IN THE RAVINES

CHAPTER 5 

Nova Sterling Point Of View

“Hold on, ladies,” Vaughn appears from the shadows like smoke, his polished Oxford shoes sink into the blood-stained snow.

“I have a proposal.“ He smiles, twisting his blade with ease. "Sterling, darling, can you be reasonable? Give me the pendant, and I'll disappear all your problems." 

I spit at his feet. The saliva lands on his left shoe, and a dark spot blooms on the polished leather. Vaughn's smile didn't fade, but his grip tightened around the blade, and his knuckle turned pale in rage.

A shadow appears and strikes Sloane down. “Let Nova go.”

Sloane’s world tilted in a blur of movement. A cry of pain rattle within her bones. She’s become weightless, staggering backwards like a boneless doll. Her body slams into the snow as she falls.

Callan stands over her with his face rippling in anger. He fixed his eyes on me, telling me to run without spewing words.

Then he throws me over his shoulder. His hoodie smells of pine and gunpowder and is rough against my cheek.

Vaughn’s laughter follows. “Bad choice, little girl.”

Callen runs through bushes as the forest swallows us. Tree branches whip my arms; he struggles to breathe but grips me with iron hands.

Then, a loud crack echoes through the air. Callan stood still, his grip tightened on my waist. Every muscle in his body freezes. “Something’s coming.” His nostrils flare as he scans the trees. 

Vaughn steps into the open bush, spinning his blade. “Wrong hero, Sterling.”

Callan pushes me behind him as his facial scars turn silver in the moonlight.

Vaughn smiles. “Trade the girl for the necklaces.”

Callan steps forward, marching on the snow. “You’ll die begging.” He attacks first; his fist strikes Vaughn’s jaw with a firm blow. 

Vaughn staggers backwards, spitting blood and still smiling. “Finally, I'll have a real fight,” He wipes his mouth. 

They collide like wild animals—fists punching ribs, boots kicking up snow and dirt, the ground turning to mud beneath them. 

Sloane then screams through the chaos, “Catch her!”

I run fast, hiding from the many torchlights flashing between trees. 

Kieran appears from nowhere and grabs my wrist, yanking me toward the ravine's edge. “Jump," he forces out his words. 

My boots slide on ice as the ravine’s edge materialises into a bottomless pit of darkness—so deep that I can’t see the bottom. 

I twist against his grip as panic sits heavy in my throat. “Are you insane? We’ll die in this bottomless pit.” 

His other hand encircles my pulse point, “Trust Me.” He presses where our bond marks lays. His eyes burn, not with wolf-gold but something beautiful. “I’d rather die than let them have you.”

My bond mark glows. Pain and heat twist my hand. We jump into the ravine, and it swallows us up.

Kieran's hand crushed mine as we fell. “Hold me tight!” 

The ravine walls melted around us, and its rocks were covered by darkness. 

I screamed, but it died down as magical symbols appeared in the air. 

“It's not a bottomless pit,” Kieran gasped. "It's a doorway.”

Then we fell into water that didn't feel wet. Light filled my lungs instead of water. Images flashed behind my eyes. A vision of the past appears and slams into my senses.

In A Flash Back—

Callan was carving marks into these stones. My mother stood beside him and whispered words that shook the earth. The magical symbols appeared in the air, and they both smiled at the beauty of magic. 

Present Moment—

The vision disappears, and my senses return to the present. We locate a cave sparkling with blue lights and break into the entrance. There he is, Callan, standing and waiting. Blood drips from his nose. 

“You knew about this place?” Kieran's voice shook in surprise. 

Callan rolled up his sleeve. A bond mark just like mine pulsed on his wrist. "Your mother and I built it before they took her.”

I scooped water in my palm, and a vision about the past appeared and filled my senses

In A Flash Back—

The droplets showed my mother drinking from this pool; her wounds healed before my eyes. 

In The Present Moment—

The vision disappears, and my senses return to the present. 

Kieran grabs my shoulders. “Now you see why I pretended that I knew nothing about you. Why I let you hate me.” His thumbs rub my bond mark. Your anger kept you safe. I'll do anything to protect you.”

I kissed Kieran hard. The water on our skin turned to shiny armour. 

Callan's muscles stiffen in suspicion. “Wait, that smells like wolfsbane.” A poisonous smell suddenly covers the air. 

Hunters with purple eyes stepped out of the dark and raised their guns at us. The leader smiled at Kieran. “Welcome back, Subject 37.” 

And a gunshot was fired at Kieran; he stumbles backwards. But instead of the bullet hitting him, My glowing bond mark burns on his chest.

“You finally came.” Dr. Mercer stands ten feet away. His lab coat has dots like rust-coloured stains, and a syringe sparkles in his hand. “My son, Kieran, was supposed to deliver you willingly,” he points at me like he is scolding a misbehaving pet. But I’ll take you forcefully.”

Kieran hid me behind him, but I fell. His bond mark glows red through his sleeve. “Run Now, or they will capture you.”

A gunshot hit Kieran's chest, sounding like thunder. He staggers backwards, his shoulder blooming with blood. 

“So you would rather kill your son to get me!” I yell at Mr Mercer. At the same time, my bond mark burns white-hot. My body moved without permission, and I inhaled quickly.

Then, I slam my palm over Kieran’s wound. Our blood burns and mingles where it mixes. To our amazement, the gunshot wound heals under my fingers. 

Kieran’s breath stuck in his throat; he couldn't believe his eyes. “How did you do that? You shouldn't be able to do it.”

Dr. Mercer glances at the wonders, his glasses reflecting the lab’s blue lights. "Fascinating, this is not just magic but also biological." His finger traced my mark, cold as a scalpel. “I’ll cut this from your skin.”

I pull away, but his laugh follows me. 

"Vaughn predicted you’d choose her over your family, Kieran. Even he thinks you’re pathetic."

He laughs mockingly, “Remember that your fiancee arrives soon, and your wedding arrangement with Audra still stands.” He turns his eyes to Kieran, “I did not approve of your bond with Nova.”

Kieran’s voice vibrated through my bones. “Liar, I will never follow your footsteps.” But I saw how disappointed he was, wondering what business Vaughn has with his father.

Suddenly, a pipe burst overhead, spraying boiling steam into the room. The steam was hot and burned our skin. The Mercer Hunters screamed through the chaos.

I hid inside a cabinet, and the explosion nearly deafened me. 

Then I saw fresh marks from a hand that touched the metal recently. It was rough and deliberate. That came from Callen, who is planning our way out.

Kieran yanks me up, his body shielding mine as dirt rains down. His lips brush my ear, rough with pain: “If we die here, I’m claiming that bite mark as my last win.”

Then we escape and run into the ravine, the wind slicing through my jacket like knives. Kieran’s grip on my hand was the only thing keeping me upright. His palm was covered with blood; mine was trembling with fear. 

Shouts echoed behind us. Flashlights spread through the darkness, and Footsteps were rushing towards us. We froze as the flashlight beamed past the stones we hid. 

And a shadow moved towards us. Is it Callen, or did Dr. Mercer find us again?