My foot caught on a root and I went down hard, the ground slamming the air from my chest. Dirt filled my mouth as I scrambled, but they were already circling—growling, snapping their teeth close enough that I felt the heat of them against my skin.
Fear surged icy in my veins as I curled in on myself, throwing my hands over my head. My mark blazed to life, pulsing against my skin in time with my racing heartbeat.
I forced myself to stay still—to remember every fragment of training I’d had, every word about focus and control.
Drawing in what little courage I could, I let the fear steady me, not shatter me.
And then I released it.
Magic ripped out of me in a blinding wave, searing the air with cold sweetness—luminous and strange.
The world tilted violently. My vision fractured at the edges, a ringing roar flooding my ears as my knees nearly buckled beneath me.
The force knocked the beasts back, their snarls turning to yelps as the blast hurled them into the trees, splintering bark and shaking the ground beneath us.
They lay scattered—dazed and snarling—but not defeated.
My pulse thundered in my ears as I stumbled to my feet, the mark still burning against my skin. The forest had gone unnaturally still—no insects, no wind. Only the rasp of my lungs and the distant lapping of waves against the docks.
I ran.
My legs screamed with the effort, but I didn’t dare slow. Lanternlight from theBlack Marrowgrew brighter through the trees, swaying gently in the salt wind. I could hear shouts now—crew voices calling out, unaware of what hunted me in the shadows.
The mark still burned—not fading, not quieting—like whatever I’d unleashed hadn’t finished with me yet.
Branches clawed at my arms, the forest closing in like it wanted to keep me. Behind me, the creatures were moving again—slower, but relentless, their growls a low, steady drumbeat of pursuit—
Until I collided with something solid, the impact folding me in half.
Strong hands caught my shoulders before I could fall. I looked up, heart hammering, and met Alaric’s shadowed face. In the dim light, his eyes burned with relief and fury, the tension in his grip making it clear he’d been out here looking for me.
His hands locked on my shoulders, pulling me behind him as his head snapped toward snapping twigs in the dark.
“What in the hell were you thinking?” he demanded, voice low but edged with venom. His gaze swept the tree line, already tracking the growls drawing closer.
“I—” My chest heaved, the mark still burning hot, but the words tangled in my throat.
“I told you it was too dangerous.” he snapped, drawing his blade. The steel caught the faint lanternlight. He stepped in front of me, body coiled and ready, every line of him radiating lethal intent.
The growl deepened. A muscle jumped along his cheek. “Run.”
I hesitated only a heartbeat before he shoved me forward, matching my pace with long, urgent strides. The Black Marrow’slanterns grew brighter, the crew’s voices cutting through the night air, but the shadows behind us stayed close—too close.
“Why can't you just listen to me for once?” he hissed as we ran.
“Why do you care?” I threw back, my voice breaking under the effort.
Something broke then—not in the forest, but between us. The space stretched taut with every secret, every wound, every look that lingered too long. He caught my arm, spun me toward him, and the world tilted. His face hovered inches from mine, tasting of salt and copper. The ghost of my blood on his lips.
“You could have been killed,” he growled, voice rougher than I’d ever heard it. “Do you have any idea what that would have done to me?”
Before I could speak, he dragged me closer—his palm at the back of my neck, his forehead against mine.
When his lips finally found mine, it wasn’t gentle. It was the kind of kiss born of terror and survival. His hands tightened at my waist, grounding me.
When he tore away, we both stood frozen, the air between us trembling.
“You can run from the sea, Nerina—but you cannot run from me,” he said, voice a whisper.
