All Chapters of Bound by Fangs and Blood: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

EVELeaving the Void was harder than entering it.We packed up everything we could carry, which wasn't much. Lucia's blankets, some food, the supplies the witches had given us. Adam dismantled the makeshift crib carefully, like he was hoping we might come back someday."Ready?" Circe asked, standing by the door with her pack.I looked around the cabin one last time. Two weeks. Just two weeks of peace and normalcy. It didn't seem like enough."As ready as I'll ever be," I said, adjusting Lucia in the carrier strapped to my chest.We walked back through the forest toward where we'd entered. The journey took longer this time because we kept stopping to rest. Lucia was heavier now, and I wasn't used to carrying her for long distances."There," Adam said, pointing ahead. "That's the oak tree. The boundary."We stood there for a moment, none of us moving."Last chance to turn back," Circe said."No,"

EVE The training sessions were exhausting. Not for Lucia, who seemed to think the glowing toys were the best thing ever invented. For us. For me and Adam, who had to watch every single thing our daughter did and try to understand what the trainers were teaching us. "See how she reaches for the rabbit and it glows?" Sarah explained on day three. "That's her unconsciously pushing energy out. What we want is for her to learn to pull it back. To control the flow." "How do you teach a baby to pull energy back?" I asked, genuinely confused. "Repetition. Rewards. Making it a game." Sarah demonstrated, holding the rabbit just out of Lucia's reach. When Lucia reached for it and it glowed, Sarah pulled it back slightly. "No glow, you get the toy. Glow, toy goes away." It seemed cruel, taking a toy from a baby. But Lucia didn't cry. She just stared at the rabbit with intense concentration. After a moment, the glow faded slightly. "Good girl!" Sarah immediately gave her the rabbit. "See? S

EVEThe battery lasted exactly two weeks before everything went to hell.I woke up at three AM to Lucia screaming. Not her normal crying. This was agony."Adam!" I shook him awake. "Something's wrong!"We rushed to her crib. The pendant around her neck was glowing so bright it hurt to look at. Lucia's skin was burning hot, her little body convulsing."It's overloaded," Circe said, appearing in the doorway. "The battery can't hold any more energy.""They said we had a week before we needed to drain it!" Adam carefully picked up Lucia, wincing at how hot she was. "It's only been two weeks!""Her power is growing faster than they anticipated." Circe reached for the pendant but jerked back. "I can't touch it. It'll burn me."Lucia screamed again, arching in Adam's arms. The pendant flared brighter. Windows in our room cracked."We need Sarah and Marcus. Now!" I ran for the door but stopped dead.Three Council guards stood in the hallway. And behind them, Dr. Helena Cross."What's going on

EVEThe ritual chamber was underground. Far underground. So deep I could feel the weight of the earth pressing down above us."This is where we do major soul work," Vera explained as we entered. "The depth protects the rest of the facility if something goes wrong.""What could go wrong?" I asked, though I wasn't sure I wanted to know."Soul transfer is unpredictable. Sometimes the essence rebels. Tries to return to its original host. That creates feedback that can level buildings." She said it casually, like she was discussing the weather. "But we've done this seventeen times. Only lost two patients.""Two?" Adam's voice was sharp."Two donors. The recipients all survived." Vera gestured to a circular platform in the center of the room. "Eve, you'll lie there. We'll place Lucia on your chest. The closer the physical connection, the smoother the transfer."My hands were shaking. I tried to hide it but Adam noticed. He always noticed."You don't have to do this," he said quietly. "We ca

EVEThe explosions were getting closer."How many vampires?" Adam demanded as we moved down the corridor."Fifteen. Maybe twenty." Dr. Cross was practically running, guards surrounding us. "They breached the outer perimeter ten minutes ago. Fighting through the upper levels now.""Fifteen vampires versus an entire Council facility and they're winning?" I shifted Lucia in my arms. She was crying, frightened by the noise. I knew I should feel something about that. Maternal distress. Protective rage. But there was only hollow acknowledgment that she was upset."These aren't ordinary vampires. They're Purists. The faction that believes hybrids are abominations." Dr. Cross turned down another corridor. "They're fanatics. Willing to die if it means killing your daughter.""They'll get their wish on the dying part," Adam growled.We reached a reinforced door. Dr. Cross pressed her hand to a scanner. Nothing happened."No. No, no, no." She tried again. Still nothing. "The security system is d