Elara sat frozen on the edge of the bed, Ryan's words echoing in her mind like the tolling of a death bell.
I thought I killed the last of your kind.
The last of what? What was she?
Her fingers instinctively traced over the mark on her wrist, now faded but still tingling with warmth. A symbol she didn't recognize. A power she didn't understand.
She took a shaky breath, glancing toward the door Ryan had left through moments ago. The room suddenly felt too large, too suffocating despite its grandeur.
She couldn't stay here.
Not without answers.
---
Elara moved swiftly, pressing her ear against the door. No sound. She hesitated only for a moment before gripping the handle and turning it—locked. Of course. Ryan wasn't foolish enough to let her wander freely.
Her eyes darted toward the windows. Rain still lashed against the glass, the wind howling like a beast outside. She had no idea how high up she was, but escape through there wasn't an option.
Her gaze landed on the ornate bookshelves lining one side of the room. Hundreds of tomes, their spines gilded with gold and silver. Knowledge. Secrets. Perhaps even the truth about what she was.
She approached cautiously, fingers skimming over the covers. Most were historical records, tales of war, bloodlines, treaties… but one caught her attention.
A small, black leather-bound book. No title. No markings.
Unlike the others, it looked… untouched.
Elara hesitated before pulling it free from the shelf. The moment her fingers wrapped around it, a sharp pulse shot through her palm—like an electric current.
She gasped, nearly dropping it.
Her heart pounded as she carefully opened the cover. The pages were thick, yellowed with age, and filled with strange symbols she didn't recognize. But as her eyes scanned them, something in her mind clicked.
The words blurred, shifted—until suddenly, she understood them.
---
"The Forgotten Line—the cursed bloodline, doomed to be hunted until erased from existence. Marked by the gods, feared by men."
---
Elara's blood turned to ice.
The Forgotten Line.
That's what Ryan had meant. That's what she was.
Her breath came fast, shallow. Her fingers trembled as she flipped the pages, desperate for more.
---
"Blessed with power beyond mortal comprehension, yet destined for ruin. The blood of kings, yet fated to fall. The mark of the Forgotten is a beacon to those who seek to destroy them."
---
Her chest tightened. The mark on her wrist—it wasn't just a scar. It was a beacon. A sign that she belonged to a lineage wiped from history.
And Ryan knew.
Did he take me prisoner because of this?
Does he plan to kill me?
The thought sent a fresh wave of panic through her veins.
She had to get out.
Now.
---
Elara shoved the book back onto the shelf and turned—only to freeze.
The door was open.
And Ryan stood in the doorway.
His gaze flicked from the book to her hands, then to her face.
"You found it."
His voice was calm, but there was something sharp beneath it. Something dangerous.
Elara swallowed hard. "You knew."
Ryan stepped forward, closing the door behind him. "I suspected."
Her nails dug into her palms. "And what were you going to do when you confirmed it? Kill me?"
Ryan didn't answer. He simply stared at her, storm-gray eyes unreadable.
A silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken truths.
Then, to her surprise, he sighed.
"If I wanted you dead," he murmured, "you wouldn't be standing here."
Elara flinched, but she held her ground.
"Then what do you want from me?"
Ryan exhaled, running a hand through his dark hair. For the first time since she had met him, he looked… conflicted.
Like he wasn't sure of the answer himself.
After a moment, he finally spoke.
"There are things you don't understand, Elara."
Her jaw clenched. "Then make me understand."
Ryan studied her for a long moment, then turned toward the door.
"Not tonight."
Elara took a step forward. "Ryan—"
"I said, not tonight."
His tone left no room for argument.
Before she could protest, he was gone again, the door clicking shut behind him.
Elara stood there, her mind spinning.
She had more answers now—but even more questions.
And one terrifying truth.
She was the last of the Forgotten.
And that meant one thing.
She was being hunted.
---