Soulbound Mark

The hot summer sun’s golden rays felt pleasant on Elena’s skin as she made her way through the crowded streets of the Central Axis District. A glimmer of happiness warmed her heart, and the corners of her mouth quirked up. She had just left her home and was on the way to her flower shop, a place she cherished very much.

As a green witch, she specialized in the natural magic of herbs and flowers, and thus she felt right at home in her shop, where she kept a plethora of plants. While she was fond of her magic, Elena would much rather be a regular human. She longed for a mundane life without dangers, without knowing about the supernatural beings that roamed the earth.

Nowadays, witches and wizards are hard to find. They had been persecuted for centuries, killed mercilessly by people who had feared their powers. Not many had survived the brutal witch hunts of the Middle Ages, and those who had come out alive had fled from Europe to other continents. Sadly, no matter where they went, they always encountered new dangers. While witch hunts laid the distant past and humans had forgotten about their existence, threats to their lives had not disappeared. Now, it was vampire clans they needed to be afraid of.

Elena’s own parents had been murdered by such a vampire clan because they had refused to work for them. Her mother and father hadn’t wanted to use their magic for something bad and paid with their lives, leaving Elena behind. She had to endure their loss while fleeing from the vicious clan that had set its sights on her as well. She had only been 19 at the time, barely an adult, and she had quickly learned to maintain a low profile. Even now that she was 24 years old, her fear of being found was alive.

Elena had not forgiven the vampires for murdering her family—and she hated them with every fiber of her being. At least, that was what she liked to tell herself.

The truth was that she was terrified of these beings. They were strong, insanely fast, and could hunt people down for miles with their superior sense of smell. If a vampire chased you down, it was nearly impossible to escape. Whenever she spotted one of them wandering the streets of New York, she turned around and walked the other way, praying that her charms and protection spells would be enough to fool them. Vampires could sense the magic of witches, so she needed to use her charms at all times. She never left her home without them, and so far, they had not let her down, hiding her magic successfully.

Therefore, Elena wasn’t all too concerned when she sensed the looming presence of a vampire nearby as she navigated through the crowd of humans in Central Axis District. She simply changed directions and swerved to the left, entering a different shopping street. As she moved on, she took a glimpse at her phone, checking her most recent chat with her friend Willow, a young werewolf who had recently found her soulmate. Her endless daydreaming about him was amusing to Elena. They acted like newlyweds. The last time she had met them, they had held hands nonstop.

She envied them.

They shared a beautiful bond. Mark and Willow trusted each other blindly. Elena herself had never had a relationship like theirs. Her boyfriend, Steph, was not the sweet type of person. He hardly showed affection, and hand-holding was something he generally didn’t do. Not even when she wanted to.

Elena put her phone back into her purse and walked past several shop windows, absentmindedly glancing at the advertised products. Since it was Sunday afternoon, these shops and her flower shop were closed. Regardless of this, she was on the way to tend to her flowers because she needed to make sure they were fine.

Elena hummed a quiet tune, dodging people as she moved towards her destination. However, while she walked, she took note of something peculiar.

The presence of the vampire she had sensed two streets ago hadn’t disappeared. It was still there, seemingly following her and getting closer*. At this rate, it couldn’t be a coincidence anymore.* She had taken a few turns, and there was no way this vampire would coincidentally follow the same route. Elena reminded herself not to panic and checked the inside of her purse for her paper charms—they were all there, so how was it possible for this vampire to pursue her? Her scent was no different than that of a human as long as she had her charms, so she didn’t stand out in the crowd.

Picking up her pace, she disappeared into the next alleyway that was less crowded. This allowed her to move faster. She took another turn at the next corner and the one after. Her hand clutched the string of her purse, becoming sweaty with nervousness. The frantic beats of her heart were like a call to a vampire, but despite knowing this, she was unable to calm herself. She was terrified of these bloodthirsty beings after years of running and hiding from them. They were the cause of her nightmares and insomnia. Her legs hurt from running, yet she didn’t think of stopping, even though it was useless to try to outrun a vampire.

Now she even heard the vampire’s footsteps following her, copying her movements. They walked at a normal pace, proving that they were not in a hurry and fully aware she couldn’t get away. Terror clouded her senses. Elena rounded another corner, and her flower shop came into view. Its old wooden door wouldn’t keep a vampire out, and neither would the large shop windows. Frustration, fear, and anger mixed deep within her. She hated living like this, hiding away from the world and always having to adapt to survive.

“Wait!” a male voice called, deep and alluring as a vampire’s voice should be. A shiver ran down her spine, and she slowed to a stop, opting to face her doom instead of dragging the inevitable out. She turned, laying eyes on her relentless pursuer. He didn’t look the way she had expected. His hair was black, and his unruly fringe hung over his eyes. Their iris was vibrant blue with a red hue that made her very uneasy. This ruby color could signify many things, but most often, it was a telltale sign of bloodthirst. His pale skin was common for a vampire, too.

The leather jacket he wore hugged his form like it had been made for him, and a silver piercing drew her eyes to his lush bottom lip, where a ring gleamed in the sunlight. She could see him turning heads with his attractive looks, but beauty in the supernatural world almost always meant danger, so she wasn’t swayed by his appearance. If anything, she was more intimidated now that she had seen him.

“What do you want?” she asked, putting up a strong and unbothered façade while she was panicking on the inside. Instinctively, she clutched her purse with her protective charms and clung to it like it was her lifeline. They couldn’t save her from him, but their presence gave her strength regardless.