Marcus's POV
Tell me why you are truly here. Clara's comments cut through the quiet like a razor. She stood across the little passage of the cavern, her back pushed against the crumbling wall and every line of her body radiating tension. Her sharp, relentless gaze fixed on me. The last of the crystals created shadows dancing about us, flickering with every earthquake.
I said, attempting to keep my voice calm, "I told you." "Selena"—
"Don't fool me." She moved precisely and under control, like a predator closing in on injured prey, and stepped forward. Marcus, you consistently have a reason. Nor is it only about defending the pack.
I tightened my hands, trying not to grab for her. The distance between us seemed immense. "This time, it's."
"Bullet." Her laughter was unpleasant, and it sounded off the ground floor walls. You constantly frame it in terms of obligation. We both know, though, there is more involved.
"I had nothing to choose from!" Raw and uninformed, the words came out of me. Every choice I made—every betrayal—was done to keep you alive. To keep us from drowning in this battle.
Her eyes closed as mistrust battled with something even more deadly—hope. "You believe that would justify it? The lies, the refutation? Not all of it?
I never wanted to hurt you. The truth spilled out before I could stop it. Still, if it meant you would be secure, I would do it all again.
She flinched as though hit, and for a moment I loathed myself more than I could have imagined. Clara's expression froze, a mask falling into place. Then Marcus, you are a coward. a coward unable to fight for what counted most.
The ground underneath shook once more before I could respond. From above, dust and stones feel like warning of the imminent collapse. We were running out of time.
"We are not able to stay here." I moved toward the little road that led out. "If we do not act right now—"
"Stop ordering." She moved deliberately and flowed by me. "I will find my own path out."
"Wait, Clara." Desperate dragging at me, I grabbed for her. She turned aside, her face arresting.
"I trusted you once," she replied, clearly in agony. "Never again."
Heavier than any blow, the words hovered between us. But before either of us could react, a frigid breeze swept across the cavern, smelling of decaying. My senses turned on high alert. We were not alone.
"Get down!" Just as a dark creature came out of the shadows, its sword meant for her heart was pushed by me. We dropped to the ground, almost avoiding the hit. The killer snarled, its eyes blazing with terrible brightness.
I rolled to get on my feet and pulled my own weapon. "You will have to perform above that.
The killer grinned, a nasty twist of lips. "Happy."
The fighting was fierce; every punch was precisely offset by deadly force. Joining the fight, Clara moves quickly and deliberately. We battled together, a basic beat guiding us. Still, the killer moved quickly—too quickly. Its sword sliced over my shoulder as it tore across our fortifications. Pain shot like a sharp, blinding blade.
"Marcus!" Clara spoke with much worry. She leaped at the killer, fury in every action. Metal against metal, they battled until she struck something that drove it whirling back. The killer laughed, though, a hollow, bone-chilling sound instead of retiring.
"This is only the beginning," it said, eyes darting toward me. "Selena sends her respects.
Then, with a twist of evil energy, it disappeared, leaving just the sounds of its laughter behind.
Clara looked at me, her breathing laboured. Mixed with the sweat and dirt, blood trickled down her brow. "What was it meant to mean?
I came up short with an answer. "We have to keep on moving."
She looked at me for a long time before nodding, her face opaque. We negotiated the collapsing road together, each step bringing us closer to the surface—and whatever waited beyond.
We came into the pale light of morning, the trees around us oddly still. Tiredness obvious in every line of her body, Clara curled against a tree. I intended to cross the barrier between us by bringing comfort. Though I knew better.
She said, "You're hurt," looking at my shoulder.
"That's nothing."
Lying. She approached closely, her touch surprisingly subdued as she examined the cut. You always act as though you are unbeatable.
"I have not that luxury," I said softly. not when so much depends on me.
She murmured, "always the martyr," but her words lacked any warmth. For a moment, the burden was released. She instantly pushed back, though, her barriers falling into line. "This has no effect on anything."
I nodded, chewing the acrid taste of grief. "I knew."
Silence weighted with things left unsaid stretched between us. I moved back, creating the distance I really wanted. She won't stop. She is deadlier than she has ever been.
Why then come for me now? Demanding was Clara. From a distance, you may have cautioned me. Why pull me back into this horror?
"Because the only one able to stop her is you." The words hung there—a truth I hated. "There is something inside of you, Clara. One she worries about. And should we neglect to uncover it?"
She shook her head, incredulity painted on her face. I'm done acting as a pawn.
You are not a pawn, I argued. The secret is you.
"To which?" She moved forward, fury blazing. "To suffer more suffering?" Even more treachery?
"To call this conflict to an end. To ensure that none else suffers.
She turned aside, her shoulders shaking. "Marcus, I cannot trust you."
I nodded, her words weighing me down. "I know."
Wolves' far-off scream broke the silence, a warning. Selena's soldiers were closing in on each other.
"We don't have time," I said, desperately lacing my words. "We have to move whatever you decide."
She hesitated, split between dread, wrath, and something more I couldn't put in words. She nodded last. " Lead the way."
But as we turned away, a lady cloaked in shadows emerged from behind us, her eyes ablaze with rage.
"Being somewhere?" She pounced, her voice sharp and hostile.
Clara stiffened next to me. "Who are you?"
The woman graced with a sharp smile Selena writes her respects.
My blood froze. This was not simply another killer. Far worse than this was this.
I said, grabbing my gun, "Run."
Still, Clara maintained her ground, passion blazing in her eyes. "Not this time," says