Dante's POV
The darkness swallowed us whole.
One second I was reaching for Seraphina as the demons closed in. The next, everything went BLACK—not normal darkness but absolute void. Like someone erased the world.
I couldn't see. Couldn't hear. Couldn't sense anything except one thing.
Her.
The mate bond burned like a beacon in the darkness, showing me exactly where she was. Three feet to my left. Alive. Terrified.
I moved on pure instinct, grabbing her and pulling her against my chest. She fought me for half a second before recognizing my touch.
"Dante?" Her voice shook. "What happened? Where are we?"
"I don't know. Some kind of darkness spell." I held her tighter, every protective instinct roaring to life. "Stay close to me. Don't let go."
"The demons—Bella—"
"I know. We'll get her back. But first we need to figure out what—"
Light exploded around us. Blinding. White and pure and PAINFUL. I hissed, turning away, my vampire eyes burning from the sudden brightness.
When my vision cleared, we weren't in the ballroom anymore.
We stood in a forest. Ancient oak trees stretched endlessly in every direction, their branches twisted together overhead like a cage. Mist curled around the roots. And the air felt WRONG—too still, too quiet, like the world was holding its breath.
"Where are we?" Seraphina whispered, still pressed against me.
"Nowhere good." I scanned the trees, every sense on high alert. This place reeked of old magic. Dangerous magic. "This doesn't feel like Earth anymore."
"What do you mean not Earth?"
Before I could answer, laughter echoed through the trees. Multiple voices. Coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"Welcome, Twilight Witch," a voice called. Female. Ancient. Cruel. "We've been waiting for you."
Seraphina grabbed my arm. "Who's there? Show yourself!"
"Oh, we will. But first, a test." The voice grew closer. "You and your vampire mate claim to be bonded. Claim the impossible has happened. Let's see if it's true."
The mist around us began to move. Swirling. Taking shape. Forming into figures—shadow creatures with glowing red eyes and sharp claws.
"These are Nightmares," the voice explained. "Born from your deepest fears. They'll attack until one of you dies. Unless..." The voice paused dramatically. "Unless your bond is real. Unless you can combine your powers and fight together. Witch and vampire. Life and death."
"This is insane!" Seraphina shouted. "Let us go!"
"Survive the Nightmares, and we'll consider it." The laughter faded. "Good luck, little witch. You're going to need it."
The shadow creatures attacked.
They moved faster than anything I'd ever seen—even with my vampire speed. Claws raked across my chest before I could dodge. Pain exploded through me. Real pain. These things could actually hurt me.
"DANTE!" Seraphina screamed.
I spun around. Three creatures had her cornered against a tree, their claws reaching for her throat.
Rage consumed me. Pure, primal, PROTECTIVE rage.
I moved without thinking, ripping through the shadows to get to her. My fangs extended fully. My eyes burned red. Every ounce of vampire strength and speed focused on one goal—SAVE HER.
I grabbed the first creature and tore it apart with my bare hands. It dissolved into smoke, screaming. The second one I threw into a tree so hard the trunk cracked. The third—
The third one's claws found my back. Ripped deep. I roared in pain but didn't stop. Couldn't stop. Not while she was in danger.
"Get away from her!" I snarled, positioning myself between Seraphina and the creatures. "You want her? You go through me first!"
More shadows formed. Six. Ten. Twenty. Too many to fight alone.
"Dante, there's too many!" Seraphina's hands pressed against my bleeding back. "You're hurt. We need to—"
Her touch did something impossible.
Power EXPLODED from where her hands met my skin. Purple and silver light mixed with crimson vampire magic, creating something new. Something that had never existed before.
The shadows screeched and backed away from the light.
"What..." I looked down at my hands. They glowed with our combined magic—hers and mine, twisted together like rope. "How is this possible?"
"The bond," Seraphina breathed. "It's letting us share power. Your strength. My magic." Her violet eyes met mine, wide with realization. "We can fight them together."
"I don't know how to use magic."
"And I don't know how to use vampire strength. So we'll learn. Fast." She grabbed my hand, our fingers lacing together. The power surged stronger. "Trust me?"
