Eternally Bound by Blood(Dark Bl)

For a moment, Alaric simply stared at him,really stared as if gazing at Eric's dark thoughts, his expression unreadable.

"They're coming," Alaric said suddenly, his tone laced with anticipation.

Eric blinked, startled by the abrupt shift. "Who's coming?"

Alaric's smile widened, a spark of excitement flickering in his eyes. "The hunters," he said simply, his voice filled with a strange mixture of menace and delight.

Eric moved instinctively, his muscles tensing as he took a quick step back from Alaric, his eyes darting to the door. His breath caught as he prepared for the unknown. The air felt heavier, charged with an energy that prickled along his skin.

Before Eric could react further, the door burst open with a force that rattled the walls. Standing in the doorway was Elias, his broad frame silhouetted against the dim light from the hall. His presence filled the room, his sharp gaze sweeping over Eric before locking onto Alaric.

"Elias," Alaric said smoothly, his earlier excitement morphing into something colder, sharper. He leaned back slightly, his arms folding across his chest as if this intrusion were merely an amusing inconvenience. "Right on time. As predictable as ever."

Elias's lips pressed into a thin line as his eyes lingered on Alaric, trailing from the sharp line of his jaw to the effortless posture he held, exuding a maddening confidence. For a moment, his expression softened gazing into Alaric's beautiful grays.

Elias took a measured step forward, his tone icy but tinged with a hint of frustration. "Alaric, I didn't come here to play games. The vampire's feeding is done, and it's time for him to go. He's not welcomed here anymore."

Alaric's smirk widened, the faint glint in his eye betraying a dangerous amusement. He leaned casually against the bedframe, arms folded, as if Elias's authority was a matter of personal entertainment. He drawled, his voice smooth and mocking, "Always so formal."

The words shared between Alaric and the hunter grated on Eric's already frayed nerves. His fists clenched at his sides as he took a sharp step forward, eyes blazing. "You're not taking me anywhere," he snapped, his voice raw and defiant. "Not again."

Elias turned to Eric, his expression unchanging but his gaze sharpening like a blade. "It is not for you to decide, vampire . Your attachment is irrelevant to what must be done."

Eric's teeth clenched, his entire body coiling as if ready to strike. But before he could utter another word, Alaric spoke again, his tone almost lazily dismissive.

"Or what?" Alaric interrupted, his voice dropping into a chilling calm. "You'll try to remove him? I assure you, Elias, that would end very badly for everyone involved."

Eric stepped closer to Alaric, his voice rising with desperation. "Don't let them take me," he growled, his gaze shifting between Alaric and Elias. "I'm not going anywhere!He needs me!"

Alaric tilted his head toward Eric, his smirk returning, though it carried an edge of something almost... protective.

Elias's gaze locked onto Eric's, a cruel smile playing at his lips as he rolled his shoulders, the sound of cracking joints breaking the tense silence. His voice was sharp, laced with sinister amusement.

"If you don't come willingly, I'll teach you what it means to bend to my will. "

Eric's anger had been building, slow and relentless, but now it exploded. The way Elias watched Alaric with that shameless, predatory lust—how dare he? And worse, how dare Alaric even glance back at him? A possessive rage surged through Eric, primal and overpowering.

He felt his fangs extend, the sharp ache perfectly mirroring the storm raging inside him. The world blurred into crimson, his instincts suffocating any shred of reason. With a feral growl that ripped through the night, he lunged at Elias, his body driven by pure, unrelenting fury.

Elias moved with a grace that bordered on mocking, sidestepping as though Eric's rage was nothing more than an inconvenience. The taunt was clear in the predator's sharp grin. Eric's momentum spiraled out of control, carrying him into an unsuspecting hunter who stood frozen, paralyzed by the chaos erupting around him.

The man barely had time to gasp, his trembling hands reaching for a weapon he would never wield. Eric's fangs sank into his throat, puncturing the fragile skin with ease. Hot blood flooded his mouth, the taste both intoxicating and damning. The hunter's body went limp in an instant, but Eric didn't stop. The storm within demanded more. He tore savagely, feeling the pulse weaken under his grip, the life slipping away like sand through his fingers.

Behind him, Elias chuckled softly, the sound dripping with cruel amusement. "Is that all you've got, Eric? A frenzied beast with no aim? Pathetic."

The words struck like daggers, fueling the inferno within. Eric dropped the lifeless body, his chest heaving, blood smeared across his face. He turned, locking his burning eyes on Elias, the predator who seemed so untouchable. He swore in that moment, he would make him bleed. But first, he needed control, and control felt like it was slipping further from his grasp.

Elias chuckled, a low, mocking sound that grated on Alaric's nerves. It was a sound that carried a dangerous promise, one that dared Alaric to make the first move.

