Chapter 12

The night air was sharp, biting against my skin as Kael pulled me along the uneven path. The forest loomed around us, trees clawing toward the sky like skeletal fingers, their branches whispering in the wind. Somewhere far behind us, the howls had quieted, but the silence felt worse — too still, too deliberate.

“You’re walking too fast,” I panted, stumbling over a root. My legs burned, and my lungs ached, but Kael didn’t slow. His grip on my wrist was tight, almost bruising, as if letting go wasn’t an option.

“We’re not safe here,” he said, his voice low, edged with something darker than urgency. “We need to keep moving before they catch our scent.”

“They?” I echoed, hating the tremor in my voice.

Kael’s gaze flicked over his shoulder. Even in the dark, his golden eyes glowed faintly, like molten metal. “Veyris’s hounds.”

The name hit me like a punch in the chest. I’d heard it only once before, whispered between Kael and Lucien like a curse neither wanted to speak aloud. “And by hounds, you mean—?”

“Not the kind you’re thinking.” His lips twitched in something that wasn’t quite a smile. “You’ll know if we see one.”

I shivered, unsure if I wanted to find out.

We reached a small cabin tucked deep into the forest, its silhouette barely visible against the night. It looked abandoned — the kind of place you’d pass by in a horror movie right before something terrible happened. Kael pushed the door open with his shoulder, the wood groaning under his strength.

“This is… where you’re keeping me safe?” I asked, eyeing the cobwebs in the corners.

“It’s off the map,” he said simply, releasing my wrist at last. “Veyris won’t find us here. Not easily.”

The warmth of his hand still lingered on my skin, and I rubbed my wrist more to distract myself from the racing of my heart than from any real pain. “You say that like he’s some sort of supernatural bloodhound.”

“He’s worse.” Kael shut the door behind us and leaned against it, watching me. “Veyris doesn’t just find people, Astrid. He owns them — mind, body, and soul. If he decides you’re his, there’s no escape.”

Something in his voice made me freeze. This wasn’t the confident, reckless Kael I’d gotten used to. This was a man speaking from experience.

While Kael moved to check the windows, I wandered toward the old fireplace. My fingers brushed over the dusty mantle, sending a small cloud into the air. “Why would someone like Veyris want me? I’m… no one here.”

Kael didn’t answer immediately. He stood by the window, his broad back to me, tension rolling off him in waves. “That’s what I thought,” he said at last. “Until I saw the way Lucien looks at you.”

I blinked. “What does Lucien have to do with—”

“Everything,” Kael cut in, turning toward me. “You have no idea what you’ve stumbled into, Astrid. And neither of us has time to explain it before—”

A sharp sound outside — the crunch of leaves underfoot.

Kael’s head snapped toward the noise. In an instant, he was in front of me, one hand gripping my arm. “Stay behind me. No matter what happens, you don’t move.”

The door splintered inward with a violent crack, and two figures stepped into the cabin. My breath caught.

They weren’t human.

Their eyes gleamed with an unnatural amber light, their limbs too long, their movements too precise. One smiled, and I saw teeth that were sharp enough to tear through flesh without effort.

“Kael,” one of them drawled, his voice thick with mockery. “Veyris sends his regards.”

Kael shifted into a defensive stance, the air around him changing. I could almost feel the heat radiating off him. “You can tell Veyris,” he said through clenched teeth, “that if he wants her, he’ll have to go through me.”

“Oh, we plan to.”

The fight was a blur of motion — Kael’s fists meeting bone with sickening cracks, the intruders moving like shadows, too fast for my eyes to follow. I pressed myself against the wall, my pulse pounding so hard I thought my chest might burst.

One of them lunged toward me. Before I could scream, Kael intercepted, slamming the creature into the wall so hard the wood splintered. “I told you,” he growled, “she’s not yours.”

The second attacker moved for Kael’s blind spot, and instinct took over. I grabbed the nearest thing — an old iron poker from the fireplace — and swung. The blow landed with a satisfying thud, and the creature hissed, staggering back.

“Astrid,” Kael barked, “get out—”

Before he could finish, the first intruder swept his legs out from under him. Kael hit the ground with a grunt, and I felt cold panic flood my veins.

The creature that had tried to grab me turned, lips curling into a cruel smile. “The girl’s brave. Veyris will enjoy breaking her.”

A low snarl filled the cabin. Kael was on his feet again, eyes glowing with that molten-gold fury. He moved faster than I thought possible, catching the intruder by the throat and lifting him clean off the ground.

“You won’t touch her,” Kael said, his voice so low it was almost a growl. “You won’t even look at her.”

With one brutal twist, the creature went limp, collapsing in a heap. The second took one look at Kael, then fled into the trees, vanishing into the night.

Silence.

Kael stood there, chest heaving, blood spattered across his bare skin. His gaze locked on me, and for a long moment, neither of us moved.

Then he stepped forward, closing the space between us. His hand came up, fingers brushing my cheek. “You okay?” he asked softly.

I swallowed hard, nodding. “I… I think so.”

“You were brave,” he murmured, eyes searching mine. “But don’t ever scare me like that again.”

Something in the way he said it made my heart stutter. I wanted to say something back, something that wasn’t just a shaky thank-you, but the words tangled in my throat.

Kael leaned closer, his breath warm against my ear. “You’re mine to protect, Astrid. Always.”

Outside, the wind howled through the trees, carrying with it the promise that this was far from over. Somewhere out there, Veyris knew my name now.

And somehow, I knew he wouldn’t stop until he had me.

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