Seraphina's POV
I arrived at Thornwood Manor at exactly midnight.
The Blood Moon hung massive and crimson in the sky, making everything look like it was dipped in blood. Music poured from the open doors—haunting violin mixed with drumbeats that matched my racing heart.
Witches in elaborate masks crowded the entrance. I recognized some by their voices, their laughs. People I'd known my whole life. People who now thought I was a traitor.
I touched the silver mask covering half my face. Then felt for the raven mask hidden in my bag—the one that had burned with mating bond magic when I touched it.
Somewhere in this crowd was Dante Moretti. A Vampire Lord. My supposed mate.
And somewhere else was Vivienne, planning my murder.
"Sera!" Bella appeared beside me, breathless. She wore a golden butterfly mask that matched her dress. "I got your text. Protection spells? A weapon? What's going on?"
I pulled her aside, away from the crowd. "Everything I'm about to tell you sounds crazy."
"After today, I'll believe anything."
So I told her. Fast and urgent. About Nikolai at the cemetery. About my mother being murdered by witches, not vampires. About being a Samhain Witch. About Vivienne planning to kill me tonight.
Bella's eyes went wider with each word.
"And there's more," I finished. "Apparently, I have a vampire mate. A Vampire Lord named Dante Moretti. He'll be wearing a raven mask."
Bella grabbed my shoulders. "Sera, vampires and witches don't mate. It's impossible."
"That's what I thought. But Nikolai said my mother did it. With Dante's father." I showed her the raven mask. "This is his. When I touched it, I felt... something. Like a thread pulling me toward someone."
"A mating bond," Bella whispered. She studied the mask, her fingers glowing faintly as she tested its magic. Her face went pale. "Oh gods. Sera, this is real. This bond is ancient. Powerful. Whoever this vampire is, you're connected to him on a soul level."
My stomach flipped. Part fear, part something else I didn't want to name.
"So what do I do?"
"Find him. Fast." Bella pressed something into my hand—a small vial of purple liquid. "This is a revealing potion. If Vivienne tries to poison you, this will turn any drink black before you swallow it. And take this too." She handed me a silver dagger. "Iron and witch-blessed silver. It'll hurt any supernatural creature. Even vampires."
I tucked both items into my dress. "Thank you."
"Just promise me you'll survive tonight." Bella's voice cracked. "You're all I have, Sera. My only real friend."
I hugged her tight. "I promise. Now go. If things go wrong, I need you safe."
She nodded and disappeared into the crowd.
I took a deep breath and walked through the manor doors.
The ballroom was packed with masked witches, warlocks, and a few shifters. Candles floated in midair. Magic shimmered like heat waves. The Blood Moon's light poured through the glass ceiling, bathing everything in red.
I scanned the crowd for a raven mask. Nothing yet. Just owls, wolves, cats, and foxes.
Then I felt it.
A pull. Deep in my chest. Like a hook caught on my ribs, dragging me toward the left side of the room.
The mating bond.
My feet moved before I could think. I pushed through dancing couples, my heart hammering. The pull got stronger with each step. Warmer. More urgent.
I rounded a pillar and stopped dead.
A man stood by the window, his back to me. Tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in all black. Dark hair that caught the moonlight. And on his face—
A raven mask.
The bond yanked hard. My magic, weak and broken all day, suddenly flared to life. Purple and silver light sparked around my hands.
He turned.
Red eyes met mine through the mask. Not human red. Vampire red. They glowed like embers in the darkness.
Even behind the mask, I could see he was beautiful. Sharp features. Strong jaw. Lips that curved into something between a smile and a smirk.
"There you are," he said. His voice was deep, commanding. The same voice from my dreams last night—though I'd thought those were just nightmares. "I've been waiting for you."
He'd been waiting? How did he know I'd come?
"Dante Moretti?" I whispered.
His smile widened, showing a hint of fang. "And you're Seraphina Ashwood. Daughter of Elena Ashwood. The Samhain Witch I've been searching for since the night you were born."
The world tilted. "You've been searching for me? For twenty-seven years?"
"Your mother made me promise to protect you. To wait until you were ready." He stepped closer, and the bond pulled tighter. I could barely breathe. "I've watched over you from the shadows your whole life. Waiting for tonight. For the Blood Moon to awaken your true power."
"I don't understand—"
"You will." He reached out, his fingers brushing my cheek. Ice-cold skin. Vampire cold. But where he touched me, warmth exploded. Magic. Power. Life. "Dance with me, Seraphina. Let me show you what you really are."
I should run. Should scream. Should remember that vampires were my enemies.
But the bond sang between us. And my broken magic was healing with every second he stood near me.
I took his hand.
The moment our skin touched, the world exploded with light.
Magic erupted from both of us—his dark and ancient, mine bright and new. Purple, silver, and crimson light swirled together, forming patterns in the air. Runes I'd never seen before. Words in a language older than witch or vampire.
