Bound by blood and flame

Chapter Eight – Burned Into Me

Third person's POV.

Stephanie woke in fire.

Or maybe it was her skin. Her bones. Her breath.

She gasped as if drowning and sat up, her whole body trembling, heat surging through her veins like molten lava. The world spun around her—a blur of stone, smoke, and voices calling her name. She couldn't see or hear clearly for a while.

"Steph!"

She blinked and saw Carmen first, kneeling beside her with wide eyes and worry painted all over her face.

"I—what... what happened?" Stephanie croaked throat hurting.

"You touched the dagger," Carmen said. "And then... you exploded."

"Not literally," Leon added quickly, crouched at her other side. "But the cave? Kind of."

Kael leaned against a cracked wall. "You were out for almost an hour. We thought you were gonna wake up possessed or something. I was getting the holy water."

"Shut up, Kael," Zara muttered.

Stephanie raised her shaking hands. Her palms were glowing faintly red, as if fire lived beneath the skin. But that wasn't the worst part.

The dagger—the relic—was gone.

No, not gone. Not exactly.

It was in her.

She stared at her left palm where the outline of the dagger now shimmered, embedded like a brand. Black and crimson tendrils curled out from the shape and ran up her forearm, pulsing with her heartbeat.

"It's bound to you," Lucien said, standing beside Ethan at the edge of the cave. "The Dagger of Bound Blood has chosen its wielder. You are its host now."

"Host?" Stephanie repeated, still breathless. "Like... I've been possessed by a magical blade?"

Lucien nodded slowly. "More like fused. The dagger responds to your blood. Demon and wolf. It's awakened its full potential inside you."

Stephanie rubbed her temples. "Awesome. So I'm now a weapon."

"You've always been a weapon," Kael said, arms crossed. "This just makes it official."

She groaned and looked up at Ethan. He hadn't said anything yet, just stared at her with that unreadable expression of his.

"Say something," she whispered.

He crouched in front of her and gently reached out. "Your pulse is too fast."

"My pulse?" she blinked. "That's all you're gonna lead with? Really?"

His lips twitched. "I could start with 'thank God you're alive,' but I figured checking your vitals was more useful." "Now you've made our mate think we don't care enough. You need a spanking."Max said. "How about I take over? I'm sure she'd be thrilled to have me there." Lucian said. Ethan quickly blocked them and pushed them to the back of his mind.

Stephanie stared at him. His hand brushed over her glowing arm. The warmth of his skin didn't burn—it soothed. As soon as they touched, the red glow dimmed slightly.

Her breath caught.

"You... stabilize it."

Ethan nodded. "Seems that way. The dagger reacts to me. Probably because I'm also a walking flame."

"Your phoenix side," she said quietly.

His jaw tightened. "The side I don't understand yet."

"Welcome to the club," she whispered. "Membership includes anxiety, nightmares, and body-branding relics."

He smiled—just a little.

Zara cleared her throat. "We should move. The cave's structure is unstable."

Lucien stepped forward. "We head back to the cabin. We'll regroup and prepare for the next phase."

"Next phase?" Stephanie asked.

Lucien's gaze darkened. "Azazel has begun the ritual. We don't have much time."

---

Back at the Witches' Cabin, the group spread out.

Leon and Carmen worked on protective sigils outside. Zara meditated by the hearth, her tattoos glowing softly. Kael raided the enchanted pantry and found licorice sticks that bit back.

Stephanie sat on the porch steps, her head in her hands.

Ethan approached and sat beside her, stretching out his long legs and tilting his head to look at her.

"You okay?"

"Nope."

"Want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "Not really. Unless you want to hear me scream."

"I've got thick ears," he said.

She smirked. "Of course you do."

They sat in silence for a moment.

Then she spoke. "I saw her. In the vision. My mother. She was screaming. Dying. Azazel was there, watching like it was a show. I saw my younger self, covered in blood, hiding in flames."

Ethan's expression didn't change, but she felt the way his energy shifted—like a storm cloud suddenly charged.

"He'll pay," Ethan said. "For what he did. For what he's still trying to do."

Stephanie looked at him, really looked. "You mean that?"

"I don't say things I don't mean."

She hesitated. Then: "Why do you care so much?"

He turned to face her fully. "Because I see you."

"You don't even know me."

"I know the way you clench your fists when you're scared but don't want to show it. I know the way your laugh cracks when you're pretending you're okay. I know your power scares you more than it excites you."

She blinked. "You've been watching me?"

"I've been noticing you."

Stephanie swallowed. "That's... dangerously sweet."

His smirk softened into something real. "Let me help you carry this."

She didn't respond. Just leaned into him, shoulder against shoulder, letting the quiet hold them together.

For once, she didn't feel like a weapon.

She felt like a person.

---

That night, she dreamed again.

Not of fire.

Of ice.

She stood in a white throne room, snow swirling around her feet. Azazel sat on the throne, but he wasn't alone.

Behind him stood a figure cloaked in silver and red, their face hidden.

"I told you she'd come," Azazel said. "Now, sister... show me how strong you really are."

The cloaked figure stepped forward and raised a hand. Stephanie screamed—

—and woke up covered in frost.

Actual frost.

Ethan was beside her in an instant. "Steph!"

Lucien burst in. "What happened?"

Stephanie's breath came in shallow gasps. "I—I think Azazel has someone helping him. Someone else... like me."

Lucien's eyes narrowed. "Describe them."

"I couldn't. They were hidden. But powerful."

Zara stepped in next, eyes sharp. "Then we're running out of time."

Lucien turned to the group. "Prepare yourselves. We move at dawn. To the Obsidian Library."

"What's there?" Carmen asked.

Lucien's voice was cold.

"The next relic. And answers we may not like."