Soulbound

The Warning

The rain poured down in torrents as Isabella fled through the garden, her feet slipping on the wet grass, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn't know where she was going—she only knew that she had to get away. Away from Vincent. Away from the horror she had just witnessed. Her lungs burned with every breath, her mind a chaotic whirlwind of disbelief, fear, and betrayal. The man she had loved, the man she had married, was a monster. A vampire. And he had kept that secret from her all this time.

The cold rain soaked through her dress, but she hardly felt it. All she could think about was putting as much distance between herself and that house as possible. She reached the edge of the garden and pushed through the iron gate, her hands trembling as she fumbled with the latch. The wind howled, whipping her hair around her face, and for a brief moment, she considered the insanity of it all. This couldn't be real. It had to be some terrible nightmare.

But the blood on Vincent's lips had been real. The body at his feet, the lifeless eyes staring up at the ceiling—those were real too.

She stumbled onto the muddy road that led away from the estate, the rain turning the ground into a slippery mess. The village was miles away, but she didn't care. She would walk, run, whatever it took to get away from him. Her mind raced as the events of the night replayed over and over in her head. Every word Vincent had spoken echoed in her ears.

I'm not human, Isabella. I'm a vampire.

How had she not seen it? How had she been so blind to the truth? The signs had been there, she realized now—the strange hours, the coldness of his skin, the way he always seemed to avoid mirrors. But she had been too in love, too caught up in the whirlwind of their romance to question any of it.

A flash of lightning lit up the sky, and for a moment, the entire world was bathed in an eerie white light. That was when she saw him—Vincent—standing in the middle of the road ahead of her, his silhouette illuminated by the storm.

Isabella's heart lurched in her chest. How had he gotten there so fast? She had just left him in the house. She hadn't heard him following her, and yet there he was, standing between her and her only escape.

"Isabella!" His voice was barely audible over the roar of the storm, but it carried with it the same chilling authority that had always unnerved her. "Stop running. Please."

She took a step back, her hands shaking as she wiped the rain from her face. "Stay away from me, Vincent!" she screamed, her voice hoarse with emotion.

Vincent moved closer, his dark hair plastered to his forehead by the rain, his eyes gleaming with a strange intensity. "You don't understand. I never wanted you to find out like this."

"Find out?" Her voice cracked with disbelief. "You lied to me! You... you tricked me! You've been lying to me from the moment we met!"

Vincent's jaw tightened, his fists clenching at his sides. "I didn't lie about loving you."

"Don't!" Isabella held up a hand, taking another step back. "Don't say that. You don't love me. You couldn't possibly. You were just using me, Vincent. Like you use everyone else."

"No!" Vincent's voice cracked with frustration, and he took a step toward her. "That's not true. I love you, Isabella. Everything I've done, I did to protect you."

"Protect me?" Isabella's voice was full of bitter laughter. "You killed that man! You're a murderer! How is that protecting me?"

"I did what I had to do." Vincent's eyes flared with something dangerous, his calm demeanor slipping for the first time. "I didn't want to bring you into this world, Isabella. That's why I kept it from you. But I couldn't let you go. Don't you see? I've been alive for centuries, and I've never loved anyone the way I love you. I couldn't lose you."

His words, once so soothing, now felt like poison. Isabella's heart ached as she stared at him, the man who had once been everything to her, the man she had trusted with her life. Now, all she saw was a predator.

"You never gave me a choice," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "You never gave me the chance to decide for myself. You took that from me."

Vincent's expression faltered, a flicker of regret passing over his face. "I didn't want this for you. I swear. But now that you know... now that you've seen... you can't leave, Isabella. You're part of this now."

Isabella shook her head, backing away as Vincent continued to approach her. "No. I won't be a part of this. I won't be like you."

"You don't have a choice," Vincent said, his voice hardening. "There are others who know now. The Council. They'll come for you. They'll see you as a threat. If you leave, they'll kill you."

Isabella's breath caught in her throat. "The Council? What are you talking about?"

Vincent took another step forward, his hand reaching out toward her, as if trying to bridge the growing chasm between them. "The Vampire Council. They control everything in our world. They know about you now, and they'll come after you if you run. But if you stay with me, I can protect you."

Her stomach twisted with nausea. It wasn't just Vincent she had to fear. There was an entire world of vampires—an entire council—that she had been oblivious to. The thought of being trapped in that world, forever tied to Vincent, made her blood run cold.

"I don't want your protection," she spat, her voice trembling with rage. "I want my life back."

Vincent's eyes darkened, his patience fraying. "You can't have it back, Isabella. It's too late. The world you knew is gone."

"No." She shook her head, her vision blurred by tears. "You took that world from me. And I'll never forgive you for it."

Something snapped in Vincent then, and his calm mask crumbled. "I did what I had to do," he growled, his voice low and dangerous. "You think you can just walk away? After everything we've been through?"

Isabella's heart raced, her instincts screaming at her to run, but she stood her ground, meeting his gaze with all the defiance she could muster. "Yes, I do. And I will."

For a moment, they stood there in the rain, the tension between them thick and suffocating. The man she had once loved, the man she had trusted with everything, was now her enemy. There was no going back.

"You'll regret this," Vincent said softly, his voice deadly calm. "If you leave, you'll regret it."

"I already regret ever loving you," Isabella whispered, her voice breaking.

With that, she turned and ran, her feet pounding against the wet earth as she fled into the storm. Vincent didn't follow this time. He just stood there, watching her disappear into the night.