All Chapters of Three Days to Ash: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I dragged my dying body back to the manor, stumbling with every step. I had no intention of turning to ash here.I only wanted to take with me the last traces of my existence.I found there was nothing left to pack.I pushed open the door to my former perfumery, only to find it had long been converted into a cold storage room.My perfumer's organ had been shoved into a corner, covered in a thick layer of dust.The essential oils and scent strips I had once so carefully blended were all tossed haphazardly into cardboard boxes.Only the black walnut worktable remained in its original spot, but its surface was buried under a pile of junk.In a corner lay a shattered crystal vial, containing the last remnants of the only gift Damien ever gave me for our First Embrace: a drop of low-grade, desiccated blood amber.I sat at the table and reached out, brushing the dust from its surface. My fingertips froze as they touched a picture frame.It was a photo of us from our First Embrace ceremony. I

"Ah—!" She hit the floor hard, letting out a bloodcurdling scream.Almost instantly, angry red welts began to appear on her pale arm."Isabella!" Eleanor shrieked, rushing to her side. "My God, it's concentrated vervain! She's badly burned!"The burns spread at a visible rate, crawling up her arm to her neck as her skin started to blister.It certainly looked like a severe reaction to vervain.Richard whirled on me and roared, "Seraphina, what did you do to her?"I hadn't done anything but pull my hand away.But I knew it was useless to defend myself.Isabella leaned against Eleanor, whimpering in pain."Mother, it hurts so much… like I'm on fire… Sister Seraphina, she didn't mean to…"Even in her "agony," she was pleading my case, which only enraged everyone else further.Seeing Isabella's burned skin, Richard turned and roared at me,"Seraphina! You've gone too far!""I… I didn't…" My explanation sounded feeble and weak."You didn't what?" Damien strode over, fury blazing in his eyes

The next afternoon, an apprentice from the corner coffee shop knocked on my door.He was a kind human boy with eyes as clear as a mountain spring."Ma'am, you looked very pale yesterday. This latte is on the house."He shyly held out a steaming cup of coffee, its rich aroma dispelling some of the musty smell in the room.In this world, the only one to show me any kindness was a complete stranger, a human.Just as I was about to gratefully accept the coffee, Isabella appeared.She was dressed in a stylish, form-fitting leather outfit, a cruel sneer on her lips."Sister, hiding in this little rat hole. You've been hard to find."She strode into the room without a second thought and shoved the slender boy hard.The scalding latte overturned, splashing across my cold ankles and raising an angry red welt."Oops, my hand slipped," Isabella giggled, covering her mouth without a hint of apology. "But you really should stay away from human trash, sister."The boy glared at her angrily. "Why did

In the top-floor holographic conference room of the Nightfall Group, Damien was presiding over a multinational board meeting crucial to the Kindred's survival, his face a cold mask.Suddenly, his private phone lit up with the highest-level encrypted red alert.The sender was Seraphina."What new trick is this?" he muttered impatiently, tapping it open.But when the recording began to play, his face instantly turned deathly pale.Isabella's voice came through, clear as day: "From the day I moved in, I've been lacing your blood packs with vervain…""The trap with the hunters, the vervain in your blood, all my handiwork…""So just die peacefully. Once you've turned to ash, I'll be Damien's one and only love."The audio ended with a shrill, maniacal laugh.The boardroom fell into a deathly silence.The Kindred elders and executives seated at the long table looked at each other, too stunned to speak.Just then, a violent pain erupted from Damien's Blood Core.It felt as if someone had drive

I floated in the air, watching everything unfold in the antique shop.Maria said nothing, simply leading them through the store.She pushed open door after door.When a body covered with a deep blue velvet cloth was finally revealed, Damien and my parents froze.The air seemed to solidify."What is this! Why did you bring us here? What kind of joke is this!"Damien's voice trembled, laced with a powerful, ominous premonition.He rushed forward in a fury and tore off the velvet cloth.When he saw the familiar face, his entire world collapsed.It was Seraphina.His Vow-mate. His wife.She lay there, peaceful as if asleep, her body taking on a translucent quality, on the verge of dissipating.A faint, almost imperceptible smile lingered on her lips.As if she had finally broken free from a centuries-long, vicious curse.But she would never open those clear eyes again.The searing pain of the vow's complete severance from hours before struck the depths of his Blood Core like lightning once