The fire had long since gone out, leaving only embers glowing faintly red in the ashes. Dawn crept through the cracks of the ruined cabin, thin blades of light cutting through the darkness. I hadn't slept. I couldn't.
Liam's weight pressed gently against me, his head resting on my chest, his breath slow and even. He looked so breakable like this, as if the world outside didn't exist, as if the night hadn't shattered everything. My fingers tangled in his hair almost without thinking, stroking slowly, gently, as though I could keep him tethered to me by touch alone.
But beneath it all, hunger stirred. His scent—warmth and salt and life—wrapped around me like a chain. Every heartbeat against my ribs thudded like a drum, calling me closer, daring me to break.
I squeezed my eyes shut and whispered to myself, Not him. Never him.
Still, the ache wouldn't leave.
Liam shifted, murmuring in his sleep. His hand tightened around mine, anchoring me. Even unconscious, he clung to me, as though he knew I was already halfway gone.
I wondered if he could hear the tremor in my breaths, if he would still hold me so close if he knew how many times in the night I had nearly leaned down to taste his throat.
The light grew brighter, spilling golden streaks across the floor. And with it came unease. The air shifted, sharp, metallic. My ears twitched at the faintest rustle outside—the forest wasn't silent anymore.
Something was moving out there.
My body tensed, every sense sharpening. I gently shook Liam. "Wake up."
He stirred, eyes half-open. "Aria?" His voice was rough with sleep.
"Quiet," I whispered, pressing a finger to his lips. My eyes darted to the window. The woods loomed dark and endless beyond the slats, but I could feel it—eyes watching, footsteps careful, calculated.
"We're not alone."
Liam sat up quickly, instantly alert. His gaze flicked to the shadows, then back to me. He trusted me without question, but his hand instinctively reached for the knife at his side. The blade looked pitiful against what I knew was coming.
I inhaled slowly, tasting the air. The scent was unmistakable. Cold, acrid, threaded with cruelty.
Marcus.
Not here yet—but near.
I rose silently, pulling Liam with me. "We need to move. Now."
His brow furrowed, but he didn't argue. He simply nodded and followed as I slipped to the door. My body screamed with tension, every instinct warring: flee, hide, or fight.
We stepped into the pale light of morning. The forest greeted us with silence too heavy to be natural. Even the birds had stilled.
Liam whispered, "You think it's them?"
"I know it is." My voice was tight.
He didn't ask how. He didn't need to.
I pulled him close, lowering my voice to a whisper. "Listen to me. If anything happens—if they catch up—you run. Don't look back."
His eyes burned into mine. "And leave you?"
"Yes," I snapped, harsher than I meant to. My voice softened, breaking. "If Marcus finds me, I can survive. You can't."
"I'm not leaving you."
The words were quiet but final.
I wanted to scream at him, to shake sense into him. But I saw the fire in his eyes, stubborn and unyielding. He meant it. He would never abandon me.
And maybe, some dark part of me whispered, that was why I couldn't let him go.
We ran.
Branches clawed at our clothes as we moved through the trees, feet pounding the damp earth. Every few seconds I glanced behind, my ears straining for the snap of twigs, the whisper of pursuit.
The forest seemed endless, each shadow stretched thin, each gust of wind a warning.
And then—faint but clear—came the sound I dreaded.
A horn.
It wasn't loud. It didn't need to be. The note cut through the woods like a blade, long and low, a call to the hunt.
Liam flinched. "What was that?"
I grabbed his hand tighter. "The beginning."
They knew where we were.
Panic clawed at my chest, but I forced my mind to sharpen. We couldn't outrun them forever. Marcus's trackers would circle us, close in, drive us like prey into his waiting hands.
Unless I did what I had sworn I wouldn't.
Unless I fed.
The thought struck like lightning. Power surged through my veins at the very idea. If I fed, I could fight. I could face Marcus. I could keep Liam alive.
