The Glass Cliff

"Silas!" Harper screamed.

Silas was covered in blood, his velvet coat shredded. The silver chains were burning into his immortal flesh, hissing and smoking, causing him immense, visible agony. Heavy, glowing blood-runes had been carved into his skin to suppress his power. But he was fighting like a demon, thrashing against his captors, his silver eyes fixed desperately on Harper and the boy.

"Do not touch them!" Silas roared, struggling against the silver, his voice hoarse from screaming. "Alaric, I swear on the dark, I will slaughter your entire bloodline!"

Lord Alaric ignored him. He stepped forward, looking at Harper and Leo with an expression of profound disgust.

"A myth brought to life," Alaric sneered, his gaze lingering on the trembling toddler. "An abomination of the blood. It is unnatural. It threatens the purity of our kind."

"He is just a little boy!" Harper cried, stepping in front of Leo, her back pressed against the cold glass of the window. The ocean roared furiously below them.

"He is a threat," Alaric corrected coldly. "The child will be destroyed. The human vessel..." He looked Harper up and down, unimpressed. "Such a plain, unremarkable creature to have caused such a chaotic disruption. You are of no consequence. Your mind will be wiped, and you will be returned to your pathetic mortal existence."

Harper’s heart shattered. She looked at Silas.

Silas was weeping. The ancient, unhinged, powerful vampire lord was crying tears of blood, struggling uselessly against the silver chains that burned him to the bone. He had torn the world apart to find her, and now he was forced to watch her be destroyed.

"I'm sorry," Silas choked out, meeting her eyes. "My beautiful girl. I'm so sorry."

The Dark Moment settled over Harper like a suffocating blanket. All hope was completely lost. She was trapped on a cliff, surrounded by immortal killers. She was just a plain artist. She had no magic, no strength, no wealth. She was entirely powerless.

But as she looked at Lord Alaric, advancing toward her with a silver dagger drawn, a terrifying, absolute resolve solidified in her chest.

She might be plain. She might be powerless. But she was a mother. And she would never let them touch her son, nor would she ever forget the monster who loved her.

Harper scooped Leo into her arms, holding him tightly against her chest. She turned her back on Alaric and faced the massive, floor-to-ceiling glass window overlooking the deadly drop to the freezing ocean.

"Harper, no!" Silas screamed, realizing what she was about to do.

"I'm sorry, Silas," Harper whispered, turning her head to look at him one last time, offering a sad, beautiful smile. "I love you. You made me feel like a masterpiece."

Harper closed her eyes, lowered her shoulder, and threw her entire body weight against the weakened, rotting glass.

The glass shattered.

Harper and Leo plummeted backward into the howling, freezing void.