The forest never slept.
Not when they hunted.
The horn still echoed in my bones, even long after the note had died, replaced by the steady, deliberate rhythm of feet against the earth. They were everywhere. Too many. Their shadows rippled between the trees, their breaths carried on the wind.
We were prey now.
Liam's hand was in mine, warm and trembling. My fangs still ached from his taste, the phantom sweetness of his blood lingering on my tongue. It gave me strength, yes—but it also left me starving for more. Every step, every pulse of his heart, sang to me like the cruelest melody.
I wanted him.
And I hated myself for it.
"Aria." His voice was quiet but sharp, his grip tightening as though he felt my hesitation. "You're shaking."
I swallowed the growl rising in my throat. "Keep moving. Don't stop for anything."
The forest floor was slick with dew, mud splattering our boots, roots clawing up from the soil to trip us. I could see too well, hear too much—Marcus's hunters weren't far. They weren't rushing. They didn't need to.
They were playing with us.
A branch snapped ahead. My body whipped instinctively in front of Liam, shielding him. My nails lengthened into talons before I could stop them, my breath leaving in sharp bursts. But it was only a stag, bounding through the underbrush, startled by our intrusion.
Liam exhaled shakily. I didn't.
Every noise meant danger. Every shadow hid death.
We pressed on, deeper into the woods. My mind was a battlefield—half strategy, half hunger. The Nightwalkers would expect us to run south, toward the villages. Which meant we had to veer east, toward the cliffs. Dangerous, but less predictable.
Still, even as I thought it, I knew Marcus already anticipated this. He knew me too well.
"Aria." Liam's voice again, low but firm, pulling me back. "Stop."
I froze. His hand caught my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. He looked pale, exhausted, sweat clinging to his temples. The bite I had left on him was raw, still glistening faintly in the growing gloom.
"You've been leading us blindly for hours," he said. "Tell me the truth. Are we running from them—or from yourself?"
The question sliced me open.
I jerked away from him, shame and fury tangled. "You don't understand what you're asking."
"Then explain it!" His voice rose, ragged but desperate. "Because I'd rather die knowing what we're fighting than keep running in circles waiting for them to strike."
Silence crashed between us. My chest heaved.
Finally, I whispered, "I can't protect you from them. Not all of them. Marcus… Lucian… they'll tear you apart just to punish me. And if I fight, if I unleash what I am… I don't know if I'll stop myself from turning on you."
The words were poison in my mouth.
Liam's eyes softened, but he didn't step back. "You already stopped once." His fingers brushed his wounded neck. "You think I didn't see how close you came? You pulled back. That wasn't weakness, Aria—that was you choosing me."
My breath caught.
"You are not Marcus," he continued, voice steady. "You are not them. Stop thinking you'll become the monster they want you to be."
The ache in me was unbearable. My hunger clawed at his words, twisting them into temptation. He stood too close, smelled too warm, too alive.
"Liam…" I choked, fangs pressing against my lips. "Don't make me prove you wrong."
He didn't flinch. He reached forward, pressing his forehead against mine. "Then prove me right."
I almost broke.
Almost gave in.
But the forest didn't allow me the choice.
The horn sounded again, this time from multiple directions. Short bursts, sharp and precise—signals. They had found our trail.
"Move!" I hissed, dragging him forward.
We sprinted through the underbrush, branches lashing at our faces, the earth groaning beneath our feet. My senses screamed warnings: hunters closing in from the north, Lucian's scent threading faintly on the wind. He was near.
I pulled Liam harder, ignoring his stumble. He gasped, but didn't complain. He trusted me, even as I dragged him deeper into the storm.
The trees thinned, the ground sloping upward. I smelled salt, the crashing of waves in the distance. The cliffs. Too soon. Too cornered.
Shadows broke from the forest behind us. Red eyes glimmered in the half-light.
"Run, little fledgling," a voice taunted from the dark. "The Lord grows impatient."
