The forest did not welcome us.
Even as we moved deeper between the twisted trees, the air grew heavier, thicker, like it was watching us breathe. Every step Luna took was uneven. The mark on her wrist pulsed faintly beneath the bandage, no longer screaming, but not silent either.
It was waiting.
I kept my hand on the hilt of my blade, eyes scanning every shadow. The curse under my skin stirred, restless. It recognized this place. Or perhaps it recognized him.
"Stop," I murmured.
Luna froze instantly.
"What is it?" she whispered, her voice thin but steady.
I stepped in front of her without thinking. "Something's wrong."
The ground ahead was too still. No insects. No wind. Even the birds had abandoned the trees.
Then the shadows moved.
Not one.
Three.
They peeled themselves from the darkness like rotting flesh tearing away from bone. Tall, malformed, their limbs bending the wrong way. Their faces were empty voids, mouths stretching wider than any human jaw should allow.
Luna gasped softly behind me.
"They're here because of me, aren't they?" she asked.
I didn't answer.
Because the truth was worse.
"They're here because of the mark," I said quietly. "And because I'm with you."
The first one lunged.
I moved on instinct.
Steel met flesh with a wet, brutal sound. Black blood sprayed across my arm as the blade tore through its chest. It screamed not in pain, but in fury before collapsing into smoke.
The second came faster.
I barely blocked it. Its claws scraped across my shoulder, tearing through fabric and skin. Pain flared, sharp and hot, but I welcomed it. Pain meant I was still alive.
Behind me, Luna cried out.
"Don't look!" I shouted.
Too late.
The third creature went for her.
I felt it before I saw it. The curse erupted beneath my skin, burning like molten iron. My vision darkened at the edges as something ancient clawed its way forward.
"No," I snarled. "You don't touch her."
I crossed the distance in a blink.
The blade sank into the creature's skull. I twisted hard, ripping upward. Its body convulsed violently before collapsing in a heap of dissolving shadow.
Silence followed.
My breath came heavy. Blood dripped from my blade some mine, some not.
I turned.
Luna was on her knees.
I rushed to her side, dropping my weapon without hesitation. "Are you hurt?"
She shook her head, trembling. "No… I just—"
Her hand reached out, gripping my torn sleeve. Her fingers brushed my blood.
She froze.
Then she looked up at me, eyes wide with something deeper than fear.
"You're bleeding because of me," she whispered.
I took her wrist gently, careful not to touch the mark. "I'd bleed a thousand times over if it meant you stay alive."
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
The forest seemed to hold its breath.
Her lips parted slightly. "Why?" she asked. "Why do you care this much?"
I swallowed.
Because you are my weakness.
Because you are my redemption.
Because I already lost someone once.
"I don't know," I said instead. "I just do."
Her fingers tightened around my sleeve. "You're lying."
I met her gaze.
"Then maybe the truth scares me."
She leaned forward suddenly, resting her forehead against my chest. I stiffened, startled then relaxed.
Her breath was warm. Shallow. Real.
"I can feel it," she murmured. "When you fight… it's like something inside you is breaking apart."
I closed my eyes.
"You shouldn't be able to feel that."
"The mark lets me," she said softly. "It connects us. I think that's why he wants me dead."
Mark.
The name echoed like a curse.
My jaw tightened. "If he wants you, he'll come himself eventually."
Her hand slid to my chest, right over my racing heart. "Then don't let him take me."
I covered her hand with mine.
"I won't."
Not again.
A low sound rolled through the forest then distant, deep, and unmistakably amused.
Laughter.
It wasn't close.
But it was coming.
The mark on Luna's wrist burned hot.
And this time, it burned in answer.