The locket hadn't stopped burning since that night in the forest. Asher pressed it against his palm, hoping to still its warmth, but the faint glow refused to fade. Every step home felt heavier, as though the forest had followed him, clinging to his skin.
When he reached the door, Elara was waiting. Her sharp eyes caught everything—the dirt on his boots, the tremor in his hands. "You went into the forest."
Asher froze. "I—"
"Don't lie to me." Her voice was calm, but it carried the weight of centuries. She gestured to the table. "Sit."
He obeyed reluctantly, Eli peeking from the doorway but wisely staying silent. Elara studied the locket, her expression softening with something like grief.
"That pendant…" she whispered, reaching out but not touching it. "It belonged to Amara—our ancestor. The last woman of our bloodline to bind herself to… one of them."
Asher's heart skipped. "One of them?"
Elara's lips pressed tight. "A vampire."
The word hung in the air, absurd yet chilling. Asher's thoughts flashed to the figure in the forest, his crimson eyes burning into memory. His chest tightened. "…So it's true."
"You've seen him." It wasn't a question.
Asher hesitated, then nodded slowly.
Elara's eyes darkened, and for the first time, her hands shook. "Listen carefully, Asher. If that man approaches you again, you must not follow him. Our family paid dearly for Amara's choices, and I will not watch history repeat itself."
"But what did she do?"
Silence. Elara's gaze drifted toward the altar, as though the answer lay buried in prayers she was unwilling to speak aloud.
Before Asher could push further, Eli rushed in. "Grandma, the lantern outside went out!"
Elara rose quickly, her composure snapping back into place. "Stay inside tonight," she ordered, her tone brooking no argument.
Left alone, Asher leaned back in his chair, heart racing. A vampire. The word sounded unreal, but every instinct told him it was true.
He looked at the locket. Its glow had dimmed now, but it pulsed faintly—as though agreeing with her words, as though it remembered Amara, too.
Through the open window, the forest loomed, silvered by moonlight. And for the first time, Asher felt not only fear, but something else—something that pulled at him, like a tether tied to his very soul.
To be continued....