A sound cut through the quiet.
Sharp. Deliberate.
Santiago stiffened beneath me.
I felt it before I heard it again—the subtle change in him, the way his body went from warmth to readiness in a single breath.
His arms loosened, not pushing me away but positioning me, already thinking three steps ahead.
"Did you hear that?" I whispered.
"Yes."
That was all he said, but his eyes were no longer soft. They scanned the trees, pupils narrowing, every muscle coiled.
The forest exhaled.
Then another sound—footsteps this time. Too measured to be an animal. Too careful.
Hunters.
Santiago leaned in, his lips brushing my ear. "No matter what happens," he murmured, "stay behind me."
"I'm not helpless," I said automatically.
His mouth curved, just slightly. "I know. That's what scares them."
The Veil pulsed between the trees now, faint but undeniable, like a bruise on the world. I felt it tug at something deep inside my chest, the familiar pressure behind my eyes—the warning that sleep, dreams, and death were never far apart.
A shadow moved to our left.
Santiago's hand slipped into mine again, firmer this time. Grounding. Real.
"Remember this moment," he said quietly. "If things go wrong."
"They won't," I said, though my heart was already racing.
He looked at me then, really looked at me, like he was memorizing my face.
"They might," he said. "But you won't face it alone."
The shadows shifted.
A voice called out, distorted by the Veil. "We know you're here."
Santiago stepped forward, placing himself fully between me and the dark.
His eyes flashed—gold, feral, unafraid.
"Run if I tell you to," he said under his breath.
I tightened my grip on his hand.
"I won't," I said.
For a split second, something like pride crossed his face.
Then the forest erupted into motion.
And whatever fragile peace we'd carved out of the darkness shattered—because the world had found us again.
***
The first arrow came out of nowhere.
Santiago twisted, dragging me down with him as it sliced through the air where my head had been a second earlier. It buried itself in the tree behind us with a dull, violent thud.
"Down," he snapped.
I hit the ground hard, leaves and damp earth filling my mouth. Another arrow followed, then another—too precise, too fast.
"They're close," I hissed.
"Yes," he said grimly. "And they're not here for me."
A figure stepped out between the trees, cloaked in dark fabric that seemed to absorb the light.
Then another. And another. Their faces were half-hidden, eyes reflecting faintly, wrong in a way that made my skin crawl.
"Give us the girl," one of them called. "And we'll let you walk away."
Santiago laughed.
It was short. Cold. Nothing like the man who had kissed me minutes ago.
"You'll have to kill me first," he said.
"Gladly."
Everything happened at once.
Santiago surged forward, faster than my eyes could track. Bones cracked—human or not, I couldn't tell.
One hunter went down screaming. Another lunged from the side, blade flashing.
Santiago shifted mid-motion.
Fur exploded from his skin, limbs elongating, body folding in on itself in a way that should have been impossible.
The cat hit the hunter's face in a blur of claws and teeth, then became a man again before the body hit the ground.
I scrambled backward, heart pounding.
Focus. Don't panic.
But the Veil pulsed harder now, closer, like it was breathing with me. Pressure built behind my eyes, sharp and familiar.
No. Not now.
A hunter spotted me.
"There!" he shouted.
He ran.
I turned and ran too—branches tearing at my arms, breath burning in my lungs. The forest warped, shadows stretching unnaturally, the Veil bleeding into the world in thin silver threads.
I tripped.
Hands grabbed my ankle.
I screamed.
The world tilted—and then snapped.
I wasn't in the forest anymore.
I was dreaming.
But I was awake.
The hunter loomed over me, his face blurring, distorting, eyes hollowing out as fear flooded him. I felt it rush into me, hot and intoxicating.
Stop. Stop—
He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out.
I saw it then—clear as truth.
His heart slowing.
His breath failing.
His life unraveling like thread.
"No," I whispered.
Too late.
He collapsed, lifeless, his body hitting the ground with a sound that echoed far too loud.
The Veil recoiled.
I staggered back, shaking violently.
I had done it again.
"Eliza!"
Santiago was suddenly there, gripping my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. His eyes were blazing gold—not feral now, but terrified.
"Did you do that?" he asked.
I couldn't speak. I couldn't breathe.
My silence was answer enough.
"God," he breathed. He pulled me into his chest, holding me like he could keep me from breaking apart. "You didn't choose this."
"I killed him," I choked. "I felt it happen."
"Yes," he said softly. "And if you don't learn to control it, they'll never stop coming."
The forest went quiet.
Too quiet.
The remaining hunters were gone, retreating into the trees, fear trailing behind them like smoke.
I clutched Santiago's shirt, shaking.
"I'm not safe," I whispered. "I'm not—"
He cupped my face, forcing me to meet his eyes.
"You are dangerous," he said. "That's not the same thing."
Tears blurred my vision. "What if I hurt you?"
His forehead rested against mine.
"Then I'll still stay," he said. "Because you're worth the risk."
The Veil pulsed once more—closer than ever.
And I knew, with a certainty that made my blood run cold:
This was only the beginning.