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

Sophia's PovThe rain kept coming down in sheets, heavy and unrelenting, turning the grease and dirt of the alley into a slick, mirror-like surface. Every time Will tightened the medical tape around the improvised splint, a white-hot flash of agony shot straight up my arm to my shoulder. My vision blurred around the edges, but I forced myself to keep my eyes glued to Dante.His face was ghostly pale against the wet dark fabric of my jacket, his breathing shallow and rapid."Hold still, almost done," Will murmured, his gloved fingers surprisingly nimble despite the bone-chilling cold. He tore the tape with his teeth and smoothed the end down against my forearm. "That will keep the bone from shifting until we get to the safehouse.""Thanks," I rasped, my jaw aching from how hard I had been clenching my teeth.Down the alley, the SUV’s engine roared to life with a sick, metallic rattling sound. Congo backed the massive vehicle out of the smoking crater, the bent front bumper scraping alo

ELARA'S POV The rain didn't feel like water. It felt like someone pouring crushed ice straight onto exposed bone.*Keep moving. Don't look at the blood. If you look at the blood, you’re going to pass out, Elara. Just keep moving.*Behind me, the blast door locked with this awful, wet-sounding *clunk*. It didn't mean I was safe. It just meant I had about three seconds before someone came through it with a plasma torch. The emergency tunnel stretched out into the dark, smelling like wet rust and mold, flickering in and out of sight under the orange strobe lights.My lungs were on fire. Every time my left foot slammed into the cold concrete, a spike of hot agony shot straight up my hip, through my chest, and right into my left arm—the arm that was currently hanging like a piece of dead wood at my side.*One, two, three, four... count the steps. Don't think about the Director's face. Don't think about what he did to Sophia. Just count.**BANG.*The iron door behind me groaned. Then came

ELARA’S POVThe walk to the logging road was a blurred blur of agony, wet leaves, and Caleb’s heavy breathing beside me.My left arm hung uselessly, every jolt sending a sickening spike of white-hot pain straight up to my collarbone. Caleb kept his arm firmly looped beneath my good shoulder, bearing almost my entire weight as my bare feet dragged uselessly through the mud."Almost there," Caleb muttered, his voice strained as he pushed through a thick wall of pine branches. "Just a few more yards, Elara. Keep your eyes open."I forced my heavy eyelids up. Through the dense trees, the silhouette of a rusty, early-2000s pickup truck sat parked on a gravel trail, its rain-slicked body blending into the dark forest."I've got you," Caleb breathed, hurrying his pace. He dragged me to the passenger side, yanked the door open, and carefully hoisted me into the warm cab.The blast of stale, heated air hit my freezing skin, making every nerve ending react with an intense, stinging burn. A shar

CHAPTER 13CALEB’S POVThe crackle of the cedar logs in the fireplace sounded suddenly deafening.I sat frozen in the rocking chair, my elbows resting on my knees, staring at Elara. Her voice had dropped into a flat, icy register that sent an unexpected chill straight down my spine. The soft, gentle woman who had just coaxed a smile out of my little sisters ten seconds ago had vanished, replaced by someone with eyes like hollow slate."You're... glad?" I repeated, the word feeling strange and heavy on my tongue.Elara didn't flinch. She kept her good hand tucked into the fold of the wool blanket, her bruised face completely impassive as the firelight danced across her sharp jawline."My parents weren't like yours, Caleb," she said softly, staring unblinkingly into the flames. "They didn't love me. They didn't build a safe cabin in the woods or protect me from the world. They were the ones who sold me."My chest tightened. In the kitchen, the faint sound of Maya pouring tea into two ti

ELARA’S POVThe rest of the morning passed in a tense, watchful quiet.Caleb spent an hour by the front window, his eyes scanning the thick pine trees through the wooden slats of the shutters while Maya and Lily helped me clean up in the kitchen.Taking a bath with one arm locked in a wooden splint was a nightmare, but Maya was surprisingly gentle. She brought me a bucket of warm water, a clean bar of lavender soap, and an oversized grey hoodie that belonged to Caleb. It smelled like cedar wood, copper, and fresh rain, enveloping me in a heavy warmth that finally chased the lingering chill out of my bones.By mid-afternoon, the fog outside had lifted slightly, leaving behind a crisp, biting cold.I was sitting on the sofa, carefully flexing my left fingers to keep the circulation moving, when the soft creak of the front door made me jump. Caleb stepped inside, pulling off his heavy mud-caked boots. His hunting rifle was slung over his shoulder, and his face was grim."Caleb?" I asked,