The docks were as quiet as a graveyard when Caden arrived, broken streetlights was all that was in sight. Eerie shadows across the cracked pavement, and the distant sound of waves lapping against the shore was the only thing breaking the silence.
Caden pulled his hood lower, scanning the area. He knew he shouldn't be here because Zane's information felt like a trap designed to lure him out and leave him vulnerable. But if there was even the slightest chance the Lunar Circle was hiding here, he couldn't ignore it.
"You feel it, don't you?" Ares whispered in his mind with a dark and hungry voice. "They're watching you."
Caden's pulse quickened as he glanced to the shadows, expecting to see any movement but nothing happened. He took a deep breath and calmed down. He couldn't let the voices get to him right not now, he had to stay focused.
The warehouse Zane had mentioned was ahead, it had rusted metal doors which was barely hanging on. The place looked abandoned, like it was forgotten by time but Caden knew better. The Circle was good at hiding in plain sight and blending into the darkness. This place was perfect for them.
His footsteps echoed as he crossed the open space, the nearer he got the more anxious he became. He reached the door and paused, his heart was racing in his chest. A part of him wanted to turn back and leave this place, ignoring it all, but he couldn't do that anymore.
Caden took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The metal door made a loud squeaking noise, sending a shiver down his spine. The air inside the warehouse was thick and musty, it smelled of dust and old machines . The room was dark with only a little sunlight coming from a few broken windows near the ceiling.
He stepped inside the room on high alert, the place was too silent. There was no movement, no whispers or footsteps. Just the darkness that felt suffocating.
"This is wrong," Ares growled in his head. "Where are they? They wouldn't leave this place unsecured."
Caden knew Ares was right, something really did seem off. He felt more disturbed as he moved deeper into the warehouse, his hand was in his pocket, ready to pull out the knife hidden in his jacket. If this was a trap, he wasn't going down without a fight.
As he moved deeper into the shadows, his eyes caught a faint glow coming from a corner of the warehouse. Caden's pulse quickened as he moved closer, his footsteps was silent on the concrete floor. The glow was coming from behind a stack of old crates, flickering like candlelight.
He reached the edge of the crates and looked around, he was so shocked about what he saw that he almost choked.
There, on the floor, was a circle. Symbols drawn with white chalk, surrounded by candles. In the center of the circle lay an old, tattered book. It's cover was looking very old, but Caden didn't need to open it to know what it was.
The Codex of Selene.
He hadn't seen it in years, but he recognized it instantly. The Circle had used it to perform their rituals for summoning their power from the depths, it was their bible, their source of dark knowledge and it was right before him out in the open, waiting for him.
His blood ran cold. This wasn't just a trap. It was an invitation.
"Pick it up," Ares urged, his voice low and seductive. "You know you want to. It holds the answers you've been searching for."
Caden stared at the book, his hand shaking. He wanted to know what the Circle was planning and what they wanted from him. But he remembered what happened the last time he opened the book, it almost destroyed him. He wasn't sure if he could survive it again.
His mind was torn between fear and curiosity, suddenly a voice cut through the silence.
"You've come far, Caden."
He turned around with his knife already on his hands immediately, but the figure who stepped out of the shadows wasn't what he expected. It was a tall woman cloaked in black, her face was partially hidden by a hood but Caden could see her cold and calculating eyes shining in the dull light.
"You," he whispered witg his grip tightening on the knife. "Rhea."
She smiled a slow and dangerous smile that made him shiver. Rhea was a poIt'swerful and feared member of The Circle with abilities to even rival the leaders. She was the one who recruited Caden Hart years back, drawing him into their world of secrets and darkness.
" It's been a long time," she said, her voice smooth and calm. "I wasn't sure if you'd come."
"I didn't come here to play games," Caden said . "What do you want?"
Rhea's smile widened. "What we've always wanted, Caden. You."
He took a step back, his heart racing. "I'm not going back."
"Oh, but you never left," she said in a mocking tone. "The Circle is in your blood. You can't escape it, no matter how hard you try. You belong to us."
Caden's mind raced, he was trying to think of an escape. He knew he couldn't beat Rhea in a fight, not with the power she had. And he suspected there were more other Lunar Circle members hiding and waiting for her signal.
"I don't belong to anyone," he said, shaking uncontrollably "Not anymore."
Rhea raised an eyebrow. "You think you can just leave? That you can outrun your fate?" She took a step closer, her eyes shining with something dark and ancient. "The Circle chose you for a reason Caden. You have power that you're barely aware of."
Caden didn't any of Rhea's words, he didn't want to be reminded of what his past. But the truth was that she wasn't wrong. The power was deep within him, hidden under his fear and guilt. He could feel it sometimes, like a faint spark at the edges of his consciousness, waiting for him to acknowledge it.
But he wouldn't. He couldn't.
"I don't care about your power," he said, his voice tight. "I just want this to end."
Rhea's expression changed to something cold and dangerous. "It will end, Caden. But not the way you think."
Rhea raised her hand, and the air around them seemed to waver and bend. Caden's heart raced as he felt the familiar pull of dark magic, heavy and oppressive, wrapping around him like chains.
"You can't fight this," Rhea whispered. "The Circle will have you, one way or another."
Caden clenched his jaw trying his best to resist against the pull but it was too strong. He could feel the darkness spreading, threatening to swallow him whole.
And then, just as suddenly as it began, it stopped.
Rhea dropped her hand and the air relaxed. Caden stumbled backwards panting, feeling dizzy.
"Consider this a warning," Rhea said with a cold voice. "You can't run from what you are. The Circle will come for you and when they do, you'll have no choice but to join us."
Caden glared at her, his body was shaking with a mix of fear and rage. He wanted to attack her but he knew it would be pointless. Rhea was right, it's too late to run away now.
But that didn't mean he was going to give up.
Without saying another word, he turned and walked away. He could feel Rhea's eyes on him as he left, but he didn't look back.
The storm was coming, and there was no way out this time.