But the hunger didn't care about survival or strategy. It only cared about the warmth of the boy's hand in mine, the pounding of his heart, the taste I had denied myself for too long.
No. I shoved the thought down. Not him. Anyone but him.
We stumbled into a clearing, breath ragged, clothes damp with morning dew. I pulled Liam to a stop, scanning the trees.
"They're herding us," I said bitterly.
Liam wiped sweat from his brow. "What do we do?"
I turned to him, heart aching with the answer. "We find another way. But it means—" My voice caught. "It means I can't hold back much longer."
He stepped closer, eyes unwavering. "Then don't."
My breath hitched.
He reached for my face, cupping it gently, forcing me to meet his gaze. "If drinking from me will give you the strength to fight them, do it."
I recoiled. "No."
"Aria—"
"You don't understand," I cut in, voice sharp with fear. "Once I start, I might not stop."
He didn't flinch. "I trust you."
The words broke something inside me.
I shook my head, trembling. "I can't gamble your life against my hunger."
"Then let me gamble it," he whispered fiercely. "Because right now, it's not just your life at stake—it's mine. If this is the only way you can protect us both, then take it."
His words lodged deep inside me, tearing me apart. My fangs ached, pressing at my gums, desperate to descend. His pulse thundered in my ears like the sweetest melody.
I staggered back, clutching my chest. "Don't tempt me."
He stepped forward. "I'm not tempting. I'm choosing."
I wanted to scream. To run. To do anything but face the truth clawing at me: I wanted him more than I wanted control.
The horn sounded again, closer this time. The hunt was coming.
Liam grabbed my hands, pressing them to his chest. His heartbeat thrummed against my palms, wild but steady.
"Aria," he whispered, "please."
My control shattered.
I lunged forward, lips at his throat, breath hot against his skin. My fangs descended with a sharp ache, and for a heartbeat I hovered there, trembling, shaking with the war between love and hunger.
Then I bit.
The world exploded in heat and fire. His blood filled my mouth—sweet, rich, alive. It coursed down my throat like liquid lightning, burning through my veins, flooding me with strength and clarity.
Liam gasped, body tensing, but his hands didn't push me away. They held me tighter.
I wanted to drown in him. To drink and drink until nothing remained.
Stop. The word tore through me, desperate, broken. Stop, or you'll lose him.
With every shred of will left, I wrenched myself away, staggering back, blood staining my lips.
Liam swayed on his feet, pale but still standing. His hand pressed to the wound, but his eyes never left mine.
"You stopped," he whispered.
Tears blurred my vision. "I almost didn't."
"But you did."
I shook my head, shaking violently. "I told you I was dangerous."
"And I told you I trusted you," he said, voice steady despite the blood on his neck.
The forest rustled around us. The hunters were close now.
Strength surged inside me from his blood, my senses sharper than ever, my body thrumming with power. For the first time since my turning, I felt unshakable.
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, heart pounding with fury. "If Marcus wants us, let him come."
Liam's lips curved in a faint smile despite his weakness. "That's the Aria I know."
But before I could speak, a voice rang through the trees.
Cold. Smooth. Familiar.
"Brave words, sister."
Lucian.
My stomach dropped.
He stepped from the shadows, his eyes glinting crimson in the light, his expression unreadable. Behind him, more figures emerged—Marcus's hunters, cloaked in darkness, their smiles sharp and merciless.
Lucian's gaze flicked to Liam, then back to me. "You've chosen poorly."
I bared my fangs, blood still fresh on them. "And you've chosen betrayal."
Marcus's voice rumbled from the treeline, deep and thunderous. "Run, little fledgling. Make it interesting."
The clearing darkened as the hunters spread, encircling us.
I grabbed Liam's hand, my chest tight, my body thrumming with borrowed strength. My hunger screamed, my fear roared, but above it all one truth burned clear.
I would not lose him.
Not now. Not ever.
The hunters stepped closer, and the shadows swallowed us whole.