Soulbound

The Escape

The moment Isabella realized what had been done to her, a cold fury settled deep within her, pushing aside the shock and the confusion. She had become something else—something monstrous. Her once-warm blood now ran cold in her veins, her heart no longer beating in the familiar rhythm of life. Every breath she took felt strange, forced, as if her body no longer needed it but still mimicked the human act. And it was all because of Vincent.

The man she had loved, the man who had sworn to protect her, had taken everything from her. Her life, her humanity, her future.

And she hated him for it.

Isabella stood trembling in the rain, her eyes fixed on Vincent. His expression was filled with something close to regret, but there was no mistaking the control he still sought to exert over her. His eyes, dark and predatory, flickered with some deep, eternal hunger—a hunger he had now passed on to her.

"You'll understand, in time," he said softly, his voice barely audible over the pattering rain. "It may feel like a curse now, but this is a gift. We'll be together forever, Isabella. Immortal. Free from the limits of mortality."

His words sickened her. Immortal? She didn't want to be immortal. She didn't want to live forever. The idea of an eternity with him, bound to the night and to this existence, was more terrifying than death itself.

"No," she whispered, stepping back, her mind racing. "This is not a gift. This is a prison."

Vincent's gaze hardened. "You'll see. When you've had time to adjust, you'll come to understand. We can be together, Isabella. We don't have to hide anymore. The world is ours."

"No!" Isabella's voice was raw with anger. "You didn't give me a choice. You took that from me. You stole my life, my future. I'll never forgive you for that."

Vincent stepped toward her, his hands reaching out as if to calm her, to bring her back under his control. But Isabella backed away, her instincts screaming at her to run. She didn't know what she was now—what she was capable of—but she knew she couldn't stay here. Not with him.

"Isabella, please," Vincent said, his voice soft, almost pleading. "You don't have to be afraid. You're not alone. I'm here."

But that was the problem. He was here. And as long as he was, she would never be free.

Without another word, Isabella turned and ran.

Her body moved with a speed and grace she had never known, her feet barely touching the ground as she tore through the forest. The rain blurred her vision, the branches of the trees whipping at her as she passed, but none of it slowed her down. She didn't know where she was going, didn't care. All she knew was that she had to get away from Vincent, away from the monster he had made her into.

Her mind raced as she ran, the terror of what had just happened crashing over her in waves. She had always known that there was something different about Vincent, something dark, but she had never imagined this. She had never imagined he was a creature of the night, a predator who fed on the blood of the living. And now, thanks to him, she had become the very thing she had feared.

The forest stretched on endlessly around her, but her newfound strength and speed carried her far beyond what she had ever thought possible. She moved with the effortless grace of a predator, her senses heightened to a terrifying degree. She could hear the faintest rustle of leaves, smell the damp earth beneath her feet, taste the rain on her lips. Every sensation was sharper, more vivid, and yet, it all felt wrong.

The sound of footsteps behind her sent a jolt of fear through her chest. Vincent was following her.

"Isabella!" His voice echoed through the trees, closer now. "You can't run from me. We're bound, you and I. You'll never be able to escape."