Chapter – The Blood Price

The soft hum of hospital machines was the only sound that dared exist in the cold, sterile silence.

I sat by Alex’s bedside, my hands folded tightly on my lap, trembling from exhaustion I couldn’t shake. The scent of antiseptic clung to my skin, mingling with the stale taste of dread in my mouth. His face was pale, almost too still. Tubes ran from his arms. A ventilator breathed for him. Every time the monitor beeped, my heart skipped.

"He's strong," Lucien whispered behind me, placing a hand on my shoulder. But his voice cracked halfway through the sentence.

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. I...