Chapter 2 Taken by Shadows

The wind screamed outside, shaking the fragile walls of the cottage. Avalora's fingers trembled as she gripped the edge of the table, trying to steady her racing heart. The golden glow of her mark still pulsed on her wrist, faint but insistent. Rion's silver eyes never left her. He was unnervingly calm, the storm outside no match for the tension he radiated. "Stay still," he said, voice low and commanding. "You don't understand the danger yet." She shook her head, frustration and fear colliding.

"Danger? I'm already terrified, and you expect me to...what? Let you hold me here while some-some thing hunts me?" His expression flickered, just for a moment, like he almost wanted to smile. "You'll do as I say. Or you'll die." The words hit harder than any blade. Avalora's pulse thundered, not from fear alone. There was something about the way he said it, the intensity behind his gaze-it made her skin tingle in ways she didn't want to admit. Before she could respond, the floorboards groaned violently. Shadows-dark, writhing tendrils of magic-slithered under the door, curling toward them. Avalora stepped back, panic clawing her chest. "They're here," she whispered. "They've been hunting you for hours," Rion said, pulling a black cloak from his shoulders. "And now, they've found us." Before she could argue, the shadows burst through the door like living smoke, twisting and writhing toward her. She screamed, but Rion moved faster than her eyes could follow. In one swift motion, he stepped in front of her, hand outstretched. The shadows recoiled as if burned, hissing in frustration. Golden sparks shot from her mark, reacting to his presence. "You have power you don't understand," he said, his tone sharp. "And it's tied to me. That's why they're coming for you." Avalora stared at him, disbelief and terror mingling. "Tied to you? What does that even mean?" Rion's jaw tightened, his hand still hovering near hers, not quite touching but close enough to make her pulse stutter. "It means," he said slowly, almost reluctantly, "that wherever you go, I'm bound to follow. And if they take you...so will your life." Her stomach dropped. "Bound to...you? That's insane!" "Not insane," he said, stepping closer, dark shadows curling around his boots. "Necessary." A tendril of darkness lunged again, and this time Avalora didn't have time to react. Rion grabbed her wrist, his grip firm, commanding-but not cruel. The moment his hand closed around hers, a jolt of energy surged through her, hotter and more intoxicating than anything she'd ever felt. "Your mark," he said, voice rough, almost pained, "it recognizes me. You don't have a choice, Avalora. You're coming with me." "Coming with you? I don't even know you!" she snapped, struggling against his grip. "You will know me," he replied, his silver eyes locking onto hers, deadly and magnetic all at once. "And whether you like it or not...you'll survive because of me. And maybe...against your will...you'll want me too." Avalora's chest tightened, a strange, electric warmth pooling inside her. Against her better judgment, against everything she'd been taught, her heart thudded with something she didn't want to admit: anticipation. She hated him. She was terrified of him. And yet... Something inside her ached when he pulled her toward the door, toward the storm, toward the unknown. The shadows hissed and recoiled as he stepped into them, dragging her with him. And Avalora realized, with a sick thrill, that she couldn't stop herself from following.