The storm blurred shadowbeast shrieks into viscous syrup. Layne's black shirt clung to his chest, revealing his unhealed silver bullet wound from the clocktower—greenish sutures leaking at the ribs.
"Left!" He rolled them down the mulch slope, silver chain whipping out to snare the beast. Its fangs melted into tar droplets on her collarbone. Moonflare hawk burst from Alyssa only to sear a cross-shaped scar on his chest—already healing.
"Playing with fire now?" His serrated canines grazed her drenched earlobe. In hot spring mist, his irises resembled shattered green glass, each shard reflecting different versions of her—coffin-bound, ringed bride, and current feline-pupilled self.
Shadowbeast limbs piled at the cave mouth. Layne's bandaging ritual resembled a dance. Alyssa bit his shoulder—vampire skin cracked like sugar-glazed balloon. Metallic sweetness flooded her mouth.
"Content?" The wound sealed in thirty seconds, leaving a crescent scar. He pinned her wrist to sulfur rocks, fangs fully extended in water's reflection. "Now for my interest."
Mist crystallized. Moonflare phoenix erupted, igniting stalactites to reveal ancient marriage contracts—seventeen Silverfang matriarchs' names bearing Layne's evolving signatures. Her full name waited in fresh blood-ink.
"Most fiery of them all." His forked tongue licked her bloodstained lip. Silver chains weighted with beast eyes dragged their ankles underwater. "Know why sulfur springs? Vampire skin here..."
He arched suddenly, metallic vertebrae glowing through his back—a biomechanical fusion.
Harp strings snapped underground. His eyes fractured momentarily: "Your heart raced, darling." He trailed her collarbone, water droplets hardening into rubies encasing bat embryos.
The spring boiled. As phoenix fire shielded her, Layne's melted arm regenerated like wax. He snapped newborn fingers into the vortex: "Guess the reboot time?"
Bat corpses rained down, wings embroidered with Evelyn's name. Their ashes formed new prophecy: "When sulfur taints traitor's blood, eternal pact devours seventh bride."
Layne's laughter vibrated through quakes. His torn shirt revealed a clockwork heart—bloodied silver ring lodged in mainspring, matching her finger's burn.