Zara's hand never left the amulet. Its pulse felt alive, a soft heartbeat in rhythm with her own. The first light of dawn seeped through the curtains, weak and gray, barely touching the edges of the room. She hadn't slept, hadn't dared. Her mind replayed the alley, the bite, the strange surge of warmth that had coursed through her veins.
Lucien stood near the window, silhouette tall and unyielding. His silver eyes caught the dim light, reflecting a calm that didn't exist in his movements. His gaze drifted to her, assessing, measuring. There was something in that look — a mix of caution, admiration, and warning.
"You've felt it, haven't you?" he asked, voice low, almost intimate.
Zara narrowed her eyes. "Felt what?"
"The change. The mark. Your body… it's responding."
Her pulse thudded, equal parts fear and disbelief. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do," he said. He stepped closer, silent. She could hear the faint scrape of his boots against the floor. "The bite didn't just save you. It awakened something. You're… different now. And they know."
Zara tightened her grip on the amulet. "Who?"
Lucien's eyes darkened, shadows curling beneath them. "The ones who've been waiting. Watching. They don't care if you understand. They only know you exist."
Her stomach churned. "And what are they?"
"Hunters," he said simply. "Creatures older than Ashwick itself. They move in the dark. They sniff out power. And you… now carry it."
The room seemed colder. The shadows deeper. She hugged her knees to her chest, heart hammering. "Power? What power?"
"The kind that can't be ignored," Lucien murmured, gaze fixed on the corner where the shadows pooled. "And you're learning fast, even if you don't know it."
Zara's fingers itched around the amulet. The strange warmth of the bite thrummed again, radiating from her neck to her chest. The mark was alive, pulsing beneath her skin, like it knew she needed to act before the danger found her.
Before she could ask another question, a subtle shift in the shadows made her stiffen. Something moved in the corner of the room, just beyond clear sight. Not human. Not fully.
Lucien's hand dropped to the amulet, brushing it against hers. "They're closer than you think," he warned. His tone carried a weight that made the blood in her veins tingle. "You have to be ready."
Zara swallowed. "Ready for what?"
"Everything," he said. "And nothing will prepare you for the first encounter."
The air vibrated, a low hum that seemed to pull at the edges of her consciousness. She felt it deep in her bones, a whispering that made her skin prickle. Something was coming, and it wasn't waiting.
A soft hiss, barely audible, curled through the room. The shadows flickered. Zara's pulse spiked.
Lucien's eyes scanned every corner, every inch of the room, but his gaze always returned to her. That same quiet admiration lingered — not soft, not tender, but measured. Respect. Recognition. Even caution.
"They can sense fear," he said. "And hesitation. Don't let them read you. Hold steady."
Zara's stomach tightened. "How? I can barely stay upright. My body…"
"The bite," Lucien said. "It gave you strength, more than you realize. Focus on it. Channel it."
A sudden movement in the shadows drew her attention. Something long and sinuous slipped across the floor, disappearing under the edge of the furniture. A hiss followed, sharper this time. Zara's hands clenched the amulet.
Lucien moved in front of her, cloak flowing like liquid. "Back. Now," he commanded. His voice carried an authority that brooked no argument. The creature froze, sensing his presence.
Zara watched, pulse racing, as Lucien advanced. He moved with precision, every step calculated, a predator confronting another predator. His silver eyes never left hers, a silent tether that kept her grounded even as the room seemed to shift around them.
The creature lunged, faster than her mind could process. Lucien struck first, but the shadow twisted and hissed, claws raking the air where his arm had been seconds before. The sound scraped her nerves raw.
Zara's chest constricted. "It's too fast," she whispered, almost to herself.
"It's not about speed," Lucien said, voice close, even gentle. "It's about knowing the pattern. Watching the intent."
Her fingers itched on the amulet. The warmth flared, stronger now, almost guiding her. She moved, almost instinctively, stepping in sync with Lucien, feeling the rhythm of his power brushing against hers.
The creature recoiled, eyes narrowing, and in that split second, Zara understood: she wasn't as powerless as she thought. The bite had done more than awaken strength; it had awakened perception. Awareness.
Lucien caught her gaze again, that flicker of respect there, almost hidden beneath tension. "You're learning," he murmured, and it wasn't just instruction. It was acknowledgment.
The shadow hissed, retreating slightly, sensing something in her it hadn't expected. Zara's chest tightened, a thrill she didn't want to admit mingling with fear. She raised her chin, eyes steady, pulse racing.
Lucien's hand brushed hers again, not intentionally touching, not tender, but solid. "Good," he said. "Focus."
The creature lingered, circling the room's edge, unwilling to commit but unwilling to leave. Zara felt its gaze like a blade across her skin. Her hands shook, but the amulet pulsed, steady and insistent.
"This is only the beginning," Lucien said softly, just to her. "They'll return, stronger, smarter. And next time… they won't hesitate."
Zara swallowed, breath uneven. She had no idea what "next time" meant, but she knew one thing: she wasn't ready to run anymore.
She looked at Lucien. Admiration flickered again in his gaze — subtle, unspoken. She hated that it unsettled her more than the creature ever could.
A low, resonant hiss echoed again. Shadows shifted. The room felt smaller, denser. And Zara knew, with certainty, that every beat of her pulse, every thrum of the bite, every whisper of the amulet, had only drawn her deeper into a world she didn't understand.
Outside the city, darkness waited. And it was watching her.