Eternal desire

Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Secrets of the Past**

Amara sat in her room, the soft glow of the moon casting a silvery light across her desk. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something *different* about Lucien. He had always seemed distant, mysterious, but now… now it was something more. The way he moved, how his skin gleamed in the moonlight, and how his eyes—those deep, stormy gray eyes—seemed to carry centuries of pain.

She had to know more.

The next day, she found herself wandering toward the woods, the place where she had found Lucien just a few nights ago. He had warned her not to come alone, but she felt drawn, almost compelled to return. She hoped to find answers, no matter how unsettling they might be.

As she entered the shadowy depths of the forest, the air grew colder, the trees whispering secrets in a language she didn’t understand. Then, she saw him—standing by the same ancient oak they had sat beneath before. He was waiting for her.

"Amara," Lucien’s voice was calm, but there was a tension in his stance, a quiet urgency in his gaze.

"I know there's something you're not telling me," she blurted out, her heart pounding. "I feel it… and I need to know. What are you hiding, Lucien?"

He stared at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, with a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the world, he spoke, his voice low and filled with sorrow.

“I wasn’t born in this time, Amara. I come from a world long gone. I’ve lived for over three hundred years… cursed to walk this earth alone. A vampire.”

Her breath hitched. *A vampire?* Her mind spun, trying to grasp the enormity of what he was saying. "But… how? Why? Why tell me this now?"

Lucien's eyes darkened with a mixture of regret and vulnerability. "Because you deserve to know the truth. You’ve already been pulled into my world just by being near me. And because... you remind me of someone."

Amara felt a chill race down her spine. "Who?"

He hesitated before answering, as if it pained him to speak the name. "Elara. She was the one I loved, centuries ago. But she’s long gone now. The curse that binds me… took her from me too."

Amara’s chest tightened. There was so much pain in his voice, so much sorrow that she could hardly bear it. But she couldn’t stop now—she had to know more.

"What curse?" she whispered, stepping closer to him, her eyes locked on his.

Lucien looked up at the sky, as if searching for the right words in the stars. "I was once human, living in a time of great unrest. Elara and I were in love, but our world was torn apart by war. In a desperate attempt to protect us, I made a deal with a powerful sorceress. I was given immortality, but it came at a cost. I would never know peace, never find love again without losing it. Elara’s death was the price I paid."

Amara’s heart ached for him. She could see the torment etched in every line of his face, the agony of centuries spent alone. "And now?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Now," Lucien said, stepping closer to her, "our fates are intertwined, Amara. From the moment I met you, I knew… I was bound to you in some way. But that also means you're in danger. The same forces that cursed me will come for you if we continue down this path."

Amara’s mind whirled with a thousand thoughts, but one stood out above the rest. She didn’t care about the danger. She didn’t care that he was a vampire, or that his past was filled with darkness. All she knew was that she couldn’t walk away from him now.

"Lucien," she said, reaching out and touching his hand. His skin was cold, but there was a warmth in his gaze. "I’m not afraid. I want to help you break this curse."

His eyes flickered with surprise, then something softer—hope, perhaps, or the ghost of it. "You don't understand what you're offering, Amara. It’s not just a curse. It’s a fate tied to the shadows, to death. There may be no escape."

Amara’s grip tightened on his hand. "We’ll find a way. Together."

For a moment, the world seemed to stand still. Lucien stared at her, as if trying to comprehend her courage, her determination. Finally, he nodded, though there was a flicker of doubt in his eyes.

“There is much you still don’t know, Amara. My past, the enemies I’ve made… they will stop at nothing to keep us apart.”

“Then tell me everything,” she said firmly. “I want to know everything about you, Lucien. I want to know your story.”

And so, under the pale light of the moon, Lucien began to tell her of his past—a story of love, betrayal, and darkness. He spoke of his time as a mortal man, of the sorceress who cursed him, of Elara’s death, and of the centuries he had spent wandering the earth, searching for a way to break the chains that bound him.

As Amara listened, her heart ached for him. But deep down, she felt their destinies were linked in ways neither of them could fully understand.

Little did they know, the wheels of fate were already turning, and the secrets of Lucien’s past were just the beginning of the trials that awaited them both.