#Chapter 78 – By Blood and Bond

Damon The wind cut like blades as I flew through the territories. Frost bit at my skin, teeth sinking into the exposed lines of my shoulders and chest, but I didn’t feel it. Not through the pulse in my blood, the fire in my chest, the bond that burned with every beat of my heart. She was close. The mating bond wasn’t whispering anymore. It howled. A feral, ragged thing that refused to let me rest. Each mile closed between us only made it worse—more urgent. More frantic. Like something in me knew if I didn’t reach her soon, I wouldn’t reach her at all. The land shifted beneath my feet—thinned dirt gave way to loose stone, craggy slopes and brittle roots. The terrain was sharper here, less traveled. Even the trees looked starved. Wild. Watching. Rogue territory. I bared my teeth. The scent hit first—blood, smoke, something acidic and wrong. And beneath it… her. Faint. But there. Zane surged, clawing at my thoughts. She’s bleeding. She’s close. Faster! I slowed be