🩸Bloodbound Hearts

❖ Midnight City, Raining Streets The city shimmered beneath a curtain of rain. Reflections of neon signs danced in every puddle. Streetlights buzzed and flickered, casting an eerie glow on the empty road as the sound of tires skimming water echoed down a lonely boulevard. Inside the sleek black car, tension simmered. “I told you we should’ve fed before the full moon,” Arnold muttered, fingers tight on the wheel. His golden eyes darted toward the passenger seat. “You’re trembling.” Magnus, the prince who turned his back on an empire, leaned against the window, pale knuckles pressed to his stomach. His short white hair was tousled, sweat collecting along his temple despite the cool air inside the car. “I don’t need blood,” Magnus murmured, blue eyes flickering with pain. “Not yet.” “You’ve said that for 400 years. Now look at you—” He didn’t get to finish. A blur darted across the road. Arnold slammed the brakes. The car screeched. Time fractured. Thump. A body hit the hood and rolled. The car shuddered to a halt. “What the hell—!” Arnold yanked open the door and bolted into the rain. Magnus was out a second later, clutching the side mirror for support. On the pavement lay a girl—barely conscious, soaked, and bleeding. Her long brown hair stuck to her face, the ends trailing through a dark pool of water and blood. She was small—barely reached his chest even lying there—and something about her scent hit him like lightning. Magnus staggered backward. “No…” he breathed, eyes wide. “Not now.” His pupils dilated. The blue bled into crimson. “Don’t look at her!” Arnold barked. “Magnus!” “I—I can’t—” His voice broke, fangs descending. Blood. Warm. Fresh. Real. He hadn’t tasted blood in centuries. Not since he swore off the throne. Not since the war. Not since her. And now… this girl… She stirred, her eyes fluttering open just enough to see him hovering above her. Her lips moved—she whispered something. Was it a name? That was the last shred of Magnus’ control. He sank. Teeth pierced skin. The warmth hit his tongue and the world tilted. He saw nothing but red. --- ❖ Magnus’ Apartment – Later The apartment was dimly lit and absurdly expensive—sprawling windows, velvet furniture, art older than the building. Magnus stood with his back to the girl now tucked under silk blankets on the couch. He hadn’t drained her. Just a taste. But it was enough to awaken everything he buried. “I called the doctor,” Arnold said, pacing behind him. “She had a fractured wrist and deep cuts. But she'll live. Thanks to you.” “You mean despite me.” Magnus looked down at his hands. “She didn’t scream. Didn’t run.” “She couldn’t move.” “No, Arnold. She looked at me. Like she knew me.” Silence. Arnold sighed, running a hand through his golden hair. “This is bad. Really bad. You didn’t just drink blood. You drank hers.” “I had no choice—” “Don’t give me that. You always have a choice. You walked away from the throne. You walked away from your clan. You walked away from—” “I didn’t walk away. I ran.” Arnold froze. Magnus turned, eyes clear now but haunted. “You know what they would’ve done to me if I stayed.” “Yes. And you let everyone else burn while you saved yourself.” That one cut deep. But before Magnus could retort, a soft voice cut through the room. “…who… are you…?” They both turned. The girl was awake, her voice small and cracked like broken glass. Her eyes were a warm brown, clouded with pain and confusion. She tried to sit up, groaning. “Don’t move.” Magnus was at her side instantly. “You’re hurt.” She flinched. He stopped. “...What’s your name?” he asked gently. She blinked at him. “E-Evelyn. Where… am I?” “You’re safe,” Arnold answered from the doorway, arms crossed. “For now.” She didn’t seem reassured. Her gaze kept flicking between them—at Magnus’ pale features and unnatural beauty… and at Arnold’s piercing gold eyes. “You’re not…” she whispered. “You’re not human.” Magnus felt something shift in his chest. So she had seen. Before he could reply, she added: “You saved me… from them.” Arnold raised a brow. “Them?” Evelyn nodded slowly, eyes welling up. “They were chasing me. I—I don’t know who they were. They moved too fast. Their eyes glowed…” “Vampires,” Arnold said grimly. “Lesser ones, probably. Rogues.” Magnus clenched his fists. They’d found him. But why her? --- ❖ Scene: Magnus’ Study – That Night Magnus sat alone, the city sprawling below his penthouse window. Evelyn was asleep in the guest room. Arnold kept watch. The taste of her blood still lingered on his tongue. It was different. Not just intoxicating… but ancient. Familiar. As if it called to something inside him. “She’s not ordinary,” he murmured. “But why?” A knock at the door broke the silence. Arnold stepped in. “You think she’s one of them?” Magnus asked. Arnold shook his head. “She smells human. But there’s… something mixed in. I’d need to look deeper.” Magnus stood, pacing. “I broke my vow, Arnold. Four hundred years of restraint—gone.” “Maybe it’s fate,” Arnold said with a smirk. “Maybe you’re finally going to act like a vampire prince again.” “I don’t want the throne.” “Maybe not. But you can’t keep running, Magnus. And I think she might be the reason.” Magnus stared out the window, his reflection framed by the storm behind the glass. “She’s in danger because of me.” “Or she was always in danger. And you were meant to find her.” Magnus didn’t reply. But inside, something stirred. Fate. Hunger. Destiny. He didn’t believe in those things. Until now. ---