"Are you really gonna wear my brother's castoffs? Or are you that desperate to run back to your old life?"
Elara's cold voice cut through the silence. She tossed a semi-new outfit onto the guest room bed—sharp, unyielding, just like her.
Jaxon froze, his hand hovering mid-air.
Before he could stammer out a response, Elara had already turned on her heel and vanished into her own room, leaving no room for argument.
After a hasty shower and a change into jeans, she headed to the kitchen to reheat dinner.
When Jaxon emerged, cleaned up but still awkward, Elara barely glanced up from her task.
"Eat up—then hit the hay. We've got no time to waste."
Her tone was flat, no warmth, but no malice either.
Jaxon hesitated, then slid into a chair and dug into his food, his shoulders hunched as if carrying a weight.
"What's your endgame?"
Elara suddenly asked, her fork pausing over her plate—sharp, direct, no beating around the bush.
"Endgame? Shit, I don't have one."
Jaxon's voice was hollow, his gaze fixed on the table.
"I got a cousin in X City—we were tight once. If I can find him… great. If not? Guess I'll just… give up."
Elara raised an eyebrow, a faint, sardonic smirk playing on her lips.
"Funny. I'm heading to X City too. My parents and brother are there. We'll prep for two days, then hit the road."
Jaxon's head snapped up, hope blazing in his eyes.
"Really? That's… that's a godsend!"
"But let's get one thing straight."
Elara's tone turned icy, cutting through his excitement.
"If you're coming, you obey my rules. No heroics, no bleeding hearts. This is the apocalypse—one moment of softness could get us all killed. Can't hack it? Grab your share of the food and get lost. Simple as that."
Jaxon stared at her for a beat, then nodded firmly, his jaw set.
"I won't drag you down. Swear it."
Elara nodded, satisfied with his resolve.
They ate in tense silence, then retreated to their rooms to rest—each with their own thoughts of the coming chaos.
Elara locked her door.
She sent a string of air bubbles to guard the windows and threshold (her quiet, vigilant protection), then pulled out the Beast Cores she'd hunted that day—seventeen total, from mutated cats, dogs, even mice.
Gods, she was lucky she hadn't run into anything bigger, like a golden python or Tibetan mastiff.
Most were gold-attributed, except for one earth-attributed rat core. Her air Superpower, a rare special type, could only level up with mutated cores—thunder, ice, anything but the basic five.
Damn, leveling that thing was gonna be a nightmare.
She wrapped herself in a giant air bubble.
With a flick of her wrist, she crushed the twelve gold cores with her Superpower, letting the glowing energy flood the space.
The bubble blazed gold, then faded to transparency as the power seeped into her skin.
When darkness fell, she checked her mental "stats"—gold Superpower: Level 0, 2/10 bars filled.
Air Superpower: still a big fat zero.
Downstairs for dinner, she found a note from Jaxon—he'd run home to grab some stuff.
With a weak signal on her phone, she hesitated, then dialed Kael.
Today was Day One of the apocalypse. If he'd listened to her, Mom, Dad, and him should be holed up safe in the hotel.
On the second ring, Kael's gruff voice answered, laced with raw relief.
"Elara? Shit, are you okay? Hurt anywhere?"
His tone was Irritable, urgent—paranoid, just like he always was when it came to her.
"I'm fine—safe."
Elara's lips softened slightly, almost imperceptibly.
"How are Mom and Dad?"
Kael kicked a gagged, tied-up man hard to the floor, his tone casual as if he weren't brutalizing someone.
"They're good. We locked down the second shit hit the fan. Don't you worry—with me here, nothing touches 'em."
His voice dropped, possessive and fierce—"I'll crush anyone who even looks at 'em wrong."
Reno Stark twitched, quickly gagging the other thugs who'd dared to ambush them while Kael was vulnerable.
His boss chatted gently on the phone while dishing out beatings like they were nothing—all to keep Miss Elara from hearing a peep of the violence.
Reno owed Kael everything. Kael had buried his dad, gave him a purpose.
Yeah, Kael was a brute—domineering, cruel, killed without blinking—but when it came to Elara? He was putty.
Spoiled her rotten, even though she acted like he disgusted her.
"I get it. Just… don't do anything stupid."
Elara sighed, already anticipating his next outburst.
"And stop asking to come get me—I mean it."
"Fine, fine!"
Kael growled, frustration oozing through the line.
"But gods, Elara, I can't stop worrying. You're out there alone, and—"
"I'm not alone. I've got allies."
Elara cut him off, glancing at the door as if sensing Jaxon's return.
"Just keep Mom and Dad safe. I'll be there soon."
On the other end, Kael slammed a fist into the wall, his voice dropping to a possessive snarl.
"Allies? Who? Men? Elara, you better not let any bastard get close—"
"Goodbye, Kael."
She hung up before he could spiral further into his Paranoid rant.
When Jaxon didn't return by dinner, Elara left him a note and focused on her plan.
The city's remaining officials were organizing a convoy to N City—allegedly to escort survivors, but Elara knew better.
N City's Safe Zone would fall fast, torn apart by infighting and mutated beasts.
Jaxon stumbled back late that night, breathless and wide-eyed.
"We gotta talk. The feds—they're rounding people up for N City. Should we tag along? Safety in numbers, right?"
Elara scoffed, her eyes cold as ice.
"Safety? Please. Those feds will use civilians as bait the second mutated beasts show up. We'll shadow 'em—from a distance. No way we're joining that suicide march."
Jaxon hesitated, but Elara's tone brooked no argument.
By dawn, they'd made their choice: stick to the plan, use the next two days to hunt more beasts and stock up, then head to X City—on their own terms, no strings attached.
Next Chapter Teaser
Mutated beasts swarm the federal convoy! Elara's dual Superpowers erupt in a bloodbath, but Kael's jealous rage ignites when he learns she's traveling with men. Will he abandon his promise and race to claim her—even if it means fighting both beasts and his own allies?