Bound by Blood

Chapter 1 part 2 : Shadow of the Past

That night, Liam couldn't sleep. He lay awake, staring at the ceiling of his darkened room. His thoughts churned, circling back to Elara's flushed cheeks and carefree laughter when she had returned home. He tried to suppress the knot in his chest, the irrational fear that someone else might take her away from him.

He could still hear her words echoing in his mind: "He's just a friend." It shouldn't have bothered him. She was twelve, still a child. But the thought of her forming bonds with others, of her finding someone who might mean more to her than he did, made his stomach twist.

The next morning, Elara woke to the smell of pancakes wafting through the house. She stumbled into the kitchen, still rubbing sleep from her eyes, and found Liam at the stove. His expression brightened when he saw her.

"Morning, sleepyhead," he said, sliding a plate of golden pancakes onto the table.

Elara smiled and sat down, pouring syrup over her breakfast. "You're in a good mood today."

"Why wouldn't I be?" he replied, sitting across from her. "I get to spend the day with my favorite person."

Elara laughed, shaking her head. "You always say that."

"Because it's always true."

After breakfast, Liam suggested they go for a walk in the woods. It was something they often did together, exploring the trails and watching for wildlife. Elara eagerly agreed, grabbing her sketchbook before they headed out.

The woods were quiet that day, the air cool and crisp. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Elara walked ahead, her hair catching the light as she hummed a tune. Liam trailed behind her, his eyes fixed on her slender frame.

She stopped suddenly, crouching down to study a patch of wildflowers growing near the base of a tree. "Look at these, Liam," she said, her voice filled with wonder. "Aren't they beautiful?"

"They are," Liam murmured, though his gaze never left her.

Elara pulled out her sketchbook and began to draw, her pencil moving quickly across the page. Liam sat beside her, leaning against the tree trunk. He watched her work, marveling at the concentration on her face.

"You're really talented, you know that?" he said after a while.

Elara glanced at him, her cheeks turning pink. "You always say that too."

"Because it's true," he replied. "You could be an artist someday. People would line up to see your work."

She smiled shyly and went back to her drawing. Liam's chest tightened at the sight. She was growing up so quickly. Too quickly. He wanted to freeze time, to keep her as she was now-innocent and completely his.

As the sun dipped lower in the sky, they made their way back home. Elara chattered about the details she planned to add to her drawing, her excitement contagious. Liam listened, nodding and smiling in all the right places, but his mind was elsewhere.

That evening, as Elara sat at the dining room table adding color to her sketch, Liam lingered in the doorway, watching her. He wondered if she had any idea how much she meant to him. To her, he was just her big brother-the one who made her pancakes, walked her to school, and scared off bullies. But to him, she was everything.

"Liam?" Her voice broke through his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Mom and Dad will be home for dinner tomorrow?"

He frowned. Their parents' absences had become so routine that he barely noticed them anymore. "Probably not. But I'll make us something nice. How about spaghetti?"

Elara grinned. "My favorite. You're the best."

She turned back to her sketch, and Liam's chest swelled with a mix of pride and possessiveness. He didn't need anyone else. Neither did she.

But deep down, Liam knew things wouldn't stay this way forever. Elara was growing up, and as much as he hated the thought, she would eventually want a life of her own. Friends, boyfriends, independence-it was all inevitable.

Unless he stopped it.