The silence he left behind felt like a weight.
It clung to the air long after the door slammed shut behind him, echoing like the last ring of a funeral bell.. I stood motionless in the centre of the chamber, my gown heavy around my ankles, the air thick with the remnants of his presence.
He kissed me like he was drowning. Like I was the air he hates needing.
And then he ran like our kiss burned him.
Was it rejection... or something else?
My hand moved slowly to my lips. They still tingled, warm with the memory of him. It hadn't been a soft kiss. It wasn't tender or ceremonial like the union forced upon us hours ago.
No, it was wild. Feral. Like something caged had broken free inside him.
And then... he'd looked terrified. Not of me.
But of himself.
I turned toward the mirror, one that had reflected my transformation into a vampire bride just hours earlier. But this time the girl who stared back now looked changed again. Her hair was dishevelled, her lips bruised, and her chest rose and fell too quickly. My eyes were wide with a mixture of disbelief and wonder.
What just happened?
I took a few hesitant steps backwards, my arms wrapping around me, as if I could hold the moment in place. But I couldn't. It was already gone. It disappeared too quickly like breath on a glass. Like warmth on snow.
And the whispers had already begun.
It was faint, almost inaudible but I could hear them crawling through the cracks in the castle walls. Low voices down the hallway. Shuffling footsteps that never lingered too long by my door. They would simply retreat without a word.
They knew. They all knew.
The prince had left his wedding chamber.
He hadn't returned.
I exhaled shakily and moved toward the bed, sinking into the fur-lined edge. The silk of my gown rustled as I sat, This time I wrapped my arms tightly around my waist. I felt everything and nothing at once.
The kiss had stirred something. A spark. A tremor. Maybe something deep beneath the surface.
I was supposed to be a bride tonight.
Instead, I was a question waiting for an answer:
Why did he leave?
-----
In the tallest tower of Drayveil Castle, Caspian stood in front of a mirror, his reflection staring back like a stranger.
No. Not a stranger.
More like a monster.
With a roar, he drove his fist into the glass. Shards shattered and rained to the floor like crystal tears, some embedding deep into his knuckles, causing blood to drip down his pale skin.
But he didn't care.
He stumbled backwards, clutching the edges of the dresser to keep himself upright. His chest heaved. The beat of his heart. Loud and thunderous pounded in his ears. For the first time in centuries, it pulsed with life. Not the cold, calculated rhythm of survival. No. This was wild and alive.
It was real.
It shouldn't be possible.
Not with the curse.
Not with him.
He leaned heavily against the stone wall, blood still dripping from his hand, his jaw clenched so tightly it ached.
Her scent still clung to him softly, like moonlight and something older. Something sacred.
Her touch had done this.
She had awakened something inside him. Something more than hunger. More than madness he was used to.
She made him feel.
And that was the most dangerous thing of all.
He let out a suppressed breath, as he sank into a chair by the window. The moonlight wrapped over him in pale silver. Outside, the world was quiet. But inside, his soul howled.
He'd kissed her.
And for a moment, one impossible, fleeting moment, he had wanted to stay.
But he couldn't. Because with every heartbeat, something stirred beneath it. Something deeper and older. A voice whispered through his blood, clawing at the cracks in his mind.
But he knew she calmed him. She silenced the storm.
But what would it cost her?
Caspian pressed a trembling hand to his chest. "Why now?" he whispered to no one. To the curse. To the night.
Or maybe to the part of him that wanted more.
-----
I lay on top of the covers, still fully dressed, even though my dress felt too tight. I kept staring at the carved ceiling above me.
The candlelight had burned low, leaving the chamber cloaked in a soft amber glow. Shadows danced across the stone walls, like ghosts watching over me.
He still hadn't come back.
Hours passed.
Still nothing.
I rose and paced the room, pressing my palm to the window, watching the moon drift slowly across the sky. The castle below was quiet, yet I couldn't shake the feeling that somewhere, he was awake too.
I touched my lips again.
That kiss...
It hadn't felt like madness.
It had felt like truth.
I didn't know what it meant.
But I knew one thing.
This was far from over.