Chapter 3- Rival Shadows

Still reeling from the events of the past 24 hours, Amari stood at her stove making herself turkey wings, white rice, and collard greens. She needed some food to feed her soul, especially since the moment she walked through her door she tried recalling her magic again. Just the simplest spell, lighting all the candles in the room and she couldn’t even do that. Luca had said to her that she doesn’t even recognize all the power she holds while Caleb fully trusted her with the search of Luna’s Embrace. Could she really have all this power stored up inside her that everyone could see except for her? As the crooning of Nina Simone wafted through her apartment over Hemlock and Honey, Amari sits at the table and begins to eat and continue pouring over the grimoire.

As she reads she begins to understand how hybrids were once a thing of legend, when a werewolf was turn by a vampire and they then fed on human blood securing their transition. Super human strength and immortality with a thirst not many can satiate. The diagrams were horrifying, detailing the gruesome transformation, body parts contorting in unnatural ways, double fangs, just to name a few. Needing a break from the horror, she flipped to the first page of the book to see who had written.

She gasps. And sees one of the founders of the Lovett University, and starter of the occult department, Elara Lovett. A pioneer in her field Elara Lovett and her two brothers founded the school after their parents died in a tragic accident leaving them each a fortune. Elara was determined to finish her degree in occult studies but at the time no school wanted to teach a Black American woman; her brothers were angered and the three Lovett children decided to open their own school. Amari continued to turn the pages when a black and white photo with frayed edges fell out. It was a photo of a very beautiful Black woman in the late 1800s. Her dark, natural hair was pressed into a chignon. Her dress was billowing with puffy sleeves, a dark color maybe a deep violet with black crepe trim. Despite the lack of color in the photo, her mahogany skin shone. A crescent moon necklace elegantly decorated her neck, one that copied Caleb's description of Luna's embrace. Amari's heart started to race and she drew a deep breath in and turned the photo around to find a message.

"My dearest Rowan,

You are the moon to my stars, the light that binds me to the night. I know our affair is confined to shadows, yet in your presence, I glimpse a future that burns brighter than any spell I could weave. This talisman you have given me — Luna’s Embrace — I wear it close, for it reminds me that even in our separation, your heart beats with mine.

Forever bound in secrecy and in desire,

Elara”

Amari swooned as she read the letter, swept away by the conviction and thought that went into it. Elara Lovett was given Luna’s Embrace by her secret lover, Rowan. She carefully put the photo back in between the pages and closed the grimoire, stunned. Despite the morally grey confession of their actions, Amari couldn’t help but wonder if she had the capacity to love someone so deeply that she could confine her love to the night. She walked across to her full length mirror and looked at herself intensely. Caramel skin with white freckles from sitting too long in the sun, high cheekbones, deep brown eyes, full lips she misses being kissed on. She turned around to examine herself intensely body. She’s gained some weight the past few years because school is so stressful but her hourglass figure still remained. Full breasts, wide hips, and thankfully her ass was still perky and plentiful. Thick thighs that chafed every time she wore shorts or a dress, long legs. She cocked her head to the side and decided that she was desirable and beautiful and imperfect but was she worthy enough for a secret love affair. She wondered if she was alluring and mysterious, if she carried herself well.

Amari slowly began to remove her blouse and slid her skirt down her legs, revealing a matching burgundy bra and panty. She felt up and down her arms, rubbed her neck, her clavicle feeling the softness of her brown skin. She brought her hands to each of her breasts, rubbing her nipples in circles through the fabric. It had been so long since anyone touched and sucked those. As she slowly brought her hand down to her certain she felt a rush of heat wash over her. Rubbing her clit through the fabric her body felt hotter and she was getting soaked with desire. She can’t even remember the last time she got filled up, she had been so busy with school and her store she barely had time to date let alone hook up. Needing to feel more closer to herself she unhooks her bra and pulls her panties down to her ankles and kicks them off. She sits on the floor in front of her mirror spreading her legs wide so she can see all of herself. Her arousal leaking from her aching core. She leans back on her elbows and rubs her clit in circles, starting slow and then speeding up fast. She dips two fingers inside and moans softly working her fingers on her spot. “Oh fuck” she cries. She throws her head back and releases everything feeling the surge of warmth move through her entire body. Like a fire exploding. Trembling as her orgasm comes down, she looks at herself in the mirror and sees that she squirted and brings her fingers to her mouth and sucks them while staring deeply into her eyes. She’s sweet. When she looks around, every candle in her apartment is lit.

Shocked and relieved that her magic is back in some capacity, Amari stands up and wipes her inner thighs and the floor with a towel. She walks over to the closet and puts on a satin robe. She looks around her space and sees that she has severely neglected her apartment this week. There’s papers piled everywhere, the books on the shelf are falling down on each other, there are soda cans on every table. She grabs a trash bag and starts collecting, sweeps and mops her floors, spraying lavender vanilla perfume on her couch. She throws on some slides and walks outside to the alley to throw her trash in the dumpster. Suddenly she hears a thud against the wall, almost sounding like a body.

