LOGINJax’s mouth stayed on hers, slow and sure, like he had nowhere else to be. Lena’s back pressed against the closed door. Her fingers curled tighter into his shirt, pulling him closer even as her mind tried to catch up. The kiss wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t rough. It was deliberate, like he was learning the exact way she tasted, the exact way she breathed when he tilted her head just so. She shivered. Not from cold. From the way his hand slid up her side, thumb brushing the underside of her breast through her dress. The touch was light, but it sent heat straight down her spine. Jax pulled back just enough to look at her. His silver eyes were dark now, pupils blown wide. “You’re still fighting it,” he said quietly. His voice was rough, but controlled. Lena swallowed hard. Her lips felt swollen. “I don’t know how to stop.” Jax’s thumb brushed her lower lip again, slow and deliberate. “Then don’t stop.” He kissed her again, deeper this time, tongue sliding against he
Jax’s hand tightened at her waist.He didn’t stop dancing. He simply turned her once more, guiding her away from the open garden and toward a narrow stone staircase half-hidden by climbing vines.“Come,” he said, voice low.Not a command.An invitation.Lena’s feet moved before her mind caught up.They climbed the stairs in silence, his hand steady on the small of her back. Every step pressed her closer to him. Close enough to feel the difference in him.No rush. No hesitation.Like he already knew she would follow.She could feel the warmth of his palm through her dress, the way his fingers adjusted slightly to keep her balanced on the uneven stone. Her pulse kicked hard.She hated how safe it felt.At the top, a small private balcony opened out, overlooking the garden below. Moonlight spilled across the railing. No one else was up here.Jax stopped at the edge, turning her to face him.The music from below drifted up faint and distant.For a long second they just stood there.His s
The figure didn’t let go.His hand stayed firm at Lena’s waist, steady as the music slowed around them. Jax turned her slowly, keeping her close enough that their bodies brushed with every step. His silver eyes held hers through the mask, calm but intense, like he was reading every small reaction she tried to hide. Lena’s breath caught for half a second. She hated how steady his hand felt on her waist, like it already belonged there.He didn’t speak at first. Just danced with her, smooth and controlled, guiding her deeper into the shadowed edge of the garden. Every turn pressed them closer. Lena felt the warmth of his palm through her dress and the way his thumb brushed once, slow and deliberate, along her lower back. A shiver ran down her spine before she could stop it.She looked up.His gaze didn’t waver.The howls outside cut off sharply, like the trackers had hit an invisible wall.They didn’t cross.They stopped at the edge of the garden, dark shapes hovering just beyond the
Lena’s knife came up.The figure in the mask didn’t flinch.He simply tilted his head, silver hair catching the moonlight for a brief second before the shadows swallowed it again.“Careful,” he said quietly.Not a warning.A promise.His gaze dropped to the knife, then back to her.“You’re shaking, little Echo.”Lena’s grip tightened until the handle bit into her palm. Her pulse hammered so loud she could hear it in her ears. The hunger twisted hard in her gut, drawn to the faint metallic scent rolling off him, old blood, controlled, but there.She didn’t lower the blade.The man took one slow step closer, hands open at his sides, palms up. No threat. No rush. Just deliberate calm that made her skin crawl.“I’m not here to hurt you,” he said.His eyes, silver, unnaturally bright behind the simple black mask, locked on hers.Lena’s breath caught.Something in that gaze pulled at the bond inside her chest. Not the same raw heat as Vance. Not the sharp fury of Kai. This was older. Quiete
Lena ran.Her boots slammed against roots and damp earth, breath ragged, knife still gripped tight in her sweaty palm. The howls kept coming behind her, low, answering each other, closer with every heartbeat.The bond with Vance pulled hard at her chest, frantic now, like he was only steps away but still not close enough.She didn’t look back.She couldn’t.The hunger rode every stride with her, teeth aching, mouth watering at the faint scent of blood still riding the wind. She hated how her body leaned into it.A root caught her foot.She stumbled hard, shoulder slamming into a thick tree trunk. Pain flared sharp across her arm. She caught herself, gasping, and pushed off again.Lights appeared through the trees.Not firelight.Warmer. Golden. Flickering like candles behind glass.Lena slowed without meaning to.Music drifted on the air, low strings, laughter, the clink of glasses. Civilized. Wrong.She broke through the last line of trees and froze.A grand stone building stood in a
The shadow lunged.Lena twisted hard, knife flashing up on pure instinct. Cold air skimmed her neck, too close. Her boot slipped on damp leaves and she caught herself against a tree trunk, bark scraping her palm.Her heart slammed against her ribs.Her pulse didn’t just race, it stuttered, like her body couldn’t decide whether to fight or bolt. For a split second, her grip on the knife felt wrong. Too loose. Too human.The bond with Vance yanked tight behind her, a raw pulse of panic and fury that made her stomach drop. He was coming. Fast. She could feel every heavy step he took through the trees.It wasn’t just a feeling. It dragged at her low in her chest, like something had hooked into her ribs and was pulling her back toward him.But he wasn’t here yet.Lena pushed off the trunk and kept moving, breath coming short and sharp. She didn’t look back. She couldn’t. The night pressed in, branches catching at her sleeves like they wanted to slow her down.Then the wind shifted.And she
The forest swallowed them.Branches snapped under Lena’s boots as she hurried after Vance. He moved fast, barely making a sound, slipping between the trees like he knew the forest better than the paths themselves.She was still trying to catch her breath.The fight replayed in her head.Four counci
Morning came cold.Lena woke to the faint crackle of the fire, and the stiff ache in every muscle. For a second she didn’t move. The nightmare still clung to her like a bad taste, fingers around her heart, that voice inside her bones.Mine.She shoved the memory away.When she sat up, Vance was alr
“The first time the Echo lost control.”The words came out barely louder than a breath.Vance didn’t answer right away.He was still holding her up, one arm braced around her shoulders. Lena’s legs felt weak, like the memory had drained something out of her.The forest slowly came back into focus a
Pain hit first. Sharp. Sudden. Lena gasped, her hand flying to her chest. The forest disappeared. Cold air rushed past her skin. Different air. Warmer. Lighter. Voices echoed somewhere nearby. Laughter. She blinked. Sunlight flashed across her eyes. Grass. Stone. A traini







