THE BLOODBOUND: THE ETERNAL CURSE

: The Hun

n. Half-hidden behind thick clouds, the moon cast an eerie, fractured light that made the streets fe

hed out, indifferent and dark. I inhaled deeply, the taste of steel and rain in the air, and adjusted the grip on the twin dagg

one I had been tracking for weeks, a creature of unimaginable power. They called him "The Eclipse, " the vampire lord whose name alone was enough to send a shi

t they sent me, one of their most trusted hunters, meant this mission was too critical to fa

t hum of the city and the occasional car rumbling by on the wet streets below, but it was the smaller sounds that mattered-the whispers of

dagger, but it was too late. A shadow detached itself from the dark corner of the

at the corners of the stranger's lips, their pale skin glowing in the faint light. T

es were cunning, but they weren't invincible. Not agai

ked, my voice stead

. "The Eclipse knows you're coming. And he's not worried

ion. The vampire's eyes widened just before I closed the distance, but they were quic

dy gone, vanishing into the sh

darkness. "You know... if you think you're ready

t wasn't just from the fight. It was something deeper, something older.

him, when he's ready to die, I'll be waiting. But

the air. It was sharp and mocking, but I could hear the faint

eir voice carrying a finality I didn't l

as if it had never existed. The city seemed to swallow the sound of its retr

t expec

e knew I w

for him. Or

o the city's heart, where the underworld's pulse throbbed like an open wound. This wasn't the city I had known. This was th

and broken buildings loomed over me like silent, accusing giants. The gutters r

was shallow. I had been trained to be unseen, but tonight

r marked the entrance to an abandoned warehouse. The scent of death

n-no, a monster-dressed in tattered rags, with eyes that gl

tate. I could

the cold steel gleaming in the dark. The vampir

voice dripping with menace. "The Ecli

early knocked me off balance. The doors to the warehouse slammed shut, trapp

en I h

guttura

was tall-unnaturally tall. His eyes, black as pitch, locke

figure said, his voice like the rumble of

re. This was him. The Eclipse. The one I had been hunting for

it was

ters hesitate. A long, blood-red carpet ran down the center, leading to a raised platform

me to see the figures of six vampires emerging from the shadows. They mo

u," one of them sneered.

k with a swift block. The force of the strike sent a jolt of pain through my

licing through the air with precision. I could feel the adrenaline surging, but even that

was

hadn't even reached the throne yet. I needed to end this-fast. With a quick motion, I decap

d their part of the infiltration but weren't here yet. The reinforcements we needed hadn't ar

I hea

rough the palace. "You've come far,

voice of something far older, far

stood on end, and I could fe

was tall and impossibly handsome, his face a perfect mask of arrogance and cruel

e said, his voice rich with con

. With a growl, I charged, my d

sending me crashing into the stone wall. The breath was knocked from my lungs, and for a mo

me to my feet. "Selene," he muttered, "

. We can't retreat.

s he watched me struggle to rise. The room seemed to darke

e almost a purr. "But I am not like

lick of his wrist,

ound shook beneath us, and I stumbled, barely managing to stay on my fee

amusement. "This is my domain

umble, I realized one terrifying truth: This

cont