ARIA'S POV
"I need air."
I push past the three vampires and stumble toward the door. My hand throbs where I cut it, but the physical pain is nothing compared to the chaos in my head.
Bloodborn. Descended from the First Vampire. The most valuable thing in the vampire world.
"Aria, wait—" Lucian reaches for me.
"Don't!" I spin around, and all three of them freeze. "Don't touch me. Don't talk to me. Just... give me a second to think."
Professor Crane clears his throat. "Perhaps I should leave you to discuss this privately." He heads for the door, but pauses beside me. "For what it's worth, child, your father knew what you were. He spent years hiding you, protecting you. He loved you very much."
My throat tightens. "My father knew?"
"The car accident that killed him?" Crane's ancient eyes are sad. "I don't believe it was an accident."
He leaves before I can ask what he means.
The door closes. It's just me and three vampires who all want me for different reasons.
"Say something," Kieran demands, his scarred arms crossed. "Yell. Cry. Run. Something."
"What do you want me to say?" My voice cracks. "That I'm fine being told I'm not human? That I'm okay with every vampire in the world wanting to use me? That I'm just going to accept that my stepmother knew what I was and tried to sell me?"
"No," Lucian says quietly, stepping closer. "I want you to say you'll let us protect you."
"Why?" I look between the three of them. "Why do you care? Is it just my blood? Because if that's all this is—"
"It's not." Lucian's silver eyes are intense. "Yes, your blood calls to us. But so does everything else about you. Your strength. Your defiance. The way you survived three years of abuse and still have kindness in you."
Kieran makes a rough sound. "When I smelled your blood, I felt something I thought was dead. Hope. Purpose. Like maybe I could be more than the monster I became."
"And I've been searching for you for three centuries," Dorian adds, his sophisticated voice soft. "Not just any Bloodborn. You specifically. I saw you in visions decades ago—black hair, violet eyes, fighting to survive in a world that tried to break you."
My head spins. "This is too much. I came here to escape being controlled, and now—"
"Now you have a choice," Lucian interrupts. "That's the difference. We're not forcing you. We're asking."
"Asking what exactly?" I demand. "To be yours? All three of you? That's insane!"
"Blood bonds don't work like human relationships," Dorian explains patiently. "Bloodborn can bond with multiple vampires. It's rare, but not impossible. Each bond would be different. Unique."
Kieran's dark eyes meet mine. "I won't lie to you. I need your blood to heal these scars. They've burned for almost two centuries, and nothing else can fix them. But I'd rather live in pain forever than force you into something you don't want."
The raw honesty in his voice makes my chest ache.
"What would these bonds mean?" I ask carefully.
"Protection," Lucian says. "Power. Connection. You'd feel our emotions, share our strengths. We'd be tied to you eternally—if you died, it would destroy us. That's how serious this is."
"And if I say no?"
Silence.
"Then we protect you anyway," Lucian finally says. "Without the bond. Without claiming you. Because the alternative—letting other vampires hunt you—is unacceptable."
Something warm blooms in my chest at his words.
"I need time," I whisper. "To think. To process all of this."
"You don't have time," Kieran says bluntly. "Every vampire within miles felt it when you bled. They're coming."
As if summoning them with his words, alarms suddenly blare through the academy. Red lights flash in the hallway.
Professor Crane's voice echoes through the building via speakers: "Security breach. All students return to dormitories immediately. Faculty to the gates."
The four of us rush to the window.
Outside, dark figures are gathering at the academy's entrance. Dozens of them. Maybe hundreds. All vampire-still, vampire-beautiful, vampire-dangerous.
"Who are they?" I breathe.
"Vampires from other territories," Dorian says grimly. "Word travels fast in our world. They're here for you."
My stomach drops. "Already?"
"Your blood didn't just call to the vampires in this room," Lucian explains, his jaw tight. "The scent would have carried for miles. Every vampire who caught it knows a Bloodborn has awakened."
"And they all want me." My voice is hollow.
"Yes."
I watch the crowd grow larger. So many vampires. So many predators. All here because I cut my hand.
"The academy wards will hold them," Dorian says, but he doesn't sound confident. "For now."
"And when they don't?" Kieran asks.
No one answers.
Movement at the gates catches my eye. Someone's pushing through the crowd of vampires—someone who doesn't move like them. Someone human.
My blood runs cold.
"No," I whisper. "No, that's impossible."
The figure waves cheerfully at the academy. Blonde hair. Perfect posture. Smiling like she's arriving at a party.
Vivian. My stepsister.
"Who is that?" Lucian demands.
"My stepsister." My hands shake. "But she can't be here. She's not—she's human. How did she get through all those vampires?"
Dorian's expression darkens. "Because they let her. Which means she's working with them."
Vivian pulls out her phone and takes a selfie with the crowd of vampires behind her. She's not scared. Not running. She's posing.
My phone buzzes. A text from an unknown number: "Miss me, sis? Mom says hi. We're coming to take you home. - V"
"She's here for me," I say, my voice breaking. "Celeste sent her."
"Then we stop her," Kieran growls, heading for the door.
"Wait." Lucian grabs his arm. "Look closer."
