Dark Lullaby Mga Nobela at Kwento

he nodded his head I started singing the lullaby Lullaby, and good night, in the skies stars are bright May the moon, silvery beams, bring you with dreams Close you eyes, now and rest, may these hours be blessed Till the sky's bright with dawn, when you wake with a yawn Lullaby, and good night, you are mother's delight I'll protect you from harm, and you'll wake in my arms Sleepyhead, close your eyes, for I'm right beside you Guardian angels are near, so sleep without fear Lullaby, and good night, with roses be-dight Lilies o'er head, lay thee down in thy bed Lullaby, and good night, you are mother's delight

Humming. The tune is cracked, the rhythm broken. But I know what it is. Lira does, too. It’s the same song the Pit’s whelps used to murmur when they thought no one was listening. A lullaby with no words. Just the kind of tune meant to hush something in the dark. Lira’s shoulders go stiff. Mine do, too. My hand tightens on the blade at my hip. I don’t draw it. We don’t stop.

One girl and one boy, smiles on their faces as they both let the wind sway their swings. An image of a girl with long, red, wavy hair flashed before my eyes and smiled at me, very tender and sweet like it would end my immortality. Then she collapsed into the floor. The vision went black. I couldn't see anything... it was dark... yet there were whispers. "It's her..." "Puoi permetterti di perderla?" "Take her..." "Sarà la tua morte..." I opened my eyes and sat down. My hands were shaking and I was having a hard time catching my breath due to shock. Fucking dream! No. It was a nightmare!

We didn't let the darkness win. END OF VOLUME ONE

My eyes fall shut, trying to keep the tears at bay. “I accepted the path of darkness for myself. I’m a vampire,” Lucas continues. “That’s what we are. That’s what’s inside of us. Darkness.” He slips one hand under me, and my heart swells in my chest. “I believed I could never be anything but dark. I let it consume me, and I told myself that’s how things were meant to be. For over a thousand years I clung onto that false truth…and then I met you.” A tear rolls down my cheek.

The liquid inside is a vivid, unnatural purple, too bright to be anything good. My breath catches. My father holds it up like he’s showing me a jewel. “This,” he says, “is not wolf’s bane.” My blood freezes. “It’s a newer dose,” he continues lightly, eyes never leaving mine. “A refinement. More… enthusiastic. We call it Vesperbane.” The name sounds like dusk and death. He shifts closer to Adrian. Adrian’s eyes flare, rage, warning, refusal. He strains against the chains, gag muffling whatever sound he tries to make.

Aerian screeched. It was so damn dark where she was it was almost impossible to see her. Even with my wolf vision I could just barely make her out. The only part of her that was easily seen were her eyes. They were glowing brightly. There were three dead wolves lying in front of her. The others were standing there snarling at her as she stood over Benny’s unmoving form. I let out a growl as more wolves descended on us. I heard someone yell at me. As I looked over my shoulder, I saw a wolf lunging towards me. Before it could land on my back a stream of the brightest light, I had ever seen hit it. The wolf flew several feet way hitting a tree. When I looked at the wolf it was burnt to a crisp.

The lie tasted bitter, and Lila kicked me gently under the table, her eyes saying *hold it together*. By the time we escaped back to our room, the sun had long dipped below the western spires, painting the sky in bruised purples and golds that filtered through our window like accusations. Lila fell asleep quickly after lights-out, curled on her side with earbuds in, soft instrumental lute music drifting out like a distant lullaby meant to soothe restless wolves. I lay in the dark for what felt like hours, the narrow bed creaking every time I shifted, moonlight spilling across my sheets in cool silver rivers that made every shadow look like the curve of Jason’s broad shoulders, the sharp line

Lucky for him he had jumped back just in time or else he would have been cleaved nearly in half. He was losing blood though, and Chelsea could smell it. Bjorn watched in horror as his girlfriend went into a wild frenzy, a lycanthropic spasm of blood lust. She threw her head back and yowled, a haunting peel of wolfish scream that shook the walls. Even with the muzzle on, this girl could muster a tremendous amount of sound. And then her call was answered. First at the garden shed’s front door, and then a second howl sounded just beyond the shed’s window. Then a third, somewhat farther off, but definitely in the cemetery.

“You’re...fuck...you’re so fucking good at this.” I hummed softly around him, letting the vibration ripple through him. I knew what it would do. I knew it would draw another guttural moan from him, and I wasn’t disappointed. His head tipped back, his jaw clenching as a deep groan tore from his throat.