Everyone in the ballroom stopped dancing. Stopped talking. Stared at us.
"What's happening?" I gasped.
"The mating bond is recognizing itself." Dante pulled me closer, his other hand sliding to my waist. "We're bonded, Seraphina. Have been since the moment you were born. I felt it then—a pull toward a child I'd never met. Your mother felt it too. She knew what you'd become."
"A Samhain Witch," I breathed.
"More than that." He began to move, pulling me into a waltz. The magic followed us, swirling like ribbons. "You're the bridge between our kinds. The one who can end centuries of war. That's why they killed your mother. And that's why they want you dead."
We spun across the floor. Other dancers backed away, giving us space. I saw faces behind masks—shocked, awed, terrified.
Then I saw Vivienne.
She stood at the edge of the crowd, her midnight-black mask doing nothing to hide her fury. Marcus was beside her, his face pale.
They'd seen everything. Seen me with a vampire. Seen the mating bond activate.
Seen proof that I was exactly what they'd accused me of being—a witch connected to vampires.
"She's going to attack," I whispered to Dante. "She planned this. She wanted everyone to see—"
"Let them see." His grip on me tightened. "Let them see that you're mine. That anyone who hurts you will answer to me."
"You don't understand. The council will—"
A scream cut through the music.
I spun around. A witch collapsed near the refreshment table, her body convulsing. Black foam poured from her mouth. Poison.
More screams. Chaos erupted. Witches scattered, panic spreading like wildfire.
"Everyone's been poisoned!" someone shouted. "The drinks—someone poisoned the drinks!"
My blood turned to ice. The poison Vivienne had prepared for me. She'd put it in the drinks for everyone.
But why?
Then I understood. This was her plan. Poison everyone at the masquerade. Blame me. Claim I'd worked with vampires to attack the coven.
And I was standing in the middle of the ballroom, glowing with vampire magic, holding a Vampire Lord's hand.
Perfect evidence.
Elder Thorne pushed through the crowd, her face twisted with rage. "Seraphina Ashwood! What have you done?"
"I didn't—"
"She's with a vampire!" another council member shouted. "She's poisoned us all!"
"Guards!" Elder Thorne's magic flared. "Seize her! And kill that vampire!"
Dante moved faster than human eyes could follow. Suddenly, I was behind him, protected by his body. Magic crackled around him—dark and deadly. "No one touches her."
"You dare threaten us in our own home?" Elder Thorne's power built. All twelve council members stepped forward, their combined magic forming a wall of force. "You're in witch territory, vampire. You have no power here."
Dante's laugh was cold. "Don't I?"
He raised one hand. The Blood Moon's light intensified, pouring through the glass ceiling. Red light that made him stronger. Made him glow with terrible power.
"I am Dante Moretti, Vampire Lord of the Southern Court. And Seraphina Ashwood is my fated mate." His voice boomed through the ballroom. "Anyone who harms her declares war on my entire court."
"Then war it is," Vivienne's voice rang out. She stepped forward, her mask gone now. Her face was beautiful and vicious. "Because that witch is going to die tonight. One way or another."
She raised her hands. Black magic—death magic—spiraled around her fingers. Magic no witch should be able to use.
Magic she'd stolen.
"Vivienne, no!" I screamed. "Everyone will die—"
"That's the plan, sister." Her smile was pure evil. "Blame the poisoning on you and your vampire lover. Kill everyone who might question me. Then take my place as High Priestess with no one left to challenge me."
Horror crashed through me. She hadn't just poisoned random drinks. She'd poisoned everything. The entire coven would die tonight if I didn't stop her.
But how? My magic was barely working. I was exhausted. Terrified.
Dante's hand found mine again. "Trust me," he whispered. "Trust the bond."
The mating connection flared bright. His power poured into me—ancient vampire strength mixed with my witch magic. Together, we were something new. Something impossible.
Something powerful enough to fight back.
"Give me everything you have," I told him. "I can save them. But I need your power."
"Take it all." His eyes met mine, glowing crimson. "I'm yours, Seraphina. Completely."
The bond opened wide. His magic flooded into me like a dam breaking. Cold, dark, ancient power that should have destroyed me.
Instead, it transformed me.
My magic erupted—not purple and silver anymore. Now it was purple, silver, and crimson. Witch, Samhain, and vampire magic all twisted together.
I was no longer just a witch.
I was something entirely new.
Vivienne's death magic shot toward the crowd. Toward Bella. Toward innocent witches who had nothing to do with her schemes.
I threw up my hands and screamed one word: "STOP!"
My power exploded outward. A shield of three-colored light that caught Vivienne's death magic and absorbed it.
The entire ballroom went silent.
I stood in the center, glowing like a star, holding power that shouldn't exist.
Elder Thorne's eyes went wide. "Impossible. You're... you're a Twilight Witch."
"What?"