Bloodbound Vows: A Companion

Jealous

L A Y L A

My chest felt heavier than it should have.I told myself it was because everything was changing. Soon, I might have to leave Sunairi—my home, my family, everything I had ever known—and step into a world that wasn’t built for me.

A world filled with vampires.A world where I didn’t belong.The thought alone made something inside me tighten.And yet…My mind kept drifting back to him.Sin.

He wasn’t what I expected. He was honest. Calm in a way that didn’t feel forced—like nothing truly rattled him, or maybe like he had simply learned how to hide it.

I didn’t know him.Not really.But something about him felt… steady.And that unsettled me more than anything else.

⸻

S I N

By the time I reached my chambers, I should have felt relief.Instead, my thoughts followed me.Her voice. Her questions. The way she looked at me like she was trying to understand something she didn’t trust yet.

Layla.Human. Princess. A complication I didn’t ask for.And yet—I couldn’t ignore the pull.I exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through my hair.This was exactly why bonds were dangerous.Not because of power.Because of attachment.

When she asked me if I wanted this, I told her the truth.No.But that wasn’t the full truth.It wasn’t just the arrangement I resisted. It was what came with it—connection. Vulnerability. The kind that made people hesitate when they shouldn’t.

I had spent too long learning how to exist without that.I wasn’t about to lose control now.Even if something in me was already shifting.

⸻

S I N

Morning came too quickly.By the time I stepped into the corridor, everything was back in place—focus, distance, restraint.Then I saw her.Layla stood near the entrance to the dining hall, sunlight catching the soft green fabric of her skirt as it moved around her. The color sharpened her eyes, made them brighter—harder to ignore.

I looked away almost immediately. Annoyed. Not at her. At myself. It had been a long time since anything—anyone—had distracted me like that.

I didn’t like it.

⸻

L A Y L A

Breakfast felt… wrong. Too normal in some ways. Too tense in others. Our parents spoke easily, as if nothing had changed. As if the night before hadn’t shifted everything beneath our feet. Then the doors opened.

And they were brought in. Girls. Human. My stomach turned slightly. I tried not to react, but it was harder than I expected. This wasn’t something I had ever seen so openly.

“Sin,” Queen Satare said smoothly, “your breakfast.”My gaze shifted to him. He didn’t hesitate. He reached for one of the girls and led her away without a second thought. Something tightened in my chest.

I didn’t understand why. I shouldn’t care. We barely knew each other. And yet— It didn’t sit right.

⸻

S I N

I felt her eyes on me before I even left the room. I ignored it. I had to. This was normal. Necessary.

I led the girl into a private space, closing the door behind us. She settled easily, like this wasn’t new to her.

It should have felt routine. It didn’t. A second later— I knew why.

⸻

L A Y L A

I shouldn’t have followed him. I knew that. But I did anyway. Before I could stop myself, I was standing just inside the doorway. Watching. The girl sat too close. Too comfortable. Like she belonged there.

Something sharp twisted in my chest. I didn’t like it. Didn’t understand it. But I couldn’t ignore it. “Layla?” he said, clearly not expecting me. “Why her?” I asked.

The question came out before I could soften it. His expression shifted slightly. “You’re not ready for that,” he said. “That’s not what I asked.” Silence stretched between us.

Then, quieter— “She’s for sustenance. Nothing more.” That should have been enough. It wasn’t.

⸻

S I N

She was looking at me like something didn’t sit right with her. Not anger. Something deeper. I didn’t like that I noticed.“Are you saying you want me to stop?” I asked, watching her closely.Her jaw tightened.“I don’t care what you do.”

But her voice betrayed her.I let my fingers rest lightly against the girl’s wrist, feeling her pulse—but my attention stayed on Layla. Waiting.Watching.She didn’t move.Didn’t leave.And suddenly—None of this felt right.

With a quiet exhale, I released the girl.“You can go.”

She hesitated for a moment before getting up and leaving.The door closed behind her, leaving only the two of us.Layla looked surprised.I stepped closer. “Maybe feeding is more than just survival and should be reserved for my companion,” I said quietly.

Her breath caught slightly.For a moment, I didn’t hide it.The conflict. The shift.Something about the idea of hurting her—even unintentionally—didn’t sit well with me.

That alone was a problem.

⸻

L A Y L A

I didn’t know what to say.Didn’t know why that mattered.But it did.Too much.So I did the only thing I could.I stepped back.

⸻

S I N

I didn’t follow her.I should have. Instead, I poured blood into a flask from a blood bag. Easier.Cleaner.Less complicated.But as I stood there, one thought stayed with me—Why did it matter that she saw?