Chapter 3 Golden Eyes in the Dark

Selene raced through the trees after the black wolf, her vampire speed making her almost as fast as him. Trees whipped past her face. Branches caught at her clothes and hair, but she didn't slow down. Lila was in trouble, and nothing else mattered.

"Lila!" she shouted. "Lila, where are you?"

The screams had stopped, which worried Selene even more. Was she too late? Had the werewolf guards hurt her friend?

Suddenly, the black wolf-Kael-stopped so quickly that Selene almost ran into him. He growled low in his throat, ears flat against his head. Something was wrong.

The forest had gone completely silent. No birds, no animals, not even the rustle of leaves in the wind. It was as if everything was holding its breath, waiting.

Kael changed back into his human form, his golden eyes glowing in the darkness.

"Something's not right," he said, his voice deep and serious. "That wasn't a normal scream."

"What do you mean?" Selene asked, her heart racing. "It was Lila. I know it was!"

"Maybe," Kael said, "but werewolf patrols don't attack without notice, and they'd never harm a lone vampire without bringing her to me first. Those are my rules."

Selene frowned. This didn't make sense. If the werewolves hadn't attacked Lila, then who-or what-had made her scream?

"We need to be careful," Kael said. "Stay close to me."

Any other time, Selene would have argued. She was a vampire princess, not some weak human who needed protection. But she was deep in werewolf country, and despite his claim that she was his "fated mate" (whatever that meant), she didn't fully trust Kael.

They moved forward more slowly now, Kael in human form, his every step quiet and careful. Selene followed, trying to copy his moves.

The trees got thicker here, blocking out most of the moonlight. Even with her vampire night vision, Selene could barely see a few feet ahead.

"Wait," Kael whispered suddenly, putting up a hand to stop her. "Do you smell that?"

Selene sniffed the air. Vampires didn't have as strong a sense of smell as werewolves, but she could identify something strange-a scent like rotting leaves and stagnant water.

"What is it?" she asked.

Before Kael could answer, a twig snapped loudly to their right. They both turned toward the sound.

"Lila?" Selene called hopefully.

But it wasn't Lila who stepped out from behind a huge oak tree. It was a figure cloaked in shade, its face hidden beneath a dark hood.

"Well, well," the person said in a voice that was neither male nor female. "The vampire princess and the werewolf king. How... convenient."

Kael pushed Selene behind him, his body tensing as if ready to shift back into wolf form at any moment.

"Who are you?" he asked. "What have you done with the vampire girl?"

The figure laughed, a sound like dry leaves moving. "You mean the bait? She served her role well, wouldn't you say?"

Anger flared in Selene's chest. "Where is Lila?" she yelled, stepping out from behind Kael. "If you've hurt her-"

"Your friend is fine, Princess," the figure said. "For now. But I'm afraid you have bigger problems."

With a flick of its hand, the figure threw something to the ground between them. There was a bright flash and a cloud of green smoke. Selene coughed, her eyes burning, and when she could see again, the figure was gone.

And so was Kael.

"Kael?" Selene spun around, searching the darkness. "Kael, where are you?"

No answer. The forest was silent again.

Panic rose in Selene's throat. She was alone in werewolf territory, with no idea which way went back to vampire lands. Worse, both Lila and Kael were missing, possibly in danger.

"Don't panic," she told herself. "Think."

Her ring, which had been burning hot before, was now ice cold against her skin. She pulled it out and looked at it. The ruby was dark, no longer sparkling.

"Great," she grumbled. "No help from you either."

A howl broke the quiet, but it wasn't Kael's. This one sounded different-higher-pitched and more faraway. It was answered by several other howls. The werewolf patrol Kael had stated was coming.

Selene had to move. Standing still wasn't an option anymore.

She picked a direction at random and started running, using her vampire speed to put as much space as possible between herself and the approaching werewolves.

The forest seemed to get darker and more twisted with every step. Twisted roots rose from the ground, trying to trip her. Branches hung low, causing her to duck and weave.

After what felt like hours but was probably only minutes, Selene stopped to catch her breath. She didn't need to breathe often, but the stress and fear were making her pant like a person.

"Where am I?" she whispered, looking around.

Nothing looked familiar. The trees here were even older and weirder than the ones she had seen before. Their stems were gnarled and twisted, and their branches reached toward the sky like skinny arms.

The howls got louder and closer, prompting Selene to run. She tripped on a root and fell, hurting her ankle. Although sprained, it would slow her down. Trapped against a tree, Selene feared she would die in werewolf territory without her uncle Darius knowing what happened.

As the howls neared, the clouds parted, revealing the moonlight. Selene saw a werewolf with reddish-brown fur and blue eyes snarling at her. With no tool and an injured ankle, she braced herself to fight off the creature.

Before the werewolf could attack, a big black wolf rushed in, and the two wolves fought each other. The black wolf, Kael, stood protectively between Selene and the red wolf. Kael let out a powerful howl, ordering the red wolf to retreat, which it did.

Kael then returned to his human form and knelt beside Selene, asking if she was hurt. After she mentioned her ankle, he examined it and noticed that it was only a sprain. Without asking, he pulled her into his arms, despite her protests. He argued they needed to leave quickly because the red wolf was one of Eryx's, and more would come.

Kael, his voice grim, stated that Eryx was his Beta and something was wrong for him to have attacked Selene. As they moved through the forest, Selene expressed worry for Lila, but Kael reassured her they would not leave her behind. He told her they were going to a safe place where they would be hidden from both vampires and werewolves.

Arriving at an ancient-looking cabin, Kael placed Selene in a chair and explained it was a safe house from the first peace talks between their kinds, which had finally failed. He attended to her ankle and noticed it was healing quickly. As he treated her, Selene noticed his scars and felt an unexpected feeling of safety around him.

Curious, she asked why he helped her despite being enemies. Kael replied that she was his fated mate, meaning they were linked beyond the animosity between their kinds. He pointed out the strange pull they felt when they first met. Selene found it hard to argue as she had felt that connection, but she protested the idea of being mates, saying vampires and werewolves were enemies.

"Maybe that's the problem," Kael said softly. "Maybe we've been enemies for so long that we've forgotten why."

He turned away from her, looking out the small window at the moonlit forest. "Rest for a bit. As soon as you can walk, we'll go find your friend."

Selene was about to thank him when her pendant suddenly flared with heat and light again. At the same moment, Kael's silver claw bracelet started to glow with a golden light.

They both looked down at their sparkling jewelry, then at each other.

"What-" Selene began, but she was cut off by a loud crash outside the house.

Kael was at the window in an instant. His body tensed, and a low growl left his throat.

"What is it?" Selene asked, limping to his side despite the pain in her ankle.

"Trouble," Kael said sadly. "Big trouble."

Outside, circling the cabin, were at least twenty werewolves in wolf form. At their head stood a tall, lean wolf with light blonde fur.

"Eryx," Kael growled.

And beside the sandy wolf stood a small figure that made Selene's blood run cold.

It was Lila. But something was wrong. Her usually bright green eyes were dull and empty, and there was a strange symbol drawn on her forehead in what looked like blood.

"Lila?" Selene whispered, pushing her hand against the window glass.

At the sound of her name, Lila's head turned toward the cabin. Her lips moved, making words that Selene couldn't hear but could read:

"Run, Selene. It's a trap."