Bound By Blood

The night air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth. Selene lay awake, her mind restless despite the exhaustion weighing on her body.

Lucian's cloak still draped over her shoulders, its warmth lingering like the ghost of his touch. She could still feel the press of his lips against hers, the way his fingers had brushed her skin like a whispered promise.

Everything had changed in that moment.

She had spent her life believing that vampires were monsters. That they were incapable of love, of kindness, of anything beyond hunger and destruction.

But Lucian was none of those things.

And she was beginning to realize that maybe—just maybe—neither was she.

The crackle of the fire broke the silence, and she turned to find Lucian watching her. His silver eyes glowed softly in the dim light, unreadable yet knowing.

"You're thinking too much," he murmured.

Selene huffed a quiet laugh. "You don't even know what I'm thinking."

Lucian smirked. "I don't have to. It's written all over your face."

She rolled her eyes, but the warmth in her chest betrayed her.

Silence stretched between them, comfortable yet heavy. There were still so many questions, so many unspoken truths hanging in the air.

Lucian shifted, his gaze darkening slightly. "You regret it?"

Selene blinked. "Regret what?"

His jaw tightened. "Coming with me."

She exhaled slowly, considering her answer. The logical part of her knew she should regret it. She had turned her back on the Order, betrayed the very people who had raised her.

But sitting here, beneath the stars, with Lucian watching her as if she were the only thing in the world that mattered…

She didn't regret it at all.

"No," she said, her voice steady. "I don't."

Something flickered in Lucian's eyes, something unreadable but undeniably intense.

Before he could respond, the sharp snap of a twig echoed through the night.

Lucian was on his feet in an instant, his movements impossibly fast. Selene's hand went to the dagger at her hip as she followed his gaze toward the shadows beyond the fire's glow.

They weren't alone.

Hunted

The wind shifted, carrying the scent of blood and steel.

Selene knew that smell all too well.

Hunters.

Lucian swore under his breath. "They're close."

Selene's heart pounded. "They must've tracked us from the ruins."

Lucian turned to her, his expression hard. "We need to go. Now."

Before they could move, a sharp whistle cut through the air. A signal.

Selene barely had time to react before figures emerged from the darkness—three of them, clad in the black-and-gold armor of the Order, their weapons gleaming under the moonlight.

One of them stepped forward, and Selene's stomach twisted.

Commander Darius.

Her former mentor. The man who had trained her, who had taught her everything she knew about hunting vampires.

And now he was here to kill her.

"Selene," Darius said, his voice eerily calm. "Step away from the leech."

Selene's fingers tightened around her dagger. "I can't do that."

Darius exhaled slowly, as if disappointed. "You don't have to do this. Whatever lies he's told you, whatever spell he's cast on you—this isn't you."

Selene's jaw clenched. "You don't know anything about me."

Darius's gaze flicked to Lucian, his expression hardening. "Stand down, vampire. If you surrender, I'll make your death quick."

Lucian let out a low, humorless laugh. "That's generous of you."

Before Darius could respond, Lucian moved.

He was a blur of motion, his speed unnatural even by vampire standards. The nearest hunter barely had time to react before Lucian struck, disarming him in a heartbeat and sending him crashing to the ground.

Darius lunged forward, his sword slashing through the air toward Lucian's back.

Selene didn't think. She reacted.

Steel met steel as she blocked Darius's attack, her dagger locking against his blade.

His eyes widened in shock. "Selene—"

She shoved him back. "I won't let you kill him."

Darius's expression darkened. "You would betray your own for him?"

Selene's chest heaved, her pulse roaring in her ears. "You betrayed me first."

The other hunters recovered, closing in fast. Selene could see the moment Darius made his decision. His grip tightened on his sword.

He wasn't going to let her walk away from this.

Lucian's voice was urgent. "Selene—"

She didn't hesitate. She grabbed Lucian's arm and ran.

Bound by Fate

The forest blurred around them as they sprinted through the trees, the hunters' shouts fading behind them.

They ran until their lungs burned, until their legs threatened to give out, until the only sound was the ragged gasps of their breath.

Finally, they reached the edge of a cliff, the vast expanse of the valley stretching below them. The river cut through the landscape like a silver ribbon, the water rushing violently beneath.

Lucian came to a halt, his hand gripping Selene's wrist.

She turned to him, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

"We can't keep running," she whispered.

Lucian's gaze was fierce. "Then what do you suggest?"

Selene swallowed hard, her mind racing. They couldn't fight the entire Order. And they couldn't hide forever.

There was only one choice.

"We find the truth," she said. "Whatever they're hiding—whatever they don't want us to know—we expose it."

Lucian studied her for a long moment, then nodded. "Together."

The word sent a shiver through her.

She hadn't realized how much she needed to hear it.

Lucian reached out, his fingers brushing against hers. It wasn't just a touch. It was a vow.

A promise.

Selene laced her fingers through his, gripping his hand tightly.

For the first time in her life, she wasn't afraid of the darkness.

She was ready to face it.

And she wouldn't be alone.

End of Chapter Seven.