Shadow bound: The beast within

Chapter 3: Blood Oath

The Romano mansion stood shrouded in silence, its gilded walls and marble halls heavy with mourning. Servants moved quietly, carrying away broken glasses and bloodstained linens from the banquet. The scent of gunpowder still lingered in the air, a cruel reminder of what had happened.

Luca sat at the head of the long dining table, the seat once belonging to his father. The chandelier above flickered faintly, as if the house itself was restless. His fists were clenched, the faint burn of the curse pulsing through his veins.

The curse was a shadow, a weight pressing against his skin, begging to be released. Since the night of the massacre, his reflection had betrayed him with glowing red eyes, fleeting but undeniable. He tried to shake the memory, but it always came back, the moment his father’s body hit the ground, the darkness inside him had stirred awake.

A door creaked open. Matteo, his father’s old consigliere, entered the room. His face was drawn with grief but his eyes remained sharp.

“You cannot sit there and sulk,” Matteo said in a low voice. “The Romano family needs a leader. The other families already smell weakness. If you don’t act, you will be swallowed.”

Luca raised his gaze slowly. “And if I act, I risk losing myself.”

Matteo frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Luca said nothing. The secret of the curse was his burden alone, but even silence carried its own danger. If word spread that the heir of the Romano family was cursed, the mafia would not only reject him, they would destroy him.

Before Matteo could press further, the double doors burst open. Two guards stumbled in, their shirts torn and bloody. Between them walked Emilio, the eldest cousin and Luca’s sworn rival. His smirk was sharp as a blade.

“Cousin,” Emilio drawled, wiping specks of blood from his knuckles. “You look comfortable in that chair. But it doesn’t belong to you.”

Matteo stiffened. “Show some respect. Your uncle is dead, and Luca is now”

“The curse of the family,” Emilio interrupted coldly. “We all know it. We all saw what happened at the banquet. His eyes… glowing red like a demon’s. Do you think the other families will follow a monster?”

The room thickened with tension. Luca rose to his feet slowly, his voice calm though the curse burned hotter inside him.

“You think you can take my father’s seat?” Luca asked.

Emilio smiled. “I don’t think. I know. You were never fit for this world. You’re weak, cousin. Weak men die fast.”

The curse flared like fire in Luca’s chest. His vision blurred for a moment, and shadows coiled at the edges of his sight. He clenched his jaw, forcing the darkness down. Not now. Not in front of them.

“I’ll give you one chance, Emilio,” Luca said quietly. “Leave this house before I bury you beneath it.”

Emilio laughed, but his eyes flickered with unease. He had seen what Luca did during the massacre. He knew the heir was no ordinary man.

“Then let’s see if you are man enough,” Emilio whispered, and with a sharp nod, his men drew their guns.

The room exploded into chaos. Bullets flew, glass shattered, and shadows stirred. Luca ducked behind the long table, his heart racing. Matteo fired back with a pistol hidden in his jacket. Guards clashed in close combat, steel against steel, fists against bone.

One of Emilio’s men lunged at Luca with a blade. The curse surged inside him, and before Luca could think, the shadows erupted from his body. They wrapped around the attacker’s throat like chains, lifting him into the air. The man screamed, clawing at nothing as his life drained away.

Everyone froze. The only sound was the crackling chandelier and the dying gasps of the man caught in the darkness.

The curse released him, and the body hit the floor with a sickening thud.

Luca stood motionless, his chest heaving. His hands trembled, not from fear but from the intoxicating rush of power. He could feel the curse whispering, urging him to let go, to embrace it fully.

Matteo’s eyes widened in shock, but before he could speak, Emilio snarled.

“You see?” Emilio shouted. “He is not a man. He is a demon. He cannot be allowed to lead us.”

His words echoed through the hall. Luca saw the fear in the eyes of the men around him. Not loyalty. Not respect. Fear.

The curse whispered again. One word, soft and tempting. Kill.

Luca’s jaw tightened. His mind waged war against the shadow’s call. If he gave in, Emilio would be right. He would become a monster. But if he resisted, he might lose everything, the seat, the power, the Romano name.

Matteo stepped forward quickly, breaking the silence. “This war is not for tonight. Emilio, leave now before I drag your corpse out myself.”

Emilio glared, but he slowly backed away, his men following. His smirk returned as he reached the door.

“You won’t last, cousin,” Emilio said. “The families won’t bow to a cursed heir. You’ll burn, and when you do, I’ll be waiting.”

The doors slammed shut behind him.

Luca stood in the wreckage of the dining hall, glass crunching under his boots. The curse pulsed inside him, hot and restless. He could still feel the shadows lingering, hungry for more.

Matteo placed a hand on his shoulder. “You must control it, Luca. If not, Emilio will not need to destroy you. You will destroy yourself.”

Luca closed his eyes. His father’s last words echoed in his mind. Blood runs deeper than honor. Never let the curse define you.

But as he opened them again, the mirror on the far wall betrayed him. His eyes glowed red, brighter than before.

And for the first time, he wondered if the curse was not just a part of him… but who he truly was.

Luca’s red eyes shine stronger, hinting he might lose control completely.