I thought about the three hundred years I'd spent trusting no one. Playing politics. Staying isolated. Keeping everyone at arm's length because caring meant losing, and I'd already lost everyone I'd ever loved.
Then I looked at this witch—this impossible, brilliant, terrifying witch who fate had bound me to—and made a choice.
"Yes," I said simply. "I trust you."
Her smile was fierce. "Then let's show these things what a Twilight Witch can do."
The shadows attacked again. This time, we were ready.
Seraphina raised our joined hands and purple light shot out, forming a shield around us. The creatures slammed into it and bounced off, screaming.
"That's your defensive magic," I said, understanding flooding through me. Through the bond, I could FEEL her power. Know it like it was my own. "You're protecting us."
"And you're making me stronger." She looked at me with wonder. "I can feel your vampire healing. Your speed. Your strength. It's all flowing into me through the bond."
"Then let's use it." I pulled her close, wrapping one arm around her waist. "Hold on."
I moved with vampire speed, but this time she moved with me. No longer fragile. No longer slow. The bond enhanced her, made her fast enough to keep up. We danced through the attacking shadows—literally danced, like we had in the garden—but now every spin was a weapon.
Her magic slashed through creatures while my strength tore them apart. We moved as one. Thought as one. Fought as one.
"This is incredible!" Seraphina laughed—actually LAUGHED—as we destroyed another wave of shadows. "I've never felt this powerful!"
"Neither have I." And it was true. Alone, I was strong. With her? We were unstoppable.
The last shadow creature dissolved into mist. Silence fell over the forest.
We stood together, breathing hard, still glowing with combined magic. Her back pressed against my chest. My arms around her. Both of us covered in wounds that were already healing thanks to my vampire regeneration flowing through the bond.
"We did it," she whispered. "We actually did it."
"You doubted us?"
"I doubted everything about this bond." She turned in my arms, looking up at me. "But that—what we just did—that was real. Undeniable."
"The bond doesn't lie." I reached up, carefully removing her silver mask. She'd lost it during the fight and I wanted to see her face. All of it. "Neither do I. Not about this. Not about you."
Her violet eyes searched mine. "You lied in the garden. Pretended to be someone else."
"I omitted my name. But everything else was truth." I cupped her face, marveling at how warm she felt against my cold hands. "Your mother was my friend. I did try to save her. I have spent twenty years wishing I could go back and do better."
"Why didn't you tell me this in the ballroom? Why the games?"
"Because you looked at me with such hate. Such fear." My thumb traced her cheek. "I wanted one moment where you saw me as just a man. Not a monster. Not your enemy. Just... me."
Something shifted in her expression. Softened. "You're not what I expected."
"Neither are you." I smiled, letting myself be vulnerable for the first time in centuries. "I expected the daughter of Elena Ashwood to be powerful and brilliant. I didn't expect her to be brave enough to surrender herself to save her friends. Or stubborn enough to argue with a Vampire Lord. Or beautiful enough to make my dead heart remember how to beat."
She blushed. Actually blushed. "Your heart did beat. In the ballroom. I felt it."
"Because of you. Only you." I pulled her closer. "Three hundred years of being dead inside, and you brought me back to life in one night."
"Dante—"
"I know you don't want this bond. Don't want me. But I need you to understand something." I made her look at me. Really look. "I will protect you. Die for you if necessary. Whether you accept the bond or not. Whether you hate me forever or not. You're mine, Seraphina. And I keep what's mine safe."
Tears filled her eyes. "No one's ever—Marcus never—"
"Marcus was a fool who didn't deserve you." Anger flared at the thought of her cheating ex-fiancé. "Any man who could betray you isn't worthy of breathing the same air."
She laughed, but it sounded broken. "You barely know me."
"I know enough. I know you're loyal. Brave. Powerful. I know you ran into a burning ballroom to save your friends. I know you fought shadow creatures without hesitation." I leaned down until our foreheads touched. "And I know that fate chose well when it bound us together."
"But witches and vampires—"
"Are supposed to be enemies. I know. Three hundred years of war and hate and death between our kinds." My hand slid into her silver-blonde hair. "But maybe that's exactly WHY fate chose us. To prove that hate isn't stronger than love. That the past doesn't have to control the future."
