Blood Beneath the Cypress Knees
In the shadowed swamps of the South, where ancient cypress roots drink deep from the earth, something older and far more dangerous stirs.
Rio never asked to be reborn into darkness, but as a fledgling vampire trained by the ruthless and alluring Odessa, he’s learned quickly that survival demands both strength and sacrifice. Haunted by the family he left behind, Rio carries the weight of his choices—yet he can’t ignore the fragile bond forming with Junie Elowen, a newly turned vampire whose bright green eyes hide grief, fear, and an untapped power that could change everything.
Odessa’s control slips as her complicated attachment to Rio deepens, forcing him to question where loyalty ends and obsession begins. But greater threats rise when Cassian—an ancient vampire and Junie’s sire—emerges from the shadows, determined to claim what he believes is his. Power struggles ignite, alliances fracture, and the swamp itself seems to whisper warnings of blood yet to be spilled.
A story of forbidden bonds, found family, and the price of power, Blood Beneath the Cypress is a dark, atmospheric tale where love and loyalty are as dangerous as the monsters lurking in the night.
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Chapter: Echo of Dominion The floodwaters slammed against the plantation walls, roaring like a beast, carrying debris and splintered wood through mud-choked fields. The High Hunter advanced relentlessly, massive, calculating, red eyes locked on every flicker of movement.Lucien’s hands flared with gold energy, but this time, it wasn’t just raw force. He drew upon something deeper—something no one had ever seen before. His body began to glow, veins of golden light spreading across his skin, and a hum resonated through the air. The storm itself seemed to recognize it, lightning cracking closer, thunder vibrating in response.This was the Echo of Dominion, a power Lucien had never fully mastered, a surge that allowed him to manipulate not just energy but the very flow of chaos around him. He could bend the currents of the flood, twist debris midair, and momentarily freeze the High Hunter in a stasis of perception, making time slow around the monster while his body moved at normal speed.Odessa, deflecting a falli
Last Updated: 2025-11-28
Chapter: Fight in the FloodThe floodwaters hadn’t fully receded, and the plantation lay battered beneath a bruised sky. Mud-choked fields were strewn with debris—broken trees, splintered wood, fragments of smaller rebel houses floating across the swamp like drowned ghosts. Every step was a struggle through thick, cold water that pulled at boots, pants, and robes alike.Inside the main house, the witches worked frantically, hands weaving threads of energy that shimmered in the murky flood. Sparks danced across the water, twisting debris aside, bending it away from the weakest points in the structures. Each incantation was a desperate plea, a fragile line of defense holding the remnants of the plantation together.Lucien stood on the porch, scanning the chaos. “Thomas! Claude! Keep the rebels organized along the outer lines. Jules, make sure everyone—children, witches, anyone—reaches the safe house!”Thomas barked orders like a drill sergeant, grabbing a shivering young witch and shoving her behind a floating
Last Updated: 2025-11-28
Chapter: Chaos at the PlantationThe hurricane had passed Driskill Mountain hours ago, but the plantation below was still a chaos of floodwater and debris. Torrential rains had shredded the smaller rebel houses, and leaving two completely submerged, their walls collapsed and roofs floating away in pieces. Mud, wood, and twisted metal swept through the swampy fields, carrying with it the scent of destruction and fear.Lucien stood on the main house’s porch, cloak whipping around him as he surveyed the damage. His eyes were steady, scanning the remaining structures and the struggling rebels. Even soaked to the bone, he radiated calm authority.“We’ve lost two houses completely,” he said, voice tight but controlled. “Jules, get the survivors to the safe house. Claude, Thomas—reinforce the remaining structures and barricade what you can.”Jules, knee-deep in water near one of the surviving rebel houses, guided the shivering, soaked survivors toward higher ground. His dark cloak clung to him, but he didn’t falter. “Keep
Last Updated: 2025-11-12
Chapter: Night of the Flooded HousesNight had fallen over the plantation, heavy and suffocating, the hurricane’s roar magnified against the wide expanse of cypress and moss-draped oaks.The main house, fortified and warded, stood resilient against the lashing rain and screaming wind, but beyond its protective walls, chaos reigned.Two of the smaller rebel houses, hastily constructed, had already succumbed to the floodwaters. The swollen swamp had surged unexpectedly, tearing foundations apart. Wood splintered, walls collapsed, and the screams of the trapped and panicked echoed over the roaring water.Lucien stood at the edge of the main veranda, cloak soaked, boots sinking into mud, staring at the devastation. His jaw tightened. “Two houses gone. How many did they have in there?”Claude and Thomas were shouting over the wind, coordinating what survivors they could. “Check the eastern ridge! Everyone head that way!” Thomas’s voice cracked as a wall of water swept through what remained of the first house, carrying furnitu
Last Updated: 2025-11-10
Chapter: Lost SoulRain still hammered the cabin, relentless, as if the storm itself refused to sleep. Winds bent the trees outside at impossible angles, snapping branches and shaking the old timber structure.Inside, the cabin smelled of damp wood and magic—wards humming faintly, protective energy layered thickly across every window, every door.Junie sat near the fireplace, Jade on her lap, Willa beside her murmuring soothing nursery rhymes. Even the flicker of the fire felt small against the raging hurricane outside.Simone and Sophie huddled together on a blanket, exhausted eyes reflecting the storm’s rhythm. Outside, the world was chaos. Inside, the cabin tried to hold that chaos at bay.But the shapeshifter had not left.In the dark, high on the ridge beyond the trees, it watched. No longer humanoid, no longer falcon, no longer anything fully alive in the way Junie or Rio knew. Its limbs flowed like black water, skeletal and trembling. The storm mirrored its confusion—flashes of lightning glinting
Last Updated: 2025-11-06
Chapter: Escape to Driskill Mountain The shapeshifter shifted again, towering and humanoid yet inhuman. Its black, waterlike limbs flowed unnaturally around a skeletal frame.Its voice carried across the storm, cold and deliberate. “You think your little games have ended me? You’ve killed my handler. One of many. The High Hunters are patient. They will not stop until every vampire is destroyed.”Junie’s green eyes narrowed. “It’s not… it’s not just hunting us. It’s warning us. But is it a threat… or something else?”Rio gritted his teeth, gripping the steering wheel. “Doesn’t matter. We can’t wait here. Move now!”Both vehicles lurched forward in sync. The shapeshifter seemed to anticipate each turn, gliding along the flooded road with unnatural ease.Junie’s magic flared faintly, stabilizing the Chevy as water rushed around the tires. Her powers were no match for the storm—controlling the elements was near impossible.Willa’s fae warmth cocooned Jade, protecting her from the cold. Simone whispered for Sophie to stay cal
Last Updated: 2025-11-04
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