Eclipse Love

Chapter Six: A Love in the Dark

The moon hung low in the sky, its silver light casting long shadows across the valley as Selene rode alongside Lucian, her heart hammering against her ribs. She had done the unthinkable—she had turned her back on the Order, on everything she had ever known, and fled into the night with the very creature she had once sworn to kill.

But she wasn't afraid.

She should have been.

The Order would hunt her down, brand her a traitor, and execute her without hesitation. Yet as she stole a glance at Lucian, his dark hair whipping in the wind, his silver eyes fixed ahead with quiet determination, she felt something unexpected.

Freedom.

They rode through the endless stretch of wilderness, leaving behind the ruins, the Order, and the only life she had ever known. It was both terrifying and exhilarating.

Lucian hadn't spoken since they had fled, but Selene could feel the weight of his thoughts pressing against him. When they finally reached a secluded clearing near a river, he pulled his horse to a stop.

"This should be safe for now," he murmured, dismounting gracefully.

Selene followed, her legs aching from the ride. She took in their surroundings—the thick forest shielding them from sight, the sound of rushing water masking any distant movement. It was peaceful.

For the first time in days, she exhaled.

Lucian turned to her, his expression unreadable. "You made your choice."

Selene met his gaze, her chest tightening. "I don't know if it was the right one."

Lucian's lips curled slightly, but there was no amusement in his eyes. "If it was easy, it wouldn't be worth questioning."

She let out a soft breath, lowering herself to the ground near the riverbank. She watched the moonlight dance over the water's surface, her mind a tangled web of uncertainty.

Lucian sat beside her, close enough that she could feel his presence but not touching.

The silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken words.

Then, finally, Selene broke it.

"What now?" she asked quietly.

Lucian was quiet for a long moment. "You tell me, Selene. You left behind everything for answers. Do you still want them?"

She turned to him, searching his face. "I don't know what I want anymore."

Lucian studied her, his gaze softer than she had ever seen it. "Then let's start with what you don't want."

Selene hesitated. "I don't want to be a pawn in someone else's war."

Lucian's silver eyes flickered with something unreadable. "Then you're closer to the truth than you think."

A cool breeze swept through the clearing, sending a shiver down her spine. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself, but before she could react, Lucian shrugged off his own and draped it over her shoulders.

The gesture startled her more than it should have. She looked up at him, caught off guard by the kindness in his gaze.

"You don't have to do that," she murmured.

Lucian smirked. "You're shivering."

Selene's lips parted, but no words came.

The stories she had grown up with painted vampires as soulless creatures, incapable of warmth, of kindness, of love. But Lucian was none of those things.

He was more human than most of the hunters she had fought beside.

And that terrified her.

Because it meant everything she had been taught was a lie.

A Moment of Truth

The fire crackled softly between them as the night stretched on.

Selene sat across from Lucian, watching the flames dance in his silver eyes. The tension between them was shifting, turning into something she couldn't name.

"You never answered my question," Lucian said after a while.

Selene arched a brow. "Which one?"

"What do you want, now?"

She swallowed, her heart pounding. She had always known what was expected of her. Kill vampires. Protect humanity. Follow orders.

But now…

Now, she wasn't sure.

"I want…" She hesitated, then exhaled. "I want to understand."

Lucian leaned forward slightly, his voice low. "Understand what?"

Selene met his gaze, the firelight reflecting between them. "You."

Lucian stilled, something shifting in his expression.

For so long, she had thought of him as an enemy. But now, sitting here with him, she realized how much of him remained a mystery.

How much she wanted to know.

Lucian tilted his head slightly. "Are you sure?"

She nodded.

A slow, knowing smile curved his lips, but it wasn't mocking—it was something gentler, something real.

"Then let me start with this."

Before she could react, Lucian reached out, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. His fingers were cool against her skin, yet the touch sent a warmth through her that had nothing to do with the fire.

Selene's breath hitched.

"Tell me to stop," Lucian murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

She didn't.

She couldn't.

Instead, she leaned into him.

And in that moment, as his lips brushed against hers, every war, every lie, every doubt melted into the night.

Selene had spent her life running from the darkness.

Now, she was falling into it.

And she had never felt more alive.

End of Chapter Six.