Cracked Line: An Urban Fantasy: 3 (Cataclysm)

Vampires dont fall in love. Except I did. Not the best decision of my long life. I definitely cracked an unspoken line but Ariana trounced me as far as line-crossing went. Very few acts constitute crimes in Vampire circles. Hers was the worst. I fled to the Old Country to buy myself thinking time.I still loved her but what shed done was so vile I couldnt set it aside.The world is a very different place from when I went into stasis. I woke to wars on every side. Vampires are scarcely strangers to battle. No ones ever accepted us but theyve mostly let us be. Its different this time. Very different. Mortals wont rest until theyve wiped out magic.Normally their efforts would be laughable but theyve coopted help from mages. Ones theyve imprisoned and systematically stripped of power until the poor sods would agree to anything in exchange for their freedom--and their magic.We face huge problems but Im tackling them one by one. Ill return to Arianas side but perhaps only as her comrade-in-arms. Time will tell if we can be more to each other.Time and circumstances. In a world without magic Vampires will wither along with every other magic-wielder. I cannot let that happen.