Page 81 of Blood Bound

I pause at an intersection, listening intently. Footsteps echo in the distance, but I can’t pinpoint their direction. This place is a maze designed to confuse and trap. But I’ve lived too long, faced too many enemies to let it defeat me now.

“This way,” I say to Rowan, choosing the left path. She nods, trust evident in her eyes despite everything. It stirs something in me, a feeling I haven’t experienced in centuries.

We’ve barely made it halfway down the corridor when an ear-splitting alarm shatters the silence. Red lights flash, bathing everything in an eerie glow. Rowan gasps, her eyes wide with fear.

“Fuck,” I growl. They’ve discovered our escape. I can hear shouts and running footsteps, growing closer by the second.

“Move!” I urge, quickening our pace. I pray my instincts are leading us toward an exit and not deeper into this trap. Rowan stumbles, exhaustion clear in every line of her body. Without thinking, I reach out and grasp her hand, lending her my strength as I balance the other woman precariously over my shoulder.

The contact sends a jolt through me, our blood bond flaring to life in full force. For a moment, I can feel everything she’s feeling – fear, determination…and something warm and bright that I don’t dare name. Because I can feel it in me, too. An emotion that has been growing steadily since the first moment I heard her voice in my head.

Pushing the thought aside, I concentrate on moving forward, getting us out of here; there’ll be time to explore these feelings later.

There’s a door up ahead; one savage kick takes it off its hinges. I burst through the doorway, Rowan’s hand still clasped in mine, Sarah’s limp form over my shoulder. The sight of tall windows along one side of the room sends a surge of hope through me, but it’s short-lived. As my eyes adjust to the dim light, my heart sinks.

The windows face east.

The sky is already lightening with the approaching dawn. The sun is rising.

“Shit,” I mutter, my mind racing. I’m old enough to survive a brief kiss of the sun. I even managed to get through Rowan’s sunblast. But full daylight?

I won’t make it.

Rowan’s grip on my hand tightens. “Darick?” Her voice is laced with fear.

I’m about to respond when I hear them. Footsteps, dozens of them, drawing closer. The mingled scents of vampire and witch grow stronger, confirming my worst fears. There are too many. Even at full strength, I couldn’t take them all on while protecting Rowan and Sarah.

We’re trapped.

I scan the room desperately, searching for anything we can use. It’s some kind of storage area filled with crates and old machinery. Nothing that screams “escape route.”

What do we do?

Wait for them to take us, resign ourselves to whatever fate they have planned for us? I could make it out…might be able to get Rowan free… Maybe.

“Darick, what do we do?” Rowan’s voice trembles slightly as she echoes my thoughts, but there’s steel beneath it. She hasn’t given up yet. And neither will I.

I meet her gaze, seeing my own determination reflected there. “You’re going to get out of here,” I say grimly, gently setting Sarah down. “The windows. It’s not a long way down.”

I look at Rowan, her eyes wide…and they’re the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. Then my gaze shifts to the windows once more, where the sky is rapidly lightening.

‘An impossible choice.’ Evelyn Blackwood’s voice rings in my mind.

And yes, the choice before me is impossible. Yet it’s crystal clear.

In one fluid motion, I pull the pendant from my jacket pocket and press it into Rowan’s hand, closing her fingers around it. I bring her fist to my lips, placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles. The warmth of her skin against mine sends a jolt through our bond.

The footsteps are right outside now. I can hear voices, barked orders.

“Whatever happens,” I say, my voice low and intense, “know that I—”

Something hits the door with a thunderous crash. I spin instantly, my fangs fully extending as I position myself between Rowan and the entrance. The first rays of sunlight begin to peek over the horizon, painting the room with a soft golden glow. In that moment, my decision is made.

I will not let them have her.

“Run,” I growl, my eyes never leaving the doorway. “Take Sarah and go. Now!”

I can feel Rowan’s hesitation, her reluctance to leave me behind. But there’s no time for arguments or tearful goodbyes. Every second counts.

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