Ash & Blood

The Prophecy

Long before Alex was born, an ancient prophecy was carved into black stone in the Vesper sanctuary:

"When ash meets blood and moon embraces sun, the child born of darkness and light shall decide the fate of all. He will either end the Vesper bloodline... or make it eternal."

The Vesper elders interpret it differently. Some think Alex is destined to destroy them, while others believe he will become the greatest vampire king in history.

No one knows which is true—not even Alex…

From ash we rise…Through blood we reign!”

THE VESPER CLAN

The Vesper Clan is the oldest and most feared vampire clan in existence. They believe that vampire blood should remain pure and that humans are beneath them. Their members are powerful, wealthy, and ruthless, ruling from the shadows for centuries.

Alex's father, Damien Vesper, was the clan's strongest warrior and the only son of the clan leader.

Everything changed when Damien fell in love with Emma, a human.

He abandoned the clan to protect his wife and unborn child.

To the Vespers, this was the ultimate betrayal.

Before Alex was born, Damien was hunted relentlessly by his own family. He managed to keep Emma and Alex hidden for years, but eventually he was found.

Rather than surrender his family, Damien fought the Vesper warriors alone.

He was killed...

But his sacrifice gave Emma enough time to escape with baby Alex.

For seventeen years, Emma raised Alex in secret, never telling him the full truth.

Meanwhile, the Vesper Clan never stopped searching.

Why?

Because Alex is the last living heir of Damien Vesper.

His mixed blood makes him something the clan has never seen before. Some elders believe he's an abomination that should be executed. Others believe an ancient prophecy speaks of a half-human, half-vampire heir whose blood could make the Vesper Clan more powerful than ever.

Either way...

They need to find him.

ASH AND BLOOD

Chapter One

The first rays of morning sunlight poured through the curtains of a small house tucked away on the outskirts of Ravenwood. Dust drifted lazily through the warm light, settling on old books and faded family photographs.

Alex stirred awake before his alarm rang.

He lay still, staring at the ceiling as another nightmare slipped away with the dawn.

It was always the same.

A man cloaked in black stood in the middle of a burning forest. Crimson eyes glowed through the smoke as blood stained the ground beneath his feet. Before Alex could see the man's face, the dream always ended with a single word whispered into the darkness.

"Vesper."

His breathing steadied as he rubbed his temples.

"Just another dream," he muttered.

A knock came at his bedroom door.

"Alex?" his mother called gently. "You'll be late for school."

"I'm awake."

Emma opened the door with a smile that never quite hid the worry in her eyes.

She looked younger than most mothers, though years of living in fear had etched quiet sadness into her expression. Even after seventeen years, she still glanced out the windows before leaving the house, as if expecting someone to be watching.

"You barely slept again," she said.

"I'm fine."

"You always say that."

Alex shrugged and pulled on the black hoodie he wore almost every day.

Emma hesitated.

"Remember what I told you."

"I know."

"No showing your eyes."

"I know."

"No fighting."

"I know."

"And whatever happens—"

"I don't tell anyone what I am."

Emma smiled softly.

"Good."

She reached up and adjusted the silver chain around his neck.

A weathered pendant rested against his chest.

It had belonged to his father.

Alex had worn it for as long as he could remember.

"Did Dad really wear this?" he asked.

Emma nodded.

"He never took it off."

Alex traced the strange symbol engraved into the metal.

"Why won't you tell me more about him?"

Emma's smile faded.

"Because the less you know... the safer you are."

Before he could ask another question, she kissed his forehead.

"Now go before you're late.”

Far away, beneath an abandoned cathedral hidden deep within the mountains, a circle of hooded figures surrounded a throne carved from black stone.

Candles flickered.

The scent of ancient blood filled the chamber.

An elderly vampire stepped forward, holding a crystal filled with crimson liquid.

"It has awakened."

The room fell silent.

A tall man with silver eyes rose from the throne.

"The heir?"

The elder nodded.

"Damien Vesper's son is alive."

The man's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Seventeen years..."

He turned toward the gathered clan.

"Send the hunters."

His voice echoed through the chamber like a death sentence.

"Bring Alex Vesper home.”

Chapter Two

The Hunger Within

Alex stood before the bathroom mirror, staring at the reflection he had spent his entire life trying to hide.

