Chapter 5 The Clash

The vampire moved like smoke and shadow, his eyes locked on Aria as if she were the only thing that mattered in the world.

Kael did not hesitate. With a roar that shook the walls, he lunged at the vampire, his body bursting into the form of a massive wolf mid-leap. His fur gleamed silver under the moonlight spilling through the broken window, his fangs bared in fury.

The vampire caught him with one hand, too fast, too strong, stopping him mid-air as if Kael weighed nothing. He pushed him back with a sneer.

"Always so quick to bare your teeth," the vampire said smoothly. "Tell me, wolf, do you ever stop to think? Or do you only know how to fight?"

Kael growled, claws ripping into the floor as he charged again. This time he struck the vampire's chest with full force, knocking him backward into the wall. Plaster cracked and dust rained down.

Aria clutched the blanket to her chest, her heart hammering so hard she thought it might burst. She wanted to run, but her legs felt frozen.

The vampire's black eyes flicked to her even as he shoved Kael away. "Do you see, little one? He would tear this place apart for you. But he is not gentle. He will never be gentle."

"Stay away from her!" Kael roared, his voice deeper, harsher, more beast than man.

The vampire moved again, faster than her eyes could follow, and suddenly he was in front of her bed. His cold hand brushed her cheek, and she gasped, pulling back.

"You carry my bite," he whispered. "You are already bound to me."

Aria's skin burned where his fingers touched. A shiver ran through her body, not from warmth but from something darker, something that both terrified and pulled at her.

Before she could move, Kael slammed into him, knocking him across the room with a savage snarl.

The two collided again and again, claws against strength, fangs against shadows. The room shook with their violence. Furniture splintered, the bed rattled beneath her, and the air itself seemed to thrum with power.

"Stop!" Aria cried, her voice breaking.

But neither of them stopped.

The vampire laughed, low and dangerous, even as Kael's claws raked across his chest. Dark blood seeped, but he didn't falter. "You cannot win, wolf. She is mine. Her heart already beats for me."

Kael snapped his jaws inches from his throat. "Her heart is hers. Not yours."

The vampire's smile widened, his black eyes glinting. "We shall see."

He dissolved into shadow again, slipping through Kael's grasp, and reformed at the window. He stood there, pale and elegant, brushing the dust from his coat as if nothing had happened.

Aria's breath came in shallow gasps.

The vampire's eyes met hers. "Do not fight what is already yours, Aria. The night calls you. And when you answer, I will be waiting."

And then, like smoke carried by the wind, he was gone.

Silence fell heavy.

Kael stood in the wreckage, his chest heaving, his golden eyes glowing like embers. Slowly, painfully, his form shifted back into that of a man. Sweat glistened on his skin, his body trembling from the effort.

Aria could only stare. He looked fierce and raw, his shirt torn, blood on his hands. But his eyes were on her, steady, burning.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice rough.

Aria shook her head, though her whole body shook. "No... but I..." Her voice broke. She pressed her hands to her face. "Why is this happening to me?"

Kael knelt by her bed, his hand reaching out but stopping just short of touching her. His golden eyes softened.

"Because you are marked," he said quietly. "And now, there is no turning back."

Aria lowered her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks. She met his gaze, and for a moment, she saw something there. Not just a protector. Not just a beast. But a man who looked at her as though she was the only thing keeping him from breaking.

Her chest tightened. She should be afraid. She should push him away. But instead, she whispered, "What if I don't want either of you?"

Kael's voice came low and steady. "Then you will have to fight harder than both of us."