"You're talking about love." Her voice trembled. "We just met."
"The bond knew before we did." I smiled. "But I'm patient. I can wait for you to catch up."
She opened her mouth to respond, but the forest disappeared.
One blink and we were back in Thornwood Manor's destroyed ballroom. Bodies still scattered across the floor. The demons gone. But something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Because every single witch and vampire in the room was staring at us with horror on their faces.
"What?" Seraphina looked around, confused. "Why are they—"
"Look." Nikolai pointed at the wall behind us.
We turned.
Someone had painted a message on the wall in blood. Fresh blood that still dripped down the marble.
THE DOOR OPENS IN THREE DAYS. BRING THE TWILIGHT WITCH TO THE CEMETERY AT MIDNIGHT, OR EVERYONE SHE LOVES DIES. NO EXCEPTIONS. NO MERCY.
Below the message lay Bella. Unconscious. A black mark burned into her forehead—some kind of tracking spell.
Seraphina screamed and ran to her friend. "Bella! BELLA!"
I moved to help, but Elder Thorne stepped in my way. Her face was grim.
"Lord Moretti. What have you done?"
"I didn't do anything. The demons—"
"The demons took you both into the Shadow Realm for testing. We saw it happen." She gestured at the message. "And now they're demanding we hand over Seraphina in three days, or they start killing hostages. They've already marked this girl. She'll die if we don't comply."
Ice filled my veins. "You're not seriously considering—"
"We don't have a choice!" Elder Thorne's voice rose. "Look around! Half my coven is injured. The demons proved they can break through our wards anytime they want. And that message says they'll kill everyone she loves. EVERYONE. Can you protect them all?"
"I can try—"
"Trying isn't enough!" Another council member stepped forward. "We need to think about the greater good. One witch's life versus hundreds—"
"NO!" Seraphina's voice cut through the argument. She stood up from Bella's side, magic blazing around her. "You don't get to sacrifice me. None of you. I'm not some pawn you can trade away."
"Seraphina, be reasonable—"
"Reasonable? You stripped my power this morning. Humiliated me in front of everyone. And now you want me to die quietly to save you?" Her laugh was bitter. "I don't think so."
"Then what do you suggest?" Elder Thorne demanded. "Because in three days, they're coming for you. And if we don't hand you over, they'll slaughter everyone in this coven. Including your best friend."
Seraphina looked at Bella's unconscious form. At the black mark on her forehead. At all the injured witches and vampires scattered around the ballroom.
Then she looked at me. Our eyes met. And through the bond, I felt her decision before she spoke it.
"We fight," she said quietly. "Dante and I. Together. We figure out what door they're trying to open and how to stop them. We save Bella and everyone else."
"You can't fight demons alone—"
"We're not alone." She took my hand, our magic flaring together. "We have each other. And this bond makes us stronger than any demon."
"You're both fools," Elder Thorne said flatly. "You'll die."
"Maybe." Seraphina's chin lifted. "But we'll die fighting. Not cowering. Not surrendering. FIGHTING."
Pride swelled in my chest. This woman. My mate. My queen.
"So that's it then?" The red-dressed witch—Vivienne—pushed through the crowd. Her face twisted with jealousy and rage. "You get to play hero while the rest of us live in fear? You bond with a vampire, break every law we have, and now you're going to get us all killed?"
"I didn't ask for this bond—"
"But you accepted it! You let him touch you! Let him CORRUPT you!" Vivienne pointed at me with shaking hands. "Our mother would be ashamed."
"Don't you DARE speak about Mom!" Seraphina's power exploded outward. "You don't know anything about what she wanted!"
"I know she died hating vampires! I know she'd rather be dead than see her daughter MATED to one!" Vivienne's smile turned cruel. "Face it, sister. You're an abomination now. You don't belong with the witches anymore."
The words hit Seraphina like a physical blow. I felt it through the bond—the pain, the doubt, the fear that Vivienne was right.
"That's enough." I stepped forward, letting my full power show. My eyes burned red. My fangs extended. "Seraphina is ten times the witch you'll ever be. And if you ever speak to her like that again, treaty or no treaty, I'll make you regret it."
