Alle Kapitel von Bound By Blood & Desire: Kapitel 1 – Kapitel 8

(Mani’s POV) It was well past midnight when Carl dropped me off. His headlights swept across the cracked walls of my building before the car rolled to a stop. I opened the door and stepped out without saying much. My whole body was sore, my hands were still shaking, but somehow, the emptiness was worse than either. I shut the car door and watched him drive away, his taillights shrinking until they disappeared around the corner. I stood there for another moment. Then I looked down at myself. Carl's jacket hung loosely around my shoulders, far too big for me. The expensive scent clinging to it mixed unpleasantly with the cheap suppressants on my skin. I pulled the jacket tighter. I didn't want to think about what had happened tonight. I didn't want to think about Carl. I definitely didn't want to think about how my first time had gone, because I'd imagined it differently. Not some romantic fantasy where flowers rained from the ceiling, but at least something that meant more than

(Mani’s POV)The train ride felt like being trapped inside a dream I couldn't wake from. I stayed pressed against the window, watching the darkness outside smear into endless streaks of light. Every now and then, another town flashed past before disappearing behind us.I should have been relieved.I'd gotten away.But my body still ached from the night's events, and my hands stung whenever I moved them. I rested my forehead against the cool glass and closed my eyes.My chest hurt too.Maybe it was exhaustion. Maybe it was everything catching up with me at once.I didn't bother figuring it out.When the train finally rolled into Ridgewood, dawn was beginning to break.The sky was pale when I stepped onto the platform.Sunlight spilled between the buildings, turning the unfamiliar streets gold.It should have been beautiful.It wasn't.The light didn't feel warm. It might as well have been moonlight.I stood there with my small envelope clutched in one hand, watching the station come al

Carl poured another drink and leaned back against the kitchen counter.Across from him, Jack sat at the island, scrolling through his phone.Neither of them had spoken for several minutes, but the silence wasn't uncomfortable. They were both thinking about the same thing.Finally, Jack looked up. “So.”Carl glanced at him.“The boy, what's up with him?” Jack asked.A faint smile touched Carl's mouth. “Mani.”“You're sure that's his name?”“No.”Jack raised an eyebrow. “Really?”Carl took a slow sip of his drink. “He's had more names than I care to count.”“And he looks exactly like Eliot Hargrove.”Carl's smile disappeared. “Very much like Elliot Hargrove.”Jack set his phone down. “When I saw his picture earlier, I did think his face looked familiar. Turns out he's a perfect copy of the Hargrove heir.”Carl walked over to the table and dropped a folder onto it.Jack opened it.Inside were photographs of Mani; dancing, walking through the streets, entering the club, shopping inside a

(Mani's POV)It had been over a week since Eliot disappeared. And I still thought about him, just not every second anymore.That was how I survived things. I adjust.At first, Carl's house felt strange. The bed was too soft, the food was too much, the silence was too complete… but now, I barely noticed any of it.I'd learned exactly how many steps it takes to get down to the kitchen, I'd learned most of Carl's routine, how heavy he walks, and I've memorized his phone number.I hadn't even realized I'd memorized those things until I caught myself walking through the kitchen without thinking about where I was going, and accurately timing when Carl comes downstairs in the morning, when he leaves the house, and when he comes back in.Maybe that was the problem with me; I got used to things too easily, places, people, names, lives… if something changed, I changed with it.Right now, though, I was bored.Painfully bored.I'd tried downloading games on the phone Carl had gotten me, but appar