Page 44 of Blood Bond

Seth exhales sharply, his frustration evident. He paces the room, each step resonating against the hardwood floor, amplifying the tension in the silent space. "And what if we discover it's nothing? What if we endanger her for mere curiosity?"

Elena, ever practical, suggests, "What if we went in daylight? Nothing could get to her then. The few thirsty we have in the area will be in hiding. Any at St Mary’s can be dealt with easily."

Seth's shoulders tense, his usual calm

ChapterThirty-Four

The pain inside him is unlike anything he's ever experienced. It's a searing, consuming fire, tearing through every vein with teeth and claws. This agony reaches down to his very core, prying apart the fibres of every bone in his body.

Nico clenches his jaw, grinding his teeth in a futile attempt to draw in breath, but nothing eases his torment.

He's sprawled on the floor of the grand room, an object of Donovan's twisted satisfaction. "I want to watch," Donovan had declared, his eyes fixated on Nico as he writhed in agony, his body convulsing uncontrollably.

Nico tries to speak, to beg. 'Please help me,' is what he wants to say.'Please kill me,' is what he thinks.

Sweat beads down his face and throat, coating his back in a greasy sheen.

Inside, his body undergoes a monstrous transformation, birthing a creature unique and wild. Every cell reshapes and reimagines itself, adopting new structure and purpose. The lycanthrope virus courses through him, commanding every blood cell to die and be reborn into something more formidable.

Donovan senses it too, like a sorrowful melody strumming against his heartstrings. But instead of misery, it brings him a perverse sense of peace.

Nico is reduced to a weeping, helpless form on the floor at their feet.

Amelia stands over him, hands on her hips, her face twisted in disdain. There's no trace of guilt or remorse, no shred of empathy for what the boy endures. Her humanity, with all its accompanying emotions, is a distant memory. “Did you really have to do this to him?” she challenges Donovan, who is absorbed in studying a large map on the table, his hands braced against it.

Donovan's response is a noncommittal grunt.

Frustrated, Amelia approaches him. “I liked him. He tasted good. Now you've ruined him.”

Donovan finally looks up at her like a father looking at an irritating child. “We’ll find you a new toy.”

“But I liked that one,” she says, revealing a glimpse of her twisted attachment.

Donovan casts a glance at Nico. Huddled on his side, Nico quivers, his naked body exposed and unattended. There's no point in clothing him now. As the transformation ravages his body, any fabric would simply tear under the strain. Along his spine, a striking line of fur emerges, signalling his rapid metamorphosis. His once gentle facial features twist and harden, heralding a more primal form. A piercing scream erupts from him as new, larger canines brutally displace his human teeth.

Donovan, recalling the searing pain of his own transformation, can't help but savour the memory, especially the shock on Seth's face at his transformation.

Facing Amelia's earlier complaint, Donovan dismisses her with a nonchalant shrug. “He was mine first. I've just taken him back.”

Donovan coldly turns away from Nico's torment, focusing instead on the maps in front of him. He only momentarily pauses when Nico’s agonised screams pierce the air. Nico's involuntary bodily responses barely register to Donovan. By Donovan's count, Nico has already lost control of his body twice. He decides against cleaning him up now; there's no point in it yet.

Once the transformation completes, the remnants of Nico's humanity will be nothing more than blood, urine, and faeces on the floor.

The sharp rap at the door interrupts the scene. Blake, Donovan’s vampire servant, opens it to find Amy standing there. Amy, one of Donovan’s vampires. Her short black hair sharply contrasts with her bright blue eyes, the latter accentuated by the crimson residue of her recent feeding.

Donovan's attention shifts as Amelia, clad in a silk gown and perfectly tailored shoes, contrasts sharply with Amy's attire of combat pants, boots, and a jacket. Amy's long black leather coat seems almost too heavy for her slight frame. "Do you have news of my brother?" Donovan inquires, his standard query for any of his team.

They’re a competent group: loyal and hardworking, albeit not the brightest, which is precisely why he leads them.

Amy unceremoniously drops a bag on the table and opens it. "That’s all that was left in the vault," she announces.

Donovan delves into the bag, finding little of interest. It's filled with pictures, trinkets, and jewellery. He extracts a necklace draped over a silk box, letting it dangle from his fingers. The clear-cut diamond set in the necklace catches the light from the chandelier, casting prismatic colours across his face. "You can have this," he offers, extending it towards Amelia with a tilted smile. "Consider it an apology."

The stone in the necklace is cut into a teardrop shape. Amelia takes it, holding it in her palm to examine it more closely. The stones within sparkle intensely. “It doesn’t completely make up for it, but it’s a start,” she remarks.

Donovan nods, then turns his attention to Amy. “Any progress?”

Amy sighs, shaking her head. “Sadly, no, sir. We found two of his men hiding in the back. One, a bar worker, claims ignorance. The other, a former aide of Seth’s, is proving more interesting but equally unforthcoming,” she reports with a snort. “I’ve sent them both to the camp for processing along with the others. They’ll probably talk soon enough under Regan’s methods.”

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