05/07/2026
TITLE: BLOOD PRISONER 🩸🖤 (Part 19)
Morning arrived quietly. The first rays of sunlight slipped through the sheer curtains, spilling across the room in ribbons of soft gold. Dust motes drifted lazily through the light, giving the stillness an almost sacred quality.
Kathryn stirred. Sleep clung stubbornly to her as she blinked several times, her mind lingering between dreams and consciousness. For a few blissful seconds, she remained perfectly still, listening to the silence around her. Then she realized she wasn't alone. Warmth surrounded her, a strong arm resting securely around her waist. Her cheek was pressed against a broad chest, rising and falling beneath her with slow, steady breaths.
Her eyes widened. Very carefully, she lifted her head. Elijah was still asleep. His silver hair had fallen untidily across his forehead, softening the sharp angles of his face. Without his usual guarded expression, he looked younger, almost impossibly so. Peaceful. Human. A smile crept onto Kathryn's lips before she could stop it.
Yesterday replayed itself inside her mind: finding her parents, their tears, the unbearable guilt she'd carried, Elijah's apology, the kiss they had shared. And last night. Heat flooded her cheeks so quickly she thought she might burst into flames.
"Oh, God," she breathed, mortified.
She buried her face briefly in the blanket before gathering enough courage to move. Slowly, carefully, she tried to slide out from beneath his arm. The instant she shifted, the arm around her waist tightened. Not painfully. Instinctively. Protectively.
"You were trying to escape."
His voice, rough with sleep, shattered the quiet. Kathryn nearly jumped.
"I thought you were asleep."
"I was."
His eyes remained closed for another heartbeat before they slowly opened. Silver met hazel. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Kathryn laughed awkwardly. "I wasn't escaping."
"No?"
She shook her head. "I was trying not to wake you."
A sleepy smile curved his lips. "I've been awake."
Her eyebrows lifted. "Since when?"
"Long enough." He watched her with unmistakable amusement. "Long enough to know you've been staring at me."
Her face immediately betrayed her. "I wasn't."
"You were."
"I wasn't."
"You counted my eyelashes."
"I did not!"
The corner of his mouth lifted higher. "You definitely counted them."
Kathryn groaned, dropping her face into one hand. "I already regret waking up."
"I don't."
Before she could attempt another escape, his arm slipped more securely around her waist. One gentle pull, and she was right back against him.
"Elijah."
"Hm?"
"I thought you said I was escaping."
"You were."
"So why are you pulling me back?"
"To prevent the escape."
She laughed despite herself, the sound muffled against his chest. "You are impossible."
"So I've been told."
He adjusted the blanket around them, wrapping both arms around her until the morning chill disappeared completely. "Come here." She didn't argue. She settled beneath his chin as though she'd belonged there all along.
For several minutes, neither of them spoke. The room remained wrapped in comfortable silence. Kathryn listened to the slow rhythm of his heartbeat. Strangely, it calmed her. Through the bond, warmth flowed between them, not physical warmth alone, but something deeper.
Yesterday's grief still lingered inside her. She still missed her parents. Still worried about them. Still wished she could wake up in her own bedroom and believe everything else had only been a nightmare. But the crushing weight she'd carried yesterday had eased. Not disappeared. Shared.
She wondered if Elijah felt it. He did. Every emotion. Every trembling heartbeat. Every tiny shift inside her.
Without opening his eyes again, he lowered his head and placed a feather light kiss against her hair. "When this is over," his voice was little more than a whisper, "when the Vargyn are finally gone."
Kathryn looked up. His expression had changed. The teasing had vanished completely. Only determination remained.
"I'll give you your life back." She searched his face. "You'll go home. You'll wake up beside your parents. You'll have the ordinary life that was stolen from you." His jaw tightened. "I promise."
There was no hesitation. No uncertainty. Only conviction.
Kathryn stared at him. "You promise?"
"I promise."
Something inside her chest tightened painfully. No one had ever spoken to her with such certainty, as though failure simply wasn't an option. She swallowed. "Can I ask you something?"
He nodded.
"Do you still regret the bond?"
His gaze held hers. "To you?" Silence stretched between them. She immediately regretted asking. Then a faint smile appeared.
"When it first happened, I hated it." The honesty caught her off guard. "I saw it as a responsibility. A burden. A problem I needed to solve." His fingers brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"I spent centuries making sure no one could get close to me." His smile grew quieter. "Then you arrived."
Kathryn listened without breathing.