Behind them, Eric was a storm of violence, entirely consumed by his bloodlust. The hunter's life drained away in seconds, his lifeless body discarded like a broken doll. But Eric didn't stop. The scent of fear and fresh blood was too much, driving him deeper into a frenzy. He tore into the next hunter, his fangs piercing flesh with horrifying precision, then turned to another before the second body had even hit the ground. Each kill was a blur of chaos, the air thick with the iron tang of blood and the desperate cries of the dying.

Alaric's fists clenched at his sides, his nails biting into his palms as he struggled to remain composed. The sight of Eric's carnage was....it was exciting to Alaric and he tried to reign it in but Elias seemed to take that as terror.

"You've lost him," Elias said, his voice low and dripping with mock sympathy. "Not that you ever had him, did you? Look at him, Alaric. A rabid dog, driven by hunger. Is that what you've been hiding all this time?" He tilted his head, feigning curiosity, though his words were laced with venom.

Alaric's jaw tightened, the storm of emotions inside him threatening to break free. He forced himself to meet Elias's gaze, his eyes glinting with suppressed fury. "You talk a lot for someone who's about to die in a few weeks." he spat, the calm in his voice more threatening than any growl.

Elias smirked, spreading his arms as if inviting the challenge. "Oh, by all means, try. Let's see if there's anything left of the man you used to be… or if you're just as lost as your little pet over there." He gestured toward Eric, who was now crouched over his latest victim, blood dripping from his chin, his eyes wild and unrecognizable.

The taunt was too much. Alaric surged forward, his movements a blur, faster than Elias had anticipated.He disappeared from where he had lay and reappeared directly in front of Elias, his presence sudden and commanding.

Elias didn't flinch. His lips curled into a smirk, his dark eyes gleaming with unshaken confidence. He stepped closer, closing the small distance between them with deliberate ease.

"You won't hurt me, Alaric," Elias said, his voice low and mocking. "And you won't run. You know what they'd call you if you did. A coward."

Alaric's hand moved almost instinctively, his fingers brushing along Elias's face. It wasn't a caress, but something closer to disdain masked by calculated elegance. His touch lingered just long enough to feel Elias's arrogance radiate beneath his skin.

"I know," Alaric murmured, his tone calm but edged with something unreadable. His gaze flicked to the corner of his vision, where movement caught his eye.

A hunter, shaking and pale but determined, was pulling something from his pack—a dart gun. The man's trembling hands steadied just enough to aim at Eric, who was still lost in his bloodthirsty rampage.

The dart struck Eric's neck with a sharp thwip. He froze mid-attack, his body stiffening as whatever toxin the dart carried began to spread. The hunter's face twisted in grim satisfaction as Eric faltered, his hands clawing at the dart protruding from his skin.

Alaric's expression darkened as he watched Eric stagger. His fingers fell from Elias's face, curling into a fist at his side.

Elias's smirk only deepened. "See, Alaric? You can't protect everyone. Not him. Not yourself."

Alaric's eyes snapped back to Elias, their usual cool detachment now lit with quiet fury. "If I were you," Alaric said evenly, "I'd stop talking while you still have the chance."

Elias chuckled, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in his expression. Alaric didn't miss it.

Elias's smirk widened as he closed the remaining distance between them, his hand gripping Alaric's wrist to pull him closer. Their bodies were now inches apart, the tension between them palpable.

With a slow, deliberate motion, Elias reached up and brushed Alaric's snow-white hair aside, tucking it neatly behind his ear. His touch lingered, a mix of dominance and feigned affection, his fingers tracing the curve of Alaric's jaw.

"You and I," Elias murmured, his voice like silk laced with venom. "We have so much ahead of us. So much destruction. So much blood to spill. Murder waiting like a symphony yet to be played."

His words hung in the air, dark and seductive, and for a moment, Alaric's ever-composed demeanor cracked. His eyes flickered—not with fear or resistance, but with a deep yearning hunger. It was subtle, but Elias noticed, his grin widening as if he had just won a private battle.

"You feel it, don't you?" Elias whispered, his tone almost teasing. "The craving. The itch beneath your skin that no amount of control can suppress. Don't lie to me, Alaric. I see it in your eyes."

Alaric's lips parted slightly, his breathing steady but deliberate, as though suppressing something simmering just below the surface. His gaze locked with Elias's, cold yet alive with that undeniable flicker of longing when Elias spoke of murder.

For a brief second, Alaric's fingers twitched at his side, but then he pulled back just enough to regain his space, though not his composure. "You talk too much," Alaric said quietly, his voice lacking the venom it usually carried.

Elias chuckled, amused rather than offended. "And you'll listen, because you want what I'm offering," he said, stepping back slowly, his movements casual but loaded with purpose.

In the background, Eric let out a guttural growl, clawing at his neck as the effects of the dart overwhelmed him. But neither Elias nor Alaric turned to look, both too consumed by the heated exchange.

