The stairwell ended in a narrow tunnel, damp and smelling of earth. Every step echoed against the stone walls, sharp and insistent. Emily's legs were trembling so badly she had to clutch the wall to keep from collapsing.
Breckt moved ahead, silent, every movement deliberate. His golden eyes caught every flicker of shadow, every glint of movement, as though the darkness itself obeyed him.
Emily's voice shook. "Where… where are we going?"
He didn't answer at first, only glancing back briefly, his gaze piercing in the dim light. "Somewhere you can't be seen."
Emily swallowed, realizing how little she actually knew about him. He had said enough to make her trust him, almost, but the shadows around him, the way he moved, the faint predatory grace in his posture… There was still a danger there she couldn't name.
Finally, he spoke again. "You're… important. That much I know, and because of that, you're in more danger than anyone else alive in this village."
Emily's chest tightened. "Important? To… them?"
Breckt shook his head. "No. Not to them. To me… or maybe to what's coming. I don't yet know everything. But I know you cannot stay in the open, not until the solar moon."
Emily froze. "Wait, what? To you? And the solar moon? I don't understand."
He nodded. "One month. That's when the balance shifts. If you survive until then, there may be a way out… but not before."
Her stomach turned. A month. Trapped in this nightmare for a month with no idea who or what will hunt me next.
Beneath the tension, a thought struck her. "You… you said you were once… human?" Her voice was hesitant, almost fearful. "Did that… mean you?"
He cut her off, his tone sharp but not unkind. "Yes. I was human once. I know what it feels like to be… hunted, helpless. I won't let that happen to you, not if I can help it."
Emily's hands trembled on her knees. She wanted to ask his name, to reach out, to cling to any thread of normalcy, but the fear that clung to her was too strong.
He continued, almost under his breath, more to himself than to her: "Some of your friends… are already part of them. I watched them change, and I watched them leave the girl I once knew behind."
Emily's heart lurched. She swallowed hard, eyes widening. "Elena…"
Breckt's jaw tightened. He didn't answer, only led her further down the tunnel.
The air grew colder, heavier, as though the stones themselves remembered centuries of blood and secrets. Emily's skin prickled. She realized that at any moment, the walls might hide a predator, a spy, or worse.
Finally, they reached a small chamber carved into the rock. It was bare, except for a single cot and a torch that sputtered weakly against the damp stone wall.
"You'll stay here for now," Breckt said, closing the door behind them. His eyes never left hers. "No one should find you here. Not even your friend… not even Fvep."
Emily swallowed. The weight of the words pressed down on her, almost unbearable, yet there was a thread of relief tangled within the fear, but outside the stone chamber, somewhere in the shadows of the Bloodscream clan, Elena's eyes glimmered with hunger and fury, and Fvep Zync's presence lingered like a storm waiting to break.