His dark, slightly messy hair framed a face that looked almost too perfect to be human. His skin was pale—not sickly, but smooth like polished marble. Sharp cheekbones and a defined jaw gave him a mature appearance that made him seem older than seventeen.

He reached up and removed the crimson contact lenses from his eyes.

Instantly, glowing scarlet irises stared back at him.

They weren't ordinary eyes.

They were eyes.

A gift... and a curse.

Alex sighed before slipping the lenses back in. Brown eyes replaced the crimson glow, making him look like every other student at Ravenwood High.

Almost.

There was no hiding the fact that he stood over six feet tall with an athletic build that came naturally. His strength wasn't earned in a gym.

It was inherited.

Seventy percent vampire.

Thirty percent human.

That was who he was.

The human part of him gave him warmth, emotions, and the ability to walk beneath the sun far longer than any vampire could.

The vampire part...

That part craved blood.

Every.

Single.

Day.

Downstairs, Emma was preparing breakfast.

Pancakes.

Eggs.

Orange juice.

To anyone else, it looked delicious.

To Alex...

It smelled like nothing.

He forced himself to eat a few bites anyway.

Emma watched him carefully.

"You barely touched your food."

"I'm not hungry."

"You've been saying that a lot lately."

Alex remained silent.

Emma opened the refrigerator and quietly handed him a small stainless-steel flask.

He slipped it into the pocket of his hoodie before anyone could have seen.

Animal blood.

The only thing keeping the monster inside him under control.

"I don't know how much longer this will work," Emma whispered.

"It has to."

She looked away.

"What if your father's blood is becoming stronger?"

Alex froze.

His father.

Emma rarely mentioned him.

"What do you mean?"

She shook her head.

"Nothing."

She regretted saying it the moment the words left her mouth.

"Mom."

"It's time for school."

Alex knew better than to push her.

She always became quiet whenever the conversation turned to Damien.

Something about his father's death didn't make sense.

Emma wasn't telling him everything.

The hallways of Ravenwood High buzzed with laughter and conversation.

Alex kept his hands in his pockets as he walked toward his locker.

He could hear everything.

A pencil dropping three classrooms away.

A teacher coughing on the second floor.

Someone whispering answers during a math test.

His vampire hearing never rested.

Then...

A familiar laugh.

Lily.

Without thinking, he turned.

She was standing by the windows with two of her friends, sunlight catching the soft waves of her hair.

She laughed at something one of them said.

For reasons he couldn't explain...

Alex smiled.

It was small.

Almost invisible.

But it was the first genuine smile he'd worn in years.

Lily noticed him watching.

She smiled back.

"Hey, Alex!"

His heart skipped.

"You disappeared after school yesterday."

"I... had somewhere to be."

She tilted her head playfully.

"You always talk like you're hiding a secret."

If only you knew.

"I was wondering..." she continued. "Would you like to have lunch with me today?"

Alex's stomach twisted.

Lunch.

A room full of people.

Hundreds of beating hearts.

The scent of blood.

Every instinct screamed at him to refuse.

But then Lily smiled again.

"I'd like that," he heard himself say.

Her eyes lit up.

"Great! Meet me outside the cafeteria."

As she walked away, Alex released the breath he'd been holding.

This was a mistake.

A dangerous one.

Deep beneath the ruins of Blackstone Cathedral, the Vesper Clan gathered around the ancient throne once occupied by Damien Vesper.

"The boy has been found," one hunter announced, kneeling.

The silver-eyed leader slowly rose.

"And?"

"He has no idea who he truly is."

A cruel smile spread across the man's face.

"Excellent."

He walked toward a stone wall where an ancient prophecy had been carved centuries earlier.

His fingers traced the weathered words.

"When ash meets blood and moon embraces sun, the child born of darkness and light shall decide the fate of all."

"The prophecy has begun," he whispered.

Turning toward the hunters, he gave only one command.

"Bring Alex home."

"Alive."

The hunters bowed.

"As you command."

Unaware that dozens of eyes were already searching for him...

Alex walked toward the cafeteria.

And for the first time in seventeen years...

The Vesper Clan was closer than ever.

