LOGINVincent POVThe sound of Myra’s cry cut straight through my chest. The sight of the blood did worse.Her nose streamed red, and fresh blood bubbled from the corner of her mouth. She made a thin choking sound. I caught her before she fell forward, lifting her into my arms in one motion. Her small fingers clung to my collar, slick with tears.
Delilah POVI had decided to visit the manor. A soft presence could soothe the tension that has been around lately, and Vincent valued such attention around his daughter. The guards knew me and stepped aside without hesitation. The manor doors opened into warm light. Myra sat on the floor with her picture books spread around her. She did not look up immediately. She never rushed for me the way she did for him.
Adeline’s POVI was supposed to be running routine checks—at least, that was what I kept telling myself as I put on my mask and gloves over the bench.The only issue was that my stomach had that tight warning sign it gets when life is about to stop being simple. I loaded the last sample into the analyzer and keyed in the sequence. A soft beep answered me. The machine hummed
Adeline POVI knew something was wrong the moment I stepped out of the elevator. My lab corridor is always quiet, cold, sterile, humming with machines. But tonight, there was only silence. The silence was so heavy, the kind that tastes like smoke before you even smell it.My stomach tightened as I walked faster, keys already in my hand. The door was cracked open. I never leave it open. I pushed it gently, and the faint creak felt like a warning.The moment the lights flickered on, my breath caught in my chest. Everything, absolutely everything was ruined. The glass chambers were shattered like crushed ice while the metal trays bent at unnatural angles. Across the floor, there were papers scattered like fallen feathers and the medicine samples I had guarded for months burned out of existence.But what made my skin crawl wasn’t the destruction, it was the smell. A faint scent that clung to the walls and the machines and the air itself. I didn’t have to taste it to determine it tasted bi
Vincent POVThe pain hits me without warning. It’s weird because one moment I’m reading a report and the next, something beneath my ribs twists like a hot knife being dragged straight through my chest. I gasp and slam both hands against the edge of my desk to stay upright.Adam surges forward instantly. ‘Let me out…let me out. His voice isn’t a growl this time. It’s a snarl soaked in frenzy.“No,” I grit out, forcing air into my lungs. “You can’t come out now. Not…”The world blurs. My heart pounds hard enough that I hear the thud echo in my skull. My fingers dig into the wood until it creaks. I can feel the streams of sweat run down my back. My control slips one thread at a time like a rope fraying in slow motion. I could feel genuine fear flood my entire system for the first time in years. My mind flashed back to the last time this sort of thing happened. I remembered vividly. The sound of screams and crushed bodies. I didn’t know if those were worse than the smell of blood and th
Myra POVI woke up with the happiest feeling in my tummy. It was one of the most exciting days of my life and it was due to one reason only. Inside my little lunchbox, wrapped in a soft napkin and tied with a tiny ribbon were the pastries Pretty Auntie made just for me. She said she baked them with “extra sweetness for a brave girl,” and I promised I would share them with my brothers at school. I even picked the prettiest box I owned, the one with the gold star on the lid.The whole carriage ride to kindergarten, I kept the box on my lap and stared at it like it might fly away if I blinked too long. I had enjoyed every bite the last time I had them at her house and wanted to request for more. But Daddy had always reminded me I was a Princess and I needed to act and carry myself in that regard. So when Daddy kissed my forehead before I got out, he asked, “What’s making you smile like that, little moon?”I hugged the box carefully. “Auntie made pastries.”He raised an eyebrow, but he