My heart roared in my chest. We couldn't outrun them now.
I shoved Liam behind me, spinning to face the advancing figures. Three hunters, pale and lean, their smiles jagged with hunger. Their movements were languid, cruelly unhurried.
"Aria," Liam whispered, panic straining his voice. "We can't—"
"Stay behind me." My voice was steel, even as fire and hunger consumed me.
The hunters closed in. My fangs bared, claws flexing. I wanted to tear them apart. To rip and rend until nothing remained. And deep down, I knew I had the strength now, after tasting Liam's blood.
The first lunged.
I met him head-on. My claws slashed through his chest with a wet crack, ribs snapping like brittle sticks. Hot blood sprayed across my face, iron and fire flooding my senses. I shoved my hand deeper, fingers curling until I felt the frantic flutter of his heart—and then crushed it in my fist. His scream died in a wet gargle as I flung his corpse to the ground.
The others snarled, circling faster now.
The second one blurred forward, his claws aiming for my throat. But my instincts were sharper. I twisted low, seized his wrist, and wrenched until bone splintered through skin. His shriek was delicious. Before he could recover, I sank my fangs into his throat, ripping a chunk free. His blood gushed into my mouth, scorching me with strength. I spat him aside, the taste of death burning down my throat.
The third hesitated—but only for a moment. He came at me with both hands, faster, sharper. We collided in a frenzy of claws and fangs, the forest filling with the sound of tearing flesh. He raked deep across my shoulder; pain exploded, but I barely felt it. My rage drowned it out. I slammed him against a tree, the bark shattering under the force, and with one final, brutal strike, I drove my claws up beneath his chin, straight through his skull. His body twitched once, then went limp.
For a heartbeat, silence fell. My chest heaved, blood dripping from my claws, from my lips. I was shaking with exhilaration, hunger, and something darker.
And then—
A slow clap broke the air.
From the shadows, tall and terrible, Marcus stepped into view.
"Bravo," he drawled, his crimson gaze blazing with cruel delight. "My little fledgling bares her fangs at last. How touching."
My blood turned to ice. Liam stiffened behind me.
Marcus's hunters parted as he approached, his presence suffocating, ancient power dripping from every step. He was elegance and death made flesh, his smile cold as the grave.
"You disappoint me, Aria," he said softly. "Running. Hiding. Feeding where you should not." His eyes lingered on Liam, hungry. "And worst of all… choosing him."
I forced myself to stand tall, though my knees threatened to buckle. "I will never belong to you."
Marcus tilted his head, amusement flickering. "Oh, child… you already do. You just haven't accepted it."
He raised a hand. The remaining hunters tightened their circle.
Liam's hand found mine. His grip was weak, trembling, but certain. I felt his pulse hammering beneath his skin, and with it, the weight of my choice.
Marcus's gaze sharpened. "So, you'll defy me. Very well. Prove yourself. Survive my hunt."
With a flick of his wrist, the hunters lunged.
The world exploded into chaos—snarls, claws, blood. I tore into them with everything the hunger had given me, my body a storm of violence. But there were too many. Too fast. Too strong.
Liam's cry cut through the clash. My heart stopped.
I spun—just in time to see one of the hunters seize him, claws digging into his shoulder.
"No!" My scream shook the air, primal and broken.
I launched forward, every shred of strength igniting. My claws ripped through flesh, bone snapping under my fury. The hunter's head rolled into the dirt before his body crumpled.
I caught Liam as he stumbled, his blood soaking my hands. His eyes fluttered, pain painting his face pale.
"Aria…" he gasped.
Marcus's laughter rang across the clearing. "Yes. Feel it. The chains of hunger. The burden of love. How long before you break, child?"
I clutched Liam close, trembling with rage and fear. I could fight, yes. I could kill. But Marcus was right about one thing.
Every drop of blood Liam spilled was a chain tightening around my soul.
And sooner or later, something had to snap.