Mia's POV
My heart beating, I turned swiftly and the voice hung in the calm of the night. Though it wasn't Caleb's and I could not identify the voice, there was something eerie about it that immediately sent me off in terror.
"Who's there?" Usually so sure, Caleb's voice now had a hint of doubt. His hand softly slid toward the concealed blade at his side, and his posture tensed. Though this time the tension in the air seemed different, he was ready for a battle. It was something deeper, darker, not only a physical menace.
Once more, the voice emerged, this time nearer. Mia, you cannot walk away from this. Already, you have been marked.
I choked, my breath caught in my throat. "Marked"? I asked, the word playing like a curse in my head. It was chilly and suffocating over me.
Caleb's eyes flicked about, his body stiffening even more, but he did not approach me. Rather, his gaze fixed on the void between the trees, his face became dark and unreadable. His energy changed; something dreadful was waiting just beyond the shadows, and I realized it had nothing to do with Caleb's background. It had all I needed.
Desperate for any kind of justification, I turned to look at him "What does that imply? Who—?"
The guy emerged from behind the trees before I could get done. Though I could see the glitter of something sharp in their hand—a knife, silver and cruelly shining—the feeble moonlight cast lengthy shadows across their face.
"Mia Summers," the person began, their voice low and silky, almost mocking. Their eyes narrowing as they examined me up and down, they moved slowly forward. "Everything starts with this. The final bit of the jigsaw.
Though I had no idea who they were or what they meant, their very confident speech caused my gut to turn upside down. Though Caleb's stress was growing next to me, he remained still. He seemed to be contemplating his choices, grappling with a dilemma I could not even begin to grasp.
Caleb advised, his voice hardly audible, "Stay back." "Your last warning comes from here."
The apparition simply laughed, a chilly, nasty sound, though. You believe a warning will stop me? You have no idea what is approaching either.
Then they flung the knife with terrible speed.
Time seemed to elongate in that second, my heart smashing into my ribcage. Caleb was already moving, his reflexes sharp as he shoved me out of the path and delivered the strike himself.
"Caleb!." I cried, terror washing over me.
A quiet groan from his lips as he dropped to the ground. Blood stained his clothing, the knife was lodged deep on his side.
"No!," I dropped to my knees next to him, my hands shaking as I worked to stem the blood.
But when I looked up, the person was already vanishing into the forest, their silhouette dissolving into the darkness, leaving me with the terrible words, "This isn't over, Mia."
I wasn't sure if I was more afraid of the promise that whatever it was—the dream that had just started—was far from done, or of what had just transpired.
As I crouched next to Caleb, his blood covering the ground beneath us, the earth slanted under me. As I struggled to stop the bleeding, I could feel my chest constricting with terror and the sharp sting of anxiety nesting at my neck. Nevertheless, the blood continued to pour darker and deeper than I could have ever imagined no matter how hard I pressed.
"Cabal..." My voice was just a whisper; it trembled with desperation as I bent over him and looked wild. You have to be here with me. Kindly remain with me.
His eyes opened and he appeared almost startled to find me there for a split second. Though his lips opened as though he wanted to say something, the words escaped him. Rather, he reached up, his hand warm and powerful but laced with a weakness I had never felt before. It brushed my cheek.
"I told you to stay away," he rasped, his voice almost audible over my heart's wild cadence. His eyes clouded with something like regret, and I felt his words weigh me like a warning, a menace. But I couldn't distance myself—not now, not when he is most needed.
I shot back, "I'm not going anywhere," sharp, rebellious, even though my hands were shaking. "I'm not leaving you here."
He frowned, the anguish clear on his face, but there was something more in his eyes—something I deciphered. Something that caused him to just slightly withdraw.
"You don't know what you're getting into, Mia," he said, his voice tight with a mix of grief and guilt. "This planet, this life—it is deadly. You are not ready for it. I... I wanted you not to be involved.
I looked at him, my heart hurting in unexpected ways. Though I was not going to back down, the statements felt like a punch to my gut. Not today. Not when the tension in the air between us was intolerable and I could no more deny.
"I'm already involved," I responded, my voice firm despite the terror chewing at me. Caleb, you cannot push me away. Not right now.
I briefly assumed he might argue. Then he started to wince, and his hand sought mine once more, fiercely grasped as though I might vanish. He seemed so sensitive, so unlike the relentless, enigmatic man I had known. I had no idea what to make of it—was he genuinely pushing me away because of something deeper than I recognized, or was he attempting to protect me?
Before I could inquire, though, a rustling sound tore through the tension and sent a thrill of terror across me. I tilted my head to look about the woodland, but the shadows were too thick to make anything distinct.
Caleb said, "I thought I told you to stay down," his voice nothing more than a snarl as he struggled to propel himself, but his strength was fast failing.
Panic edging my voice as I attempted to keep Caleb steady, I murmured, "Caleb," but he was already slipping. For someone who had just been standing only a few minutes ago, his body was frigid.
His words hardly audible above a whisper, "We need to go, Mia." "Suddenly."
I shook my head, trying not to let the horror slink into my chest. "No," I am not going to leave you.
But I heard footsteps before I could object much more. The obvious crunch of leaves underfoot. Not only one individual but several.
"Caleb, we're not alone," I said, staring frantically toward the sound source.
He stopped, and for a little instant I could see the flutter of something—danger, perhaps even desperation—pass across his face. Without further word, his grip tight around my wrist, he drew me up with a strength that betrayed his injuries.
"You have to trust me," he added with a dark, urgent voice. "This is more than our scale."
I was pressed for time and argued. Not even had time to inquire of him what the devil was going on. All I knew was that before whoever was closing up on us got here, got him out of there.
Though his movements were irregular, weak, he staggered forward taking me with him. But time did not allow slowing down. We had to get moved.
"Caleb, what's happening??" My voice strained as I tried to match his lengthy strides, but my mind was racing and the bits of the puzzle did not quite fit together.
He said nothing. He only dragged me along quicker now, although every stride seemed to drain him more. The woods were still too quiet. From behind us, then, came a harsh, deep snarl.
My heart skipped in my chest, and I was unable to stop the tremor of anxiety coursing through me. Too guttural, too primitive, it was a sound not quite human.
"Caleb!," I gasped, tightening my hold on his arm. " What the hell is that?"
His eyes briefly caught on mine, then he turned his head toward the sound, agonizingly slow. His face grew rigid and his jaw clearly tensed.
"It's they," he muttered, his voice scarcely more than a growl. "The pack is this."
The pack. Though I wasn't sure what that meant, I knew we were in grave risk and therefore I didn't need to understand.
Caleb urged me to run ahead of him with a surge of adrenaline. My breath seized as I staggered, but I pushed myself to keep going. The roar got louder, approaching.