Susie Rose (Patreon)

The Wooden Stake

I remember the chill of the ruin that night, the way ivy curled over the broken stones like old secrets refusing to die. My fingers brushed dust from a fallen beam—only it wasn’t a beam at all. As I pulled it free, the shape tapered into a point, wicked and clean despite its age.

A stake.

A vampire-killer’s relic.

The irony wasn’t lost on me.

The Moroi stood behind me, watching with eyes that glowed faintly in the half-light. I should clarify: Moroi aren’t the savage kind. They’re living vampires—breathing, feeling, beautifully infuriating beings who need blood but respect life in ways the Strigoi never will. Dangerous, yes… but not monsters.

And certainly not him.

“I think someone left this for us,” I murmured, turning the stake in my hands. It felt oddly natural, like it wanted a purpose.

He stepped closer, his presence brushing against me like a shadow learning to touch. “And what purpose do you think that is?”

I should have been afraid. Anyone else holding a stake inches from a vampire’s heart would be.

But I wasn’t.

“I think,” I said softly, lifting the wooden point between us, “someone expected me to use it on you.”

His lips curved—half amusement, half challenge. “Would you?”

The answer came before thought.

“No. We need you.”

There was more to it, of course—things I wasn’t ready to say aloud. Things he probably sensed anyway. His kind always did.

He reached for my wrist, gently guiding the stake down. “Good,” he murmured. “Because I’m not done helping you survive what comes next.”

The ruins around us seemed to breathe, as if listening.

I let the stake rest at my side, leaning on it like a staff rather than a weapon. “Then you’d better stay close,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. “I don’t plan on facing the dark without you.”

“And I,” he said, stepping close enough that I could feel his warmth, “don’t plan on letting you.”

The night, for a moment, felt almost safe.

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