Lira Kane's legs burned as
she dragged Mira through the fog-choked forest, the rogues' howls closing in
like a noose. Her arm and leg bled from the claw wounds, pain stabbing with
every step, but she pushed harder. Mira's sobs echoed, her blond hair catching
on branches, but Lira's grip stayed tight. Zane Blackwood ran beside them,
blood streaming from his torn shoulder, his gold eyes scanning the trees. The
air hummed, a low, unnatural buzz that made Lira's curse throb in her chest,
like it was alive. Whatever that red-eyed creature was, it wasn't gone—it was
hunting them.
"Keep moving!" Zane
growled, his voice rough as he shoved a branch aside. His jeans were soaked
with blood, but he moved like it didn't hurt, his alpha strength keeping him
upright. Lira hated how his presence steadied her, like a rock in a storm. He'd
banished her, called her a killer, yet here he was, guarding her back. Her skin
tingled where he'd grabbed her, that weird blue glow still burning in her
memory. She pushed the thought down, focusing on Mira.
"Lira, I can't—" Mira
gasped, tripping over a root. Lira caught her, wincing as her wounds screamed.
"You can," Lira said,
voice sharp. "Unless you want to be rogue chow."
Zane shot her a look,
half-glare, half-something else. "Save your breath, Kane. We're not clear yet."
The hum grew louder, the
air vibrating like a plucked string. Lira's curse pulsed, and her vision
blurred—a flash of red eyes, blood, and a woman's scream, not Mira's. Her
mother's? She shook it off, heart pounding. "That thing's close," she said,
magic flickering in her veins, too weak to fight.
Zane nodded, his jaw
tight. "It's not a wolf. Not a vamp either. Something worse."
Before Lira could snap
back, the ground shook. A trap sprang—vines laced with silver thorns shot from
the dirt, snapping like whips. Lira shoved Mira down, dodging a vine, but
another lashed her ankle, slicing deep. She hissed, blood pooling, and Zane roared,
his claws slashing the vines. Silver burned his hands, smoke rising, but he
tore through, freeing her.
"Move!" he barked,
grabbing her arm. His touch sparked again, magic flaring blue between them, and
Lira's breath caught. His eyes widened, but a rogue's howl cut the moment
short.
Six rogues burst from the
fog, their fur matted with blood, eyes wild. Lira cursed, her magic barely a
spark. She yanked a dagger from her boot—her only backup when her curse failed.
"Mira, hide!" she shouted, shoving her friend behind a tree.
Mira scrambled,
whimpering, as Lira faced the rogues. Zane shifted, his black wolf form
tackling the biggest one, claws ripping its flank. Blood sprayed, but two
rogues lunged at Lira. She ducked, slashing her dagger across one's snout, but
the other's claws grazed her side, tearing her jacket. Pain blinded her, but
she stabbed its leg, rolling away as it howled.
Zane's roar shook the
trees as he tore through another rogue, but three piled on him, fangs snapping.
Lira's heart lurched—he was bleeding too much, even for an alpha. She hurled
her dagger, catching a rogue's ear, and ran to him, magic sparking despite her
pain. "Get off him!" she yelled, blasting a weak firebolt. It grazed a rogue,
enough to make it flinch, and Zane broke free, crushing its skull.
The last rogue charged
Lira, but Zane tackled it, his claws ending it in a spray of blood. He shifted
back, human, chest heaving, blood dripping from his shoulder and hands. "You're
reckless, Kane," he growled, stepping close, his scent—pine and leather—hitting
her hard. Her pulse raced, and she hated how his nearness made her feel—alive,
despite the blood and chaos.
"You're one to talk," she
shot back, wiping blood from her cheek. "You're half-dead, Alpha."
His eyes flicked to her
wounds, softening for a split second. "You're no better." He reached for her
arm, checking the claw marks, his fingers gentle despite his scowl. Her skin
burned under his touch, magic humming, and she pulled back, heart pounding. What
was wrong with her?
Mira peeked from the tree,
trembling. "Is it over?"
Lira opened her mouth, but
the hum spiked, a deafening buzz that dropped her to her knees. Her curse
flared, vision blurring—red eyes, a woman's scream, and a symbol burned in
blood. Her mother's voice whispered, "It's you." Lira gasped, clutching her chest,
as the fog parted.
The red-eyed creature
stood twenty feet away, half-wolf, half-nightmare, its claws dripping black
blood. It wasn't alone—two smaller shadows flanked it, their eyes glowing.
Lira's curse screamed, like it knew them. "Zane," she whispered, voice shaking.
"We're screwed."
Zane stepped in front of
her, claws out, blood pooling at his feet. "Stay behind me, Kane." His voice
was low, protective, and it pissed her off how it steadied her.
"No way," she said,
staggering up, dagger gone but magic flickering. "I'm not your damsel."
His growl was half-laugh,
half-frustration. "Stubborn witch."
The creature laughed, a
sound like breaking glass, and charged. Zane met it, his claws slashing its
chest, but it swiped back, tearing his side. Lira screamed, blasting a
firebolt—stronger this time, fueled by fear. It hit the creature's arm, black
blood sizzling, but the smaller shadows lunged at her. She dove, rolling
through mud, and grabbed a rock, smashing one's face. It screeched, reeling,
but the other's claws raked her back, pain blinding.
Mira screamed, running to
Lira, but a shadow turned on her. Lira tackled it, her body screaming, and
pinned it, slamming the rock into its skull. Black blood sprayed, and it
slumped, but the first creature flung Zane into a tree, wood splintering. He
slid down, human, barely conscious, blood gushing.
"Zane!" Lira yelled, fear
choking her. She ran to him, dropping beside him, hands shaking as she pressed
his wound. His blood soaked her fingers, warm and sticky, and her curse pulsed,
magic flaring unbidden. A blue glow lit their skin, stronger now, and Zane's
eyes fluttered open, gold and fierce.
"Get… up," he rasped,
grabbing her wrist. The glow burned, their pulses syncing, and Lira's heart
skipped. She hated him, but losing him felt wrong—too wrong.
The creature's laugh
echoed, closer. Lira pulled Zane up, his weight heavy, and Mira helped, her
face pale. "We can't fight it," Mira whispered, voice breaking.
Lira's eyes locked on the
fog, the creature circling, its shadows creeping. Her curse burned, whispering
truths she couldn't grasp. "We don't have a choice," she said, magic sparking,
weak but stubborn.
A new sound cut through—a
low chant, like voices in the wind. The fog swirled, and the creature froze,
its red eyes narrowing. Lira's vision flashed again—the symbol, blood, her
mother's scream. The chant grew, and the creature snarled, backing off, its shadows
vanishing.
Zane's grip tightened, his
voice a growl. "What the hell was that?"
Lira's chest heaved, her
curse quiet but heavy. "I don't know," she said, meeting his eyes. "But it's
not done with me."
The fog thickened, the
chant fading, but a new shadow moved—human, not beast. A figure watched from
the trees, cloaked, eyes glinting. Lira's magic flared, and the figure
vanished, leaving only a whisper: "The eclipse comes."
Zane's blood soaked her
hands, his eyes searching hers, and Lira's heart pounded. Something was waking
in Silver Hollow, and her curse was its key.