Chapter Three

The Scent of Crimson

The lunch bell echoed through Ravenwood High.

Students flooded the hallways, laughing as they hurried toward the cafeteria.

Alex stood frozen outside the entrance.

He could hear it.

Hundreds of heartbeats.

Each one unique.

Each one steady.

Each one reminding the vampire inside him that he didn't belong there.

His fingers tightened around the small stainless-steel flask hidden inside his hoodie.

Emma had insisted he carry it everywhere.

"Only if you need it," she had said.

He prayed he wouldn't.

"Alex!"

Lily waved enthusiastically from across the hallway.

She was already holding two lunch trays.

"I saved you a seat!"

A smile found its way onto Alex's face.

He walked over, trying to ignore the overwhelming scents surrounding him.

Pizza.

French fries.

Perfume.

Soap.

And beneath it all...

Blood.

Every student carried the warm scent of living blood.

Normally, Alex could ignore it.

Today...

It was louder.

Stronger.

Almost irresistible.

"You okay?" Lily asked as they sat down.

"You look a little pale."

Alex let out a quiet laugh.

"I've always looked like this."

She smiled.

"I guess you're right."

For a while, they talked about ordinary things.

Teachers.

Homework.

Favorite movies.

Music.

Alex found himself laughing more than he had in years.

It felt...

Normal.

Almost too normal.

"So," Lily said, resting her chin on her hand, "tell me something about yourself."

Alex's smile faded.

There were a thousand things he could say.

None of them were safe.

"I like quiet places."

"That's it?" she teased.

"I don't really have interesting hobbies."

"I don't believe you."

"And why not?"

"Because people who say they're boring usually have the most interesting secrets."

His heart skipped.

If only she knew.

Across the cafeteria, a boy accidentally dropped his tray.

A fork scraped across his finger.

It wasn't much.

Just a tiny cut.

One drop of blood fell onto the floor.

Alex smelled it instantly.

His pupils widened.

The world slowed.

The heartbeat of every student became deafening.

His throat burned.

His fangs pressed painfully against his gums, begging to emerge.

No...

Not here.

Not now.

"Alex?"

Lily's voice sounded distant.

His hands trembled beneath the table.

The scent was everywhere.

His breathing became uneven.

Without another word, he stood abruptly.

"I... I have to go."

Before Lily could stop him, Alex rushed out of the cafeteria.

He didn't stop running until he reached the deserted woods behind the school.

His entire body shook.

He leaned against a tree, breathing heavily.

His crimson eyes flashed beneath the contact lenses.

His fangs extended.

The hunger clawed at him like a living thing.

With trembling hands, he pulled the stainless-steel flask from his pocket.

He stared at it for a moment.

"I hate this..."

Twisting the cap open, he drank.

The blood inside was cold.

Metallic.

Not satisfying.

But enough.

Slowly...

The burning faded.

His fangs disappeared.

His breathing steadied.

This was his life.

Every few days, he had to rely on carefully stored blood to keep the Vesper instincts under control.

Without it...

He wasn't sure what he would become.

Back in the cafeteria, Lily stared at the empty chair across from her.

"He didn't even say goodbye," one of her friends muttered.

Lily frowned.

"No."

She looked toward the exit where Alex had disappeared.

"He looked... scared."

Not angry.

Not sick.

Scared.

Miles away, beneath the ancient halls of Blackstone Cathedral, a lone hunter knelt before the silver-eyed leader of the Vesper Clan.

"We've confirmed it."

The leader leaned forward.

"The heir?"

"He's living among humans."

A slow smile spread across the leader's face.

"And?"

The hunter hesitated.

"There is... a human girl."

The room fell silent.

The leader chuckled softly.

"Just like his father."

His smile vanished.

"Do not underestimate love."

"It turned Damien against us."

He rose from the throne, his crimson eyes glowing in the darkness.

"We will not allow history to repeat itself."

He pointed toward the map of Ravenwood.

"Leave tonight."

"Bring Alex Vesper back."

"Alive."

The hunters bowed as one.

"As you command."

Far above them, thunder rolled across the sky.

A storm was coming.

Alex didn't know it yet...

But by sunrise, the Vesper Clan would no longer be watching from the shadows.

They would be in Ravenwood.