Hellbound Heart Audiobook の小説・ストーリー

It lingered in the darkness but seemed to be getting worse with each step I took. Then I heard it. It was like death themselves was waiting to impale my heart with their scythe. When I saw them in the room through the ajar door, it felt like death's scythe ripped through my heart and pulled it out of my throat. The sight of Ash with her….

The blade was still in his chest. "Isabella, look at me," Dante cupped my face. "Don't look at him." I nodded, but my body began to shake uncontrollably. Fear, rage, and a profound sense of relief washed over me, leaving me breathless. "I want to go home..." my voice was small. "We're going home now," Dante held me tighter. "Right now..." My vision blurred, and my body felt heavy. The last thing I heard before I passed out was Dante calling my name.

I nodded, not sure whether to believe him, and buried my face his chest. He stroked his hands up my back. “The book I seek is not here,” he told me. “It is back in Benal, oddly enough. We will spend today and tonight here, to ensure that the Dark Elves return to their home, and then Jiloria will take us to Benal to read the final book. Come,” he rolled to his feet and held out his hands. “Let us feed you. I have a book to read.” The kitchen was still busy with small folk. Rivyn shooed them off seats for us.

I could feel the Ledger trying to retreat, pulling its remaining structures inward, consolidating what it could salvage. Kael stepped to my side, his hand brushing mine—hesitant, grounding. “It’s not gone,” he said quietly. “No,” I agreed. “But it’s bleeding.” A low, resonant groan rolled through the chamber, deeper than sound. The air rippled, and suddenly—something else moved. Not the Ledger. Something older. The darkness beyond the Heart shifted, coalescing into a shape that made my skin prickle. Not a person. Not a god.

The idea of this monster touching her or owning her made my soul feel like it was on fire and then, something impossible happened as I felt a thump in my chest. I slowly placed my hand over my heart. I was shocked. My heart was beating. It was slow at first, then faster. Thump. Thump. Thump. How was this possible? Wasn't I dead? Wasn't I supposed to be a hollow shell with no soul? Dracula heard it too. He had super hearing, and the sound of my heart beating made him freeze. He let go of Ariana’s neck and turned to look at me with a dark frown.

“Tell me. It’s frustrating that I could feel your uncertainty, but I can’t read your mind.” “It’s just… What if you change your mind?” I traced the neckline of his black cashmere sweater. “I can’t really rely on your words, you know. You changed your mind too many times since we met.” “I know.” He grabbed my right hand, pressing it right where his heart was. “But do you feel that?” I nodded, bewildered at the thumping beneath my palm. It’s interesting when every lore I’ve read spoke of vampires as undead, without a heartbeat. And here he is, a vampire with a beating heart.

"Are you thinking about your mom again? Do not think about it anymore. You have me now. I am your family." I leaned against his chest and listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Each heartbeat pressed into me like a blunt knife, carving a deeper ache inside. I thought, 'He's always so kind and dependable. How could this man be one of the people who killed my mother?' When Caleb abandoned my mother to care for Olivia, Ryan seemed like a savior. He arrived with a doctor in tow, a supposed beacon of hope slicing through the shadows. Now, I understood the truth. That doctor never came to save her; he came to take her heart. This explains why my mother's funeral was so swift.

The taste of bile rises in my throat, and the acrid scent of gasoline fills my nostrils. I have to get up. Please, get up! The sound of a door slamming and tires screeching holds me for a moment longer, but it’s only to hear the voice again, muttering, “What am I gonna do with you?” As the world fades away, I cling to that voice, a distance beacon in the encroaching darkness.

Adrienne's heart pounded in her chest as she stood frozen, her mind struggling to comprehend the horrifying scene unfolding before her. The deafening explosion echoed in her ears, drowning out all other sounds, as flames consumed her car and the valet trapped inside. The valet's desperate screams intertwined with the crackling of the inferno, piercing through Adrienne's consciousness.

His laughter echoed through the entire hall. In that instant, I could not contain my rage. I grabbed Seth and started pounding him with my fists. I felt nothing. The voices around me seemed to fade away completely. After a long while, someone pulled me off. Only then did I see Seth lying on the ground, bloodied and unable to move. His mother screamed. "You monster! My son!" Ursula shouted angrily, "Grab him! Beat him within an inch of his life!" Chase took a step back, probably afraid of ending up like Seth. The bodyguards swarmed forward and surrounded me.