Chapter 8 – A Bargain in Blood

A Bargain in Blood

The room seemed to shrink around Eleanor as her eyes darted between Lucian and Victor. The flickering candlelight cast shifting shadows over the ancient ledger—her name waiting to be written.

"Victor…" she whispered, disbelief strangling her voice.

Her oldest friend. Her ally. The one person she had dared to trust. And yet, the crescent mark on his wrist glowed like a brand of betrayal.

Victor didn't flinch beneath her stare. His face remained unreadable, his dark eyes calm as if he had been expecting this moment.

"You're working for him?" Eleanor's voice cracked.

Lucian chuckled. "Oh, Eleanor. 'Working for me' makes it sound so… transactional." He stepped closer, golden eyes glinting with amusement. "Victor made a choice. Just as you will."

Eleanor shook her head violently. "No. I won't—"

"You think you're any different?" Lucian cut her off. "How many nights have you wondered what it would be like to have power? To take control instead of being at the mercy of fate?"

Eleanor clenched her fists. "I don't want power. I want you gone."

Lucian sighed, feigning disappointment. "And here I thought we understood each other."

He turned to Victor. "Tell her, won't you?"

Victor exhaled slowly, his shoulders tightening. He looked at Eleanor, and for the first time, there was something almost like regret in his expression.

"I did it to survive." His voice was quiet but steady.

Eleanor's heart pounded. "You… you took his deal?"

Victor's jaw tightened. "I didn't have a choice."

Lucian laughed softly. "Oh, but you did. Everyone does. You'll see that soon enough."

Eleanor could barely process what she was hearing. Victor—the man who had fought beside her, who had warned her about Lucian—had already fallen into his grasp.

Lucian tilted his head, studying her. "Shall I show you what happens when people reject my generosity?"

Before Eleanor could react, he lifted a hand—and Victor gasped in pain.

His mark flared, the sickly glow spreading up his arm like wildfire. His face twisted as he dropped to one knee, clutching his wrist. Sweat beaded on his forehead.

Eleanor's breath caught. "Stop!"

Lucian smiled. "Funny, isn't it? You hate me, yet you don't want to see him suffer." He crouched beside Victor, gripping his chin. "You knew what you were agreeing to," he murmured. "And now? You belong to me."

Victor panted, his body shaking from the strain. But when he lifted his gaze to Eleanor, something flickered in his eyes—a silent message.

Run.

Eleanor's stomach clenched.

Lucian was distracted—focused on his control over Victor. If she was going to escape, this was her chance.

But leaving Victor behind… could she really do that?

Lucian turned to her again, still holding Victor in his grasp. "You want to walk away? Fine. But he stays."

Eleanor hesitated.

Victor gave her the smallest nod. Go.

It was enough.

She turned and ran.

The corridors of Ravenshade Manor blurred as Eleanor sprinted through the darkness. The cold air bit at her skin, but she didn't slow. She couldn't.

Behind her, she could still hear Victor's strained breathing. Lucian's taunting laughter.

I'll come back for you, Victor, she swore silently.

For now, she had to survive.

She burst through the main doors, her boots crunching on frost-covered grass. The night had deepened, the sky an endless abyss of black. The town was miles away, but she would make it. She had to.

A gust of wind howled through the trees, carrying with it a whisper.

"Eleanor…"

Her body tensed.

Lucian's voice was in her mind.

"You can run, but you can't hide. I'll always find you."

Eleanor clenched her jaw, shoving down the panic clawing at her chest. She forced herself forward, her breath coming in sharp gasps.

I don't belong to you, Lucian.

The manor's gates loomed ahead. Freedom.

Then—a shadow shifted in the path.

A figure stood in front of the gates. Tall. Motionless.

Eleanor skidded to a halt, her heart leaping into her throat.

It wasn't Lucian.

It was Maria Delacroix.

Eleanor's breath came out in a shaky exhale. "Maria?"

The leader of the resistance movement stepped forward, her dark cloak billowing in the wind. Her sharp eyes swept over Eleanor, taking in her disheveled state.

"You shouldn't be here," Maria said, her voice low.

Eleanor swallowed. "I could say the same to you."

Maria didn't answer immediately. Then, in a hushed tone, she asked, "Did you find what you were looking for?"

Eleanor thought of the ledger. The names. The empty space meant for her.

And Victor.

"I found enough."

Maria nodded. "Then we need to leave. Now."

Eleanor didn't argue. Together, they slipped into the trees, the cold night swallowing them whole.

Hours later – Safehouse on the Outskirts of Black Hollow

The room was dimly lit, the single candle barely illuminating Maria's sharp features as she paced. Eleanor sat on the edge of a worn wooden chair, her mind still racing.

"Tell me everything," Maria said finally.

So Eleanor did.

She told her about Victor's betrayal, about Lucian's ledger, and most importantly—about her own name being on the list.

Maria's face darkened. "That means he's already claimed you. You just haven't accepted it yet."

Eleanor shook her head fiercely. "No. I won't let him."

Maria studied her carefully. "Lucian isn't just playing with you. He's marking you. You're part of his plans, whether you like it or not."

Eleanor shivered. She had felt it, even before she saw the ledger. Lucian's presence had always lingered around her—watching, waiting.

Maria exhaled. "We'll figure something out. But first, we need to deal with Victor."

Eleanor's stomach clenched. "Lucian controls him."

"For now," Maria said. "But that doesn't mean we can't fight back."

A spark of hope flickered in Eleanor's chest.

Lucian thought he was always one step ahead.

But she wasn't going down without a fight.

To be continued…