The thick, crimson blood flowing from Anna's nose stained the white silk sheets, a gruesome sight beneath the cold glare of the moon. Alaric froze. The rage that had been boiling within him evaporated instantly, replaced by a bone-chilling dread.
"Anna! Open your eyes!" Alaric roared, his voice fracturing with a panic he had never known.
He scooped up her limp body and sprinted toward the private medical wing in the villa's sub-basement. Aris was already there, his face tightening as his boss burst in, disheveled and frantic, carrying a woman who appeared lifeless.
"Hook up the heart monitor! Full systemic scan, now!" Alaric barked.
The monitors flickered to life, displaying a chaotic, jagged graph. The room filled with the rapid, irregular chirping of the sensors. Alaric stared at the screen, his eyes bloodshot. As a man used to commanding every variable of his life, he felt paralyzed by the data unfolding before him.