We all turn back to the window. Vivian isn't alone anymore. A man stands beside her now—tall, ancient-looking, with eyes that glow red even from this distance.
"Malachai Thorn," Dorian breathes. "The blood trafficker."
"Who?" I ask.
"The vampire your stepmother sold you to," Lucian says, his voice deadly quiet. "He runs illegal blood farms where Bloodborn are kept and harvested until they die."
My legs go weak. "Celeste sold me to him?"
"She tried to." Dorian's hands clench. "I intercepted the sale and brought you here instead. But it seems Malachai isn't willing to lose his prize."
Malachai raises his hand, and the crowd of vampires behind him begins to move. Not attacking yet. Just advancing slowly toward the gates.
Testing the wards. Searching for weaknesses.
"How long will the wards hold?" I whisper.
"Against that many vampires?" Lucian's expression is grim. "Hours. Maybe less."
"Then what do we do?"
The three vampires exchange looks. Some silent communication passing between them.
"We bond with you," Dorian says firmly. "Now. Before they break through. It's the only way to protect you properly."
"I haven't decided—"
"Aria." Lucian takes my uninjured hand, his cold fingers gentle. "I know this is fast. I know it's terrifying. But if Malachai gets to you, you'll spend the rest of your very short life in a blood farm. Drained. Used. Broken."
"The bonds will make you stronger," Kieran adds. "Give you our abilities. Our power. You'll be able to defend yourself."
"And us?" I look between them. "What do you get?"
"You," they say in unison.
The word hangs in the air. Simple. Honest. Possessive.
Outside, Malachai's vampires press closer to the wards. I can see the magical barrier flickering now. Weakening.
"How long do I have to decide?" I ask.
"Minutes," Dorian says. "Maybe less. The wards are failing faster than expected. Malachai must have a witch with him."
My mind races. Three vampires offering protection. A crowd of predators trying to break in. My stepsister working with a blood trafficker. Celeste's plan finally revealed.
And me, supposedly special, supposedly powerful, but feeling small and scared and human.
"If I bond with you," I say slowly, "what happens?"
"We share blood," Lucian explains. "You drink from us. We drink from you. The bond forms. It's permanent. Eternal. There's no breaking it once it's done."
"All three of you? At once?"
"It's never been done before," Dorian admits. "Three bonds simultaneously. But theoretically, yes. Your Bloodborn magic should be strong enough."
"Should be?" I repeat.
"Will be," Kieran corrects firmly. "I can feel how powerful you are. You just don't know it yet."
A massive boom shakes the building. We all turn to see cracks spreading through the ward barrier.
"They're breaking through," Dorian says urgently. "Aria, decide. Now."
I look at each of them. Lucian, who kissed me and promised protection. Kieran, who shows me his scars and speaks brutal honesty. Dorian, who waited centuries and orchestrated my arrival.
Three vampires. Three bonds. Three eternal connections.
"If I do this," I say, my voice steady despite my fear, "I'm not property. I'm not a prize. I'm your equal."
"Yes," they agree immediately.
"And we do this my way. My terms. My choice."
"Anything," Lucian says.
Another boom. More cracks. Vampires are starting to seep through the weakening wards.
"Then yes." I take a deep breath. "Bond with me. All three of you. Before they get through."
Relief floods their faces.
"It has to be here," Dorian says, moving furniture aside to create space. "Now. There's no time to prepare properly."
Lucian pulls me close. "This will hurt. The first bond always does. But we'll be with you through it."
"Together?" I ask.
"Together," Kieran confirms.
They form a circle around me. Three ancient, powerful, dangerous vampires. All looking at me with hunger and protectiveness and something that might be love.
"I'm ready," I lie.
Lucian bites his wrist first. Black vampire blood wells up. "Drink," he commands softly.
I press my lips to his wrist. The blood tastes like metal and ice and power. It burns going down.
Power explodes through me. Silver light. Ancient magic. Connection snapping into place.
Before I can process it, Kieran offers his wrist. "My turn."
His blood tastes like fire and fury. The second bond forms, stronger than the first.
Then Dorian. "And mine."
His blood is the oldest. The darkest. The most powerful. The third bond completes with a sound like thunder.
I gasp, falling to my knees. Too much power. Too much sensation. I can feel them—all three of them—inside my head, my heart, everywhere.
"Now us," Lucian says, kneeling beside me.
Three sets of fangs pierce my skin—neck, wrist, shoulder—all at once.
I scream.
The bonds explode into full force, connecting us eternally. Their power becomes mine. Mine becomes theirs.
When it's over, I collapse against Lucian, gasping.
"Aria?" His voice is concerned. "Are you—"
A massive crash interrupts him. We all turn to see the wards shatter completely.
Hundreds of vampires pour through the gates.
And Vivian stands at the front, smiling triumphantly.
"Too late, big sis!" she calls out. "You're coming home now!"
Malachai laughs beside her. "Hello, little Bloodborn. Time to fulfill your destiny."
But I'm not scared anymore.
Because I can feel three bonds thrumming with power inside me.
Three vampires ready to burn the world to keep me safe.
And for the first time since arriving at Thornveil, I don't feel like prey.
I feel like a predator.