Alaric's lips curled into a dark smile, the flicker of hunger in his eyes growing into something more ominous. He tilted his head slightly and at the same time the chain around his neck began to pulse. He wanted to hurt Elias.

Eric, still staggering from the first dart, caught sight of the exchange between Alaric and Elias. The way Elias touched Alaric—the casual intimacy and the deliberate taunt. A surge of rage swept over Eric, hotter and more consuming than anything he'd felt before. It wasn't just anger; it was a force that clawed its way to the surface, desperate to be unleashed.

The air around him shifted, thickening with an oppressive energy. Black veins began to creep beneath his crimson eyes, spidering out across his pale skin like cracks in porcelain. His irises glowed with a fiery intensity, pulsing in time with the furious beat of his heart. His dark hair floated unnaturally, as though caught in an unseen, violent wind. Slowly, his feet lifted off the ground, his body levitating as an otherworldly aura radiated from him in waves.

The hunters who had survived froze, their weapons trembling in their hands. Terror etched itself onto their faces as they watched Eric transform into something far more terrifying than they'd imagined. The fear in their eyes was almost palpable, their instinct to run overridden by sheer paralysis.

Even Alaric's gaze shifted to Eric briefly, curiosity flickering behind his otherwise cold expression. For a split second, a knowing smile touched his lips, as if this was what he had been waiting for all along.

But Elias's reaction was immediate. His smirk vanished, replaced by a grim determination. He reached into his coat and yanked out another dart gun, the motion swift and deliberate.

Thwip.

His body jerked violently before collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud, unconscious.

Elias stood over Eric's prone form, his expression dark and calculating. But there was no satisfaction in his eyes now—only unease. Slowly, he crouched beside Eric, his fingers brushing against the dart still lodged in his chest.

"I told her this would happen," Elias murmured, almost to himself. His face grew colder, his jaw tightening as realization dawned. "This isn't normal. It's... latent power. Untamed. Dangerous."

He rose to his feet, his gaze shifting to Alaric, his earlier smugness replaced by something sharper, more guarded. "Your little pet is quite powerful," he said, his voice low and measured. "He's something far more complicated than we thought .And I don't like complications."

Alaric didn't respond immediately, his dark smile lingering as he looked from Elias to Eric's unconscious form. Finally, he said, "Complications make things... entertaining."

Elias's gaze hardened. "I shall train him into the perfect soldier if that is the case."

Elias's gaze remained cold as he watched the remaining hunters struggle to carry Eric's unconscious form away, his eyes momentarily scanning the wreckage of the fight. His voice sliced through the tension like a blade.

"Take him. Get him out of here. Keep him subdued," he ordered, his tone carrying no room for argument.

The hunters, now more wary than ever, hurried to obey, dragging Eric's limp body into the shadows. The sound of their retreating footsteps faded, leaving only the echo of what had just transpired.

Once they were gone, Elias turned back to Alaric, his face unreadable but his eyes glittering with something darker.

"You've done your part for now," Elias said, his voice almost clinical. "But you're far from free, Alaric."

Alaric's eyes flickered, a flash of resentment flashing beneath the surface of his otherwise calm demeanor. The chains bit into his skin, a physical reminder of how he was nothing more than a tool for Elias and the witch. He didn't respond immediately, but his narrowed eyes spoke volumes.

Elias didn't wait for him to answer. Instead, he took a step closer, the smile that once lingered now replaced by something more cold and calculating.

"The witch has given us our first task," he said, as though delivering a verdict. "You'll help me. We move after the sun rises."

Alaric's jaw tightened, but he said nothing. He could already feel the weight of the witch's hold on him, the pull of her influence like a chain wrapped around his mind. There was no escaping it. No fighting it.

"Do I have a choice?" Alaric finally spoke, his voice a soft growl. The frustration was evident, but there was a resigned acceptance in his tone.

Elias gave a short laugh, his eyes glinting with cruel amusement. "No," he replied simply. "But you'll help regardless. After all, it's not like you have anywhere else to be, do you?"

The implication hung in the air. Alaric knew exactly what Elias meant—he was trapped. Bound not just by chains, but by the witch's power. Her control had become a dark cloud over every move.

For a moment, there was silence between them, the only sound of the faint hum of the night air.

"I'll be ready," Alaric said, his voice barely above a whisper. It wasn't an agreement. It was a statement of inevitability.

Elias nodded in approval, his face momentarily softening into something almost approving. "Good," he said. "We move at first light. And don't forget, Alaric... You belong to the witch now. No running, no excuses."

Alaric's gaze darkened, but he didn't answer. Instead, he simply watched as Elias turned away, the chains rattling with each movement he made, a constant reminder that Alaric was no longer the master of his own fate.