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25: The Council

Author: EMPRESSBIMS
last update publish date: 2026-01-17 23:58:46

EVE

Mike's lawyer stood, a slick-looking wolf in an expensive suit. "Council members, we're here today because my client's wife has been manipulated by a powerful Alpha. Eve DeLacruz is clearly suffering from trauma-induced delusions."

"Delusions?" I stood up, ignoring Adam's hand trying to pull me back down. "You call what Mike did to me a delusion?"

"Miss DeLacruz, please sit," the head councilman said.

"No." I stepped forward. "You want to hear Mike's side? Fine. But I'm going to tell yo
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  • Bound by Fangs and Blood   102

    CHAPTER 89 ADAM Three months after Eve came back, we had our first real fight. Not about her being reckless. Not about the trauma. Not about any of the obvious things. About dishes. "You left them in the sink again," I said, trying to keep my voice level. "I asked you to put them in the dishwasher." "I was having a panic attack. Dishes weren't my priority." "You've had three panic attacks today. At some point, dishes need to happen." Eve's eyes flashed. "Are you seriously criticizing me for not doing dishes while I'm struggling with PTSD?" "I'm not criticizing. I'm asking you to follow through on basic household tasks." "Basic household tasks feel impossible when I'm fighting to stay grounded in reality!" "Then tell me that! Don't just leave things half-done and expect me to read your mind!" "I shouldn't have to explain every single time that I'm barely functional! You know I'm struggling!" We were both yelling now. The girls hovering in the doorway, uncertain. I forced

  • Bound by Fangs and Blood   102

    ADAM Three months after Eve came back, we had our first real fight. Not about her being reckless. Not about the trauma. Not about any of the obvious things. About dishes. "You left them in the sink again," I said, trying to keep my voice level. "I asked you to put them in the dishwasher." "I was having a panic attack. Dishes weren't my priority." "You've had three panic attacks today. At some point, dishes need to happen." Eve's eyes flashed. "Are you seriously criticizing me for not doing dishes while I'm struggling with PTSD?" "I'm not criticizing. I'm asking you to follow through on basic household tasks." "Basic household tasks feel impossible when I'm fighting to stay grounded in reality!" "Then tell me that! Don't just leave things half-done and expect me to read your mind!" "I shouldn't have to explain every single time that I'm barely functional! You know I'm struggling!" We were both yelling now. The girls hovering in the doorway, uncertain. I forced myself to s

  • Bound by Fangs and Blood   101

    CHAPTER 89 ADAM Three months after Eve came back, we had our first real fight. Not about her being reckless. Not about the trauma. Not about any of the obvious things. About dishes. "You left them in the sink again," I said, trying to keep my voice level. "I asked you to put them in the dishwasher." "I was having a panic attack. Dishes weren't my priority." "You've had three panic attacks today. At some point, dishes need to happen." Eve's eyes flashed. "Are you seriously criticizing me for not doing dishes while I'm struggling with PTSD?" "I'm not criticizing. I'm asking you to follow through on basic household tasks." "Basic household tasks feel impossible when I'm fighting to stay grounded in reality!" "Then tell me that! Don't just leave things half-done and expect me to read your mind!" "I shouldn't have to explain every single time that I'm barely functional! You know I'm struggling!" We were both yelling now. The girls hovering in the doorway, uncertain. I forced

  • Bound by Fangs and Blood   100

    EVETen years after my resurrection, Lucia graduated high school at sixteen.She'd skipped three grades. Could have skipped more but we'd insisted she have some semblance of normal adolescence."This is pointless ceremony," she said, adjusting her cap. "I already know everything they're celebrating. Academic achievement is arbitrary validation of information retention.""It's a milestone. Let us celebrate you.""I'd rather be in the lab finishing my research.""You can finish your research tomorrow. Today you walk across a stage and let your family be proud."She sighed dramatically. "Fine. But I'm not smiling for photos."She smiled for every single photo. Couldn't help herself. Brilliant and accomplished and still somehow our little girl.Sophie was fourteen now. Already accepted into prestigious art programs. Her work sold for thousands. Critics called her a generational talent."It's weird being famous for trauma art," she told me. "People buy my paintings because they feel the pa

  • Bound by Fangs and Blood   99

    CHAPTER 91ADAMTwo years after Eve's resurrection, life felt almost normal.Not the old normal. We'd never get that back. Too much had changed. Too much trauma had reshaped us.But a new normal. Better in some ways. More honest. More present. More grateful for what we had.The girls were nine now. Growing fast. Too fast.Lucia had started advanced placement classes. Her teachers struggled to keep up with her intellect. She'd already mastered calculus and was working on theoretical physics for fun."I'm considering a research project on hybrid genetic expression," she announced at dinner. "Specifically how wolf and vampire DNA integrate at the chromosomal level.""That sounds complicated," Eve said."It's fascinating. The recombination patterns suggest deliberate optimization rather than random mutation. I think there's an evolutionary mechanism we haven't identified yet.""You're nine.""Age is irrelevant to intellectual curiosity. Einstein developed his thought experiments as a teen

  • Bound by Fangs and Blood   98

    CHAPTER 90EVESix months after my resurrection, I finally slept in our actual bedroom again.The ceiling didn't feel threatening anymore. The space didn't feel crushing. I could breathe without panic clawing at my throat.Adam cried when I told him."Really? You're ready?""I think so. The guest room helped. But I miss our room. Our bed. Sleeping next to you without three feet of deliberate space between us.""We can move slowly. Try one night. If it's too much, we go back to the guest room.""Okay. Let's try."That night, lying in our bed for the first time in six months, I waited for the panic to hit.It didn't.The ceiling was just a ceiling. The room was just a room. I was safe."How do you feel?" Adam asked quietly."Safe. Actually safe. Not just telling myself I should feel safe.""That's huge, Eve.""I know." I turned to face him. "I'm getting better. Really better. Not just managing symptoms but actually healing.""I've noticed. The nightmares are less frequent. The panic att

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