Lena's POV
Asher lay next to me, his eyes darting around the room. He wasn't the dog I thought he was—at least, not anymore. He looked like an ordinary dog, but there was something different about him, something not quite right. His eyes glowed faintly, as if there was a fire behind them, something deep and ancient. I tried not to look at him too much, but I couldn't help it. There was a connection between us now, something unspoken, pulling at me in ways I didn't understand.
I pulled the blanket tighter around me, trying to calm the feeling gnawing at my insides, but the tension in the room only grew thicker. My breath felt shallow, like the air was too thick to breathe.
Then, just as I was about to close my eyes and try to sleep, I heard it—a soft scratch at the window.
I froze.
Asher's ears perked up, and his growl filled the room, deep and low, vibrating through the air. The sound was enough to send a chill through my spine, but I couldn't look away from the window. The shadows outside seemed to shift, stretching longer than they should have, bending unnaturally.
I couldn't move. My legs felt heavy. My heart thundered in my chest. I was terrified, and I couldn't even understand why.
A loud bang at the door made me jump. I gasped, scrambling to my feet, but before I could even make it to the door, it burst open with enough force to slam against the wall. Two figures stood in the doorway, cloaked in dark shadows.
Their eyes glowed—a sickly yellow, a dull flicker that sent a chill straight through me. They weren't human. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach.
"Lena."
The man's voice was low, rough, like gravel scraping against metal. My name sounded strange coming from his lips, like he knew something about me that I didn't.
I took a step back, instinct kicking in, but there was nowhere to go.
"Who are you?" I choked out, my voice barely a whisper, trembling with fear.
The man didn't answer right away. He just stepped forward, his eyes boring into mine like he could see right through me. And as he moved closer, I noticed something—the faint outline of a symbol burned into his palm. It looked like a twisted version of the mark on my wrist, glowing faintly under the dim light.
I tried to back up again, but the figure was faster. He grabbed my arm roughly, his grip like iron, pulling me toward him. I cried out in pain, struggling to free myself, but it was no use. His hand was unyielding, and the coldness that radiated off him made me want to scream.
"Let go of me!" I yelled, but my words seemed to disappear in the thick air, swallowed by the silence of the room.
The second figure stepped forward, a smirk playing on his lips. His eyes never left mine. "You're the key, Lena. The one we've been looking for."
The words made no sense to me, but fear coiled in my gut, tighter with each second. I didn't know who these people were, or what they wanted, but it was clear they were here for something—and I was the target.
Asher growled, louder now, his teeth bared. I turned to him, hoping—praying—that he could save me, but he was too far away, and the men had me pinned.
"Stay back, mutt," the first man sneered. "This doesn't concern you."
I barely registered his words before the pain hit. The man twisted my arm behind my back, pulling it until I thought it might snap. I gasped, the air knocked from my lungs, and my knees buckled beneath me.
My vision blurred with the pain, but I heard Asher snarling, his paws scraping against the floor as he struggled to move. But he couldn't. He was too far away, and the men held me too tight.
"Please… stop," I begged, my voice weak, my body trembling.
The man chuckled darkly. "Begging won't save you, girl."
He slammed me into the wall with such force that I saw stars. My breath hitched in my chest, and I struggled to keep myself from collapsing. The world was spinning, and I couldn't think straight. All I could focus on was the overwhelming pain and the cruel laughter of the man who had me.
Asher growled again, and I could feel his desperation, his need to help me. I heard him bark, his voice rising, but it was useless.
The second man moved closer, his eyes glinting with a dangerous, sick pleasure. He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. "You're the one we need. The mark on your wrist ties you to the prophecy. You can't hide from what's coming, Lena."
I didn't understand, didn't know what they were talking about. The mark on my wrist—the one that had appeared after that strange incident with Asher—what did it mean?
The first man spoke again, his voice low and menacing. "You'll give us what we need. You don't have a choice."
With that, he struck me across the face. The blow was so hard it made my vision swim. My head whipped to the side, and I tasted blood in my mouth. I felt dizzy, disoriented. My legs gave out, and I collapsed to the floor.
"Stop!" I begged, but it was like my voice didn't matter.
They weren't listening.
The pain was unbearable. I tried to move, to push them off, but everything was too much. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't do anything. I was at their mercy.
And then, just as I thought I might slip into unconsciousness, I heard it. A crackling sound. A loud whoosh of air, followed by a sharp, snapping sound. The men froze, their eyes flicking toward the door.
And then—she was there.
A woman. Tall, with long dark hair that shimmered almost silver in the dim light. Her eyes glowed faintly, like she was something otherworldly, something dangerous.
"Let her go."
Her voice was commanding, and it made the men falter.
The first man turned to her, a sneer twisting his face. "You have no place here, witch."
But the woman didn't flinch. She raised one hand, and in an instant, the air shifted. A flash of light exploded from her fingertips, and the men were thrown back with such force that they crashed into the walls. The sound of their bodies hitting the wood was sickening.
I barely had time to process what was happening before she was at my side, kneeling beside me.
"Are you all right?" she asked, her voice softer now, though still full of power.
I couldn't speak. I was still in shock, my body trembling, blood dripping from my lip. My vision swam as I struggled to focus on her.
The woman glanced at Asher, who was still standing there, eyes wide and terrified.
"Don't worry," she murmured. "They won't be able to hurt you anymore."
Before I could respond, before I could even take another breath, she looked at the men on the floor, who were starting to stir.
"You're not welcome here," she said coldly. "And I'm done playing nice."
The air around her shimmered again, and the men seemed to freeze. They looked at her, but their bodies no longer moved. The woman raised her hand once more, and in an instant, they were gone. Vanished.
I stared at the spot where they had been, still processing what had just happened.
"Who… Who are you?" I whispered, still too shaken to form complete thoughts.
She turned back to me, her gaze softening just a little. "Seraphina Moon," she said, her tone firm but not unkind. "And I'm here to keep you safe."
I wanted to ask a thousand questions, but the words stuck in my throat. I wasn't sure what to ask first.
Seraphina helped me to my feet, her grip gentle but steady. "We don't have much time," she said, her voice serious now. "They'll be back. And next time, they won't be alone."
"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice shaking.
"The prophecy," she said, glancing at me closely. "The mark on your wrist. It's all connected, Lena. You're tied to something much bigger than you realize."
Before I could ask anything more, she spoke the words that froze me in place.
"The curse can't be undone without sacrifice."
And just like that, the world around me seemed to blank, the weight of her words sinking in like a stone in my chest.