I reach out, my fingers gently gripping her chin, tilting her face just enough to ensure she focuses on me, and only me.
“Tell me what they did.”
Chapter 11: Julien
Breathe in. Hold… breathe out. To silence my mind has never been such a torment, a relentless ache that gnaws at the edges of my immortal soul.
I cannot enter the dark, for I am powerless to resist its call. I cannot feed, for such sustenance is a luxury I do not deserve. But the calling, it isrelentless.
Go to her. She belongs to us. She is ours.
It coils around me, seductive—unyielding. Occasionally, it teases me with her scent, re-conjuring forbidden fragments of her elixir. All of it drags me closer to the abyss I swore to resist. And my brethren remain oblivious to my struggles. Blind to the torment that festers within.
Breathe in. Hold… breathe out. Breathe in. Hold… breath ou—
There.
Something has happened.
Something has caused a rupture in the dark, a shift like the waves of night crawling back beneath the moon’s relentless pull.
I feel the shadows recoil—retract—rushing to its source—tohim.
I immediately flit to the house, seeking out Ezekial and Sai who sit at the living room table.
“Something has happened,” I announce.
Sai frowns, his restless gaze switching between Ezekial and me. He tries to sense what we can, letting out a frustrated sigh when he can’t.
I try not to smile. Sai is the youngest member of our unit, the least experienced with the dark but, eventually, even he feels it.
And then it erupts,Kaneerupts, into the room.
A storm of darkness unleashed, as though the night itself bends to his will. The air thickens with power, shadows spill forth from him like a living tide, as if he is the dark moon—their one and only true master. His darkness devours every flicker of light, leaving nothing but a cold void, so absolute it becomes its own entity.
This is his domain and he is magnificent.
I sweep my gaze over to Ezekial.“Something bad, it seems.”
Ezekial acknowledges me with a subtle nod.“This is… his control is...”
“You.”Kane’s voice cuts through the oppressive darkness. His hand rises, a single finger pointing directly at Sai.
In an instant, a spear of shadow materialises, hurtling towards Sai with deadly precision.
Rather than move, Sai lets out a low laugh, eyes alight with something far too close to excitement.
I flit in the way, and the spear collides with me, dissolving into my body with a hiss, the icy sting sharp.
Usually, I can endure the pain darkness inflicted, but not tonight—not in my current state, weakened and far from full strength. And not when its master’s fury is so all-consuming.
“Kane, my friend.” I try to keep my voice steady despite the lingering pain. “Whatever has happened, it can be resolved—”
“And you.” I barely dodge the shadow that lurches for me.
Kane does not acknowledge Ezekial, nor does he spare a glance in his direction. His gaze fixes solely upon Sai and me, an intense, furious focus.
“He knows,”I say to Sai, keeping my expression neutral.