"Are you threatening me, vampire?"
"I'm promising you." I pulled Seraphina against me, protecting her from her sister's venom. "She's under my protection now. Anyone who harms her—physically or emotionally—answers to me."
Silence fell over the ballroom.
Elder Thorne sighed deeply. "This is a disaster. A complete disaster."
"Actually," a new voice called from the doorway. "It's an opportunity."
Everyone turned.
A woman walked in. Tall and elegant with silver-streaked auburn hair and amber eyes that seemed to see everything. She wore simple robes and carried a staff made of twisted oak.
Seraphina gasped. "Lucia?"
"Hello, child." The woman—Lucia—smiled warmly. "I see you've had an eventful evening."
"You could say that." Seraphina laughed weakly. "I got mated to a vampire, attacked by demons, and threatened by my sister. Just a typical Halloween."
"Not typical at all. Revolutionary, actually." Lucia walked to the center of the ballroom, studying the blood message on the wall. "The demons want to open a door. But they can't do it without you. Do you know why?"
"No."
"Because you're a Twilight Witch. The only one born in five hundred years." Lucia tapped her staff on the ground. "Your mother was one too. That's why they killed her twenty years ago—to prevent her from closing the door permanently. But you inherited her power. Amplified by your bond with Lord Moretti, you're the only thing standing between this world and Hell itself."
My blood ran cold. "What door are we talking about?"
Lucia's face grew grave. "The Door of Souls. Hidden beneath the Sacred Oak Cemetery. It's been sealed since the original war between our kinds. But every Halloween, when the veil thins, it weakens. The demons have been working for twenty years to break the seal. Now, with Seraphina's power awakening, they finally have a chance."
"What happens if they open it?" I demanded.
"Every demon, devil, and dark creature ever banished to Hell comes flooding back to Earth." Lucia looked at each of us in turn. "It would be the end of everything. Human. Witch. Vampire. All of it."
"Then we stop them," Seraphina said firmly. "We keep the door closed."
"It's not that simple. To close the door permanently, you need three things." Lucia held up three fingers. "A Twilight Witch. A vampire mate. And a sacrifice."
"What kind of sacrifice?" I asked, though I already knew. Already felt the dread pooling in my gut.
Lucia's eyes filled with sadness. "A life. Freely given. To seal the door forever, either Seraphina or Dante must die."
The world stopped spinning.
Seraphina's hand tightened on mine. "No. There has to be another way."
"There isn't. Your mother faced the same choice twenty years ago. She chose to die rather than let Hell consume the world." Lucia touched Seraphina's cheek gently. "Now that choice falls to you. In three days, at the cemetery, you'll have to decide. Your life. His life. Or the end of everything."
Through the bond, I felt Seraphina's terror. Her desperation. Her absolute refusal to accept this.
I felt the exact same way.
I'd just found her. Just realized what she meant to me. Just started to feel alive again after three centuries of emptiness.
And fate was already asking one of us to die.
"No," I said quietly. "I won't let that happen."
"You don't have a choice—"
"There's ALWAYS a choice." I pulled Seraphina closer. "We have three days. Three days to find another way. To change the rules. To rewrite the prophecy."
"Prophecies can't be rewritten," Elder Thorne said.
"Then we'll be the first." I looked at Seraphina. "Together?"
Her violet eyes shone with unshed tears. But her voice was steady. "Together."
Lucia shook her head sadly. "You're both brave. And foolish. But I hope you succeed." She turned to leave. "Because if you fail, we all die. No exceptions. No mercy."
She disappeared in a swirl of mist, leaving us alone with the impossible task ahead.
Three days to save the world.
Three days to stop demons from opening Hell's door.
Three days to find a way for both of us to survive.
I looked down at the woman fate had bound me to—this impossible, magnificent, stubborn witch who'd turned my world upside down in a single night.
"We can do this," I said, trying to believe it. "We can find another way."
"And if we can't?" she whispered.
Then one of us dies, I thought. But I didn't say it. Instead, I kissed her forehead and held her close while the ballroom emptied around us.
Three days.
The clock was already ticking.