Amari slinked back and shut her eyes. If she interfered, whoever the assailant was could come after her next. She was still in her robe with slides on, so she couldn’t exactly make a run for it. But what if it was another vulnerable woman like her, who needed help? She felt that warmth sensation vibrate against her skin, right as she was about act she heard a familiar voice

“I thought I told you to stay away from me? Have you resorted to stalking now?” the voice exclaimed. Her mind clicked. It was Caleb. Amari rushed down the alley to see him holding Luca up against the brick wall by his neck. She would’ve normally been worried about his circulation but he was a vampire after all, chocking wouldn’t kill him. Hopefully. Luca spit in his face, “When would I ever listen to what your kind has to say? Your kind is just a horrible science experiment gone wrong, stupid mutt!”

Caleb’s face glossed over with pure rage and as Amari stared she saw two sets of fangs emerge from his mouth, his body began to contort and grow until his muscles were too big for his blue dress shirt, ripping away by his feet. If you could even call them that anymore, they had protruded out of his dress shoes and claws formed instead of toes scratching the black concrete. He was covered in hair and his hands had claws as well. Amari’s memory flashed of the grimoire. Caleb’s transformation was almost identical to the hybrid Elara Lovett was writing about. Caleb was a vampire and a werewolf. She stepped back shocked and right then Caleb swiped at Luca. He dodged it punched him in the stomach, smirking revealing his own fangs. They were out for blood only being fueled by blind hatred.

“I’m going to love bathing in your blood”, Caleb spat while throwing another punch that connected with Luca’s nose. “We know you’d do anything to be close to me again”, Luca said using his strength to push Caleb to the ground. As they continued this bloody fight, Amari watched wondering if it was even worth it to try and break it up. It seems as if these two supernatural men had a deep hatred for one another that has been festering and boiling for a long time.

She stood frozen for a moment longer, the raw fury between Caleb and Luca unfolding like a storm she'd only read about in ancient texts, their blows echoing off the alley walls with brutal force. Caleb's hybrid form was a terrifying sight—fur rippling over corded muscles, claws slashing through the air in arcs that left shallow gouges in the brick, his guttural growls mixing with the wet sounds of impact. Luca, ever the elegant predator, dodged with preternatural grace, his fangs bared in a savage grin as he countered with swift, precise strikes, his tailored coat torn at the seams. Blood sprayed from a gash on Caleb's arm, the metallic scent mingling with the damp earth and garbage of the alley, heightening the primal tension that made Amari's pulse race. She could feel the heat building inside her, a familiar surge from earlier that night, coiling like a live wire under her skin as she weighed the risks—intervene and risk unleashing whatever wild power had lit those candles, or stand by and let this hatred consume them all.

But as Caleb lunged again, his massive form pinning Luca against the wall with a thunderous crash, Amari's resolve snapped. She couldn't just watch; these men, with their centuries of grudges, were dragging her into their chaos, and deep down, she knew it was tied to her own unraveling magic. Stepping forward, she thrust out her hands, a wordless command tearing from her lips as that inner fire erupted uncontrollably. A wave of shimmering energy burst forth, invisible yet palpable, wrapping around them like searing vines—it smelled of ozone and wild herbs, tasting sharp on her tongue as it forced them apart. Caleb staggered back, his eyes wide with shock, fur receding slightly as if her power had doused his rage, while Luca slumped against the wall, gasping, his charismatic facade cracked by the unexpected force. The surge left Amari breathless, her body humming with the afterglow of exertion, a mix of triumph and terror flooding her veins, making her nipples harden against the silk of her robe in the cool night air.

Etta appeared from the shadows at the mouth of the alley, her eyes wide as she took in the scene, a half-smoked cigarette dangling from her fingers. "Holy shit, Amari, what the hell was that?" she whispered, rushing over and grabbing Amari's arm, her grip firm and grounding. Amari blinked, still reeling from the magic's recoil, when Etta's words hit her like a slap: "Your eyes—they were glowing, like actual fire. I've seen you pull some tricks, but that... that was next level." Amari's stomach dropped, her mind racing back to the mirror earlier, to the way her body had betrayed her with pleasure and power intertwined. She hadn't meant for anyone to see, least of all her best friend, and the revelation left her exposed, a vulnerability that mirrored the ache still lingering between her thighs from her solitary release. As the two men glared at each other from a distance, the alley falling into an uneasy silence, Amari felt the weight of it all pressing in—the magic she couldn't control, the desires she couldn't ignore, and the war that seemed inevitable.

Blood Moon Accord