The Ties That Bleeds

cross-legged on the couch, a glass of wine in hand, while Kai lounged against the armrest, tossing a knife into

ilence. "We have

ce more before letting it clatter on

High school senior. Top of her class, p

school? Aren't we

It's her brilliance. A girl like that-she's d

. "Funny how that word loses its meaning wh

ng his elbows on his knee

ng. "I'll approach her. Manipulati

, a stack of books beside her. Her focus was unshake

" a voice i

er. The older girl's beauty was disarming, her dark h

" Nyx asked, her to

tiously. "Yes.

d smoothly. "I'm your bes

k hold. Her mind clouded, her confusion m

ide smile spreading across he

n with ease. Mia invited her to her mother's restaurant, a small family

warm aroma of home-cooked meals filled the air, mingling with the sound of light chatter

friend Two,"Mia ca

ting. She wiped her hands on her apron and approached, her smile was welcoming as the restaurant itself. "Ah, so t

"Thank you Mrs. Chang. Mia mentioned your co

g the room. "You flatter me, dear. Sit

o the mother-daughter pair. They moved seamlessly, the

sion calm and unreadable. 'Look at them-so naive and tr

r mind. 'I could kill then both right here. It would be quick,clean. But no...

h a bright smile. "So what do yo

into a faint smi

d in front of Nyx, the praise continued, eac

, Too trusting. I

asses. The message on his phone blinked persistently, a notification from an anonymous sender

al Killings" and "Authorities Baffled by Elusive Killer Targeting Top Min

etched with concern. "Dr. Vorn," one of them began, "this can't continue. These

s. They suspect the old project-the discarded one.

e project was terminated

ecision of these killings, the profiles of

my methods. The failures of the past are i

he glanced back at the screen. "Begin preparations for

s, Elias returned to his desk, his min

of the condo was interrupted by the sound of the door clicking shut. Kai and Ezra stepped in, their mo

air across from her, "are you going to

rom her phone. "Beca

o? That's a first. You've never hesitated be

said nonchalantly, her tone alm

"That's it? She called you beautiful, so you decided to spare he

"It's not about softening my heart, Kai. I just thought it

ssed his arms and stepped closer. His gaze was sharp,

smart, though. Sharp. There's something intriguing about watching someone like he

playing a dangerous game, Nyx. We don't do attachments

e's right. This isn't like you. We choose, we ac

g anything? I'm just... delaying. Letting her live a little longer. Maybe s

great. Now she's your pet project. What happens when she

n them. "She won't figure me out. And if

n't just about you. What we do affects all of us. If you're going to

ked over to him. "I've never been unsure, Ez

em palpable. Finally, he nodded, his voice quiet but resolut

triumph in her eyes un

t. Another Nyx special. I'll be over here

mained where he was, watching Nyx with a mixture of admiration and w

danced on the screen, a reflection of her impeccable skills in the stock market. She had just closed another lucrative

d, growing louder with each passing second. The urge. It clawed at her insides, relentless and c

he could sense the storm raging within her. He didn't say a word at first, simply walking ove

irm but not overbearing, a grounding force in the chaos of her thoughts

ers no longer held any meaning. "I'm having an urge to kill," she said, her vo

slightly, resting his chin on h

f emotion. "The kind that makes my skin itc

her before, felt the same darkness that l

"That girl. The way she smiled, the way her mother looked at her like she wa

He brushed a strand of hair away from

eyes. "I don't know. I want to

s a soft murmur, like a thread tying her frayed thoughts together. "You don't have t

of his breath sending a jolt down her

er arms. "Control is power. Restraint is power. Yo

hem dimmed but not extinguished. "

s tracing idle patterns on her s

d tight within her. She turned in her chair to face him fully, her hands grippi

ently. "And if you don't,

Ezra's loyalty to her had never wavered, not once. He was the only one wh

leaning her forehead against his c

lightly, his hand resting

ut the sound of their breathing. The storm within Nyx began to quie

he murmured, b

on soft but firm. "You don't need to

ha

, and you do act on

her confidence retu

slipping away from her. "Get

her thoughts still tangled but no longer suffocating

r