BLOODBOUND

CHAPTER ONE

"Do you have everything, Darling?" Jonathan asked as he watched his youngest daughter clean her plate. "I'm good, Dad." She assured him, pushing her plate away from her. "Are you staying hydrated?" Her mother chimed in, straightening in her chair closest to her husband.

Siobhan knew what she really meant. "I drank before I came down. I'll be fine." Her parents shared a look before her father regarded her with a smile and nod. "Alright," Her parents had always doted on her. If one of them didn't have eyes on her, then the world would have ended right then and there, much to her sister Lilia's dismay. Siobhan tried not to let their parents' favoritism get between her and her sister.

They were close when they were children, but there was a shift out of nowhere, and all of their attention shifted to Siobhan. She and Lilia never quite got back to the way they were. The sound of a car horn caused the family to turn their heads. "Okay, that's Nick." Siobhan peeked out the dining room window to spot her best friend's jeep parked outside. Her parents still looked wary.

"Guys, I'll be fine. It's just a college tour." Nick's car horn sounded again. "I really gotta go. I'll be back in a few hours."

Siobhan darted towards the front door that had already been opened for her. Nick sat reclined in the driver's seat, feigning impatience. It wasn't until she got closer that she noticed the dark circles under his eyes. "You look like shit." She teased, instantly hopping in the passenger seat. "I may have let Syl convince me to stay out til three am clubbing." Siobhan's insides churned at the mention of her name. Carmen was his snobby bitch girlfriend.

Siobhan had been the one to introduce them, having met her at a charity gala her family was invited to a year ago. She told Nick about everything that happened that night, showing pictures of an elegantly dressed raven-haired beauty who managed to be a part of every picture. Sylvie Martin seemed nice at the time, but she proved herself to be as selfish and self-serving as they come, at least when Nick wasnt around.

Siobhan once tried to warn him about her after they hit a month, but the conversation ended in a heated argument. She didn't bring it up since, but that didn't stop her from wanting to rip her head off in every sense of the term. "You poor thing," She patted his arm before moving to strap herself in. "Do you need to cancel? My parents are itching to get me a driver."

She could hear her best friend groan on the other side. "I'm good. Plus, if your parents get you that car, there's no way you'll be able to leave without them." Siobhan shivered. "God, you're right."

"You bet your ass I am." Nick shuffled in his seat before pulling off, earning a look from her. "What?" around in his room before setting down his phone. "Syl is throwing this big party tonight. There's going to be booze, boys, and drunk idiots trying to show off." Clicking through her go-to playlist, Siobhan rolled her eyes. "Is this you asking me or telling me?" Nick made the face he always did when she put him between a rock and a hard place. "Definitely telling you." Sighing dramatically, she looked into his pleading eyes. She connected her phone to the car's speaker. "Is that fucking Avril Lavinge?" Nick's laughter prompted her to elbow his side. "Says the guy who plays Beethoven when he studies."

"It helps me focus." Soon enough, they were on the highway, the force of the wind blowing their hair. "Yeah, okay, dork."

"So, community college," He joked. "You realize you have enough money to buy your way into, like, Yale or something?" Siobhan laughed. "Yeah, that's the point. It's the same reason I enrolled at Easton. The money is nice, but I don't..." Nick glanced at her, watching how her dark curls blew in the wind. "I'm more than that money. I want a life separate from it; I don't want it to be the thing that defines me. I want people to see me and know that I worked for what I have and deserve it."