The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 130

REMY

All I saw was darkness at first, and then I heard the screams and cries. The world around me turned red, and I was standing in the middle of a forest. I looked around, trying to remember how I got here. Last thing I remembered, I was in my bed, drifting asleep. Screams echoed around me again, so I flipped around, trying to find the source of the sound. The images of people appeared from the shadows, and fights spun around me. Werewolves lunged to attack. Magic soured the air. Vampires used their teeth and claws to tear others to pieces. This was a war between the great three.

Was this the image of the Great War? I knew the war between vampires, werewolves, and sorcerers was gruesome and lasted for weeks. Deaths were in the thousands, and it threatened the existence of all three of the beings.

The view around me was definitely gruesome, but my gut was telling me that this wasn't the past. My heart raced at the realization. I looked up into the sky, and the Blood Moon looked down on everyone with an evil grin. Something was wrong.

I ran forward, desperate to prove myself wrong. Werewolves were dropping like flies, while the sorcerers and the vampires stayed strong. I kept running, trying to find any familiar faces, but it was hard to see details under the red light of the moon. What I did see was the werewolves were being targeted by both vampires and sorcerers. They were fighting a losing battle.

No. This couldn't be the Great War.

This was our future.

I couldn't let this be our future.

I had to stop it.

I kept running, and no one seemed to notice me. I didn't know where I was running to, or what I was trying to accomplish, but I couldn't just stand there and watch the werewolves I knew fall in front of me. Maybe if I found the leaders of the other groups, I could stop them and stop the rest of the killing.

Then I saw him. Blade was fighting Draven. It was bloody, but Blade didn't stop trying. Draven's eyes were as red as the moon above him, and his strength was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Blade was losing the fight. He was injured over and over again until Draven went for the fatal strike.

"No!" I screamed out, trying to make it over to him, but I couldn't use my magic. I wasn't going to make it in time. "Stop!" I was too late.

"Remy!" Blade called out. "Remy."

His voice was right by my ear, and he sounded worried.

"Remy, wake up."

The world around me started to fade, and then I snapped my eyes open, finding myself in my room. I was drenched in sweat, and I felt like I couldn't catch my breath.

"It was just a bad dream," Blade said. He was kneeling next to the bed, holding my hand. "You're safe now."

My mouth was dry, and I pushed myself forward. I felt sticky and gross and thirsty. I still couldn't catch my breath.

"What is it?" Blade asked.

I felt like I couldn't speak, but I managed to croak out. "Water."

"I'll get it. Just stay here. I'll be quick." Blade jumped to his feet and was gone in a flash.

I was back in my room. Blade was here, and he was alive. I touched my face, trying to ground myself. I realized it wasn't just sweat covering my face. It was also mixed with tears. That felt too real, and even though I wanted to believe it was just a bad dream, I was sure it was a vision of the future. It felt just like the other visions I experienced, only this one was more detailed.

Blade came back with a glass of cold water and a damp washcloth. He handed me the glass, and I greedily gulped it down. My body was desperate for water, since it felt like most of my body's liquids were on my skin instead of inside of my body. While I drank, Blade dabbed my forehead with the washcloth, cooling down my skin.

"Are you okay?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

My heart rate and breathing calmed down, but I couldn't get the image of Draven attacking Blade out of my mind. I didn't want to tell him what I saw, because it would make it more real, but if I didn't say anything, I feared Blade would face that cruel fate. "It wasn't a dream," I finally whispered.

"A vision?" Blade asked. His voice was unreadable, but I could hear his heart thumping against his chest.

I took a deep breath to prepare myself to recall what I had seen. As much as I wanted to forget the horrors, I knew I couldn't let them slip through the cracks. Maybe I could use this vision to stop it from coming true.

"I saw the Blood Moon War." I paused when the words came out of my mouth. As my voice filled the air, I knew that was what the war would be called in the future. "We were losing." I couldn't hide the sadness or desperation in my voice. Blade froze. His face was taut, and when I met his eyes, I knew he didn't know what to say. I didn't blame him for that.

I continued in order to save him from finding the right words. "We were just outnumbered. The vampires and the sorcerers were both there, attacking the werewolves. We couldn't keep up with them. We couldn't defeat them. And then-" I cut myself off. My throat tightened as I thought about the next thing I said. I was terrified that if I spoke about it, I would will it into existence by accident.

"And then?" Blade prompted.

I squeezed my eyes shut. I knew I wouldn't be able to say it if I was looking at Blade. "And then I saw Draven kill you. You two were fighting, and you couldn't keep up with him. And then he shot his arm through your heart, ripping it out." My lungs burned for air, but I couldn't take a breath.

Blade pulled me against his chest, and I felt my tears soaking into his shirt. When did I start crying again? "That won't happen. I won't let it." His words soothed me, but I was still afraid he couldn't stop it from happening.

"You better not," I whispered. The future was not set. I tried to convince myself of that. Even Cain said that the past couldn't be touched, but the future was harder to see because it hadn't actually happened yet. There had to be room for change. I would make room for change, because I wouldn't let Draven kill Blade and take him away from me.

-

DRAVEN

I waited in the shadows for him to show up. I knew he had seen my note, and I knew he would show up. It was five minutes until midnight-the time I told the old man to meet me. He would be here, and he wouldn't be late.

I came early to make sure he didn't set a trap for me, and the neutral ground was clean. No signs of magic or traps anywhere. He was smart, so I wouldn't have been surprised if he had tried to pull one over on me, but it was clear he was smart enough to know doing something like that wouldn't be in his favor.

I had my own people waiting in the distance, ready to step in if anything went wrong, so I wouldn't have blamed him for doing the same thing. However, when midnight came, the old man appeared in the clearing by himself. There were no other tastes of magic in the air. He came alone. Perhaps he wasn't as smart as I gave him credit for.

"You can come out of the shadows now," Winslow said, looking directly at me.

I took a step forward, letting the moonlight shroud over me. "I'm surprised you could see me. I didn't think your kind could see in the dark."

"We may not have the same kind of night vision that you have, but I could smell your bloodlust a mile away. You're not as sneaky as you think," the old man sniped. He was in a bad mood, and after the rumors whispered in my ears, I wasn't surprised. "You're not as clever as you think," I said.

He tilted his head to the side. "Oh? And who are you to say that, bloodsucker?"

I smirked at his insult. I hated his kind, but I admired his bravery. Sorcerers were at a distinct disadvantage against vampires. Even if we were matched in strength and power, I was resistant to his magic, so I would defeat him. I was sure of it.

"You seem to think you can just get your way with a little threat to the werewolves." I took a step forward, watching the sorcerer's movements carefully. He didn't seem afraid in the slightest. I couldn't tell if it was from his intense confidence or from his complete ignorance of his situation.

"What do you want? You said we could benefit each other, but I don't see how. I'm assuming you're the one trying to break the demon creature free, Draven." Winslow knew exactly who I was, just as I knew who he was, despite this being our first meeting. True leaders knew that knowledge was power. We kept a close eye on our enemies and always tried to be a step ahead of them.

"We have the same goal," I said simply. "We both want one of the twins to gain more power. Instead of fighting against each other, we could work together to get what we want. We could take out all werewolves and split the world in two, ruling separately." I had no intention of actually following through with this offer. Once I got the sorcerers to help me eliminate the werewolves, it would be easy to take them out, especially with the power I was looking to obtain. "And why should I trust you to help me and not betray me?" Winslow asked. Smart man.

"You shouldn't," I said simply. "However, you can either fight by my side to achieve your goal, or you can fight against me. The choice is yours."