the curve of her cheekbones.
"When we love, we crave." His voice was raw, almost pained. "And when we crave, we can destroy the very thing we want to protect."
Adel's breath hitched. "You think you'll hurt me?"
Rico closed his eyes for a brief second before opening them again. "I know I will."
The words hung between them, heavy, dangerous.
Adel didn't move away. Instead, she leaned in, her lips just a breath away from his.
"Then I guess we'll have to fight it together," she whispered.
Rico sucked in a sharp breath.
And then, Rico stiffened instantly, his head snapping toward the trees. His entire body went rigid, every muscle in his form tensed like a predator sensing danger.
Adel barely had time to react before Rico was on his feet, his expression dark, and deadly.
"What is it?" she whispered, her heart slamming against her ribs.
He didn't answer right away.
Then, in a voice colder than the night air, he murmured, "We're not alone."
A shadow moved in the trees. And just like that, the moment was gone.
The romance, the confessions, the kiss, it all vanished, swallowed by the sudden presence of an unseen threat.
Adel barely had time to register what was happening before Rico was in front of her, shielding her with his body.