Rain slammed the city. Lightning carved jagged scars across the sky as Damon pulled Elara through the underground corridor. His grip was iron-tight, his other hand holding a sleek handgun low and ready.
The bunker door sealed behind them with a heavy, metallic thunk — as if it was swallowing the last bit of safety they had left.
Elara's chest burned with a strange heat.
Not her fear. Damon's rage.
System Notice
Heart Synchronization: 97%
Emotional Sharing: Instability Rising
She stumbled, breath catching. Damon turned instantly — eyes cold but voice rough with concern.
"You're too pale. Sit."
Not a command — a plea disguised as one.
She shook her head. "I'm fine."
"You're not," he growled. "If your knees give out, we both collapse."
Because the bond would drag them down together.
He exhaled sharply and cupped her cheek — thumb brushing beneath her eye.
Warm. Protective. Dangerous.
"When you're terrified, it hits me like a blade," he murmured.
"And right now… I'm drowning in your panic."
Her cheeks flushed. "I'm— I'm trying not to."
"Then let me take the fear."
He pulled her a step closer, bodies almost flush.
Everything inside her trembled.
His heartbeat… became hers.
Their breathing aligned.
Then the bond struck — sudden, scorching.
Desire. Anger. Need. Power.
She gasped, clutching his shirt. Damon's pupils blew wide, jaw clenching in restraint.
"Elara," he breathed like a warning,
"If this continues… I won't be able to stop."
"Stop what?" she whispered.
Lightning cracked.
The answer unfurled without words — the heat between them coiling, demanding.
He leaned in… closer… lips a breath away—
BANG — BANG — BANG!
Fists slammed against the outside bunker door.
"Elara Voss!"
A distorted voice roared.
"You belong to the Crimson Veil!"
Damon snapped into killer mode — gun raised. Elara stepped behind him, mind spinning.
"Why do they want me?" she hissed.
He didn't look back. "Because of what you are."
"What I am?" she repeated, stunned.
"You think I'm the only monster tied to this bond?" Damon said. "Elara… you're awakening. That blast last night — that was power."
He pressed her hand to his heart — fast and furious beneath her palm.
"But it's not controlled. And if they take you—"
The bunker door pierced inward, metal bending like foil.
Damon cursed and grabbed Elara by the waist — lifting her onto a steel platform above the ground level.
"Hold on!"
He slammed a button.
The platform surged up — a hidden elevator shooting them through a narrow escape shaft.
Elara clung to his shoulders, face pressed against his chest. The bond pulsed — panic fueled by his adrenaline.
"Are we going to the penthouse?" she gasped.
"No," Damon gritted out.
"Avoiding all predictable exits. We're leaving the city."
The elevator burst into an abandoned metro tunnel. Damon kicked open a hatch and helped her down.
They ran — shadows chasing from behind.
Elara tried to keep up, but her lungs burned. Damon slowed, scooping her into his arms without warning.
She squeaked. "I can run!"
"Not fast enough," he said, voice strained.
"You're the target."
Her heart punched her ribs.
Being carried shouldn't feel this good.
Or this terrifying.
Bond Surge: Physical Synchrony
Touch proximity amplifying effect…
She felt every flex of his muscles, every controlled inhale of his breath.
She felt his fear — for her.
Gunfire echoed in the tunnel behind them.
Damon leaped down onto the transit rails, landing with precision. Ahead, a set of headlights roared — a black armored SUV ripping down the track.
A back door flew open. Adrian leaned out, shouting:
"Get in!"
Damon placed Elara inside first — gently — then slid in after, slamming the door.
The SUV shot forward.
Elara's heartbeat was chaos. Damon's hands were still on her — thumbs rubbing soothing circles into her waist before he realized and pulled away.
Adrian glanced back, eyes flicking between them.
"Huh. Didn't realize babysitting a soulmate was part of my job."
Damon's glare could have killed a god.
"Don't call her that."
Elara stared. "Soulmate?"
Adrian smirked. "Isn't that what a bond means? Shared pain, shared power, shared—"
Damon cut him off with a voice like frostbite.
"It means if I fail, she dies. Nothing romantic."
But his aura betrayed him — protectiveness coiling like a beast guarding its mate.
Elara's stomach twisted — a flash of disappointment she wished she could swallow.
Before she could speak, Adrian continued:
"Tracking confirms three vehicles pursuing us. They've been watching since last night."
Elara's throat tightened. "How? How do they know everything?"
"They have someone on the inside," Damon said, eyes narrowing.
Adrian hesitated. "There's more."
He tossed a folder into Damon's lap.
Damon opened it — and froze.
Elara leaned slightly — enough to glimpse a photo.
A dark-haired man with silver eyes and a cruel smile.
Name: Lucien Voss
Status: Alive
Her breathing stopped.
Her last name.
Alive.
"That's— that's impossible," Elara choked. "My brother died when I was seven."
"No," Damon said, eyes sharp.
"He was taken."
"By who?"
Adrian answered: "The Crimson Veil."
Elara's vision dimmed. Her brother — alive?
All these years? In the hands of monsters?
Damon took her hands — firm, grounding.
"Elara. Look at me."
She did.
His thumb brushed across her knuckles — hot, steady, claiming.
"They want you because you are the key to unlocking the Blackthorn curse."
"C-curse?" she whispered.
Damon nodded once. "My bloodline transforms under extreme threat. A monster trapped under skin."
Her pulse jumped. "What kind of monster?"
The SUV jolted hard — something exploded behind them.
Damon's eyes flared — glowing silver, sudden and feral.
"A dangerous one."
His voice wasn't fully human anymore.
Adrian shouted from the front:
"They're gaining — shift, Damon!"
Damon snarled — low and primal. "Not with her watching."
Elara grabbed his face — forcing him to meet her fear, not run from it.
"I'm not afraid of you," she whispered.
The bond responded violently — a current of burning electricity linking heart to heart.
His restraint shattered.
Bones cracked — skin rippled — darkness spiraled under his flesh like ink in water.
Claws gleamed where nails had been.
Fangs lengthened behind curled lips.
A predator unleashed.
Elara didn't pull away.
His forehead pressed against hers — breaths harsh and intertwined.
Voice guttural, ancient:
"You should run from me."
Her hands slid to his throat — holding him steady.
"No, Damon," she breathed.
"I stay."
The beast inside him growled — not with hunger.
With possession.
He surged toward the back of the SUV, roaring out the window — a sound that shook the world. The pursuing vehicle swerved, terrified.
But a voice crackled over the radio — smooth and chilling:
"Hello, Elara."
Her heart stopped.
She knew that voice.
Even after all these years.
"Little sister… I've come to bring you home."
Lucien.
Elara's scream got stuck in her throat.
Damon whipped around, half-transformed — fangs bared, eyes wild.
"No one touches her."
Lucien laughed — cold and broken.
"You can't protect what you don't own, Beast King."
Damon roared again — louder, lethal — the SUV shaking from the sound.
The bond flared blinding gold—
Warning: Trust Corruption Detected
Betrayal Event Nearing
Target: Damon Blackthorn
Time Remaining: 58 hours
Elara's blood froze.
Betray Damon?
No. Never.
But the system didn't care what she believed.
It had already chosen a future where she would destroy the man she was beginning to want.
And he would destroy her.
The countdown began.