"You walked straight through every wall I'd spent a lifetime building. And the worst part," he laughed softly,
"I didn't even realize you'd done it until it was far too late."
Emotion caught painfully in her throat. "So." She searched his face. "You don't hate me?"
He looked genuinely surprised. "Hate you?" He reached up and cupped her cheek with extraordinary tenderness.
"No." His thumb brushed across her skin. "I love you for it."
The words were simple. Quiet. Yet they carried more weight than any grand declaration. Kathryn felt the air leave her lungs. Tears gathered in her eyes before she could stop them. She laughed shakily. "I think, I love you too, Elijah."
Time seemed to stop. He simply looked at her, as though hearing those words had silenced centuries of loneliness. His forehead rested gently against hers. Neither of them spoke. Neither of them needed to. Then, very gently, he kissed her forehead.
Three soft knocks echoed through the room. Neither of them moved.
"Elijah." Maria's voice came through the closed door. Flat. Controlled. "Breakfast is ready." A pause.
"Lucien and Lucienne are waiting."
Elijah didn't immediately answer. His hand remained entwined with Kathryn's. Finally, he said, "We'll be down shortly."
"Very well."
Silence returned. But outside the room, Maria didn't leave. She remained standing before the closed door, completely still. She didn't need to open it. She already knew exactly what she'd find inside. Kathryn. In his room. In his arms.
Her expression never changed. No tears. No bitterness visible on her face. Only stillness. But beneath that stillness, something dark shifted. Her jaw clenched. Her fingers slowly curled into tight fists at her sides. A faint blue glow flickered between them before disappearing almost immediately. She closed her eyes, drew in one slow breath, and forced the magic back under control.
---
The dining room was already set. Morning sunlight poured through the floor to ceiling windows, illuminating the polished oak table where breakfast had been carefully arranged. Lucien sat at the head of the table, quietly reading a leather bound journal between bites of toast. Lucienne, seated opposite him, was helping herself to fresh fruit while humming softly beneath her breath. Maria occupied her usual seat. Elegant. Composed. Unreadable.
She looked up the instant Elijah and Kathryn entered, only for a second, then her gaze returned to her plate as though they had never walked in. No greeting. No smile. Nothing. Kathryn noticed. A faint ache settled in her chest, but she pushed it aside.
"Good morning," Lucienne said brightly.
Kathryn smiled. "Morning."
Elijah inclined his head. Lucien acknowledged them with a quiet nod before closing the journal. "You both slept well?"
Kathryn nearly forgot how to breathe. She felt Elijah glance at her.
"We did," he answered calmly.
Lucienne's lips twitched. She hid a smile behind her teacup. Kathryn lowered her eyes, pretending to be deeply interested in buttering a slice of bread. Elijah noticed the faint blush creeping across her cheeks. Without drawing attention to it, he reached for the honey and quietly placed it beside her plate before she even realized she wanted it.
She looked up. "Thank you."
He simply nodded. The small gesture wasn't missed. Lucienne's eyes moved from the honey, to Elijah, then to Kathryn. A knowing smile spread across her face. She said nothing. Sometimes silence was far more entertaining.
Breakfast continued peacefully. The clink of cutlery against porcelain. The aroma of fresh coffee. The quiet murmur of morning conversation. For the first time in days, the mansion almost felt like a home again.
Then the massive front doors swung open with enough force to echo through the entrance hall. A familiar voice followed immediately.
"I'm back."
Heavy footsteps approached. A moment later, Jeremiah strode into the dining room as though he owned every inch of the mansion. Black tailored trousers. An expensive white silk shirt left casually open at the collar. Gold chains resting against his chest. Matching rings gleaming on nearly every finger. He looked effortlessly extravagant, like royalty who had wandered into the wrong century.
He stopped just inside the doorway and slowly surveyed the table, then sighed dramatically. "The food here had nothing on the ones from the city."
Lucien barely looked up.
Lucienne laughed. "Sit down before you faint from neglect."
Jeremiah pulled out a chair with exaggerated offense. Only then did his attention land on Kathryn. His grin softened. "Morning, Princess."
Kathryn smiled warmly. "Morning, Jeremiah."
"And welcome back." He winked. "I knew someone missed me."
Then his eyes shifted. To Elijah. Back to Kathryn. Then to Elijah again. His grin slowly widened. "Oh."
Lucienne immediately recognized that expression. "No."
Jeremiah ignored her completely. "Oh, well, well." He leaned slightly closer.
Elijah sighed without looking at him. "Don't."
"I haven't even spoken."
"You don't need to."
Jeremiah chuckled. "Nice, nice."
---
About an hour later, the morning sun shimmered across the outdoor pool. Kathryn stopped at its edge and smiled. "It looks beautiful."
"It is."
She slipped off her sandals. "I haven't gone swimming in forever."
Elijah smiled. "Then I suppose today is a good day to change that."
She looked over her shoulder. "You aren't joining me?"
"I'll watch first."
She laughed. "Afraid I'll beat you?"
"I've lived for over a thousand years."
"So that's a yes."
Before he could answer, footsteps approached behind them. Jeremiah. He looked between the two of them before sighing dramatically. "I hate to interrupt whatever adorable little moment this is, but Lucien wants you in the study."
Kathryn's smile faded. "Now?"
Jeremiah nodded. "Apparently we've got new information about the Vargyn."
Elijah looked at Kathryn. She pouted playfully. "You've been stolen."
"I'm afraid so." He stepped closer. "I won't be long."
Shortly, Elijah pushed back his chair. "I'll be outside for a while."
Lucien gave a small nod without looking up from his coffee. Jeremiah watched him leave, then looked at Kathryn with exaggerated innocence. "You're still here?"
Kathryn blinked. "Hm?"
"I thought you'd magically disappear the moment he stood up."
Lucienne laughed. "Leave the poor girl alone."
Kathryn rolled her eyes, though she couldn't hide her smile. Elijah paused by the doorway and looked back. "Kathryn?"
She was already standing. "I'm coming."
Jeremiah leaned toward Lucienne as they walked out. "I didn't say a word."
"You didn't have to," Lucienne whispered back.
---
With one last glance at Kathryn, Elijah turned and walked back toward the mansion alongside Jeremiah. Just before disappearing through the doors, he looked back. Kathryn was already lowering herself into the water, smiling as the cool surface rippled around her. Only then did he allow himself to follow Jeremiah inside.
Inside the mansion, the atmosphere shifted the moment Elijah and Jeremiah entered the study. Large maps were spread across the table, held down by daggers at each corner. Lucien stood at the head of it, his expression unusually grave.
"The Vargyn have moved again," he said without preamble.
Jeremiah pushed himself against a nearby bookshelf, folding his arms. "How far?"
"Closer than we'd anticipated." Lucien pointed to a marked section of the map. "Our scouts tracked them before dawn. They're no longer searching randomly." His gaze lifted. "They're hunting with purpose."
Elijah studied the map in silence. "They're looking for the shard."
Lucien nodded. "And they're becoming more aggressive."
A heavy silence settled over the room. Finally, Elijah spoke. "Then we find them first."
---
Outside, Kathryn lowered herself into the pool with a contented sigh. The cool water embraced her instantly. For the first time in what felt like forever, she felt lighter. She swam slowly from one end to the other, letting the water carry her. A smile touched her lips.
Yesterday had been overwhelming. Finding her parents. Leaving them again. Everything had hurt. But this quiet morning, this moment, it almost felt normal. She floated onto her back, closing her eyes as sunlight warmed her face.
Several yards away, hidden behind the tall hedges lining the gardens, Maria stood perfectly still. Her expression remained unreadable. Not anger. Not sadness. Only cold resolve. Her gaze never left Kathryn.
Slowly, she raised one hand. Her fingers moved in deliberate patterns. Ancient words slipped quietly from her lips. Blue light flickered around her fingertips before dissolving into the air. Nothing seemed to happen.
Then the surface of the pool rippled. Just once.
Kathryn frowned. Something brushed lightly against her ankle. She opened her eyes and looked around. No one. Probably a current. She continued swimming.
A second later, her leg stopped moving. She blinked. "What?" She kicked harder. Nothing. It felt as though something beneath the water had wrapped around her calf. She twisted, tried to pull free. The pressure tightened. A cold knot of unease formed in her stomach.
Then, without warning, something yanked her downward. Hard. Her head disappeared beneath the surface. Her eyes flew open. Bubbles burst from her mouth as panic hit instantly. She kicked, thrashed, reached upward. The surface looked impossibly far away. An invisible force clung to her body, holding her beneath the water. She couldn't break free. Her chest tightened. She needed air. She tried to scream. Water rushed into her mouth instead.
No. Please.
She clawed desperately at the water around her. Nothing answered. Her lungs burned. Her heartbeat became deafening. Her vision blurred around the edges. Her thoughts became scattered.
"Elijah......
TBC 🖤🌙❤️ 🥹🥹My poor Katryn 💔
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